Led Zeppelin/Ireland 1971 Master Cassette

The glorious 1971 of ZEP started with a small venue tour called Return to the Club. Their popularity has exploded and they have already reached the LA Forum and Madison Square Garden, so this was a so-called “club-hopping” tour to return to their roots and express their gratitude to their fans in their home country. The release of this Milan performance shows that European sound sources from May to July are rare, but sound sources are also scarce for this club tour. I guess it was a disaster because the venue for the live performance was not a large venue. However, fortunately, there is an audience recording for Belfast on the first day of the tour. What’s more, since it’s the first day of the tour, it’s also a very historic day, as it’s the first performance of songs from the historic masterpiece “IV”, and in particular, the live premiere of the immortal masterpiece “Stairway to Heaven”. Since it is a very important day, many items have appeared in the 21st century. However, in order to compensate for the frequent cuts, live (Ipswitch) sound sources from completely different times in the same year 1971 were forcibly supplemented, while the pitch errors were left unattended, and the finale was the highlight “Stairway to Heaven”. In addition to the cut, strange sounds were generated due to the deterioration of the tape, and many items that surpassed the preciousness of the sound source and made enthusiasts cry have appeared. Even so, the reason it became a hot topic was simply because we were able to hear the first performance of “Stairway to Heaven.” In addition to the problem of frequent cuts, there is also the problem that after “Moby Dick” (also recorded from the middle) the sound becomes distorted and becomes difficult to listen to. However, in terms of sound sources that are still worth listening to, it’s not just the first performance of “Stairway to Heaven.” “Black Dog”, which is one of the few recordings in this sound source in an intact state, and which was also the live premiere, is just intense. Surprisingly, Plant sings the melody completely in the “IV” album version, in other words, in full scream mode. 1971 is loved by enthusiasts as the only year in which the same song was sung with a high melody line, but it is really rare that he sang it with the same melody as the album. In addition to this being a live premiere, I think the fact that it was the first live show of the year was a big factor. If you listen to Plant’s fierce scream here, even those 928 and 929 will seem to be singing in a restrained manner. For the reason mentioned above, after “Whole Lotta Love” there are many parts that are distorted and difficult to listen to, but you can still clearly hear the intensity of Plant’s scream. Plant sings at a high pitch as a matter of course in “Rock And Roll”, which is also a live premiere, sung in that atmosphere. Fortunately, a master cassette has been discovered in recent years for this historical but difficult audience recording. The frequency of cuts has not changed this time, but the rough and unstructured editing of different sound sources like those of the past, and the strange whistle-like sounds caused by tape deterioration have been eliminated, making it much easier to listen to. Ta. Even so, it is still at a level for enthusiasts, but it is a shocking document with Plant’s full-throttle scream and the historical live premiere of songs from “IV”! Live at Ulster Hall, Belfast, Ireland 5th March 1971 Disc 1(54:31) 1. Immigrant Song 2. Heartbreaker 3. Since I’ve Been Loving You 4. Black Dog ★Premiere 5. Dazed and Confused 6. Stairway to Heaven ★Premier 7. Going to California★Premier 8. What Is and What Should Never Be Disc 2(49:26) 1. Moby Dick 2. Whole Lotta Love (medley incl. Let That Boy Boogie, Bottle Up and Go, Long Distance Call) 3. Communication Breakdown 4. Rock And Roll★Premier 5. Bring It On Home