Jimmy Page says previously unheard Led Zeppelin music will be released for band's 50th anniversary

Few have mentioned the possibility of a MSG 73 box set. If Page goes on with the companion disc or expanded release idea, that´s one for sure that can be easily released I guess.

 

It would be a welcomed addition to the catalogue, but considering how much editing and composite creation JP has done to the tapes for previous releases, it is unlikely he reissues it again in a new edit.

 

Page is not the type to do a box set of complete shows. There are too many mistakes in his mind and he'd rather do what most bands do for a live album - edit everything to make the one solid release (such as HTWWW). But things change and he could allow it. Let's hope so. On the other hand why would he want the imperfect vocals by Plant on the two versions of Immigrant Song from LA and Long Beach? If it was my band, I doubt warts and all would sound appealing. Hey, you don't mind if we release everything with all your **** ups?

The reason I say board tapes as a possibility (at least of the 1968-70 era) is because they have released Paris 1969. An already mixed down show for radio that is not the best quality. We know there are board tapes that sound better. There were also less than professional quality things on the DVD. Why? Because they were historically important. And I don't necessarily mean 1971 or 1973 US tour quality board tapes. But things that could have been recorded more properly in-house on reel to reel. Even if only two tracks, they still could sound really good. Think of the 4/24/69 tape where JPJ's bass amp blows up. Pretty nice recording although I'd never want that one. But if they had similar quality to that at other Fillmore shows or Winterland? Hell yes.

We know there is a board tape of Montreux 1970 and Claude Knobs likely recorded (and possibly videotaped) most acts that he promoted - even if it's just a board tape. I highly doubt there would be a multitrack of any Montreux show as the photos don't show any evidence of a multitrack setup. But you never know. I'd love a nice recording of them doing Weekend in 1971 at Montreux with Jimmy on the doubleneck.

I'm just saying, don't dismiss the possibility out of hand.

 

I thought that your favorite band was MP?

As we discuss new band material, I really do enjoy Motorpsycho 4-5 CDs reissues of their first albums. Best you can get for your buck.

Unfortunately the studio Zep archives seems a bit empty and whatever left as live recordings might not be in the best condition or releasable w/o editing. Sad day...

 

Nah, Zep, Rush, Thin Lizzy, the Dead and then MP, I guess. And after all that "wasted" box set money perhaps KC after them. But it is fairly close at the top I should probably throw in the Beatles and the Stones somewhere on that list as well, for old times sake. And then you have all those darn solo artists...

Those re-releases are nothing short of fantastic. Particularly the Blissard and Timothy's Monster ones. Hopefully there will be a new one come Christmas this year.

Hopefully there is something salvageable in Page's archives. At this point anything good will be a bonus anyway. I'm not really getting my hopes up, but if it was just one more show like the bonus disc of the first album, I'd be more than happy. And I'd also like some more filmed stuff, if that is an option.

 

Would love to hear the full unedited tapes from those shows!

 

How did they create the version that aired on MTV in the 90’s? I haven’t seen it in years but memory recalls it sounded great.

 

I think it's straight soundboard feed, in mono I assume.

Jimmy's low in the mix 'til midway through the solo. You can hear his level come up all at once, suddenly. Page's comments around the release of DVD suggest the guitar's hardly there at all, but maybe it was being picked up by a vocal mic or something.

 

Percy can always go in and re-record bum notes. It couldn't be any worse...

 

This was Peter's stated reason for the new vocals, but that doesn't explain why he re-sang the entire show with his modern voice (using a combination in the final mix of not too far from 50/50 of the new and vintage vocals).

Hackett's stated reason for modern re-recording of a lot of his guitar parts from that same show was because of a hand injury (which delayed the beginning of the Lamb tour by a month or so) where he broke a wine glass in his hand which required surgery and weakened his hand for several months afterwards.

That doesn't really explain why he also re-recorded his guitar on the show from over a year earlier, though.

I don't think they made a habit of it overall, since I don't think the 1976-92 3CD boxset (about a third of which was live) had any modern overdubs.

As far as Peter's perfectionism blocking the release of the board tapes - I dunno - on the UP tour he released every (or nearly) every show from the tour (or perhaps just certain legs of the tour - its been a long time so the specifics are fuzzy) I never bought any, but the internet word from those who did said some of the vocals were pretty, umm - problematic (more from his daughter who sang backup/duets on the tour than from Peter himself, but still).

Instead it could possibly be problems of ownership/royalty rates/etc with Atlantic/Virgin. Fripp didn't have such a problem releasing his board tapes, but that's probably because the rights to their catalog reverted to him/them from EG.

OTOH Genesis' stuff (released & unreleased) is still owned/controlled by Atlantic/Virgin, so...

 

I don't think it's so much as dismissing it out of hand but rather not pining hopes on a long a shot.

Not saying it could not happen but the examples you give don't really show much evidence towards an appetite for releasing board tapes.

In terms of the Paris 69 show there's a reason why it was released; lack of other material. There are also many reasons why it was chosen over other tapes that we've heard. The SQ might not sound better but it's certain has a better overall crispness and releasable quality to it as a bonus. As a standalone release it would never have come out.

Those less than professional quality things on the DVD are little bits like the audience recording of the Millard tape used for the menu screen or some 8mm MSG 1973 clips inserted into the professional footage. It's not a case of "here's the entire show/most of the show"

I think if one wanted to pin their hopes to these sorts of releases you'd be better off hoping for a song here or there rather than a full on show and likely as bonus items.

In addition, if they have stuff like Japan and Bath those would be more likely to be released since they are of better quality (assuming anyway).

Again, not saying it would never happen (although at times in the past I've said it would never happen) but it's a big long shot.

 

I don't think a multitrack tape for Bath exists. However Jimmy mentioned some of the club dates (1968, 1971 ?) recorded professionally when he was planning a chronological Live anthology. In an interview with the Dutch magazine 'Guitarist' last year, he briefly mentioned the Japan 71 shows. Copyright/royalty issues were the main reason why he didn't consider them worthy for release. So I guess he was referring to 'Twist and Shout', 'Fortune Teller' and other snippets during the WLL medley.

 

Robert plant is the one who want allow his warts and all vocals to come out. Robert won't allow a release where his voice is cracking and squeaking all over the place. I don't understand why people would want an official release with unedited hoarse off key squeaking vocals I love Robert he is my favorite singer but all of the 73 and 75 stuff and even a good portion of 72 is heartbreaking when hear some struggle like. If you were Robert would you want your worst moments on a live release. We have bootlegs for raw unedited vocals.

 

I've read where some poeple refer to the montruex 1970 that surfaced a couple of years back as a radio reel if it is that puts it in the release quality category. Zeppelin sound boards prior to 1977 were recorded on 2 track reels but they supposedly only used an old revox reel to reel to record them and are just a mono feed recorded to each track. The montruex 70 soundboard has much better quality then a typical zep sb and sounds like a much wider mix with quite a bit of stereo separation.

 

I assume Page still want to continue his Live Anthology approach, only it is happening separately. In this sense when we check the chronology, what has been released and what's left in the vaults, there is the answer which might be forthcoming. Japan '71 and one of the soundboards from '75 are the main contenders. If it will be a box set, we will be all in heaven, for sure.

 

Also on the osaka 928 gig they inserted cover song snippets in several of the regular non medley numbers as well. But page likes to edit so I hold on to a small glimmer of hope for japan.

 

I wonder about the 1971 club tour. You would think page would want to record a couple of those shows to multi track for historical purposes and to capture the band in that club atmosphere. But a packed rowdy british club might be a very hard to place to set up multitrack recording gear since the setup was a lot more complicated back then. Running cables out the door to a truck or setting up an 8 track or 16 track machine in a rowdy club could be hard and unfortunately all of the photos from the club tour show no recording mics on stage .

 

Didn't jimmy say at one point he had organized all of the band rehearsal tapes around the time of the DVD and hwww and was really keen on releasing them and said something like the rest of the band were not excited by the idea that could open up a lot of possibilities and be truly unheard zeppelin.

 

Wasn't there a rumor about the band recording several 1971 club tour shows?
I remember reading about that

And, as for photos. I don't know
If we see the 'Made in Japan' photo, for example, we don't see 2 microphones on Ian Paice's bass drum, and of course the 3 nights were multitracked

 

Well, if i remember correctly, this pic isn't from one of those japanese gigs, but from a later gig back in old albion...

 

I'm not looking for a perfect performance. I'm looking to hearing the band create a synergy by feeding off each other. No over dubs for me.

 

Here's a quote from wiki (debatable source, i know): "Phil Collen, later to play in Def Leppard, was in the audience for the Rainbow gig as captured on the sleeve"

 

You're right

Ian Gillan used different clothes in Japan. This one is from the rising sun, and indeed bass drum has 2 mics

 

The pictures from the Original Made in Japan album were shot earlier in the year at the Rainbow Theatre gigs.
Incidentally, it was also Warners in Japan who insisted to record the Purple japanese dates in 1972, using a "pitiful looking multitrack machine", which to their surprise, produced some amazing recordings....could it be the same tape machine used for Led Zeppelin?

 

If I recall correctly, when Warner Japan wanted to record those concerts, Deep Purple agreed under the condition that they were allowed to use Martin Birch and their own equipment. That being said though, if Pagey can make the Yardbirds Anderson Theater show sound as good as it does, I imagine he could do the same for Japan ‘71, even if the original multitrack sounds crappy.