Led Zeppelin/West Germany 1973 Upgrade

The 1973 European tour, the period when ZEP produced great performances. Fortunately, the golden age was blessed with sound sources, and some performances even had a PA-out sound board that was presumed to be for the interplay check of “Dazed And Confused,” which was the height of incandescence, but it is a blessing that there are also very high quality sound sources lined up for pure audience recording. Munich on March 17 was a typical day with such a high-quality audience, and the sense of distance of the sound image was exquisite. In addition, it was a monaural audience with a unique ease of listening, combined with a hall echo that did not blur the outline of the performance. Therefore, several items were released, and the CD items “STURM UNDDRANG” and “PUREPERCY” are representative of them. However, it seems that the masterpiece “HAVING A PARTY” produced by Graf Zeppelin, released 10 years ago, was the definitive version, with careful recording of the sound source with attention to detail. Ten years have passed since the release of such a masterpiece, and it is difficult to obtain, so Graf Zeppelin has started a new release to set a new standard for the new era. Of course, this time the basis was the same master version as “HAVING A PARTY” (one of the multiple digitizations from the original master in circulation, the best at present). Although the difference is noticeable when listening with headphones, the previous release had some left-right variation due to the aging of the tape, so this time it has been completely mono to achieve a clear and stable feeling. In addition, the noticeable cuts after the end of “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” have been filled in, and the sound has been restored to a smooth state that you might miss it at first glance. More important than those is the cut at the 15-minute mark of “Dazed And Confused,” which was the biggest stain on this sound source. The reason is that the lack of a cut at the end of the bowing section and the intense performance was too disappointing. In many cases, this problem was left unattended in past items, but the greatness of “HAVING A PARTY” (hereinafter referred to as “already released”) was also in the fact that it was compensated for with a sub-source. However, the sound quality of the sub-source used there (the same sound source as the main but a gene-dropped sound source) was rough, and the low range was also sparse, so the sense of incongruity of the compensation was undeniable. In the already released board, the source switching was very smooth, and finally the scene where Jimmy plays is uncut! It was a momentary pleasure for the maniacs. The discomfort in the sound quality can’t be helped, but it was a pity that the part where the sound source of the main story was returned to (the scene where Bonzo started hitting the “The Crunge”-style rhythm) was like “The sound source has been switched!”. The sound quality of the sub-source was the biggest cause of this discomfort, but this time we have exclusively obtained a digitized version from the original Master of the same source, which is a branch of the same source that is not available on the Internet. As expected, it is a better copy, and the sound quality of this part is on a completely different level from the previous version. After careful compensation, it was finally possible to listen to the high energy part without any sense of incongruity. It is surprisingly smooth when played from the speakers, and even when listened to carefully with headphones. The biggest problem with this sound source has finally been solved. The performance can’t be bad, as it was the day after the rare performance in Vienna. In the midst of the charm-filled 73 Europe, Bonzo’s drumming resonates with a unique heaviness, which is unique to this tour, and it is transmitted vividly when it is a good audience like the original sound source. On the other hand, it is valuable that the recording was made from the opening before ZEP appeared on this day, where the so-called “future schedule” is announced. Starting with Traffic, groups such as West Bruce & Laing are called, but when EL&P’s name is mentioned, the cheers get particularly loud, which is a heartwarming and idyllic scene that reminds us of those days. From there, Robert began to sing with a lowered melody in the opening songs “Rock and Roll” and “Over the Hills and Far Away”, but when it came to “Stairway to Heaven” and “Heartbreaker” in the second half of the live performance, it was clear that he still had a lot to learn. That’s why it’s well known that the appeal of this tour is that Bonzo and Jimmy’s efforts are captured everywhere. In fact, “Dazed and Confused” on this day was a spectacular word. From the beginning, Jimmy played an aggressive riff and led the band. At this point, he was already fully swinging, so the explosion after the bowing really stood out. The fact that there was a loss in that situation was a really big stress on listening. That’s why this finish, which is not just filled in but can be heard without any discomfort from the editing, completely conveys the tremendous development. It’s a sharp development that is just like 73 Europe, and there’s nothing to complain about as a great performance after Vienna. In that respect, the final part of the live performance was completely Bonzo’s stage, and his sharp drumming was just spectacular. When you think of sharp Bonzo, the first thing that comes to mind is 1977’s “Eddie,” but that was a high-voltage performance accompanied by drugs, whereas his playing here is naturally clear. The reason why 1973 Europe is called the peak is because he was able to perform such superhuman drumming every day. The cuts that had dampened such high-tension performance have been beautifully restored, and this is the new definitive version of Munich, where you can listen to the masterpiece again! (Remastering memo) The same sound source as the previous version “Having A Party” is used as the base (digitalized from the master). It feels like a new redone version, and there are no big differences, but compared to the previous version… – Originally recorded in mono, this time it is completely mono. In the previous version, there were some parts where the volume balance between the left and right was different (biased to one side). – Reduction of hum noise (low frequency noise). It is clearer between songs, and the quiet parts have a more quiet feel. – The sub-source compensation during the illusory song (illusory CD time 15:05-15:44) is a compensation from the master original that is almost equivalent to the main source, and there is almost no sense of incongruity when compensating compared to the previous release. The difference is clear compared to the previous edition. There have been titles in the past where this part was uncut, but the sound quality of the entire live performance was very poor. In other words, this is the first time that the title has good sound overall and the compensation part also has good sound. 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-Y-Aur Stomp 9. The Song Remains The Same 10. The Rain Song Disc 2 (75:24) 1. MC 2. Dazed And Confused ★15:05-15:44 Supplemented with sub source 3. Stairway To Heaven 4. Whole Lotta Love 5. Heartbreaker