Led Zeppelin/MD,USA 1972

1972 was a literal transitional period in the history of ZEP live performances. In particular, the US tour was the final period of Robert Plant’s screaming voice. As if responding to his modulation, ZEP’s live sound also underwent a change. From the momentum of 1971, the beginning started slowly and ended with a storm-like excitement. As the tour approached the second half, there were shows with an upper atmosphere from the beginning, such as the LA Forum and Long Beach, but the first half of the Charlotte show was a typical example of a relaxed show. During the Charlotte performance, a Buffalo performance was held, but the sound source of this day has not yet been excavated. Therefore, the next one to exist is the Baltimore performance on June 11th. Like Charlotte, this has long been known as a high-quality audience recording at the beginning of the tour. Although it has a distant sound image, it has a rounded texture that is truly analog, and has been supported by enthusiasts as a refreshing and fresh sound source. “BALTIMORE 1972”, which we released 10 years ago, was a press CD made in a natural state from a master that was already on the market. The lack of unnatural equalization like the items that had been released up until then, or the sense of degradation due to gene drop, was highly praised by enthusiasts. However, it is also true that the Baltimore audience recording, combined with the distance of the sound image, was a sound source that sounded very plain. Because of this, it was treated as a 1972 tour sound source that was unfamiliar to non-enthusiasts, even though it was of good quality. It is true that if you do not add any equalization to a sound source in a state like this Baltimore, it will simply sound plain. Also, as with fan equalization projects such as winston remaster, in the 2010s, the previous Donshari-like equalization sense has disappeared, and next-generation equalization that emphasizes the balance of “naturalness and ease of listening” has become mainstream and has continued to the present. In that respect, Baltimore and others this time may be said to be a great material. For this CD release, the version chosen as the new best of the Baltimore sound source was remastered in 2010 by someone calling himself Liriodendron. His modifications were basically to remove hiss noise and balance the left and right channels. What is even more noteworthy is that the sound has become clearer in the acoustic set, which tends to sound dark and gloomy due to the modest sound quality peculiar to this sound source. This is already a finish worthy of being called an upper version, but for this release, the pitch, which had fluctuated throughout, was accurately adjusted to a nearly semitone higher pitch. In fact, this unstable pitch fluctuation was the biggest weakness of the Baltimore sound source. This instantly eliminated the stress of listening, and promoted it to a famous sound source of the 1972 US tour that even non-maniacs can enjoy. Speaking of America in 1972, it was a time when Plant’s voice began to show its ups and downs. Especially in the first half of the tour, there were many days when his voice was not in good condition at the beginning of the live performance. As for Baltimore, Plant’s voice is not exactly mellow. The way he sings in lower key here and there reminds me of the Phoenix performance in 1970. In the first place, ZEP had performed 10 consecutive shows from Detroit on June 7th, the first day of the tour up to Baltimore, so there is no way that Plant’s throat would not be tired. In addition, Plant’s fatigue was strong from the beginning, such as when he made a mistake in the lyrics of “Immigrant Song”. A light shines on such a situation with “Stairway To Heaven”, which has now become a representative song. In the United States in 1972, when Plant announced the name of the song, a huge cheer erupted at every venue, which was moving, but as if inspired by such a reaction, Plant’s efforts promoted it to a wonderful performance. In addition, the quality of his voice itself still retains a scream-like tone, which is the charm of his voice at this time. And when it comes to the acoustic set, which is easier to listen to in this release, Plant sings very lively and makes a complete comeback. Especially in the middle of “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp”, you can see how he runs faster than the band and starts singing. Following these sets where the frequency of screaming decreases, Plant is in top form when he plays “Dazed And Confused”, which is the usual 1972 pattern explosion. And the best climax in Baltimore was the “Whole Lotta Love” medley. To tell the truth, ZEP had a pretty hectic schedule the day before, watching Elvis Presley’s live performance at Madison Square Garden in the afternoon, then going to Buffalo to play their own show, and then jumping into a club in New York in the middle of the night to play. It was a very rare scene where his “I Need Your Love Tonight” appeared in the medley, probably because the afterglow of seeing Elvis was so strong. Here too, Plant sings in a high tone, so it’s reliable. Furthermore, the second half of the live performance is wonderful, with “Going Down” appearing in the medley, which could be called a preview of the “THREE DAYS AFTER” show a year later. Furthermore, the definitive version of 1972 Baltimore will appear, where Plant sings “Rock and Roll” in high tones! Live at Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 11th June 1972 Disc 1 (66:02) 01. Intro 02. Immigrant Song 03. Heartbreaker 04. Black Dog 05. Since I’ve Been Loving You 06. Stairway To Heaven 07. Going To California 08. That’s The Way 09. Tangerine 10. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp Disc 2 (59 :38) 01. MC 02. Dazed and Confused 03. What Is And What Should Never Be 04. Moby Dick Disc 3 (41:30) 01. Whole Lotta Love 02. Rock And Roll 03. Communication Breakdown