There are many dates in Zeppelin's history that resonate throughout the years. July 5th is one, and here are some of the events on that date over the years....
ATLANTA POP FESTIVAL, INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, HAMPTON, GEORGIA 1969
The opening show of the 3rd US Tour. Fresh from a triumphant and busy June in Blighty, Gee set up their most extensive tour to date, hitting as many Festivals as possible plus both favoured and new venues in between. They appeared on the second day of this star studded 3 day event. Jimi Hendrix had played the first night, and over the 3 days Janis Joplin, Spirit, Canned Heat and any more appeared. And while Led Zeppelin were wowing 'em in Hampton Georgia, The Rolling Stones were playing their free Hyde Park tribute to Brian Jones show in the company of King Crimson (their debut performance), Family and others including Screw!
Much of the event has been released or made available via bootleg, a slew of soundboard recordings and assorted footage over the years and decades. For nigh on 25 years the rumour of a soundboard of the Zeppelin performance has grown and grown. Some maintain they have heard it, have a sample, know it to exist. But, even to this day it hasn't escaped the hoarder's clutches.
All we have (so far) is a compilation of silent 8mm cine film that includes under a minute of Led Zeppelin footage. But I'm more than convinced it's out there.
JULY 5TH 1970
ISLAND STUDIOS, BASING STREET, LONDON
In the aftermath of the Bath Festival, Led Zeppelin went straight back to work. With much of 'Led Zeppelin III' recorded or ready before Bath, this quick visit saw them using studios 1 and 2. The dates included in the information with the newly released deluxe editions may not be the actual dates of recording, but just when the mix and some overdubs were done.
However, 'Gallows Pole' was put through its' paces, as the rough incomplete but fascinating mix attests. And we do have an alternative 'released' version that appeared briefly on a US promo copy of the album. This was done in studio 1, and we also have the remarkable and long rumoured instrumental jam/framework 'St. Tristan's Sword' which came out of studio 2. Full of many ideas, riffs and mood changes, it sounds far away from 'III', probably the reason it was left aside. Remarkable stuff though, a great relaxed take.
JULY 5TH 1971
VELODROME VIGORELLI, MILAN, ITALY
Playing some fragmented dates across Europe, Led Zeppelin debut in Italy and find themselves in the middle of a cynical riot. Unconfirmed reports place them in Rome the day before, but if this show was their Italian debut it's little wonder they never returned.
Only a distorted, distant recording exists of some 23 minutes, cutting in to 'Since I've Been Loving You', a complete 'Black Dog' and a large portion of 'Dazed And Confused'. They are on top form, Robert's voice is still at it's highest and the band interaction and syncopation is growing show by show.
Outside of their performance, all hell broke loose. Reactionary Police, agitated every time the crowd rose in appreciation, charged the crowd with batons and used copious amounts of tear gas, so much so the band thought the crowd were lighting fires. After a suddenly truncated set, trouble escalated and much of the PA and Zeppelin's gear was trashed. Robert showed his upset and frustration, weeping in frustration as he described the events to journalists.
There have been a bootleg Japanese acetate (Blow's One's Cool),2 different bootleg elpees and a boot CD (Stepmothers Club, which also includes part of the Newcastle City Hall 30-11-72 show erroneously attributed to Birmingham Stepmothers Club March 71, an unconfirmed performance) featuring this recording. There has also been a small amount of colour cine film, showing brief clips of the stage, some of the local support acts and brief snippets of Zeppelin. Dubbed with Black Dog from the bootleg tape and flushed out with stills of the show and newspaper reports.
Now we come to a real can of worms. There have been at least 3 different dates given to this remarkable recording of Led Zeppelin at play. Never the most disciplined of groups, they openly stated their hate of soundchecks, so much so that the majority of the time it was left to the crew. Another reason why so many of the '73 and '75 recordings start off unbalanced as Rusty tried to get things right on the run!
I first got this cassette as the Chicago venue and date. Then I saw it traded as the Met Center, Bloomington 17th January '75, when they were known to have warmed up for the tour. There are some classic Neal Preston shots from this rehearsal, and with the addition of 3 tracks from 'Physical Graffiti' it was a fairly obvious conclusion. Not for me, Robert's voice is too strong and Jimmy's guitar sound and fluidity is much more '73 than '75. And then it's also thought to be from early May '73, before the first leg of the tour. My gut tells me July, guess there's only one man who really knows....
'Sugar Baby' is worth the price of admission alone, a tight but loose funky exercise, sounding a lot like the pre-Theremin funk out jam in Whole Lotta Love circa '72/'73. The Graffiti tracks are in different states of repair. Wanton Song is a primitive early try at the middle part, later completed in Early '74 at Headley Grange (Another clue to the date). The Rover is loose and joyous and coming together. Night Flight, already recorded for 'Untitled' originally sounds more like obsessive attempts to see if it would become part of the set.
from then on the cover versions are marvellous, Led Zeppelin at play. From kitsch Pop to Psychobilly and all points in between. Love Move It, Nadine and a swinging Shakin' All Over the most. A rare glimpse inside the World of Led Zeppelin when the circus is out of town and the hangers on away from the room. Just four boys and their music. Brilliant stuff, and loads of bootleg versions, even on vinyl back in the day as 'Tribute to Johhny Kidd and the Pirates'.
Led Zeppelin Uber Alles! Hold the back page - Steve Gett's enthusiastic full page report from Melody Maker was certainly a shock. After what seemed like years of press negativity, especially in the UK, this was more like it. The penultimate show, a hot Saturday night in Munich. The tour had been erratic but at its' best a perfect rebirth. Cutting out some of the flab and refocusing the songs into a more metronomic, powerful way.
The first burst of shows were short and sweet. In the middle things sagged a bit and there was the unfortunate Nuremburg incident. By the time Led Zeppelin arrived in Munich they were on the home stretch and it showed. So much energy went into this performance, and the set had evolved and stretched to a point where it felt like a US Stadium Gig. The sign of things to come, or so many of us thought. Sadly it was not to be.
A great, powerful performance. The openers hit home, and both The Rain Song and All My Love sound light and delicate, a celebration. The raucous audience adds to the atmosphere and Achilles Last Stand seems to float above everyone's heads.
Ironically, as it was omitted from the last gig in Berlin this was to be the last performance, in the city where it was constructed and recorded. Encore time has the bonus of a second drum kit, stage right, for Simon Kirke. A loose and chaotic Led Zeppelin plus one closes the night. Lotta fun. Lotta Fun.
One of only two shows NOT available as a soundboard recording, there are a couple of good and one or two poor audience recordings, and the good ones have been released on CD. One of my favourite nights of the tour, hugely enjoyable listen.
And one of the first two films to emerge, alongside Cologne, is just under ten minutes of clear colour cine film complete with sound. Close and from a couple of angles, it includes some snippets of the drum duel. Nice accompaniment to the audio, great it was captured.
There have been a bootleg Japanese acetate (Blow's One's Cool),2 different bootleg elpees and a boot CD (Stepmothers Club, which also includes part of the Newcastle City Hall 30-11-72 show erroneously attributed to Birmingham Stepmothers Club March 71, an unconfirmed performance) featuring this recording. There has also been a small amount of colour cine film, showing brief clips of the stage, some of the local support acts and brief snippets of Zeppelin. Dubbed with Black Dog from the bootleg tape and flushed out with stills of the show and newspaper reports.
JULY 5TH 1973
SOUNDCHECK, CHICAGO STADIUM
Now we come to a real can of worms. There have been at least 3 different dates given to this remarkable recording of Led Zeppelin at play. Never the most disciplined of groups, they openly stated their hate of soundchecks, so much so that the majority of the time it was left to the crew. Another reason why so many of the '73 and '75 recordings start off unbalanced as Rusty tried to get things right on the run!
I first got this cassette as the Chicago venue and date. Then I saw it traded as the Met Center, Bloomington 17th January '75, when they were known to have warmed up for the tour. There are some classic Neal Preston shots from this rehearsal, and with the addition of 3 tracks from 'Physical Graffiti' it was a fairly obvious conclusion. Not for me, Robert's voice is too strong and Jimmy's guitar sound and fluidity is much more '73 than '75. And then it's also thought to be from early May '73, before the first leg of the tour. My gut tells me July, guess there's only one man who really knows....
Anyway, the track listing is :-
Sugar Baby (2 takes)
Wanton Song (2 takes)
The Rover (2 takes)
Night Flight (4 takes)
School Days
Nadine
Round And Round
Move On Down The Line
Love Me Like A Hurricane
Move It
Dynamite
Shakin' All Over
Hungry For Love
I'll Never Get Over You
Reelin' And Rockin'
Surrender
'Sugar Baby' is worth the price of admission alone, a tight but loose funky exercise, sounding a lot like the pre-Theremin funk out jam in Whole Lotta Love circa '72/'73. The Graffiti tracks are in different states of repair. Wanton Song is a primitive early try at the middle part, later completed in Early '74 at Headley Grange (Another clue to the date). The Rover is loose and joyous and coming together. Night Flight, already recorded for 'Untitled' originally sounds more like obsessive attempts to see if it would become part of the set.
from then on the cover versions are marvellous, Led Zeppelin at play. From kitsch Pop to Psychobilly and all points in between. Love Move It, Nadine and a swinging Shakin' All Over the most. A rare glimpse inside the World of Led Zeppelin when the circus is out of town and the hangers on away from the room. Just four boys and their music. Brilliant stuff, and loads of bootleg versions, even on vinyl back in the day as 'Tribute to Johhny Kidd and the Pirates'.
JULY 5TH 1980
OLYMPIAHALLE, MUNICH, GERMANY
Led Zeppelin Uber Alles! Hold the back page - Steve Gett's enthusiastic full page report from Melody Maker was certainly a shock. After what seemed like years of press negativity, especially in the UK, this was more like it. The penultimate show, a hot Saturday night in Munich. The tour had been erratic but at its' best a perfect rebirth. Cutting out some of the flab and refocusing the songs into a more metronomic, powerful way.
The first burst of shows were short and sweet. In the middle things sagged a bit and there was the unfortunate Nuremburg incident. By the time Led Zeppelin arrived in Munich they were on the home stretch and it showed. So much energy went into this performance, and the set had evolved and stretched to a point where it felt like a US Stadium Gig. The sign of things to come, or so many of us thought. Sadly it was not to be.
The set ran :-
Train Kept A-Rollin'/Nobody's Fault But Mine
Black Dog
In The Evening
The Rain Song
Hot Dog
All My Love
Trampled Underfoot
Since I've Been Loving You
Achilles Last Stand
White Summer/Black Mountain Side/Kashmir
Stairway to Heaven
Rock And Roll
Whole Lotta Love/Boogie Chillun'
A great, powerful performance. The openers hit home, and both The Rain Song and All My Love sound light and delicate, a celebration. The raucous audience adds to the atmosphere and Achilles Last Stand seems to float above everyone's heads.
Ironically, as it was omitted from the last gig in Berlin this was to be the last performance, in the city where it was constructed and recorded. Encore time has the bonus of a second drum kit, stage right, for Simon Kirke. A loose and chaotic Led Zeppelin plus one closes the night. Lotta fun. Lotta Fun.
One of only two shows NOT available as a soundboard recording, there are a couple of good and one or two poor audience recordings, and the good ones have been released on CD. One of my favourite nights of the tour, hugely enjoyable listen.
And one of the first two films to emerge, alongside Cologne, is just under ten minutes of clear colour cine film complete with sound. Close and from a couple of angles, it includes some snippets of the drum duel. Nice accompaniment to the audio, great it was captured.
Great information well versed in zep history thanks that was fun
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