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Led
Zeppelin
Fillmore West, San Francisco, California, USA
11th Jan 1969
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John
Bonham - drums
John Paul Jones - bass
Jimmy Page - guitar
Robert Plant - vocals
When Country Joe McDonald sang, "Whoopee! We're all gonna
die!" on the night of January 10, 1969, it wasn't the Vietnam
War that inspired his absurd fatalism - it was the sound of
the band he had the misfortune of following.
America knew next to nothing about the wild pack of Rock 'n
Roll Vikings that it had unwittingly allowed within its borders,
though their arrival tolled the death knell for Peace and
Love and introduced the nation's kids to the only thing that
was left - musical, chemical, and sexual excesses the likes
of which no one had ever conceived. Whether or not the stories
are true, the unrivaled mythology this band conjured set a
brutal precedent for generations of their successors. Fans
showed up by the VW Wagon-load with a fear and fervent adoration
generally reserved only for dictators of small countries to
pay homage to the fathers of the New Rock - Heavy Metal.
This, however, is part of where it all began - four songs
taken from their first Bay Area appearances during their first
U.S. tour. And a charming bunch of lads they were! Robert
Plant engages the crowd in polite conversation while Jimmy
Page, all gangly limbs and choir-boy face, clumsily changes
a string. Then - they're off. And there it is...that Sound!
Much has been made of Page's studio black magic over the years,
but credit must be given to the group as a whole. Apart from
myriad improvisations, they sound just like they do on the
records - huge, warm, enveloping bass; wailing, atavistic
vocals bordering on obscenity for their sheer ecstasy; drums
that sound like a gorilla wrestling a robot in an airplane
hangar; and, yes, guitar tone that'll keep Gibson and Marshall
in business as long as they're willing to make Les Pauls and
huge amplifiers.
Widely bootlegged, this performance is presented here directly
from the soundboard tapes and in excellent quality. The call
and response at the end of "You Shook Me" is unintentionally
hilarious and followed by Plant's band roll call at the beginning
of "How Many More Times," perhaps the last time such an introduction
was necessary since, following this tour, everybody knew who
they were - Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones...Led Zeppelin!.
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Track
Details:
1. Introduction (1:46)
2. I Can't Quit You Baby (6:05)
3. Dazed And Confused (13:18)
4. You Shook Me (8:04)
5. How Many More Times (4:14) |
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| This
recording has been captured into a wave editor (Audition 1.5)
via streaming the playback of this concert from Wolfgangs
Vault website. The quality is excellent. At any one time you
may find around 300 concerts available to play at www.wolfgangsvault.com.
You can either play a single track or play the complete show.
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