August 31st is a date that resonates with Led Zeppelin bootleg collectors. No less than 3 shows performed and recorded on this date, beginning with a brilliant end of tour performance (finally) perfectly recorded for our listening pleasure!
AUGUST 31st 1969 -
TEXAS INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL,
LEWISVILLE SPEEDWAY, TEXAS
The 3rd intense summer US tour finally comes to a climax. It began almost 2 months before at the Atlanta Pop Festival in Georgia, and 35 shows later it's time for Texas to once again experience the hottest ticket in town. This will be their 5th Texan show of the tour, and is their most famous.
For years we had a cacophonous but listenable audience recording of the complete 62 minute set. It was one of the first non vinyl tapes I remember getting way back, and was disappointed when it eventually made it onto wax that the Never Healed elpee was so much poorer than the tape! Thankfully much of the festival appeared from superb (in bootleg terms) quality soundboard recordings, pushing this performance into the top echelons of 'must have' bootlegs. A couple of minor edits in the two marathons are annoying but not crucial. We've even had a recent upgrade with a great clear audience recording too.
For years we had a cacophonous but listenable audience recording of the complete 62 minute set. It was one of the first non vinyl tapes I remember getting way back, and was disappointed when it eventually made it onto wax that the Never Healed elpee was so much poorer than the tape! Thankfully much of the festival appeared from superb (in bootleg terms) quality soundboard recordings, pushing this performance into the top echelons of 'must have' bootlegs. A couple of minor edits in the two marathons are annoying but not crucial. We've even had a recent upgrade with a great clear audience recording too.
Squeezed on to a star studded bill spread over the 'labor day weekend' event, Led Zeppelin took a deep breath and delivered the goods one last time. From the off, the band are hot. After settling down through the opening blast of Train Kept A-Rollin', Jimmy dictates the pace and intensity with some superb free form runs in the amazingly relaxed I Can't Quit You Baby, while Robert glides into an easy familiar rapport with the already near hysterical crowd.
Dazed And Confused is still growing, and if the pre-bow link from the opening verses is yet to be sorted and expanded, the explosion after Jimmy's sketch is sheer madness, a frenzied chase kept in check (just) by half beat grooves from Bonzo just as it's about to fall off the cliff. On the audience recording it sounds like complete bedlam!
You Shook Me calms the nerves and atmosphere with it's deliberate blues sludge, but opens up with some fine call and response blats as the growing sexual tension between Robert and Jimmy turns up the heat.
You Shook Me calms the nerves and atmosphere with it's deliberate blues sludge, but opens up with some fine call and response blats as the growing sexual tension between Robert and Jimmy turns up the heat.
And Led Zeppelin give us a How Many More Times to remember. Maybe it's the late hour, maybe it's the last night of the tour. Whatever the reason, it's party time. Robert blasts into another stunning medley of classics and obscurities, Suzie Q segues into The Hunter and an x-rated Lemon Song before an untamed boogie without lyrics that mutates into snippets of Eyesight To The Blind and Shake For Me Baby. It's their longest (recorded) version to date and steals the show.
The first audience recording is unlistenable now amid the chaos, as Robert apologises for not playing longer as they're going home. A hurried and noisily demanded encore of Communication Breakdown, where Jonesy auditions a bass solo of sorts in the quieter post solo section, seals the event. They could have played all night, but instead leave the Texans screaming for more and a classic lusty performance ringing in their heads!
The first audience recording is unlistenable now amid the chaos, as Robert apologises for not playing longer as they're going home. A hurried and noisily demanded encore of Communication Breakdown, where Jonesy auditions a bass solo of sorts in the quieter post solo section, seals the event. They could have played all night, but instead leave the Texans screaming for more and a classic lusty performance ringing in their heads!
On bootleg, we have the listenable but frankly poor Never Healed vinyl that's poorly packaged and incomplete too. Hardcore 'must have' fans only methinks! The soundboard brought forth a flurry of CD issues, Don't Mess With Texas (including a cd size programme reproduction) on Oh Boy an Plays Pure Blues on Whoopy cat were the first, and as good sonically as any out there. Oh Boy also pressed a vinyl run, thank god, for those of us who still love their live Led Zeppelin on wax!
On film a fragmented documentary of the event, jumpy and time coded, has been circulating for a couple of decades now. The 78 minute film, including some of the other artists on the bill and crowd and festival arena scenes, has about 6 minutes of Led Zeppelin, fragmentary with some sound, poor in places and silent in others. Now we have 11 minutes with synched sound and a much clearer picture in places.
I've seen two versions of the Zeppelin clips, culled together outside of the complete film. The first has a large time code and is green and washed out looking, and the sound has been successfully added. The second is much better, full bright colours and even better sound. Shame there's no full songs or any actual intent to film properly, but we gotta be glad to have it.
I've seen two versions of the Zeppelin clips, culled together outside of the complete film. The first has a large time code and is green and washed out looking, and the sound has been successfully added. The second is much better, full bright colours and even better sound. Shame there's no full songs or any actual intent to film properly, but we gotta be glad to have it.
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