Led Zeppelin/MA,USA 3.23.1969

For ZEP, which was formed in the fall of 1968, their first US tour was the band’s first peak. After touring Scandinavia and their native England in 1968, ZEP’s next goal was to gain popularity in the US. So they headed to the US at the end of the year, spent the New Year there, and began their full-scale attack on the US. On their first visit to the US, manager Peter Grant ordered them to “leave a strong impression on the American people at every show.” In other words, he wanted them to work that hard. By doing so, they had to gain popularity in the US at all costs. That was ZEP’s first goal in 1969. Nowadays, the recordings from this period exist in pinpoint form, and it is now possible to trace the state of ZEP’s first US visit. Starting with Gonzaga University, famous as the oldest live recording, Whisky a Go Go, Fillmore West, which have been excavated over the past decade, and the Boston Tea Party, whose upper version will be released this time. The list of existing recordings is as follows. December 30, 1968: Gonzaga University January 5, 1969: Whiskey a Go-Go January 9-12: Fillmore West January 23, 25-26: Boston Tea Party It’s surprising that so many audience recordings of bands who visited the US just before their first album was released have been left behind, but listening to them in order, you can hear how ZEP instantly captivated the American audience. Among them, the Boston Tea Party (hereafter referred to as BTP) was a decisive period. On the final day, the 26th (famous for the guitar boom), the calls for an encore did not stop even after ZEP finished their regular set, and as a result, they ended up performing a live show that lasted more than four hours. However, there are no recordings of the legendary long stage, and the only recordings of each day of BTP are the ones that record ZEP’s regular stage. Among them, the 23rd was the first day of BTP’s stage, and the best sound quality was the one on the 23rd. The moderate clarity was surprisingly easy to listen to, even though it was a mono recording, and the quality of the audience recording in January 1969 was second only to Whiskey a Go-Go. As proof of this, this sound source was released under the name “BOSTON TEA PARTY” during the LP era. However, it is clear that the LP was based on a copy of the old generation, and I remember that it did not receive a fair evaluation due to the state of the sound source rather than the content of the performance. Rather, the sound source on the 23rd began to be circulated in a low-generation state after the CD era, and it has evolved to a state that is easy to listen to so much that everyone has forgotten the existence of the previous LP, and items have been released many times. In any case, it is an audience recording with surprisingly high clarity for 1969, so the great attraction is that the amazing performance of ZEP unique to this period is clearly recorded. The show started with “The Train Kept A Rollin'”, a standard for this period, but there was an incident where the strings of Page’s Telecaster broke during the performance. The usual “I Can’t Quit You Baby” can’t be started without a break, and instead Plant has to connect the place with an MC. Bonzo, unable to watch, plays a rhythm that seems to be a substitute for the intro, but that ends abruptly. However, the BTP audience is not irritated by such a situation, but rather it is transmitted that they are watching with bated breath. After all, the sound quality is good, so the sense of realism is felt realistically. Once the preparations are complete and “I Can’t Quit You Baby” begins, the audience is overwhelmed by the amazing performance unique to 1969 ZEP. Among them, “As Long As I Have You”, which is no exaggeration to say is the pleasure of maniacs on the stage in the first half of 1969, is also wonderful here. Although it has not reached the high level of completion as Denmark, which we released a few weeks ago, the performance that runs through in an instant with hyper tension is so much that it seems to be lost for words. It is a performance that is just about to explode. Unfortunately, the recording ends with a wavy sound as if the tape had run out immediately after the end of “You Shook Me”, but even in the recording so far, the charm of ZEP in the early 1969 period is condensed with clear sound quality. In the first place, the deep performance of “You Shook Me” here is also spectacular. The sound source on the 23rd has already been released as a high-quality item, but this time it is made into a CD based on a copy of the first generation that appeared in recent years. This is considered the best version among enthusiasts, and its natural sound quality is actually exceptional. This time, no equalization that changes the sound quality was added. However, this first generation version was missing the band introduction at the beginning of the show. So this part was compensated for with another source that had been around for a while. It was also a low-generation one, but the difference with this first generation is clear. Even though it was a compensation for the part that was not performed, from “The Train Kept A Rollin'”, which switches to the main sound source this time, it suddenly changes to a good view as if it had been peeled off. Just by listening to the path from this band intro, you will surely realize how outstanding this first generation master is. And the gradually falling pitch, which was a fatal problem with this sound source but had been neglected until now, has been precisely adjusted. Not only in terms of sound quality but also in terms of playback, it has become a perfect finish without stress. This is the definitive and undisputed upper version release of the classic BTP sound source that captures the dynamic performance unique to the early 1969! Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA. USA 23rd January 1969 (46:04) 1. Introduction 2. Train Kept A Rollin’ 3. I Can’t Quit You Baby 4. As Long As I Have You 5. Dazed And Confused 6. You Shook Me