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

Interesting. I would agree with you that some (maybe even many) of the '75 boards are very good and not especially dry. As for '73, I supposed I'd agree that they're not dry either, although IMHO part of that is that most of the '73 boards are lacking in high end and generally sound a bit muffled and fuzzy. The conventional wisdom I've read about that is that the versions of the '73 boards that circulate widely were, at some point in their lineage, either recorded or transferred/copied with misaligned equipment - a tape azimuth issue that cut off the high end. Plus a lot of them sound like they're not truly low-gen/master dubs.

As for '77, I don't know - some of them sound really great to me (Cleveland 4-27, Fort Worth 5-22, and to a lesser extent Maryland 5-30 come to mind), and others are, as you say, rather dry and "crunchy." And Jones' Alembic bass just sounds dreadful on those later tapes.

One of the things I like about this new Japan 929 board and the upgraded/expanded Montreux '70 board that surfaced a couple of years ago, is that for whatever reason those earlier boards are among the most balanced sounding of all the years' soundboards when it comes to Zep.

 

Agreed, the best thing would be some kind of teaser to let us know what is planned re: the streaming service (since all we currently know is they filed an application, there's been nowt official). And if there is a release coming before Christmas, there surely must be an announcement in the next few weeks.

 

I wish someone would've asked JPJ why he switched away from the Fender Jazz bass. The Jazz bass had a lovely warm, funky tone, but the Alembic? Urgh.

 

Why did Zeppelin stop touring Japan after 1972? Not enough profit to bother?

 

The hardly toured anywhere other than America after early 1973, I guess that's where the money was.

 

A sneak peek!

 

Have you ever heard of a WISH sandwich? <bow bow bow!>

 

Accidents and tragedy - Plant's auto accident, death of Plant's son, death of Bonzo - limited their touring ability.

 

Every time I see this photo I see Keith Moon just under Jimmy's elbow. Is that really him?

 

What's that?

 

Oh God, it is so great to hear How the East. Bonzo is just so mind blowingly good.
I am married to a total Zep head, she will freak over this.

 

If Keith Moon was really in this photo you'd be more likely to find him just under the bottle.

 

Stated like a total newbie who never got to see the band in concert. Or hasn't listened to an audience recording from '77 tour.
JPJ's Alembic and Bec-var shook the walls at Madison Square Garden in 1977 - combined with Bonzo's right foot, nearly knocked them down.

Love,
Billy

 

My sense is that, given the pacing of most of Zep's new-release announcements since the reissue campaign began in 2014, we're not likely to see an announcement until early to mid-November, with a January 2019 release date near the 50th anniversary of the original January 12 release date of Zep I.

I stress that I have zero hard evidence to back this feeling up, and I would very much love to be wrong - it would be great if an announcement came this month, with a release date before the end of the year.

A gratuitously nasty (and self-aggrandizing) tone, but I do agree with you that it's a mistake to judge Jones' Alembic just from the soundboard tapes of the '77 tour. The guy was/is a brilliant musician with an amazing ear, and he no doubt chose the Alembic for a reason. Also, even what I hate about the sound of it on the board tapes - the clickety-clack of the upper registers - indicates that it had a precision and impact to it that the older, fuzzier jazz bass lacked.

But I don't agree that audience tapes make the Alembic sound much better. It still has the awful clickety-clack sound on those - and this is especially apparent on the otherwise-excellent sounding audience tapes from their July 1979 Copenhagen shows they used to warm up for Knebworth.

But yes, I'm sure it sounded a heck of a lot different, and better, live in the venues.

 

Stated like someone who doesn’t know what was shaking the walls was largely the sound system.

 

Did Page have any other options than the Paris gig for bonus tracks? If he didn't have alternate versions of Zep I songs, his hands were tied.

 

Live the Alembic was and still is an awesome sounding instrument. Its sound doesn't come across on the tapes at all. Even on pro tapes it can sound a bit "clacky'. Check out live ELP and you can hear the "clackyness' there to.

 

It sucks that we do not, and probably never will, know what the '75 and '77 tours really sounded like. Because I don't think they sounded much like the soundboards we get to listen to. Page's tone in 75 is not getting its full reading, and same with Jones in '77.

It's weird though that I LOVE how the band sounds on '71 soundboards. The '73s have too many tape generations to even make a good opinion about it.

 

Good points - although the Earls Court material on the 2003 LZ DVD gives a good sense of what '75 sounded like (especially since, as far as I know, Zep flew over their same Showco setup as they used in the U.S.).

And agree 100% RE the sound of the '71 boards (and the '73 ones too, alas).

 

I never experienced Zep in concert. Were they that loud?

 

You are correct about Earl's Court. I forget about that because the song selection from that show is not much to my liking. I don't think there is even one Les Paul burner is there? Oh, Trampled Underfoot. Ok. All the rest are different guitars than the main setup. That's why I don't register that it shows what Page sounded like in 75. I should revisit that footage I haven't watched it enough over the years.

 

I doubt that they are going to pass up the opportunity of having a new release out in time.for the holidays. The beginning of every year is usually dead for new releases and sales. I expect we will hear an announcement near the end if this month about a new release that will be out in time for Black Friday.

This is speculation on my part. I'm basically just making sh** up.

 

There are outtakes from the sessions for the first album. What Jimmy actually has, only he knows. Maybe there isn't enough scope to offer 30 minutes of studio material in good quality.

 

Alembics are beautiful, and the sound is as impressive as the look. I've seen and heard them up close, playing with guys who used them. They have a very rich sound, which for some reason is totally lost on all the '77 soundboards and audience recordings. Not sure what happened there.

Jonesy's bespoke Manson basses are much more like Alembics than classic Fenders. I saw JPJ in 1999 and 2000, and his sound -- especially in the small venues he was doing -- was monstrous. John Paul on a Manson 12-string bass!!!!

John Entwistle played Alembics too. Nobody ever complains about the tone he got from them.

 

A streaming service sounds very promising.