Led Zeppelin/Tokyo,Japan 10.2.1972

Regarding ZEP’s two performances in Japan, there are consistent commonalities in the distribution status of audience recordings. That is, “there are many sound sources from the first day.” In other words, in both 1971 and 1972, many sound sources are concentrated at Budokan on the first day of the tour. However, when it comes to the quality of the sound source, 1971 and 1972 were completely different. In the former case, it started with the “FRONT ROW” sound source, and now it is a high-level situation where there are many amazing high-quality audience recordings such as “ROCK CARNIVAL” that can be heard with modern ears. , the latter is fresh in my memory that our store released it as “BUDOKAN 1972 1ST NIGHT”, and the long-standing standard audience recording was so special that other sound sources tended to be overlooked. In the first place, it is fresh in our memory that “BUDOKAN 1972~” was released by our store, and now that it is sold out, what will we release on the first day of Budokan in 1972? Is this a reissue of other recordings that have appeared so far? No, it’s not. On this day when there are already many recording sources, this release is a freshly discovered new source! After all, the “first day sound source” legend was still alive and well this time. Audience recording of the first day of Budokan in 1972 that appeared again. However, the recording quality of the “BUDOKAN 1972 ~” sound source is so great that it is not a big advantage if it is just that. Not only was the sound quality great, but it was also great as a record, with almost no cuts in the performance. In fact, our store has released another sound source “LIVE AT BUDOKAN 1972 1st NIGHT” in the past, but it was also an incomplete recording, and above all, the sound quality is not as good as the “BUDOKAN 1972 ~” sound source. Therefore, although it was a valuable separate sound source, it ended up being treated as a CD-R gift. This situation has continued for many years, so this new source is nothing compared to the “BUDOKAN 1972~” sound source…It’s outrageous! A sound source that boasts a quality comparable to “BUDOKAN 1972~” has finally appeared! finally! I am not surprised that these separate recordings were still dormant until today in 2016, but what is even more surprising is the high sound quality. Regarding this new source, let me first point out that it has some disadvantages. That is because the new song “ZEP”, also known as “The Song Remains The Same”, and the following “Rain Song” were not recorded due to a tape change. Furthermore, the same goes for the MC by the charismatic DJ before appearing on the ZEP stage. Regarding these missing parts, it is a complete recording and editing after supplementing the “BUDOKAN 1972 ~” sound source. What is also surprising here is that there is almost no sense of discomfort, especially when the main sound source switches from “Rain Song” to “Dazed And Confused”. This alone should make it easy for you to realize the high sound quality of this sound source. Of course, there is a fundamental difference in that the standard “BUDOKAN 1972~” sound source is a stereo recording, but this time it is a monaural recording. However, still, it can only be said that the quality is comparable to the “BUDOKAN 1972 ~” sound source. Moreover, while that boasted the freshness and clearness that can only be achieved with stereo recording, this one also boasts the power of monaural sound quality that jumps out of the speakers as a fresh charm! In particular, it surpasses “BUDOKAN 1972~” in that it vividly conveys the changes in the heavy groove-oriented sound centered on Bonzo. The title of this time was named “HARD TRUTH” because it is a different sound source that appears for the first time. And since I came to Japan the previous year, not only the sound orientation has changed completely, but the structure of the live show itself has also changed completely. I was watching with bated breath as I watched the new ZEP live show, but I couldn’t help but notice how much had changed. The realistic feeling of being at the Budokan, where you can’t hide your confusion, is captured in a very easy-to-understand way. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be the tranquility of “scene” (lol). In 1972, Japanese rock fans were looking for a hard rock sound from ZEP, which was noticeable from the first to the A side of “III”. The fact that 1971 had a live composition that brought this to the forefront left a huge impact on Japanese rock fans when they first came to Japan, and this is the foundation of the ZEP legend that continues to live in Japan to this day. However, when they came to Japan in 1972, the ZEP sound that Japanese rock fans loved was all pushed to the end of the show, and the majority of the live performance was changed to “IV” and new songs with new sounds…which was too innovative. I made a sudden change. Although it achieved great results the following year, it was nothing but confusion for Japanese rock fans at the time. This has given rise to the misconception that “the second visit to Japan is lackluster.” Furthermore, the fact that this sound source captures the confusion of such fans more vividly than in “BUDOKAN 1972~” is also a big attraction, increasing its value as a document. This was clearly evident in the conversation between Taper and his friend after the “Whole Lotta Love” medley. “Are we still playing?” “…I’m getting sleepy!” For what it’s worth, “Whole Lotta Love” also captured the dissatisfaction of Japanese rock fans. In other words, the previous year’s medley had an upper-class groove, and even between the oldies covers, songs such as “Good Times Bad Times” and “How Many More Times” were inserted, making it very exciting. Many of the items themselves were easy to understand. However, when they came to Japan in 1972, the selection of medley songs had changed to a more austere one centered around slow blues, which was also difficult for Japanese people at the time to understand. Of course. The interval waiting for the encore after that was recorded much longer than “BUDOKAN 1972~”, and there was another fun conversation. “Aren’t you eating some food?!” These words came from another person who was around the taper, but from that point on, I felt that I had been kept waiting and wanted them to do an encore quickly. I wanted to listen to upper-class hard rock like early “Communication Breakdown” and “Immigrant Song” that didn’t stop there. This was a sight that was also seen in the encore scene at the later Osaka performance, and above all, it was a shocking new fact that was not conveyed from the “BUDOKAN 1972 ~” sound source, which lacked an interval. In this respect, the title “HARD TRUTH” is a perfect fit for this new source. Another big appeal is the warm sound quality, which is different from the familiar “BUDOKAN 1972~” sound source, and it has a lot of natural feel. A high-quality audience recording has been discovered that is shocking and can become a first-class document from the classic 1972 Budokan opening day! Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 2nd October 1972 (from Original Masters) Disc 1 (74:05) 1. Introduction 2. Rock And Roll 3. Over the Hills and Far Away 4. Black Dog 5. Misty Mountain Hop 6. Since I’ve Been Loving You 7. Dancing Days 8. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp 9. The Song Remains the Same 10. The Rain Song 11. Dazed And Confused (incl. The Crunge) Disc 2 (56:25) 1. Stairway to Heaven 2. Whole Lotta Love 3. Heartbreaker 4. Immigrant Song 5. Communication Breakdown