Led Zeppelin - 1977 - The Mighty Arms Of Atlas Volume 2

Led Zeppelin
1977-05-26

Capitol Centre

Landover, MD 

(The Mighty Arms Of Atlas Vol 2 - Moonchild)

01. The Song Remains the Same
02. The Rover intro / Sick Again
03. Nobody's Fault But Mine
04. In My Time of Dying
05. Since I've Been Loving You
06. No Quarter
07. Ten Years Gone
08. The Battle of Evermore
09. Going to California
10. Dancing Days
11. Black Country Woman
12. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
13. White Summer
14. Black Mountainside / Kashmir
15. Out On the Tiles intro / Moby Dick
16. Guitar Solo (incl Star Spangled Banner)
17. Achilles Last Stand
18. Stairway to Heaven
19. Whole Lotta Love
20. Rock and Roll

Such was the nature of Led Zeppelin’s 1977 tour that they had to book series of shows in various cities instead of having an endless stream of one-night stands. For the Maryland – Washington DC region, Zeppelin booked four nights in the Capital Center in Landover. All four shows were taped from the audience with the fourth and final night on May 30th being the best sounding.

The second Maryland show on May 26th had been released several times from the audience tape. But in 2003 a really nice soundboard tape surfaced, the first professional recording from those dates. Like many of the 1977 soundboards it lacks a bit of dynamics but is generally well balanced and enjoyable. There are cuts on the tape from 3:35 to 4:20 in “No Quarter,” from 0:42 to 2:45 in “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp,” and from 25:40 to 35:17 in “Moby Dick” filled in from the audience tape. Audience noise after the final encore “Rock And Roll,” lasting about two minutes, is spliced from the audience tape to provide some atmosphere. One can hear the silly comments from the tapers and Genesis’ “I Know What I Like” played over the venue’s PA system.

In essence, this is an affordable and nicely packaged duplicate of Mighty Arms of Atlas fan remaster circulating on the net . And probably the best sounding version available on silver (I copared with the Eelgrass and EVSD releases that I also own), with great sound and is packaged in a jewel case and is not only the best sounding but the most affordable and viable way to obtain this show.

Maryland were treated to four impressive marathons which, together with the New York and Los Angeles shows which follow, form technical highpoint of the tour. It starts off with intnese versions of “The Song Remains The Same” and “Sick Again.”

Robert Plant explains the short delay for the show was due to the traffic in New York (since they were camped there during this part and flew down for each of the shows). During “In My Time Of Dying” Plant incorporates a mention of Maryland in the lyrics, singing: “I want you people of Maryland to realize…” It is followed by the third blues number in a row “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” which Plant describes as “something that comes from our backyard.”

“No Quarter” is the first big piece of the show. John Paul Jones favors jazz and pop sounding melodies in the first half of the show and at times plays like Elton John. The second half of the solo reverts back to the doom and gloom of the original recording.

“Ten Years Gone” is for anyone who “had an affair with a member of the opposite sex, or even a member of the same sex. If this affair seemed very casual to you at one time, and then you walked away and as the years go by you realized that it was a lot more that it seemed, then you felt, you felt the feeling of lost love.”

The acoustic set is another highlight of the performance which Zeppelin resurrected for this tour because, according to Plant, “ we thought that we’d had quite a few acoustic pieces that people might tend to forget.” It also gives them a chance to bring “Lou Reed’s dad on stage, John Bonham, who comes and sits along the front with us, so you’ll know that we really are a four piece group.” They are loose enough during this part of the show to include a rare perfomance of “Dancing Days” before “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp.”

The show’s climax is “Achilles Last Stand” which almost falls apart in the middle with the band losing their place. Even so, afterwards Plant quotes the words, humming “well the mighty arms of Atlas” as he introduces the final song of the set “Stairway To Heaven.”

A bit of “Whole Lotta Love” and “Rock And Roll” is the only encore. Plant thanks MARY-land several times as they leave the stage.

Robert Godwin commented in one of his guides that it’s astounding how poor many of the recordings from Zeppelin’s eleventh US tour really are, especially considering how big they were at the time. The mediocre recordings also contribute to the lukewarm reception this tour receives. The soundboard recording lends to opportunity to reassess these shows in particular and the tour in general. Moonchild makes it affordable to collect this show and is worth having.

Led Zeppelin - 1977 - The Mighty Arms Of Atlas Volume 1

Led Zeppelin

1977-05-25

Capitol Centre, Landover, MD 

(The Mighty Arms Of Atlas Vol 1 - Moonchild)

01. The Song Remains the Same

02. The Rover intro / Sick Again

03. Nobody's Fault But Mine

04. In My Time of Dying

05. Since I've Been Loving You

06. No Quarter

07. Ten Years Gone

08. The Battle of Evermore

09. Going to California

10. Black Country Woman / Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

11. White Summer / Black Mountainside / Kashmir

12. Out On the Tiles intro / Moby Dick

13. Guitar Solo (incl Star Spangled Banner) / Achilles Last Stand

14. Stairway to Heaven

15. Whole Lotta Love

16. Rock and oll

Led Zeppelin began a series of four shows in Landover, Maryland, a suburb of Washington DC in Prince George’s County, on May 25th. For a long time only a very poor audience had been in circulation of the event. It was pressed in two twelve disc collections, first in The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin’s Maryland Deluxe box as Your Teenage Dream (TDOLZ Vol. 22) in 1997 and several years later on Return Of The Crusaders (EMC-002A/B/C), the first show in Electric Magic’s Landover box.

The Mighty Sound of Atlas Volume 1 contains the almost complete soundboard tape. John Paul Jones’ bass at the very beginning of the tape dominates the other instruments, but a good balance is achieved for the rest of the show. The poor audience tape is used to fill in gaps between 4:16 to 4:40 in “No Quarter” and for the second half of “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” (two common cutting points in these 1977 board tapes).

The tape was first pressed by Empress Valley in both a six disc edition with the May 30th soundboard and a twelve disc set with the complete Maryland set of shows. Eelgrass copied the recordings to offer a more affordable edition in more sturdy and durable packaging. And now Moonchild has released an excellent fan remaster.

Like most of the shows on Zeppelin’s eleventh tour this is a uneven performance. It seems to get off on a good start with a spirited “The Song Remains The Same,” but “Sick Again” has a weak guitar break in the middle.

Robert Plant apologizes for being a bit late, ” one of the cars broke down.” He tells Landover that “it’s really good to be back in this area again after two years of not doing too” and “we don’t intend to do too much talking just a lot of playing.” The first song off of the new album Presence is “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” which starts off a bit out of tune and continues with Jimmy Page hitting bum notes in the solo. Afterwards Plant says “that was ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine.’ Which is quite true actually,” almost as an apology.

“In My Time Of Dying” is much better as is “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” The latter, which Plant says is “a blues about loosing your brain. Something that never happens on the road,” contains the beautiful “Tea For One” melody in the middle.

“No Quarter” is a compact twenty-minutes. Afterwards, while introducing “Ten Years Gone” Plant says, “Well during the two years that we were unable to fly our kites you might say. The two years we were physically incapable of touring around and having a good time. When time came that we sat down and said ok I think we can do it now we looked back at material in the past that we had to ignore because we couldn’t play because we’re only four people … the first features John Paul Jones on a mystery three necked instrument…the first love the first climax the first wonderful moment that never ever fades” and dedicated it to John Bindon who has the biggest plonker in the world. They play a nice and tight version of the piece.

The acoustic set makes Plant thing about the first time they played in the states “In 1968 on December 26th” and how they used to play the acoustic numbers The audience, just like in 1970, becomes a bit impatient with this part of the show and start to throw firecrackers during “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp.”

The “White Summer,” “Black Mountainside” and “Kashmir” segment works very well with no mistakes. “Moby Dick” is kept on the short side, ending after Bonham’s synthesized drum interlude.

Page plays a bit of “Yankee Doodle” as well as the “Star Spangled Banner” in the noise solo leading into a tight and inspiring version of “Achilles Last Stand.” As Bonham propels the song along, Page comes close to replicating the profundity of the studio recording. The closing chimes make the hair stand on the neck! Plant even comments on the lyrics, saying, “Where the mighty arms of Atlas / hold the heavens from the earth. We should try to find that spot. It’s a nice place to go.”

He continues by dedicating “Stairway To Heaven” to “everything that is good and wholesome that we can come across in life… and that we also can make.” Like the previous song they deliver an impeccable version of the piece, building to an dramatic crescendo by the end. In the end Plant bids Maryland a good evening (pronouncing it MARY-Land).

After a cut in the recording the band return to the stage for the encores. Plant again greets Maryland (and giving it the proper Maryland accent this time) before they play the “Whole Lotta Love” and “Rock And Roll” pairing.

The Mighty Arms Of Atlas Volume 1 is a release that truly allows Zeppelin collectors to reassess this show. The poor audience recording didn’t give any indication of the effectiveness of this show. It starts off a bit slow, but the intensity builds nicely. This turns out to be a very good opening night at the Capitol Centre. This is an excellent and affordable way to obtain this show.

Led Zeppelin - 1975 - The Hermetic Order Of The Golden Dawn

Led Zeppelin 

1975

The Hermetic Order Of The Golden Dawn 

May 24, 1975

Earl's Court Arena

London, UK

101. Intro

102. Rock And Roll

103. Sick Again

104. Over The Hills And Far Away

105. In My Time Of Dying

106. The Song Remains The Same

107. The Rain Song

108. Kashmir

201. No Quarter

202. Tangerine

203. Going To California

204. That's The Way

205. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

206. Trampled Underfoot

301. Moby Dick

302. Dazed And Confused

401. Stairway To Heaven

402. Audience

403. Whole Lotta Love

404. Black Dog

405. after show

Led Zeppelin’s May 24th, 1975 gig in Earl’s Court, the fourth of five shows in London that month, is one of the longest, tightest, and most dramatic concerts they performed in the latter days. Despite Clinton Heylin’s criticism that it is dull and tedious and features a very stoned Robert Plant wittering on about friend and family who have fallen by the wayside, it remains one of the best recordings of the band at the very height of their popularity.

A good quality audience tape was use for vinyl releases in the seventies, but a partial soundtrack to the video surfaced and was used for the compact disc releases. An almost complete soundboard was used in the Empress Valley box set Demand Unprecedented In The History Of Rock Music. They also released the show on its own, but soon after Watchtower issued a competing version of the show in improved sound quality.

In July 2012 Empress Valley reissued several titles including this one in very affordable jewel cases and half way decent artwork. Thankfully they didn’t revisit their TMQ sleeve disaster of the past couple of years, but actually manufactured a title that is worth having. And it has a mega-cool picture on the cover. This is a good and affordable way to obtain the definitive version of this classic Led Zeppelin concert.

The second to last night from Zeppelin’s Earl’s Court run were the first soundboard fragments to surface from these five shows in the UK. Initially, from “Dazed And Confused” through “Trampled Underfoot” had been all that was available from the video soundtrack and this segment was also missing “Going To California” (although a few split seconds could be heard between “Tangerine” and “That’s The Way”). After some time the virtually complete video soundtracks became available but was still missing “Going To California”, the very beginning of “That’s The Way”, and also “Moby Dick”. TDOLZ’s Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It is from this version as was the original Tarantura Graf-Zeppelin-Marsch. Celebration released Odysseus Earl’s Court 75, a four disc set which included for the first time an improved section of tape which included “Moby Dick” from the soundboard but Celebration failed to use the audience source in the acoustic set to complete the show. Watch Tower’s To Be A Rock And Not To Roll and Empress Valley’s He Must Be Dazed And Confused were released after and were more complete versions including “Moby Dick” from the soundboard and “Going To California” patched in from the audience source and more than likely comes from the upgraded video source that now circulates.

The set list is identical to the previous three nights and the encore section wouldn’t be expanded upon until the final night. Some collectors absolutely love these shows while others prefer Zeppelin’s earlier years before Robert’s voice became so road damaged. However, the band is really starting to sound comfortable in their Earl’s Court residency and is very enjoyable musically. An extended 75 set list to include the acoustic songs and the fact that “Tangerine” was played by the whole band makes these shows all the more collectable.

May 25, 1975

Earl's Court Arena

London, UK

101. Before The Show

102. Band Announcements

103. Rock And Roll

104. Sick Again

105. Over The Hills And Far Away

106. In My Time Of Dying

107. The Song Remains The Same

108. The Rain Song

109. Kashmir

201. No Quarter

202. Tangerine

203. Going To California

204. That's The Way

205. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

206. Trampled Underfoot

301. Moby Dick

302. Dazed And Confused

401. Stairway To Heaven

402. Crowd Anticipation

403. Whole Lotta Love

404. Black Dog

405. Crowd Anticipation

406. Heartbreaker

407. Communication Breakdown

408. After The Show

The final Earl's Court show, the final 1975 show, and the last ever performance of Dazed And Confused. The initial string of numbers are high powered and aggressive! No Quarter is a really great jam and the acoustic section is pretty good. Moby Dick and Dazed are rather boring however, which is sad and rather unfitting as it is the last ever performance of the latter. Stairway To Heaven was dedicated to Plant's daughter: "Carmen - this song's to a little girl who sits probably wondering what it all about ... so, where is the bridge? Well, Carmen, were's your chance to find out where the bridge is ... and if you know, please let me know after the show." The solo is wonderful and the encores contain a tortured Theremin solo from Jimmy before the extra songs are played for the last night's sake.

The band's fifth and final night at Earls Court begins with Alan 'Fluff' Freeman announcing "we are here tonight because you and I have great taste" before Rock and Roll crashes into motion. Page blazes through the second guitar solo in Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant announces "good evening and welcome to the last concert in England for a considerable time." Page shreds frantically through an excellent guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. In My Time of Dying is introduced as "an old work chant." Page solos wildly as Bonzo and Jones pummel the crowd. An incredibly powerful performance, one of the best thus far.

Bonzo is on fire during The Song Remains the Same, thrashing at his drums with wild abandon as Page's fingers race across the fretboard. The Rain Song is absolutely fantastic, one of the best in recent memory. Jones's somber piano solo during No Quarter features hints of Concierto de Aranjuez. The instrumental section is an epic journey. The band receives a thunderous ovation as the piece comes to a close. The climax is reached during the blistering outro. An outstanding performance. Page plays a bit of Tea For One as Plant introduces Tangerine. Going to California is delicately beautiful. Jones's mandolin work is fantastic. Plant makes a few references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, asking the crowd "what is a shrubbery amongst friends?" before an excellent That's the Way.

The band gets into a bit of Robert Johnson's If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day before Bron-Y-Aur Stomp. Plant gives the crowd a brief history of Johnson's life before introducing Trampled Underfoot. Page shreds erratically through an aggressive guitar solo. Bonzo is introduced as "our blood brother" before a particularly thunderous Moby Dick. Plant says a few kind words about Peter Grant before introducing Dazed and Confused as "the essence of the early Zeppelin." The San Francisco interlude is hauntingly mournful. Plant's ghostly howls echo through the arena. Page's fingers are like razor blades as he slashes and shreds through the frantic guitar solo/workout section. Plant can be heard exclaiming "amen!" off-mic during the call and response section. Page solos wildly during the outro jam. A somewhat uneven final performance of the band's signature song.

Plant dedicates Stairway to Heaven to his daughter Carmen, saying "this is a song to a little girl who sits there, probably wondering what it's all about." Page delivers an excellent guitar solo despite breaking a string near the end. Plant sings the final line in complete silence. As the band returns to the stage, Plant says "is this our swan song, I wonder?" Page hints at Ozone Baby following an excellent funky jam during Whole Lotta Love. Plant unleashes a series of blood-curdling screeches during the violent theramin freakout. Page's fingers get a bit sticky during the extended guitar solo in Black Dog. As the song ends, Plant announces "good citizens of Great Britain, it's been five glorious days... thank you very much for bein' a great audience, and if you see Denis Healey, tell him we've gone."

Plant exclaims "this is somethin' we never do!" as the band returns to the stage once again, joking "any requests?" Page blazes through the fast guitar solo during Heartbreaker. Plant pushes his voice to the limit during the final verse. The band closes the show with an explosive Communication Breakdown. Plant does his best Jamaican accent during a fantastic funky breakdown. As the band leaves the stage for the final time, he announces "thank you very much for showin' us that England is still alive and well." A fantastic finale to 1975. Must hear.

BONUS STUFF:

First Class Ticket 

(Cosmic Energy CE-022)

Earls Court Arena, London, England - May 25th, 1975 - The Video

Rock And Roll, Sick Again, Over The Hills And Far Away, In My Time Of Dying, The Song Remains The Same, The Rain Song, Kashmir, No Quarter, Tangerine, Going To California, That’s The Way, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Trampled Under Foot, Moby Dick, Dazed And Confused (incl. San Francisco), Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (incl. The Crunge), Black Dog, Heartbreaker, Communication Breakdown

First Class Ticket was first released by Cosmic Energy last year as their first attempt to bring high definition Blu-ray technology to Led Zeppelin’s final Earl’s Court show on video tape.

Recently the reissued this release but on NTSC DVDs instead of Blu-ray.  The normal disc has as much clarity and are as enjoyable as the first release and is much improved over Empress Valley’s Demand Unprecedented on DVD.   

Cosmic Energy use the same footage as Empress Valley (including the crowd shots at the beginning), and offer an upgrade of the video.  Comparing the two releases, the Cosmic Energy does look more sharp than the Empress Valley.  Without access to the master tapes the editing is understandably limited, however.   

The final minute of “No Quarter” and “Tangerine” are still missing and a high generation copy of the video is used to fill the gap.

A good video of a concert is able to convey not just the personality of the artists, but all of the action on stage and the atmosphere of the event.  One of the concerns about this footage is, since it was produced with the intention of giving close-ups to attendees in the arena, the screen would be dominated with them.  It is good then that the video on this release is not like that at all. 

Beginning with shots of the audience getting to their seats and Earl’s Court filling up, to Freeman’s animated introduction and throughout the three and a half performance by the band, it perfectly captures the excitement and emotion of Zeppelin’s final show in England for, in Plant’s words “a long long time.” 

Many times the cameras pan away to capture the band members interacting with one another.  There are a minimum amount of times when the cameraman’s judgment is called into question, but it is easy to overlook them. 

Conveyed is the power of the music and watching Plant bop along to Page as he plays the opening to “The Song Remains The Same” and other such visuals is exciting to watch.  Some startling images are also captured, such as the light show during “Trampled Under Foot,” the laser beams during “Dazed & Confused,” Page’s hand motions during the theremin solo, and Bonham whaling away at the drum kit.

One of the essential Led Zeppelin videos to have, Cosmic Energy have produced an excellent DVD production of this great videotape. 

Led Zeppelin - 2016 - Earl's Court The Final Option (40th Anniversary Edition)

Led Zeppelin
2016
Earl's Court The Final Option

Led Zeppelin
May 17, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

Welcome Home

0101. Band Announcements
0102. Rock And Roll
0103. Sick Again
0104. Over The Hills And Far Away
0105. In My Time Of Dying
0106. The Song Remains The Same
0107. The Rain Song
0108. Kashmir

0201. No Quarter
0202. Tangerine
0203. Going To California
0204. That's The Way
0205. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
0206. Trampled Underfoot
0207. Moby Dick

0301. Dazed And Confused
0302. Stairway To Heaven
0303. Crowd Anticipation
0304. Whole Lotta Love
0305. Black Dog

The first show of the band's legendary five-night stand at Earls Court begins with a brief introduction by DJ Bob Harris welcoming them back to Britain before Rock and Roll crashes into motion. The equipment issues are evident from the start with Page's guitar cutting in and out during the initial verses. He blazes through the second guitar solo in Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant comments "you wouldn't believe that after all the trouble and messin' about to try and get this unearthly monster with us, the first thing that gets blown, right?" He introduces In My Time of Dying as "an old chain gang thing" before dedicating the song to Chancellor of the Exchequer Denis Healey. An incredibly powerful performance, Page solos wildly as Bonzo's thunderous pounding echoes throughout the cavernous arena.

The Song Remains the Same is a riotous explosion of energy. As Kashmir comes to a close, someone near the taper can be heard saying "that's what I've been waiting for." Jones is introduced as "master of keyboards" before No Quarter. The instrumental section has returned to its original heavy rhythm, abandoning the free-form jazz workouts of the west coast shows two months prior. The coda features some excellent soloing from Page. Tangerine is introduced as "a song of first love." Its first appearance since 6/27/1972, the song is performed in a new electric arrangement. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "that's the first time that there's ever been such a thing as four-part harmony on stage with Led Zeppelin."

The first appearance of the acoustic set since the end of the 1972 North American tour begins with Going to California. That's the Way is delicately beautiful. Plant explains to the crowd that he's forgotten the words to some of the older songs, so he's brought along lyric sheets to help him remember before Bron-Y-Aur Stomp. Page shreds through the guitar solo during Trampled Underfoot. Bonzo is introduced as "a man of character, of good karma... Mr. Vibes extraordinaire" before Moby Dick. Plant introduces Dazed and Confused as "the first thing that we ever played together," adding "and at the end of the first attempt at playing it, we realized that despite efforts by the Melody Maker to break us up, we should carry on forever." While not as ambitious and over the top as the west coast marathons, the band delivers a high-energy performance during the guitar solo/workout section. The frenzied outro jam is punctuated by a thunderous finale. Stairway to Heaven features an epic guitar solo. The band closes the show with a devastatingly heavy Black Dog.

Led Zeppelin
May 18, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

No Quarter

0401. Band Announcements
0402. Rock And Roll
0403. Sick Again
0404. Over The Hills And Far Away
0405. In My Time Of Dying
0406. The Song Remains The Same
0407. The Rain Song
0408. Kashmir

0501. No Quarter
0502. Tangerine
0503. Going To California
0504. That's The Way
0505. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
0506. Trampled Underfoot
0507. Moby Dick

0601. Dazed And Confused
0602. Stairway To Heaven
0603. Crowd Anticipation
0604. Whole Lotta Love
0605. Black Dog

Review: There are moments during Zeppelin’s colorful, sometimes psychedelic, non-stop 240-minute show in the eerie wastes of Earl’s Court (the Stones do 50 minutes or less), when Jimmy Page’s searing guitar, carried by 60,000 watts of power, cuts right through the senses like some fast-acting drug and virtually blots out everything but the music.

And with lead singer Robert Plant looking like some demented Shirley Temple – thick blond hair falling in ringlets across his shoulders, Miss Selfridge’s blouse slashed open to the navel, neck and arms adorned with jewelry and a Bardot pout to his lips – this in its field is one of the most astonishing examples of pure theatre I have ever seen anywhere.

Up there on stage, flanked by 40 tons of equipment that is generating enough light to illuminate Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and London’s theatreland as well, Page in his black velvet suit embroidered with gold dragons allows a smile to flicker across a weary face. And 17,000 people burst into applause as he picks out the intro for Stairway to Heaven, one Zeppelin’s most popular numbers.

In contrast, the group’s keyboard player and bassist John Paul Jones is a shy, intense introvert who two years ago seriously considered giving up rock to apply for the job of chief organist at Winchester Cathedral.

He remains in the shadows laying down excellent sounds to form with John Bonham the rhythmic platform for Plant and Page’s exotic excesses.

“When Led Zeppelin are peaking, then kiss your skull goodbye!”… or so they say! (R. Gilchrist, May 20, 1975)

The second night produces a much more relaxed and tight performance. No Quarter has to be one of the best versions ever and the acoustic section is incredibly intimate and effective. Jimmy's soloing, especially in the greatly expanded Over The Hills And Far Away, is staggering. The encores sound banal after the very good version of Dazed And Confused and the dramatic Stairway To Heaven.

As the show begins, it's obvious that the band has loosened up. tearing ferociously through the opening numbers. Over the Hills and Far Away is introduced as "the ultimate dream." Page blazes through an excellent guitar solo as Bonzo and Jones hammer out a funky groove. In My Time of Dying is incredibly powerful. Bonzo is on fire during The Song Remains the Same. Page's guitar cuts out briefly during the second guitar solo. The Rain Song is absolutely beautiful. As the song ends, Plant introduces Jones as "the only man who wears onions on his shoulders that I've ever met in my life."

Kashmir features an incredible performance from Plant. No Quarter is outstanding. Jones's dramatic piano solo gives way to an epic instrumental section featuring a fantastic guitar solo from Page. The band receives a long ovation as the piece comes to a close. A truly amazing performance, one of the best thus far. Going to California is introduced as "a song about the permanent constant search for any man with a vivid imagination for a Guinnevere." Before Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Plant tells the crowd "I'm gonna sack whichever road manager has burnt the lyrics to the next song." As the song ends, he exclaims "we are The Knights Who Say Ni!" Peter Grant is introduced as "the man who made it all possible" before Trampled Underfoot. Page delivers an aggressive guitar solo.

Plant introduces Bonzo as "a man with no taste, no manners, no friends... my very best friend, the man who always kicks me when I'm down, ladies and gentlemen, John Bonham!" before Moby Dick. The Woodstock interlude during Dazed and Confused is hauntingly beautiful. Plant's ethereal howls echo through the arena as the bow solo begins. Page's fingers get a bit sticky as he shreds through the frantic guitar solo/workout section. The return to the main riff is devastatingly heavy with Bonzo thrashing wildly at anything within reach. The hypnotic outro jam is a cacophonous explosion of energy. As the song ends, someone near the taper can be heard saying "is that the end?"

Stairway to Heaven is introduced as "a song that came to us in a moment of great peace and tranquility." Page blazes through an excellent guitar solo. Plant delivers the final line in absolute silence. The band plods their way through the show-closing Black Dog. As they leave the stage, Plant announces "we'd like to that the road crew, Showco... and Denis Healey for being such a perv, goodnight."

Led Zeppelin
May 23, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

Awesome Foursome

0701. Band Announcements
0702. Rock And Roll
0703. Sick Again
0704. Over The Hills And Far Away
0705. In My Time Of Dying
0706. The Song Remains The Same
0707. The Rain Song
0708. Kashmir

0801. No Quarter
0802. Tangerine
0803. Going To California
0804. That's The Way
0805. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
0806. Trampled Underfoot

0901. Moby Dick
0902. Dazed And Confused

1001. Stairway To Heaven
1002. Crowd Anticipation
1003. Whole Lotta Love
1004. Black Dog

John Bonham's brother Mick recalls this night in his book 'My Brother John':

"Come May 23rd, Jacko (father), Debbie (sister) and myself, along with a good friend of mine set off to see for ourselves how the band had progressed since we had last seen them at Trentham Gardens. As soon as the band walked onstage, to rapturous applause, we were in awe at the whole bloody size of it. Showco had shipped in the PA system and light show that was used on their American tour and above the stage a huge video screen showing close up views of the band as they went about their business. For three and a half hours, we were treated to rock music from a band that you just know were glad to be home. Every enthusiastic move by the band was highlighted in a show that was second to none. Laser beams fired above the heads of the audience gave the effect of flaming arrows when they reflected off a mirror ball, filling the vast hall with snowflakes and stars..."

An excellent show ... "Good evening! Welcome to the show. Afer an absence of something like two years, I guess we're all ready for a little Physical Graffiti. Please welcome to Earl's Court ... Led Zeppelin! DJ David Jensen introduced the band in the great style Robert's voice is in strong shape (by 1975 standards) and the band rocks! "Last weekend we did a couple of warm-up gigs for these three. We believe these were the first three gigs to be sold out, so these must be the ones with the most energy stored up. You've been waiting!" Plant stated. Kashmir is thunderous and No Quarter contains some truly excellent improvisation from all three instrumentalists. The acoustic section is wonderful and Dazed And Confused and Stairway To Heaven are excellent version, though both will be bested the following night. The Whole Lotta Love encore has a really long jam leading into Black Dog, with the rhythm section cooking ferociously while Robert screams and ad-libs.

The band's third night at Earls Court begins with an enthusiastic introduction by David 'Kid' Jensen before Rock and Roll explodes out of the gate. Bonzo is like a thunderous stampede, hammering at his drums with incredible intensity. Page tears through the guitar solos during an aggressive Sick Again. In My Time of Dying is a wild cacophony. The band gets a bit lost in the melee at times. Plant hints at You Shook Me near the end of the song. Page's fingers are a bit sticky during The Song Remains the Same. Plant tells the crowd "my left arm is swollen beyond all proportion because I just had it chipped for cholera and smallpox and everything else that we might catch while we go hunting in the jungle for new words and new songs for a new album" following The Rain Song.

Jones is introduced as "Jonesy the maestro" before No Quarter. The electric piano intro is nearly inaudible due to PA problems, recovering before the first verse. Jones's ominous piano solo is followed by a long, wandering guitar solo from Page. Plant hints as When the Levee Breaks while introducing Tangerine as "a song of simple love, first love." That's the Way is beautiful. As the song ends, Bonzo announces "Robert Plant on vocals!" Plant tells the crowd "I think this evening is beginning to feel... silly!" before an explosive Trampled Underfoot. Bonzo is introduced as "a friend, a truly great percussionist, a man with a big heart" before Moby Dick.

Plant unleashes a spine-chilling scream at the beginning of the third verse of Dazed and Confused. The bow solo is preceded by a hauntingly heavy San Francisco interlude. Page shreds erratically through the guitar solo/workout section. The band nearly falls apart during the return to the main riff. The thunderous finale is punctuated by another blood-curdling scream from Plant. Stairway to Heaven is dedicated to journalist Chris Schaar Murray, who had recently described the band as "like a vibrator, it can get you off something ridiculous, but it can't kiss you goodnight." Page delivers an excellent guitar solo. The band closes the show with a devastatingly heavy Black Dog.

Led Zeppelin
May 24, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

Fourthcoming

1101. Band Announcements
1102. Rock And Roll
1103. Sick Again
1104. Over The Hills And Far Away
1105. In My Time Of Dying
1106. The Song Remains The Same
1107. The Rain Song
1108. kashmir

1201. No Quarter
1202. Tangerine
1203. Going To California
1204. That's The Way
1205. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
1206. Trampled Underfoot

1301. Moby Dick
1302. Dazed And Confused

1401. Stairway To Heaven
1402. Crowd Anticipation
1403. Whole Lotta Love
1404. Black Dog

This is a monster of a show. The best of the five Earl's Court gigs, this show has the band reaching a peak for 1975, one that is even better than Seattle and LA two months earlier. Nicky Horne simply introduced the band: "Welcome to Earl's Court. For the next three hours ... your mother wouldn't like it!" No Quarter must be the best version ever recorded, and Dazed And Confused is an incredible journey. Dennis Healey was again remembered during the introduction to the Dazed: "We gotta fly soon. Y'know how it goes with Dennis ... dear Dennis. Private enterprise ... no artists in the country anymore ... he must be dazed and confusd!" Stairway To Heaven contains probably the best solo ever by Jimmy on the song while Plant's vocal is not the best. The humour was belonged to the whole group so Bonham took the microphone as they climbed for the encores and said: "I'd like to say at this point that I think football's a load of bollocks!" what caued a quick retord from Plant: "I'd like to say that soccer's a wonderful sport, the best sport."

The tape begins with Nicky Horne announcing "for the next three hours, your mother wouldn't like it" as the band takes the stage. Things get off to a somewhat sluggish start, Bonzo sounds tired as he fumbles through the drum outburst at the end of Rock and Roll. Page's fingers get caught in the strings during the second guitar solo in Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant jokingly hints at Living Loving Maid during his usual "six and a half years" spiel. Page's fingers are like razor blades as he slashes and shreds through an erratic guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away.

In My Time of Dying is introduced as "a song that came from the deep south of America." The PA problems persist, causing Page's guitar to cut out briefly during the initial verses. Plant references Hey Joe, exclaiming "so I gave her the gun, and I shot her!" as Page launches into the first guitar solo. The band's timing gets a bit sloppy as the song progresses. Plant tells the crowd "it really is a treat to be playing in England again" before dedicating No Quarter to "anybody who's got any hope that everything can be okay in our wonderful country again." The instrumental section is transformed into a somewhat disjointed free-form improvisation featuring an excellent laid-back guitar solo from Page. Tangerine is introduced as "a song of love in its most innocent stages." That's the Way is beautiful. Page shreds wildly as Bonzo pummels the crowd during an erratic Trampled Underfoot.

Plant sings a few lines of Rip it Up before announcing "tonight, there's a lad watching his dad who is a remarkable drummer... he's a better drummer that eighty percent of rock group drummers today and he's eight years old, so... Jason Bonham, this is your dad!" prior to Moby Dick. The penultimate performance of Dazed and Confused is introduced as "a song that came at the very beginning of our time." Page solos wildly through the lead-in to the bow solo. The mournful Woodstock interlude is fantastic. Page erupts in a furious cascade of notes during the guitar solo/workout section, his fingers tear across the fretboard at lightning speed. The outro jam is extended beyond all limits. Stairway to Heaven is introduced as "a song which typifies the mood of hope, which in our brighter moments surrounds us." Page delivers a truly amazing guitar solo, building tension with each note as the epic drama unfolds. An unbelievable performance, one of the best thus far.

As the band returns to the stage, Bonzo announces "I'd like to say at this point that I think football is a load of bollocks!" to which Plant responds "I'd like to say that soccer is a wonderful sport, the best sport," adding "and that's got nothin' to do with Bonzo's sentiments." Whole Lotta Love features an excellent theremin freakout, which includes bits of Sex Machine and Turn on Your Love Light.

Led Zeppelin
May 25, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

Great Taste Last Night

1501. Before The Show
1502. Band Announcements
1503. Rock And Roll
1504. Sick Again
1505. Over The Hills And Far Away
1506. In My Time Of Dying
1507. The Song Remains The Same
1508. The Rain Song
1509. Kashmir

1601. No Quarter
1602. Tangerine
1603. Going To California
1604. That's The Way
1605. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
1606. Trampled Underfoot

1701. Moby Dick
1702. Dazed And Confused

1801. Stairway To Heaven
1802. Crowd Anticipation
1803. Whole Lotta Love
1804. Black Dog
1805. Crowd Anticipation
1806. Heartbreaker
1807. Communication Breakdown
1808. After The Show

The final Earl's Court show, the final 1975 show, and the last ever performance of Dazed And Confused. The initial string of numbers are high powered and aggressive! No Quarter is a really great jam and the acoustic section is pretty good. Moby Dick and Dazed are rather boring however, which is sad and rather unfitting as it is the last ever performance of the latter. Stairway To Heaven was dedicated to Plant's daughter: "Carmen - this song's to a little girl who sits probably wondering what it all about ... so, where is the bridge? Well, Carmen, were's your chance to find out where the bridge is ... and if you know, please let me know after the show." The solo is wonderful and the encores contain a tortured Theremin solo from Jimmy before the extra songs are played for the last night's sake.

The band's fifth and final night at Earls Court begins with Alan 'Fluff' Freeman announcing "we are here tonight because you and I have great taste" before Rock and Roll crashes into motion. Page blazes through the second guitar solo in Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant announces "good evening and welcome to the last concert in England for a considerable time." Page shreds frantically through an excellent guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. In My Time of Dying is introduced as "an old work chant." Page solos wildly as Bonzo and Jones pummel the crowd. An incredibly powerful performance, one of the best thus far.

Bonzo is on fire during The Song Remains the Same, thrashing at his drums with wild abandon as Page's fingers race across the fretboard. The Rain Song is absolutely fantastic, one of the best in recent memory. Jones's somber piano solo during No Quarter features hints of Concierto de Aranjuez. The instrumental section is an epic journey. The band receives a thunderous ovation as the piece comes to a close. The climax is reached during the blistering outro. An outstanding performance. Page plays a bit of Tea For One as Plant introduces Tangerine. Going to California is delicately beautiful. Jones's mandolin work is fantastic. Plant makes a few references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, asking the crowd "what is a shrubbery amongst friends?" before an excellent That's the Way.

The band gets into a bit of Robert Johnson's If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day before Bron-Y-Aur Stomp. Plant gives the crowd a brief history of Johnson's life before introducing Trampled Underfoot. Page shreds erratically through an aggressive guitar solo. Bonzo is introduced as "our blood brother" before a particularly thunderous Moby Dick. Plant says a few kind words about Peter Grant before introducing Dazed and Confused as "the essence of the early Zeppelin." The San Francisco interlude is hauntingly mournful. Plant's ghostly howls echo through the arena. Page's fingers are like razor blades as he slashes and shreds through the frantic guitar solo/workout section. Plant can be heard exclaiming "amen!" off-mic during the call and response section. Page solos wildly during the outro jam. A somewhat uneven final performance of the band's signature song.

Plant dedicates Stairway to Heaven to his daughter Carmen, saying "this is a song to a little girl who sits there, probably wondering what it's all about." Page delivers an excellent guitar solo despite breaking a string near the end. Plant sings the final line in complete silence. As the band returns to the stage, Plant says "is this our swan song, I wonder?" Page hints at Ozone Baby following an excellent funky jam during Whole Lotta Love. Plant unleashes a series of blood-curdling screeches during the violent theramin freakout. Page's fingers get a bit sticky during the extended guitar solo in Black Dog. As the song ends, Plant announces "good citizens of Great Britain, it's been five glorious days... thank you very much for bein' a great audience, and if you see Denis Healey, tell him we've gone."

Plant exclaims "this is somethin' we never do!" as the band returns to the stage once again, joking "any requests?" Page blazes through the fast guitar solo during Heartbreaker. Plant pushes his voice to the limit during the final verse. The band closes the show with an explosive Communication Breakdown. Plant does his best Jamaican accent during a fantastic funky breakdown. As the band leaves the stage for the final time, he announces "thank you very much for showin' us that England is still alive and well." A fantastic finale to 1975. Must hear.

Led Zeppelin
May 24, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

He Must Be Dazed And Confused
Soundboard

1901. Band Announcements
1902. Rock And Roll
1903. Sick Again
1904. Over The Hills And Far Away
1905. In My Time Of Dying
1906. The Song Remains The Same
1907. The Rain Song
1908. Kashmir

2001. No Quarter
2002. Tangerine
2003. Going To California
2004. That's The Way
2005. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
2006. Trampled Underfoot

2101. Moby Dick
2102. Dazed And Confused

2201. Stairway To Heaven
2202. Crowd Anticipation
2203. Whole Lotta Love
2204. Black Dog
2205. After The Show



Led Zeppelin
May 25, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

Zeppelin Express Physical Rocket
Soundboard

2301. Before The Show
2302. Band Announcements
2303. Rock And Roll
2304. Sick Again
2305. Over The Hills And Far Away
2306. In My Time Of Dying
2307. The Song Remains The Same
2308. The Rain Song
2309. Kashmir

2401. No Quarter
2402. Tangerine
2403. Going To California
2404. That's The Way
2405. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
2406. Trampled Underfoot

2501. Moby Dick
2502. Dazed And Confused

2601. Stairway To Heaven
2602. Crowd Anticipation
2603. Whole Lotta Love
2604. Black Dog
2605. Crowd Anticipation
2606. Heartbreaker
2607. Communication Breakdown
2608. After The Show


Assorted Delights

Led Zeppelin
May 18, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

Alternate Source 1

2701. No Quarter
2702. Tangerine
2703. Going To California
2704. That's The Way
2705. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

Alternate Source 2

2801. Band Announcements
2802. Rock And Roll
2803. Sick Again
2804. Over The Hills And Far Away
2805. In My Time Of Dying
2806. The Song Remains The Same
2807. The Rain Song
2808. Kashmir

Led Zeppelin
May 24, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

Alternate Audience Source

2901. In My Time Of Dying
2902. The Song Remains The Same
2903. The Rain Song
2904. Kashmir
2905. No Quarter
2906. Tangerine

3001. Going To California
3002. That's The Way
3003. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
3004. Trampled Underfoot
3005. Woodstock (Excerpt From Dazed And Confused)
3006. Stairway To Heaven

Led Zeppelin
May 25, 1975
Earls Court Arena
London, England

Alternate Audience Source

3101. Dazed And Confused
3102. Stairway To Heaven
3103. Crowd Anticipation
3104. Whole Lotta Love
3105. Black Dog
3106. Crowd Anticipation
3107. Heartbreaker
3108. Communication Breakdown

CD1-3 "WELCOME HOME" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 17th, 1975 (audience source mix)
CD4-6 "NO QUARTER" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 18th, 1975 (audience source mix)
CD7-10 "AWESOME FOURSOME" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 23rd, 1975 (audience source mix)
CD11-14 "FOURTHCOMING" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 24th, 1975 (audience source mix)
CD15-18 "GREAT TASTE LAST NIGHT" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 25th, 1975 (audience source mix)
CD19-22 "HE MUST BE DAZED AND CONFUSED" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 24th, 1975 (soundboard patched with audience)
CD23-26 "ZEPPELIN EXPRESS PHYSICAL ROCKET" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on may 25th, 1975 (soundboard patched with audience)
CD27 "ASSORTED DELIGHTS" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 18th, 1975 (Red Revil AKA No Quarter audience source)
CD28 "ASSORTED DELIGHTS" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 18th, 1975 (alternate audience source)
CD29-30 "ASSORTED DELIGHTS" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 24th, 1975 (alternate audience source)
CD31 "ASSORTED DELIGHTS" recorded live at Earl's Court Arena, London, England on May 25th, 1975 (alternate audience source)

Deluxe hinged open box housing individual glossy cartoon gatefold sleeves with discs plus inserts. Limited to 250 numbered copies. As for now, this is the most definitive and best sounding version for each of London May 1975 shows released. "Assorted Delights" contains bonus sources that are either previously uncirculated or not released in their entireties anywhere yet.

Some Background information
(Finding your way through all the different versions out there)

5-17-75, source 1

Arabesque & Baroque (Antrabata, 3cd), Join the Blimp (Tarantura, 4cd), & Nice Opening Night (IQ, 3cd)

Antrabata, Tarantura, and IQ share the same tape source. IQ has a couple more cuts between songs than the other 2 titles. Tarantura and IQ are both missing a short sentence after Dazed and Confused. Antrabata is missing most of the tape after Stairway, before Whole Lotta Love. Antrabata and IQ sound very much alike. Tarantura’s title is a good bit louder, as it was amplified some. This also brings up the background noise some too. These titles tend to run fast.

5-17-75, source 1 & 2 mixes

Chancellor of the Exchequer (Tarantura2000), Complete Earl’s Court Arena Tapes “I” (Empress Valley, 4cd), Devil’s Banquet (Power Chord, 4cd), Earl’s Court the Final Option: Welcome Home (Empress Valley, 3cd), Five Glorious Daze: Welcome Back To Britain (Tarantura2000), & La Promenade (Wendy Records, 3cd)

Power Chord debuted the second source and is it’s foundation. It uses source one to fill some gaps between songs, for all of Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, fragments of Moby and Dazed, and the several minutes of audience cheer after Stairway. The constant source switching is annoying. The title is unnecessarily spread across an extra disc.

Empress Valley “I” is almost completely identical to Powerchord’s.

Tarantura2000’s Chancellor also uses source two as it’s foundation, but elects to use source one for Tangerine and Going To California. That’s an odd choice since those songs are available on source two and the foundation of the whole title is that source. Like the other two mix titles, there are constant source changes.

Wendy’s title is almost entirely source one but makes an unnecessary splice to source two for the last two seconds of the Rain Song. Several seconds are missing from the introduction and at the cut/disturbance after Bron. It’s been speed corrected and amplified.

Tarantura2000’s title from the Five Glorious Daze box is the same exact mixture of tapes as Powerchord. But, it’s not as good since they’ve introduced some sound changes between songs that sometimes sound like cuts, incorporated some bad noise during the first half of That’s the Way, and has one or more micro cut/repeats within the title. It’s amplified a bit over Powerchord.

EV’s “Welcome Home” is a mix using source one as it’s foundation and barely misses any source one at the splices. This time they elected not to stretch the show onto an extra disc. It’s sound is similar to IQ for the source they share.

5-18-75, sources 1, 2, & 3

Arabesque & Baroque, The Second Night (Antrabata, 4cd), Argenteum Astrum (Tarantura, 4cd), Black Dragon with Blue Axe: Journey Into the Fourth Dimension and Black Dragon with Blue Axe (Empress Valley, 6cd), Complete Earl’s Court Arena (Immigrant, 3cd), Complete Earl’s Court Arena Tapes “II” and “No Quarter” (Empress Valley, 4cd & 2cd from 22cd box set), Femme Fatal (Wendy Records, 3cd), Earl’s Court the Final Option: “No Quarter” and “Assorted Delights” (Empress Valley), Five Glorious Daze: “It’s Time To Welcome Home” and “Magical Atmosphere” (Tarantura2000), No Quarter: Journey Into the Fourth Dimension and No Quarter (Empress Valley, 5cd), No Quarter (Empress Valley, 4cd; Good Believe, 1cd; Tarantura2000, 3cd & 5cd), & Red Devil (TDOLZ, 4cd)

Foreword:

The first source for this show is found on Good Believe, Empress Valley’s 2cd “No Quarter” from “Complete Earl's Court Arena Tapes,” Tarantura2000’s 5cd release, EV’s “No Quarter” from the 5cd “No Quarter” box, and EV’s “Assorted Delights” from “Earl’s Court the Final Option.”

The second source was released on Immigrant.

The third source is on Tarantura, Antrabata, TDOLZ – while those three titles do use source two for the encores, their objective was releasing all of source three. Tarantura2000’s “Magical Atmosphere” uses the third source as it’s foundation, and completes using the other two sources.

The rest of the titles offering the whole show are three source mixes.

The performance can easily be placed on three cds but some of these labels stretched it out to four discs.

Source One:

Good Believe’s forty minute title was transferred from the old and incomplete vinyl release.

Empress Valley’s 2cd “No Quarter” from the 22cd box “Complete Earl's Court Arena Tapes” claims it was copied directly from the original acetate used for the vinyl release by the same name from many years back. Albeit, the first third of the show is now included. The title track isn’t complete and it’s sound is not in good condition. It seems to have some heavy suppression to remove unwanted sounds and has many “micro cut/repeats.” Additionally, it seems to be amplified to the point of being overblown. The strangest thing of all is a nearby person’s cough at 2:18. This exact cough is in the exact same place on the tape used by TDOLZ. Other identifying sounds, before and after the cough, are all very faint and do not match up to TDOLZ. In some instances, where talk near the taper is found on TDOLZ, there’s a convenient sound in the same place on EV that prevents clear interpretation. Combining that with some of the background suppression…it’s extremely difficult to be 100% certain about the truth. In all fairness, there are sounds on EV that aren’t on the other sources. Again, this is also from a label that release “less than honest” titles. Yet, no cd releases have cuts in this area. It is very possible that EV has spliced in tape during this section but it would also mean they did it perfectly in, and then out. The chances of that happening so seamlessly are super slim. The chances they’d add sounds and remove others to hide something are slim too – hopefully. Ultimately, sometime soon after the cough, the song is certainly from the proper source.

EV’s 2015 “No Quarter” reissues the audio from the EV’s original 2cd title from within the 22cd box.

EV’s 2016 first two cds of “Assorted Delights” reissues the audio from the 22cd box – with all of the defects they introduced intact (again). This time the liner notes refer to the familiar vinyl source (No Quarter through Bron) as “alternate source #1” (cd1) and the other part (intro through Kashmir) as “alternate source #2” (cd2).

Tarantura2000’s 5cd release contains 3 versions of this source, all very incomplete and full of “micro cut/repeats” (probably from software to “clean up” the sound). The first 2cds (TCD-53-1/4) are missing Kashmir. The second 2cds (TCD-54-1/2) only contain 4.5 minutes of No Quarter – the title track that’s always been 18 minutes on other releases of this source. It’s Bron-Yr-Aur has the “metallic” sound. The fifth cd (TCD-55) is sourced from the old vinyl release. Like the other four cds from this 5cd box, the sound has been “cleaned up,” producing all the digital problems, cut repeats, and so forth. That’s the Way starts off with some bad static and there are very serious digital problems after the song. The title is a big downgrade from the vinyl and Good Believe titles. Certainly one of the absolute worst titles by Tarantura2000.

Source Two:

Immigrant’s title is exclusively from the second source. The encores run too fast.

Source two is the basis for Tarantura2000’s 3cd title. When source two has a gap, it is filled with source one. When source one isn’t available to fill a gap, source three is used. This release reveals a few more minutes of tape than Immigrant. It has a longer introduction, the ending of Moby Dick, and some extra tape before the encores.

Wendy’s title is a mix that’s highly similar to Tarantura2000, using source two as the foundation. It often displaces a more of source two than necessary. Instead of using all of the source two intro, it elects to use source one for most of it. It offers an extra two minutes of tape after Stairway that are not found on titles prior to EV’s 2015 “Journey” release.

Source Three:

TDOLZ uses source two’s introduction and encores. Tarantura and Antrabata also use source two’s encores.

Antrabata’s cuts are in slightly different places. It has at least one additional cut beyond TDOLZ and Tarantura. It also has a slight instance of digital interference 80 seconds into That’s the Way.

TDOLZ’s tape seems to be more reliable when comparing the intro’s and cuts. The tape after the show on Red Devil and AA may be from a different source than the Antrabata.

Taratura2000’s “Magical Atmosphere” uses source three as it’s foundation. The cut at the track change for Going To California really make it sound like they’ve copied and edited directly from TDOLZ. The source two filler definitely seems to be copied directly from EV, as their micro cut/repeats are certainly repeated on this title too. The splices between songs often displace much more of source three than necessary.

Antrabata claims the source used was a “Master or 1st generation tape source,” but it’s sound is completely inferior to TDOLZ’s. Tarantura sounds a small bit better than the TDOLZ but may be due entirely to amplifying.

Mixes:

Empress Valley’s 4cd “II” and “No Quarter (4cd)” - EV mixes three sources for the music. Roughly speaking, the first third is the same as Immigrant. The middle third is from the original “No Quarter” title/source, and the last is the same as TDOLZ. The tape before and after the show are mixed too. The first part has been amplified a hair more than Immigrant’s. Additionally, EV has treated the tape some (usually between songs but during songs occasionally too), making the sound very awkward. The purpose of using the overblown/noisy “No Quarter” source for the middle part is not known. Overall, the title is really pointless. It switches sources too much and doesn’t offer good sound quality. Unnecessarily spread across four cds.

EV’s “Black Dragon with Blue Axe” reissues the audio found on the 2002 titles of this show by EV, onto this 3cd title.

EV’s “Journey Into the Fourth Dimension” has “new source” printed on the discs, but they do not contain a new source. Perhaps they meant to trick buyers when they edited/removed the signature clapping after Tangerine, Trampled, and maybe other similar edits elsewhere. This is another pointless mix, not offering the bulk of any of the three sources. (The section of s2 after Stairway mostly intact, only missing 11 seconds.)

EV’s “No Quarter” from “Earl’s Court the Final Option” is a three source mix using source two as it’s foundation. It misses little of source two at the splices. It’s not been amplified as much as Immigrant’s title.

Tarantura2000’s 3cd “No Quarter” from 2006 is a three source mix. It uses source two as it’s primary, then source one, then source three. It doesn’t include all of source two.

Wendy’s title is a three source mix using source two as it’s foundation. It doesn’t include all of source two.

Tarantura2000’s “It’s Time To Welcome Home” from the “Five Glorious Daze” box is a three source mix. It mainly uses sources two and three, but makes no attempt to offer all of either – it’s a useless mix. It has an odd and unnecessary splice after Tangerine to very briefly swap out one guy yelling during source one in the background for a different guy yelling during source three. Instead of mixing tapes to offer a more complete show, they decided to not include all the available tape after Stairway. The encores are from source two as usual, but for the last ten seconds of the show, they chose to splice to a poorer quality tape of source two.

Taratura2000’s “Magical Atmosphere” from the “Five Glorious Daze” box is a three source mix. Please see the “Source Three” section above for notes.

5-23-75

Arabesque & Baroque, The Third Night (Antrabata, 4cd), The Awesome Foursome (CG, 3cd), Complete Earl’s Court Arena Tapes “III” (Empress Valley, 4cd), Earl’s Court the Final Option: Awesome Foursome (Empress Valley), Express (Scorpio), Five Glorious Daze: Please Welcome To Earl’s Court (Tarantura2000), Physical Express (Jelly Roll, 4cd), Rites of Manhood (Tarantura2000), Thunderstorm (Tarantura, 4cd), & Welcome To the Show (TDOLZ, 4cd)

CG & TDOLZ both use a single source each, which do not document the complete performance. Both have incomplete Trampled Underfoot’s. CG placed Moby across the last 2 cds to fit the show on 3 discs. TDOLZ properly used 4cds to keep the songs together.

Antrabata, Jelly Roll, and the two Empress Valley titles all use source one as their foundation and then use source two to fill Trampled. EV’s “Awesome Foursome” includes almost every second of source one. These various titles have highly similar sound quality. Antrabata has at least 6 more cuts between songs, an unnecessary slight cut in Trampled, and is missing approximately 50 seconds of Moby.

Tarantura doesn’t have the few tape problems found on TDOLZ from between Over the Hills through Going To California. As with TDOLZ, Trampled is not complete but Tarantura cuts out 11 seconds too soon and then misses two dozen seconds of tape after the song. Tarantura’s Moby Dick is cut, missing two dozen seconds. Regardless of these faults, Thunderstorm is much better sounding than the others. It doesn’t have any extra background noise with the improvement of the music.

Tarantura2000’s “Rites” uses source two as it’s foundation. It uses source one for the introduction, part of Trampled, and possibly during the end of Dazed. A third source is used after Dying, Trampled, possibly during the end of Dazed, after Stairway, and during the last dozen seconds after the show. There’s a lot of channel shifting during Moby and Dazed. It seems to be a faked stereo effect. There are also a lot of little clicking sounds in the background during different sections of Dazed.

Scorpio’s title is a mix that uses the first source as it’s foundation and the second source to complete Trampled. It’s sound has been amplified more than TDOLZ.

Tarantura2000’s “Five Glorious Daze” title is almost the same as their previous release of this show. While it’s the same exact source mixture and audio content, it’s been slowed down a hair and the channel shifting is a little different. The show starts out with the right channel being much more prominent than the left. The shifting problems during Moby and Dazed are a little less noticeable. This time, two minutes into Tangerine, there’s a strange sound change that’s not on their previous release. It almost sounds like a brief source change, but likely isn’t. (Although, manufacturers do insert random brief source changes for unknown reasons.) It’s sound quality is similar to their original version.

5-24-75 audience source 1 & 2

Earl’s Court the Final Option: “Fourthcoming” & “Assorted Delights” (Empress Valley) & Fourthcoming (IQ, 4cd)

IQ’s “Fourthcoming” uses the first source for everything but No Quarter, where it shares the same source as “Assorted Delights.”

EV’s cds 3 and 4 of “Assorted Delights” from the box set feature the second source that sounds as if it were copied from vinyl. It starts with Dying, skips Moby and most of Dazed, and ends with Stairway.

EV’s “Fourthcoming” is the same mix of audience tapes as IQ, except it fills a couple of gaps between songs with the soundboard, and fills the big cut in Moby with the second source.

5-24-75 soundboard

Arabesque & Baroque, The Fourth Night (Antrabata, 4cd), Complete Earl’s Court Arena Tapes “IV” (Empress Valley, 4cd), Earl’s Court Arena 2405 Evoluzione (Empress Valley, 4cd, original and reissue), Earl’s Court (SIRA, 3cd), Earl’s Court Incident (Red Devil, 3cd), Earl’s Court the Final Option: He Must Be Dazed and Confused (Empress Valley), Five Glorious Daze: For the Next Three Hours, Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It (Tarantura2000, 4cd), Graf-Zeppelin-Marsch (Tarantura, 3cd), He Must Be Dazed and Confused (Empress Valley, 4cd), Odysseus (Celebration, 4cd), To Be a Rock and Not To Roll (Watchtower, 4cd), & Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It (TDOLZ, 3cd)

SIRA, Tarantura, Antrabata, and TDOLZ are the older titles, released when Moby Dick wasn’t available from the video soundtrack.

TDOLZ and Tarantura are virtually identical. The Tarantura has been slightly amplified.

SIRA mixes the soundtrack and audience tape. Excluding the soundtrack of Moby Dick, about 95% of the sb tape was used on this release. The audience tape was used to fill in the difference. However, they did split Moby across the last 2 discs to fit the show on 3 cds.

Antrabata also used the audience tape to fill in the soundtrack gaps.

Celebration was the first title to release Moby Dick. It notes the show as being from the soundboard. They may or may not have meant to mislead, maybe only meaning the recording was from a professional source instead of the audience. Upon their later release of the video, the cuts during the acoustic set were found to match their audio release of the “soundboard.” Odysseus does not use the audience tape to fill in gaps. It has a slight cut after Moby Dick and is cut while Dazed is ending, just like it’s predecessors. Also like it’s predecessors, the soundtrack generation seems to be the same, but only up thru the fifth minute of Dazed. From that point it clears up by a generation. Overall, it’s sound is amplified and even almost overblown in places.

Watchtower’s version is noted being from the soundboard. It has the most soundtrack tape before and after the show. Instead of using the partial soundtrack tape for Going To California, they spliced to the audience tape before it starts. Moby Dick contains 3 brief spots with severe static that are not found on the other releases. It is not cut after Moby Dick or during the end of Dazed. This title has almost six extra minutes of tape after Stairway.

Empress Valley used the same cds for their first two releases of this show (22cd box & He Must Be…). They make no source indication of any kind. Like Watchtower, they decided to not use the soundboard fragment for Going To California. It switches to the audience recording a few seconds early. Most of the tape after Stairway is not included. It is also missing some tape before and after the show.

Empress Valley’s third release (“2405”) is different from their first pair. It’s introduction has even less tape than their others, which were already short. The instance of static during the later part of Dying has been poorly removed, making the interruption more noticeable than the static. This time, the available sound board fragment is used for Going To California, but misses it’s last 4 seconds. All of the tape after Stairway and after the show are present. EV’s reissue title of the same name uses new discs, but has the same disc times. It’s a copy of the original.

Watchtower and the Empress Valley’s releases are from lower generation video soundtracks than the earlier titles by other labels. The music is clearer and there is less background noise. Watchtower and Empress Valley’s third release have the least amount of background noise and are almost completely identical. EV’s first pair of releases have more background noise than the third release. Watchtower and the Empress Valley titles have less low end then Celebration’s. However, Celebration’s slightly lower frequencies can be attributed entirely to the overloading. Those three titles lack really good low end. They are not left sounding high and tiny. There’s plenty of great mid range sound.

Red Devil’s release seems to be sourced from Watchtower’s release, but isn’t a direct copy. The introduction, tape after Stairway, and tape after the show have all been shortened. No Quarter has been moved out of sequence, placing it between two acoustic tracks. (The move was evidently done to use one less cd, just like with “Robert’s Last Stand.”) The cue stops match Watchtower until the move. The sound quality is identical to Watchtower.

Wendy’s title uses the soundboard as it’s primary tape and uses the audience tape too. Wendy has also introduced two new cuts, just before the opening song and the Song Remains the Same. They chopped out 9 seconds during In My Time of Dying where the split second of static is found in the tape. Instead of using the soundboard portion available for Going To California, they’ve elected to use the audience\tape. The splicing displaces available sb tape there too. The sound isn’t amplified as much as EV.

Tarantura2000’s title uses the soundboard for it’s foundation and uses the audience to fill. Instead of using all of the available board for California, they displace about 23 seconds of it. After Stairway and Robert’s “Good Night,” they’ve removed the sound from the microphone being set down. The title’s sound has been amplified a touch more than EV’s 2405.

EV’s fourth version to release the soundboard (with audience filler) is from the 31 cd box, subtitled “He Must Be Dazed and Confused.” While it shares the same name as their third release, it is different. This time they decided not to use the soundboard tape for the first part of California. A few minor static spots have been introduced just before Stairway and during the first couple of minutes. This release has all the tape after the show, unlike the last version. It’s sound isn’t as amplified as EV’s prior version.

5-25-75 soundboard

A 2 Last Nights (Tarantura), Bataille de Trafalgar (Wendy Records, 4cd), Conquistador (Watchtower & Water Tank, 4cd), Complete Earl’s Court Arena Tapes “V” (Empress Valley, 4cd), Earl’s Court `75 Final Court (Celebration), Earl’s Court the Final Option: Zeppelin Express Physical Rocket (Empress Valley), Five Glorious Daze: Watch Out For the Holy Grail (Tarantura2000, 4cd), Shake For Me Baby (Missing Link), Welcome To the 1979 Knebworth Festival’s bonus disc “Epilogue” (Watchtower, 1cd), When We Were Kings (Empress Valley, 4cd), Young Person’s Guide To Led Zeppelin (Empress Valley, 4cd), & Zeppelin Express Physical Rocket (Empress Valley, 4cd)

Missing Link and Tarantura are the older releases and do not contain the extra material (TSRTS & Rain) found on Celebration.

Celebration uses the same tape found on the other titles for the shared songs. All three slow down during Kashmir but Celebration makes an adjustment just before No Quarter. This title also misses the last 3-4 seconds of Tangerine. There doesn’t seem tape generation difference. There’s no amplification and doesn’t have any background noise. The new material comes from a clean but flat sounding professional source.

Missing Link’s title is a little louder than Tarantura due to amplification. It is missing the last 3-4 seconds of Tangerine due to a fade out. Tarantura does not fade.

Empress Valley was the first to release the full show from a professional source. They used the same cds for their first two releases of this show (22cd box & Zeppelin Express…). Kashmir, No Quarter, and Tangerine have been available for many years. It splices to the old pro source for the final two minutes of No Quarter and continues to use it through the last half minute of Tangerine. From that point, the audience tape is used for thirty seconds to complete the song and a little bit of time afterwards. These two Empress Valley titles are missing most of the extremely long introduction, almost 8 minutes of tape after Stairway, a little more after Black Dog, and a bit more after the show too. The music and background noise are slightly louder than Watchtower’s. The difference is just due to amplification.

Empress Valley’s third and fourth releases, When We Were Kings and Young Person’s Guide, are different from their earlier pair of releases. This time the large amounts of tape before the show, after Stairway and Black Dog, and after the show are available. The big overlap of tape between discs is present again, but about a minute less than before. The loudness of the music and background noise is less this time, making it virtually identical in sound to Watchtower. (Young Person’s Guide uses the same disc times and matrix numbers, but they’re not the same discs from WWWK.)

Watchtower’s Conquistador is musically similar to Empress Valley. Fortunately it lacks the large amounts of tape overlap between discs. It misses a few seconds of Robert’s commentary just before switching back to the soundboard before Going To California.

Watchtower’s “Epilogue” claims to be from an alternative board source. It starts with a shorter introduction and ends just after Kashmir. The sound is almost completely identical to Conquistador.

Empress Valley’s music and background noise are slightly louder than Watchtower’s. The difference is just due to amplification.

Red Devil’s release seems to be sourced from Watchtower’s release, but isn’t a direct copy. The introduction, tape after Stairway, and tape after the show have all been shortened. No Quarter has been moved out of sequence, placing it between two acoustic tracks. (The move was evidently done to use one less cd, just like with “Robert’s Last Stand.”) The sound quality is identical to Watchtower.

Water Tank’s title has the same matrix numbers, disc times, cuts, and sound as Watchtower. It’s either a direct disc copy or is issuing unused discs from Watchtower’s production.

Wendy’s title is similar in sound and content to WT and the latter EV’s, just using a little of the audience tape for Tangerine. The title misses the first 41 seconds of the seven plus minute introduction. It has a brief moment of static in No Quarter, just before the splice to the older board. It’s this spot were Wendy offers a few seconds of the better board before splicing out to the older. They also offer about six seconds more of the older board right before the splice to the audience tape to complete Tangerine. That’s ten seconds of the better board not found on prior releases.

Tarantura2000’s title from the “Five Glorious Daze” box set presents most of the soundboard and fills the usual musical gap with the audience tape. Most of the introduction, tape between Stairway and Whole Lotta Love, and the tape after the show are all missing. Dying has a micro cut/repeat – a very common item (still) on T2K titles. An extra soundboard snippet appears on this title of Robert speaking, just before the usual soundboard starts up before California. It’s sound has been amplified a bit.

EV’s “Zeppelin Express Physical Rocket” from the Earl’s Court the Final Option box is different from their previous titles. There’s a bit of static found that starts about halfway into the introduction. Like the T2K box, this Dying also has a micro cut/repeat in the same place. The only part of the soundboard it’s missing is when it splices to the audience source six seconds too early. It’s sound is similar to Wendy.

5-25-75 audience sources 1 & 2

Arabesque & Baroque, The Final Night (Antrabata, 4cd), Buck Rogers (Tarantura, 4cd), Earl’s Court 75 (Mud Dogs, 3cd), Earl’s Court the Final Option: “Great Taste Last Night” & “Assorted Delights” (Empress Valley), & Great Taste Last Night, (IQ, 4cd)

EV’s cd 5 of “Assorted Delights” from the box set debuts the second audience. It starts during Dazed, and continues through the rest of the show.

EV’s “Great Taste Last Night” from the box set is a mixture of both audience tapes and the soundboard. The primary tape is the first audience source, then fills from the second audience tape when available, then relies on the board for gaps before Dazed. Not much effort was made to preserve all available audio from source one, but it does offer 45 seconds of tape after California that’s not been available previously. It’s sound is amplified a little less than Antrabata.

All of the other titles seem to be from the same bootlegger's tape and share most cuts.

The IQ has evidently been amplified which usually brings up a little hiss but this contains a lot of hiss. The sound level isn't any better than the others.

Mud Dog's sound is inferior, its' track list is rearranged to fit the show on 3cds, and has an unnecessary cut in Dazed which then repeats a 25" section. It does contain the full introduction.

Antrabata's intro is missing 40 seconds but doesn't have any hiss and sounds very nice. Tarantura is missing the last half note of Rain Song. Overall, it is missing about 15 seconds of tape from between songs. However, it’s sound is definitely louder than Antrabata’s. It is probably only due to amplification but it makes it more enjoyable to listen.