1. "In the Evening" (John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) – 6:49
   2. "South Bound Saurez" (Jones, Plant) – 4:12
   3. "Fool in the Rain" (Jones, Page, Plant) – 6:12
   4. "Hot Dog" (Page, Plant) – 3:17
   5. "Carouselambra" (Jones, Page, Plant) – 10:31
   6. "All My Love" (Plant, Jones) – 5:53
   7. "I'm Gonna Crawl" (Page, Plant, Jones) – 5:30

Robert Plant - vocals, harmonica
Jimmy Page - guitara
John Paul Jones - bass
John Bonham - drums

Marshalling their strength after the dark interlude of Presence -- a period that extended far after its 1976 release, with the band spending a year in tax exile and Robert Plant suffering another personal tragedy when his son died -- Led Zeppelin decided to push into new sonic territory on their eighth album, In Through the Out Door. A good deal of this aural adventurism derived from internal tensions within the band. Jimmy Page and John Bonham were in the throes of their own addictions, leaving Plant and John Paul Jones alone in the studio to play with the bassist's new keyboard during the day. Jones wound up with writing credits on all but one of the seven songs -- the exception is "Hot Dog," a delightfully dirty rockabilly throwaway -- and he and Plant are wholly responsible for the cloistered, grooving "South Bound Saurez" and "All My Love," a synth-slathered ballad unlike anything in Zeppelin's catalog due not only to its keyboards but its vulnerability. What's striking about In Through the Out Door is how the Plant-Jones union points the way toward their respective solo careers, especially that of the singer's: his 1982 debut Pictures at Eleven follows through on the twilight majesty of "In the Evening" and particularly "Carouselambra," which feels like Plant and Jones stitched together every synth-funk fantasy they had into a throttling ten-minute epic. With its carnivalesque rhythms, "Fool in the Rain" also suggests the adventurousness of Plant, but it's also an effective showcase for Bonham -- it's a monster groove -- and Page, whose multi-octave solo is among his best. Elsewhere, the guitarist colors with shade and light quite effectively, but only the slow, slumbering closer "I'm Gonna Crawl" feels like his, a throwback to Zeppelin's past on an album that suggests a future that never materialized for the band. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

In Through The Out Door? O zgrozo, co to za płyta! Jeśliby w 1979 roku ktoś przeczytał recenzję najnowszego albumu Led Zeppelin i dowiedział się z niej, iż to dzieło beznadziejne, to zapewne natychmiast żywiołowo zaprzeczyłby w duchu i uznał, że musi to być gruba przesada. Po wysłuchaniu jednak jej zawartości zapewne sam szybko podpisałby się pod tą opinią.

Przede wszystkim na płycie tej nie ma ani jednego naprawdę dobrego kawałka, choćby jednego, do którego nie miałoby się jakichkolwiek zastrzeżeń. Płytę otwiera In The Evening, którego niepokojący początek został ponoć wzięty z indywidualnego projektu Jimmy’ego Page’a, projektu, który do dzisiaj nie ujrzał światła dziennego. I właściwie rozpoczęcie tego numeru jest tym, co jest w nim najlepsze, gdyż później ciągnie się on nieszczególnie ciekawie przez nieładnych parę minut. A jest In The Evening jednym z lepszych kawałków na płycie, jedynym też, obok wieńczącego ją I’m Gonna Crawl, w którym jako tako można posłuchać gitar Page’a. A te, podobnie jak i pozostałe instrumentarium, nie tylko zresztą w tym, a w każdym utworze, wcale nie brzmią dobrze, choć do produkcji płyty nie można mieć żadnych zastrzeżeń. Kolejne kawałki są bardzo słabe; o ile South Bound Saurez jeszcze ledwie się broni, o tyle Fool In The Rain z wplecioną weń sambą i denerwującymi dźwiękami gwizdków, a także Hot Dog, w którym gitara wygrywa jakąś kretyńsko brzmiącą melodyjkę rodem z tancbudy, są najzwyklej beznadziejne. W tych trzech utworach Led Zeppelin jawi się nie, jak dotąd, jako ten wielki zespół rzucający swą muzyką cały świat na kolana, ale jako półprofesjonalna trupa grajków, zabawiających swymi mało ambitnymi popisami bywalców klubów karaoke w nadmorskich miejscowościach. Natomiast zupełnie nieciekawa Carouselambra, drugi najdłuższy studyjny kawałek Zeppelinów, jest jak wielki kiczowaty obraz albo kilkusetstronicowa książka napisana przez grafomana. Najmocniejsze punkty na tej płycie to ostatnie dwa numery, przyjemna i zahaczająca o muzyczny kicz All My Love oraz kompozycyjnie źle skonstruowana bluesowa I’m Gonna Crawl, którą lubię za żarliwość wykonania.

Płyta In Through The Out Door nie trafia nigdzie, ani do przekonania, ani do serca. Ewentualnie do kosza, jeśli ktoś nie jest w stanie wysłuchać jej do końca. Przed trzydziestoma laty musiała równie mocno rozczarowywać, jak dzisiaj, a zapewne jeszcze mocniej. ---Krzysztof Niweliński, artrock.pl

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00:27	 We're Gonna Groove (James A. Bethea, Ben E. King)
03:40	 I Can't Quit You Baby (Willie Dixon)
10:36	 Dazed and Confused (Jimmy Page)
26:09	 White Summer (Page)
38:32   What Is and What Should Never Be (Page, Robert Plant)
43:11	 How Many More Times (John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Page)
1:03:28 	Moby Dick (Bonham, Jones, Page)
1:18:49 	Whole Lotta Love (Bonham, Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant)
1:25:13 	Communication Breakdown (Bonham, Jones, Page)
1:29:29 	C'mon Everybody (Jerry Capehart, Eddie Cochran)
1:32:00 	Somethin' Else (Bob Cochran, Sharon Sheeley)
1:34:10 	Bring It On Home (Bonham, Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant)

Robert Plant - vocals
Jimmy Page - guitar
John Paul Jones - bass
John Bonham - drums

In the mood for a complete vintage Led Zeppelin concert, drum solo and all? So are we! Check out this complete January 1970 show filmed at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The lengthy clip, which was posted to YouTube in early 2012, shows the band at their high-flying best. Jimmy Page coaxes a host of sounds out of his Gibson Les Paul; even the ol' violin bow makes an appearance or two. Of course, Led Zeppelin fans will recognize this show, since it appears on a 2003 release called Led Zeppelin DVD.

"We were never really part of the pop scene," Page said in a statement in 2003. "It was never what Led Zeppelin was supposed to be about. Our thing was playing live. In that sense, Zeppelin was very much an underground band. The fact that it became as successful as it did was something that was almost out of our control. We actually shunned commercialism, which is why so little official footage of the band has ever been seen before." --- guitarworld.com

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Volume 1:
101 Four Sticks
102 Black Dog
103 When the Levee Breaks
104 The Wanton Song
105 Trampled Underfoot

Volume 2:
201 Freinds
202 Friends
203 Friends
204 Friends
205 Four Sticks
206 Four Sticks
207 Whole Lotta Love - Heartbreaker - Ramble On

Volume 3:
301 Celebration Day
302 Hey Hey What Can I Do
303 Out on the Tiles
304 Four Sticks
305 When the Levee Breaks

Led Zeppelin recorded five sessions for the BBC in 1969, as well as a live performance in 1971, but when they were originally collated for release in 1997, some tracks weren’t included. This remastered reissue restores almost all the missing material.

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01. Communication Breakdown (03:21) 
02. I Can't Quit you Baby (06:12) 
03. You Shook Me (10:11) 
04. White Summer (08:20) 
05. How Many More Times (11:14) 
06. Dazed And Confused (16:03) 
07. Heartbreaker (05:04) 
08. What Is And What Should Never Be (04:29) 
09. Whole Lotta Love (04:12) 
10. Boogie Mama (03:40) 
11. Minnesota Blues (02:06)

Personnel:
Jimmy Page (guitar), 
Robert Plant (vocals),
John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards)
John Bonham (drums)

Don’t let the “Minnesota Blues” or the “Live in Duluth” on this album cover fool you, Led Zeppelin never performed in Duluth. But what is the story behind this Zep bootleg?

Setlist.fm, and several other websites, list Led Zeppelin performing at Liverpool University on Oct. 19, 1968 — the date listed on Minnesota Blues. The track list on the album, however, does not match well with the Liverpool set list. There are numerous web forums on this subject, but they have flashing objects on them and go off topic and are full of speculation, so it’s difficult to read through them all and decipher if anyone has come to any clear conclusions. It remains a mystery to me if solid determinations have been made about a) if 10/19/68 is the correct date of the bootleg recording or b) where exactly it was recorded and c) why it was labeled as a Duluth show.

Bootleggers are somewhat notorious for intentionally mislabeling albums, so that could be the case with Minnesota Blues. But it also might have been a sloppy mistake. Several different versions of album art exist, and one version marks the recording as “Live in Denmark, 1969.” Perhaps Duluth was mistaken for Denmark at some point. Another thing I’ve gleaned from information online is that the album gets its title from the last track, which is labeled “Minnesota Blues” but apparently it’s a blues standard titled “A Mess of Blues” or “Mess of Blues” or “Mess o’ Blues.” One theory that comes up fairly often is that the performance on Minnesota Blues is an April 1, 1971 show at the Paris Theatre recorded for the British Broadcasting Corporation. I haven’t found anything to dispute that. If it’s the case, the bootlegger probably felt that changing the details of the show would reduce the likelihood the BBC would file a copyright infringement lawsuit. ---Paul Lundgren, perfectduluthday.com

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01. Rock And Roll (03:31)*
02. Celebration Day (03:09)*
03. Black Dog (05:45)*
04. Over The Hills And Far Away (05:25)*
05. No Quarter (10:01)*
06. Misty Mountain Hop/Since I've Been Loving You (12:22)*
07. The Song Remains The Same/Rain Song (13:08)*

08. Kashmir (10:31)**
09. Trampled Underfoot (08:39)**

Venue & Date:
*05/13/73 The Auditorium, Mobile, Alabama
**03/4-5/75 Dallas, Texas

Line Up:

Jimmy Page (guitars)
Robert Plant (vocals)
John Paul Jones (keyboards, bass)
John Bonham (drums)

After the blues super-group The Yardbirds imploded, Jimmy Page, picked up the fragments and began work on a new band. Page approached singer Terry Reid, who declined but recommended Robert Plant. After watching Plant's Moby Grape inspired show, the two talked and decided to form a band. Soon, ex-Plant band-mate John Bonham and session bassist John Paul Jones joined them. Their first tour was in Scandinavia, billed as "The New Yardbirds", but after a discussion with Keith Moon, the group was re-dubbed Led Zeppelin, a reference to the band's possible fate.

Their self-titled debut was dismissed by critics, but fans enjoyed its loud, raw energy, gaining it a number-ten place on the U.S. charts. On tour with Vanilla Fudge, Led Zeppelin earned a reputation as the wild men of touring, with off-stage antics involving drugs, booze, and groupies, all recounted in Stephen Davis's 1985 book, The Hammer of the Gods. Their follow-up, Led Zeppelin II, sold twelve million copies, earning it a number-one spot with the help of "Whole Lotta Love", which reached number four on the U.S. singles chart. After a considerable wait, Led Zeppelin III was released. Containing an entirely acoustic side, it is still regarded as their most adventurous album.

One might consider it difficult to top those three albums, but their next album went on to become one of the best selling ever made. Their fourth release (with no title other than four mysterious runes) has sold over twenty million copies with the help of "Stairway to Heaven", classic rock radio's most played song. After a fifth LP, Houses of the Holy, the group then retreated to Headley Grange, a run-down mansion in Hampshire, to record the epic double album Physical Graffiti with a mobile studio. The band went on an exhausting tour to support it.

In 1975, Robert Plant was involved in a car crash, putting the singer on crutches for several months. In this condition, Plant recorded Presence, the band's seventh album, released in 1976. That year also saw the release of the documentary The Song Remains the Same, a record of the famous 1973 Madison Square Garden performances. Plant fell into depression after his eldest son, Karac, died of a viral infection in 1977. It took him two years to recover. In Through the Out Door was a partial homage to the lost child. Page and Bonham took a reduced role in the sessions allegedly due to drug problems. These tribulations cost Zeppelin a bandmate on 25th September 1980 when John Bonham choked on vomit while asleep after a day of excessive drinking. Two reunion concerts have been staged, but it seems that Led Zeppelin's doors are now closed forever. Releases after Bonham's death include Coda (a compilation of out-takes), How the West Was Won (a live album), and BBC Sessions. --- rateyourmusic.com

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Disc One:

   1. "Custard Pie" (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) – 4:13
   2. "The Rover" (Page, Plant) – 5:37
   3. "In My Time of Dying" (Page, Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham) – 11:05
   4. "Houses of the Holy" (Page, Plant) – 4:02
   5. "Trampled Under Foot" (Page, Plant, Jones) – 5:36
   6. "Kashmir" (Page, Plant, Bonham) – 8:29

Disc Two:

   1. "In the Light" (Page, Plant, Jones) – 8:46
   2. "Bron-Yr-Aur" (Page) – 2:06
   3. "Down by the Seaside" (Page, Plant) – 5:13
   4. "Ten Years Gone" (Page, Plant) – 6:32
   5. "Night Flight" (Jones, Page, Plant) – 3:36
   6. "The Wanton Song" (Page, Plant) – 4:07
   7. "Boogie with Stu" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) – 3:53
   8. "Black Country Woman" (Page, Plant) – 4:24
   9. "Sick Again" (Page, Plant) – 4:42

Led Zeppelin returned from a nearly two-year hiatus in 1975 with the double-album Physical Graffiti, their most sprawling and ambitious work. Where Led Zeppelin IV and Houses of the Holy integrated influences on each song, the majority of the tracks on Physical Graffiti are individual stylistic workouts. The highlights are when Zeppelin incorporate influences and stretch out into new stylistic territory, most notably on the tense, Eastern-influenced "Kashmir." "Trampled Underfoot," with John Paul Jones' galloping keyboard, is their best funk-metal workout, while "Houses of the Holy" is their best attempt at pop, and "Down by the Seaside" is the closest they've come to country. Even the heavier blues -- the 11-minute "In My Time of Dying," the tightly wound "Custard Pie," and the monstrous epic "The Rover" -- are louder and more extended and textured than their previous work. Also, all of the heavy songs are on the first record, leaving the rest of the album to explore more adventurous territory, whether it's acoustic tracks or grandiose but quiet epics like the affecting "Ten Years Gone." The second half of Physical Graffiti feels like the group is cleaning the vaults out, issuing every little scrap of music they set to tape in the past few years. That means that the album is filled with songs that aren't quite filler, but don't quite match the peaks of the album, either. Still, even these songs have their merits -- "Sick Again" is the meanest, most decadent rocker they ever recorded, and the folky acoustic rock & roll of "Boogie with Stu" and "Black Country Woman" may be tossed off, but they have a relaxed, off-hand charm that Zeppelin never matched. It takes a while to sort out all of the music on the album, but Physical Graffiti captures the whole experience of Led Zeppelin at the top of their game better than any of their other albums. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

Wprawdzie najlepszą płytą najlepszego zespołu świata jest "Led Zeppelin II", ale ja postanowiłem wziąć na tapetę płytę mniej znaną, aczkolwiek niemalże równie dobrą. "Led Zeppelin II" była zbiorem utworów, które wystrzeliły nagle z głów muzyków. Była płytą od początku do końca spontaniczną, pełną energii i hard rockowej zadziorności. Wstrząsnęła całym światem - przypominam, że jak na rok 1969 był to bardzo ciężki materiał. Gdy w 1975 zespół wydał podwójną płytę "Physical Graffiti", nie odniosła takiego muzycznego sukcesu jak "Led Zeppelin II", ponieważ fani byli na to przygotowani. OK, "Physical Graffiti" jest podwójnym albumem, na którym znajduje się 8 premierowych kawałków i 7 odrzutów z lat 1970-1972. Płyta nadaje się do słuchania dosłownie wszędzie i zawsze.

Zaczynamy z bluesowym "Custard Pie". Super riff, Bonzo za garami wybija groovowy riff, a Robert śpiewa przesycony erotyzmem tekst. A później solo Page'a z Wah-Wah.

Lecimy dalej - "The Rover", odrzut z "Houses Of The Holy" - świetna gitara. Kolejną pozycją jest przeróbka utworu Boba Dylana "In My Time Of Dying". Przerażający riff grany slidem, jedenaście minut bluesa. Od zabawnego ataku kaszlu zaczyna się weselszy kawałek. "House Of The Holy", bo o nim mowa, to odrzut z płyty o tym samym tytule. Przyjemny riff i tekst. "Trampled Underfoot" - nawiązanie do Steviego Wondera i jego soulowych utworów. Świetny tekst, w którym Robert porównuje ciało kobiety do części samochodu. Świetne klawisze. Zeppelin leci dalej, "Kashmir" to kawałek historia, który można umieścić w jednym szeregu z "Whole Lotta Love", "Stairway To Heaven" i "No Quarter". Świetna orkiestracja, cudowny riff. Co ciekawe, żaden z Zeppelinów nigdy nie był w Kaszmirze. Pierwszą stronę kasety wieńczy gitarowy popis Page'a "Bron Y Aur". Prześliczny akustyczny kawałek. Te melodie...

Drugą stronę rozpoczynają orientalne klawisze i wchodzi "In The Light", ciężki riff, fajne melodie w refrenie. W kolejce stoi już "Down By The Seaside", od którego na kilometr powiewa morzem. Akustyczne intro gitary wprowadza nas w "Ten Years Gone", gdzie Robert opowiada o swojej przyjaciółce, która kazała mu wybierać pomiędzy sobą a muzyką. Chyba nikt nie ma wątpliwości co wzięło górę? OK. Następny utwór może kojarzyć się z Rolling Stones. "Night Flight", bo o nim mowa, to typowy rockowy kawałek, klawisze i gitary bez zastrzeżeń. Później kilkuminutowy czad w postaci "The Wanton Song" - super riff. Wyluzowanie i kolejna perełka - "Boogie With Stu". Świetny numer na pianino, bębenek, akustyka plus solo na mandolinie. Następny akustyczny kawałek to luźny jam grany w ogródku posiadłości Micka Jaggera "Stargroves". Na początku słychać nawet przelatujący samolot. Na koniec killer, czyli "Sick Again". Cool gitary i tekst.

Tak kończy się jedna z najlepszych płyt w historii rocka. Warto ją kupić za każde pieniądze!!! ---Wickerman, rockmetal.pl

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01. No Quarter (instrumental - t1) 
02. No Quarter (instrumental - t2) 
03. No Quarter (final) 
04. Thats The Way 
05. Blues Medley 
06. Since Ive Been Loving You 
07. All My Love 
08. Jennings Farm Blues (several) 
09. Jennings Farm Blues (final)

'All My Love' is better than the original Album release. 'Since I've Been Loving You' is OUTSTANDING. Some of the stuff sounds better than the original releases.

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01. Since I've Been Loving You [07:23]
02. Stairway To Heaven [08:01]
03. The Rain Song [07:39]
04. No Quarter [07:03]
05. Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You [06:42]
06. I Can't Quit You Baby [04:18]
07. D'yer Mak'er [04:24]
08. All My Love [05:55]
09. I'm Gonna Crawl [05:29]
10. What Is And What Should Never Be [04:47]
11. Ten Years Gone [06:34]
12. Your Time Is Gonna Come [04:34]

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CD1:
Radio One Session - John Peel'S Top Gear, 1969.03.03, Playhouse Theatre, London (Original Broadcast 1969.03.23):
01. You Shook Me (1969.03.03) (Willie Dixon, J.B. Lenoir) - 5:23
02. Communication Breakdown (1969.03.03) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones) - 3:02
03. I Can't Quit You Baby (1969.03.03) (Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters) - 4:25
04. Dazed And Confused (1969.03.03) (Jimmy Page) - 6:38
World Service Radio Session - Rhythm & Blues, 1969.03.19, Maida Vale Studio, London (Original Broadcast 1969.04.14):
05. Alexis Korner Introduction (1969.03.19) - 0:23
06. What Is And What Should Never Be (1969.03.19) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 4:06
07. More Chat (1969.03.19) - 0:18
08. I Can't Quit You Baby (1969.03.19) (Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters) - 5:27
09. More Chat (1969.03.19) - 0:29
10. You Shook Me (1969.03.19) (Willie Dixon, J.B. Lenoir) - 4:08
11. Sunshine Woman (1969.03.19) - 3:09
Radio One Session - Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae, 1969.06.16, Aeolian Hall, Studio2, London
 (Original Broadcast 1969.06.22):
12. The Girl I Love Has Long Black Wavy Hair (1969.06.16) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones,
 Robert Plant, John Estes) - 3:28
13. Communication Breakdown (1969.06.16) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones) - 3:18
14. Something Else (1969.06.16) (Bob Cochran, Sharon Sheeley) - 2:05
15. What Is And What Should Never Be (1969.06.16) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 4:15
16. Group Interview With Chris Grant (1969.06.16) - 6:01
Radio One Session - John Peel's Top Gear, 1969.06.24 Maida Vale, Studio 4, London (Original Broadcast 1969.06.29):
17. Whole Lotta Love (1969.06.24) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Willie Dixon) - 6:08
18. Communication Breakdown (1969.06.24) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones) - 2:41
19. What Is And What Should Never Be (1969.06.24) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 4:26
20. Travelling Riverside Blues (1969.06.24) (Jimmy Page, Robert Johnson, Robert Plant) - 5:09

CD2:
Radio One Sessions - BBC Rock Hour, 1969.06.27, Playhouse Theater, London (Original Broadcast 1969.08.10):
01. Alan Black Introduction (1969.06.27) - 0:37
02. Communication Breakdown (1969.06.27) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones) - 3:15
03. I Can't Quit You (1969.06.27) (Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters) - 6:27
04. Interview With Alan Black (1969.06.27) - 4:37
05. Dazed And Confused (1969.06.27) (Jimmy Page) - 11:27
06. Interlude With Adrian Henry, Mike Evans and Andy Roberts (1969.06.27) - 2:59
07. White Summer/Black Mountain Side (1969.06.27) (Jimmy Page) - 8:24
08. You Shook Me (1969.06.27) (Willie Dixon, J.B. Lenoir) - 10:27
09. How Many More Times (1969.06.27) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones) - 13:36
BBC1 TV Recording - Julie Felix Show, 1970.04.23,  BBC TV Studios, London (Original Broadcast 1970.04.26):
10. White Summer (1970.04.23) (Jimmy Page) - 2:08
11. Black Mountain Side (1970.04.23) (Jimmy Page) - 3:12

CD3:
Radio One Live Session - John Peel Sunday In Concert, 1971.04.01, Paris Cinema, London (Original Broadcast 1971.04.04)
01. John Peel Introduction (1971.04.01) - 1:30
02. Immigrant Song (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 3:15
03. Heartbreaker (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 5:54
04. Since I've Been Loving You (1971.04.01) (John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 7:39
05. Black Dog (1971.04.01) (John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 6:20
06. Dazed And Confused (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page) - 21:29
07. Stairway To Heaven (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 10:44

CD4:
Radio One Live Session - John Peel Sunday In Concert, 1971.04.01, Paris Cinema, London (Original Broadcast 1971.04.04)
01. Going To California (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 5:01
02. That's The Way (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 7:49
03. What Is And What Should Never Be (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 4:48
04. Whole Lotta Love (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant) - 22:49
05. Thank You (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) - 6:47
06. Communication Breakdown (1971.04.01) (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones) - 6:07

Personnel:
- Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica
- Jimmy Page – acoustic & electric guitar, backing vocals
- John Paul Jones – bass guitar, bass pedals, piano, organ, mandolin, backing vocals
- John Bonham – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Empress Valley’s The Complete British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Sessions is the latest in a long line of releases, both official and unofficial, covering Zeppelin’s early radio career. Given their origins with the BBC the sound quality of these tapes has almost always been at least very good if not excellent covering the embryonic Zeppelin. Since the release of the BBC Sessions on Atlantic Records in 1998 there have not been many unofficial releases covering this material and this is the first all inclusive set.

The sound quality and presentation of the Empress Valley collection is across the board excellent and a worthy upgrade to all previous issues including the official release with some reservations discussed below. Empress Valley make the claim they use the pre-FM master recordings except for the March 19th Alexis Korner session, which comes from an “aircheck master” (i.e., it was taped off of a short wave broadcast).

This could be true since it does not sound as if they used the official or any other source. Compared to Jimmy Page’s own work on these tapes, Empress Valley sounds much more heavy and lively lending more vitality to these tapes like never before. Since the set runs in chronological order the first disc contains the four earliest and shortest sessions.

Disc 1, Radio One Session, John Peel’s Top Gear, Playhouse, London – March 3rd, 1969: You Shook Me, Communication Breakdown, I Can’t Quit You, Dazed and Confused. World Service Radio Session, Rhythm And Blues, Maida Vale Studio, London – March 19th, 1969: Alexis Korner introduction, What Is And What Should Never Be, more chat, I Can’t Quit You, more chat, You Shook Me, Sunshine Woman. Radio One, Chris Grant’s Tasty Pop Sundae, Aeolian Hall Studio 2, London – June 16th, 1969: The Girl I Love, Communication Breakdown, Something Else, What Is And What Should Never Be, group interview with Chris Grant. Radio One, John Peel’s Top Gear, Maida Vale, Studio 4, London – June 24th, 1969: Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, What Is And What Should Never Be, Traveling Riverside Blues

Tracks one through four cover their first appearance on John Peel’s Top Gear, recorded on March 3rd and broadcasted on March 23rd, 1969. Only “You Shook Me”, “I Can’t Quit You” and “Dazed & Confused” were included on the official release with “Communication Breakdown” omitted.

Early unofficial releases on compact disc include Riverside Blues on The Swingin’ Pig Records in 1989 (”Communication Breakdown” and “You Shook Me”), Dazed & Confused (JOK-008-C) on Joker, Put Led In Your Pencil (TR-37) on Turtle, Radio Appearances (WPOCM 0789 D 030-2) on World Productions, Radio Sessions (CO 250207) on Chapter One (whose liner notes claim theirs is the first time all the sessions were collected together on cd), A Secret History Of Led Zeppelin on Scorpio, and Classics Off The Air (NZCD 880) on Neutral Zone.

“Dazed & Confused” appears on Fillmore East (Mud Dogs 007) and more recent releases include BBC on Last Stand Disc (LSD-5/6/7/8), Complete’69 BBC Classics on Immigrant (IM-004~5), and Lost BBC Sessions (LCD-1506) on the Led Note label.

The next seven tracks cover the Alexis Korner session which has been wiped from the BBC archives and was not included on the official release. “Sunshine Woman” existed in poor quality and was available on a rare but cheesy flexi disc and this version was used on Motor City Daze on Antrabata along with the July 12th, 1973 Detroit tape and on disc one of BBC Sessions (LSD-61/62/63/64) on Last Stand Disc.

A more complete and better sounding version of the broadcast surfaced in the mid-nineties and was used for Ottawa Sunshine on House Of Elrond (”I Can’t Quit You”, “You Shook Me”, and “Sunshine Woman”), Sunshine Woman on the early EV label Flagge (along with the Montreux 1970 soundboard fragment), and “Anybody Got A Les Paul?” (EX-00-020) on Equinox along with other 1969 fragments.

The sound is a very good and crisp mono and includes Korner’s introduction and praise of the band while gently strumming his guitar. “What Is And What Should Never Be” from the June 16th session is included in the broadcast although doesn’t originate from this actual session and EV chose to maintain the broadcast order.

The June 16th session of Chris Grant’s Tasty Pop Sundae has been very popular since it contains the two rarities “The Girl I Love” and “Something Else”. Older releases include Something Else on Archive (”The Girl I Love”, “Communication Breakdown”, “Something Else”, and “What Is And What Should Never Be”) and BBC (LSD-05/06/07/08) on Last Stand Disc with the entire session. “The Girl I Love”, “Something Else” and “What Is And What Should Never Be” appear on Complete Tapes on Tintagel, “The Girl I Love” and “Something Else” are on More Than Something Else (125) on Aulica and Shenandoah. Empress Valley includes the unaired interview with host Chris Grant which shows him clearly over his head in dealing with the young band.

This is followed by the June 24th Top Gear sessions, representing their second appearance on the show, which have been released on the previously mentioned Dazed & Confused (Joker), Put Led In Your Pencil (Turtle), Winterland (Living Legend), BBC (Last Stand Disc), The Complete BBC Classics (Immigrant), Best Live In Concert 1969 (Double Time), Radio Sessions (Chapter One), Radio Appearances (World Productions), Riverside Blues (Swingin’ Pig), Classics Off The Air Vol. One (Neutral Zone), The Lost BBC Sessions (Led Note), Secret History Of Led Zeppelin (Scorpio), Traveling Riverside Blues (LZ), Complete Tapes (Titagel), and Unauthorised Live Vol 3 (Joker).

All four songs are on the official BBC Sessions and “Traveling Riverside Blues” appears on the Remasters and on Coda in the complete box set. The first disc ends with the television broadcast of “Black Mountain Side” from the Julie Felix show. This is played by Page on the acoustic guitar and is perhaps one of the most impressive performances of the piece.

Disc 2, Radio One BBC Rock Hour, Playhouse Theater, London – June 27, 1969: Alan Black introduction, Communication Breakdown (incl. It’s Your Thing), I Can’t Quit You, interview with Alan Black, Dazed and Confused, Liverpool Scene sketch, White Summer / Black Mountain Side, You Shook Me, How Many More Times. BBC TV Julie Felix Show – April 23rd, 1970: White Summer / Black Mountain Side

Disc two contains the complete hour long broadcast from the June 27th, 1969 Playhouse In Concert appearance. This set has been released previously on CD on titles such as Another White Summer (Big Music), Rock Hour (Antrabata) copied onto BBC 69 (BBC Transcription Series), Classics Off The Air Vol. 2 (Neutral Zone), How Many More Times (Quality), Live In London (Black Panther), London 2-69 (Koine), London 69 (Exile), London Broadcast (World Production), Mess Of Blues (Living Legend), Minnesota Blues (Oil Well), White Summer (Oil Well), White Summer (Swingin’ Pig), XII Anniversary (Aulica).

Empress Valley contains the entire show including the interview with Alan Black, the Liverpool Scene sketch of very cold war humor and the host’s very thorough introduction of Jimmy Page before “White Summer” / “Black Mountain Side”.

Disc 3, Radio One live session John Peel’s Sunday In Concert, Paris Cinema, London – April 1st, 1971: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed And Confused, Stairway To Heaven

Disc 4: Going To California, That’s The Way, What Is And What Should Never Be, Whole Lotta Love (incl. Boogie Chillun’, Cumberland Gap, Fixin’ To Die, That’s Alright, For What It’s Worth, Mess O’ Blues, Honey Bee, The Lemon Song), Thank You, Communication Breakdown

The second two discs contain the complete April 1st, 1971 Paris Theater In Concert broadcast. Among the many releases on CD it can be found on At The Beeb 1971 (Cuttlefish), BBC (ARM), BBC In Concert (Forever Standard Series), BBC Zep (Antrabata, Genuine Masters and Tarantura), Classics Off The Air Vol. 3 (Neutral Zone), Communication Breakdown (Great Dane), Going To California (Alegra), Heartbeaker (Triangle), Identification Required (Men At Work), In Concert (Liverpool), Live At Paris Theater (Black Panther), Live In London (Sidewalk), Live Performances (Best Underground), Return To Paris Theater (Scorpio), Return To The Clubs, Satisfaction (NDM), Stairway To Heaven (Cobra), Stairway To Heaven (Living Legend), Thank You It’s Complete (Discurios), That’s The Way (Alegra), and Ultimate BBC Collection (Home).

Empress Valley uses the pre-FM master that has been used before where the stereo separation places the guitars in the right channel and the vocals in the left. Other releases like the FSS version have a more centered concentration of sound. Compared to the others Empress Valley may have used too much EQ on the tape.

There are five quick dropouts between Plant’s introduction and the beginning of “Immigrant Song” and noticeable residue during the first two minutes of “Since I’ve Been Loving You” which sound like waves floating above the sound which isn’t present on other releases. To make matters worse there are occasional strange clicks and pops that are faint but audible under the music and some distortion in loud passages like Plant’s tambourine during “That’s The Way”.

However the softer passages sound very nice and some sounds that are buried on earlier releases and more clear like Plant’s accompanying scat under Page’s violin bow solo in “Dazed & Confused”. After the enjoyment of the first two discs in this collection the 1971 concert was a let down and hampers what is otherwise a very solid release. (Maybe I’m being too picky but the recently released Scorpio version of this show sounds much nicer). There is a total of three hundred copies printed with half in a white box with the William Stout flying pig on the cover from the classic vinyl releases and the other half in a black box with the famous Maxell advertisement on the cover.

Overall this is a good but extremely flawed collection which should be approached with caution. --- classicrockreview.wordpress.com

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CD 1
1.    Rock And Roll
2.    Celebration Day
3.    Black Dog (including Bring It On Home) 
4.    Over The Hills 
5.    Misty Mountain Hop 
6.    Since I've Been Loving You 
7.    No Quarter
8.    The Song Remains The Same
9.    Rain Song
10.    The Ocean 

CD 2
1.    Dazed And Confused
2.    Stairway To Heaven
3.    Moby Dick
4.    Heartbreaker 
5.    Whole Lotta Love

Musicians:
    John Bonham – drums, percussion
    John Paul Jones – bass guitar, keyboards, Mellotron
    Robert Plant – vocals
    Jimmy Page – electric guitars, backing vocals, Theremin, production

Commonly dismissed as a disappointment upon its initial release, the soundtrack to Led Zeppelin's concert movie The Song Remains the Same is one of those '70s records that has aged better than its reputation -- it's the kind of thing that's more valuable as the band recedes into history than it was at the time, as it documents its time so thoroughly. Of course, that time would be the mid-'70s, when the band was golden gods, selling out stadiums across America and indulging their wildest desires both on and off stage. It was the kind of excess that creates either myth or madness, and this 1976 live album -- comprised of highlights from their three shows at Madison Square Garden during July 1973 -- has its fair share of both, as Zeppelin sounds both magnificent and murky as they blow up songs from their first five albums to a ridiculously grand scale. This is not the vigorous, vicious band documented on the subsequently released live BBC Sessions or the majestic might of the 2003 live album How the West Was Won and its accompanying eponymous DVD, where the band still sounded tight even when they stretched out for 20 minutes. Here, on a show documented just about 18 months after those on How the West, the group is starting to let their status as stars go to their head ever so slightly. They no longer sound hungry; they sound settled, satisfied at their status as rock overlord, and since a huge part of Zeppelin's appeal is their sheer scale, hearing them at their most oversized on The Song Remains the Same is not without its charm. This, more than any of their studio albums, captures both the grandiosity and entitlement that earned the band scorn among certain quarters of rock critics and punk rockers in the mid-'70s, which makes it a valuable historical document in an odd way, as the studio records are such magnificent constructions and the archival live albums so powerful. Plus, there is a certain sinister charm to the sheer spectacle chronicled on The Song Remains the Same, particularly in the greatly expanded 2007 reissue, which adds six previously unreleased tracks, helping pump up this already oversized album into something truly larger than life. At this stage, Zeppelin only seemed concerned with pleasing themselves, but they only did so because they could -- others tried to mimic them, but nobody could get the sheer size of their sound, which was different yet equally monstrous on-stage as it was on record. It wasn't as consistent on-stage as it was on record -- a half-hour "Dazed and Confused" may be the stuff of legend, but it's still a chore to get through -- but the very fact that Led Zeppelin could take things so far is part of their mystique, and nowhere is that penchant of excess better heard than on The Song Remains the Same. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

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