Led Zeppelin/Switzerland 6.29.1980

Thinking back to 1988, CD bootlegs began to appear and a renaissance swept through the air. However, the ZEP albums that came out at that time were all just cheap LPs such as “JAPAN TOUR 71” and “IN THROUGH THE OUTTAKES” that traced the sound of LPs. Also, in the world of LPs, the LP “HOW MANY MORE TIMES”, which contained the Mike Millard sound source’s Gene drop pitch rise Long Beach, was said to be a soundboard recording. In such a situation, “TOUR OVER EUROPE 1980” appeared like a comet. In a situation where only 929 and Destroyer existed as soundboards for ZEP live performances, except for the BBC and Fillmore of each era, the shock of the soundboard recording of the Zurich performance on June 29, 1980, suddenly appeared on the CD media! “TOUR OVER EUROPE 1980”, which contains the Zurich soundboard recording, which was not heard in the LP era, was a shocking work that became a rumor among fans other than ZEP enthusiasts. However, while it was a hot topic, the tape change was recorded only halfway through “Kashmir”, and the part of the second tape containing the second half of the live performance was released without being recorded. It was more than a year after the release of “TOUR OVER EUROPE 1980” that the second half of the live performance was unearthed in “SILVER COATED RAILS”. Of course, the historical importance of such a release item is important, but the fact that the Zurich performance was the first to release a large number of 1980 tour soundboards that will be released later makes me feel something like fate. Because this was the day of the best performance of the 1980 tour. If this had been around Mannheim in July, the evaluation might have been completely different. Or it might not have been such a hot topic. Zurich was such an outstanding performance during the 1980 tour, and the impact of hearing it on a soundboard recording with excellent sound quality was so great. It can be said that the performance on this day was a matured version of the momentum and vitality that was present in Brussels. As was repeatedly stated in the Brussels release, which will be released at the same time, the 1980 tour was good in June, but there were also events during that time that foreshadowed the tragedy that would come later. The Nuremberg performance on the 27th was cut short after only three songs due to Bonzo’s poor health (the banana overeating incident). After a day off, it can be said that Zurich made a dramatic comeback. In fact, just like in Brussels, ZEP here is full of momentum and vitality that can be felt at first listen. You can feel the spirit that they absolutely must make up for their poor performance in Nuremberg. And yet, what is even more noteworthy than Brussels is the good condition of Plant’s voice. As if responding to the decline in Page’s playing quality on this tour, Plant’s voice also seems to have aged even more on this tour. The soundboard recording clearly conveys that he is using the harmonizer even more than he did at Knebworth. Despite the decline in his playing and physical condition, ZEP was still overjoyed to be back on tour after a long time since the June tour. The peak of this was probably Zurich. Anyway, Plant’s good mood is recorded in real time, and it’s really nice to hear him urge the audience to make the “eye thank you” pose that was repeated that day. And yet the strength of the performance emitted by the entire band is truly wonderful. “All My Love” is still very popular on this day, and “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, where Page plays with all his might, is a masterpiece. Plant, who was watching it next to him, praised him after the performance, and it was also nice to hear Page respond in front of the microphone, “Thank you very much.” The coexistence of this ease and strength is the charm of the Zurich performance. And the most heartwarming thing is the great wandering of “Kashmir”. Once you get lost, it’s a big problem, and even if Johnsy tries to steer it somehow, someone will go in a different direction. It may be said that it is a miracle that such a masterpiece happened in one of the best performances of the 1980 tour. Not only in terms of performance, but also in terms of sound quality, Zurich was also a famous sound source that boasted the best clarity among the 1980 tour soundboards. Therefore, in recent years, it has become commonplace to make up for the missing parts of “Kashmir” in audience recordings, but it is unfortunate that Zurich, which can be called the basic of the basics of the 1980 tour, was surprisingly neglected, such as the release of an item with a crazy pitch of the main soundboard. So this time, it was recorded again from the safe Winston Remasters version. The equalization sense of Winston Remasters and the clarity of the Zurich soundboard are a perfect match, making this an undisputed definitive edition. The pitch is accurate, and the audience recording adjustment is perfect. This is a superb Zurich album that will allow all rock fans, not just ZEP enthusiasts, to enjoy the masterpiece that can be called ZEP’s final dynamism. This time, a bonus Disc-3 is also included. It contains a program in which the American radio station Westwood One broadcast an excerpt from the Zurich soundboard. To tell the truth, I was shocked by the high sound quality of Westwood One’s “TOUR OVER EUROPE 1980”, and since the release of the album, I have been broadcasting Zurich on public airwaves many times. Moreover, I have repeatedly broadcast it in conjunction with the BBC live shows in 1969 and 1971, when Westwood One had acquired the broadcasting rights in the United States. For example, a bootleg called “RARE BROADCASTS” was released in the past, but it was also a recording of a program broadcast by Westwood One including Zurich. This time, the version broadcast by Westwood One in 2000 is recorded, and only “Stairway To Heaven” is a BBC take from 1971. There were other BBC takes broadcast, but they were cut and recorded on one disc. What’s interesting about this broadcast is that in order to eliminate the gap with the BBC sound source, the Zurich sound source is covered with intense equalization and fake cheers. From such treatment, interesting sound sources that will make you realize again that the Zurich sound board is an outstanding sound source are recorded at the same time. After all, Zurich in 1980 is a special sound source! Live at Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland 29th June 1980 Disc 1 (74:44) 1. Intro 2. Train Kept a Rollin’ 3. Nobody’s Fault But Mine 4. Black Dog 5. In The Evening 6. Rain Song 7. Hot Dog 8. All My Love 9. Trampled Underfoot 10. Since I’ve Been Loving You 11. Achilles Last Stand Disc 2 (50 :03) 1. MC 2. White Summer / Black Mountainside 3. Kashmir 4. Stairway to Heaven 5. Rock and Roll 6. Heartbreaker Disc 3(39:58) FM Broadcast Westwood One Broadcast DAT Master 1. WXRT Intro/J.J. Jackson Intro 2. Trampled Underfoot 3. Since I’ve Been Loving You 4. Achilles Last Stand 5. Stairway To Heaven 6. Outro.