Led Zeppelin: BBC Sessions - Disc 3 of 3 (Rare Interviews) CD Track Listing

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Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions - Disc 3 of 3 (Rare Interviews) (1997)
BBC Sessions - Disc 3 of 3 (Rare Interviews)\nLed Zeppelin\n1997 Atlantic Recording Corporation\n\nOriginally Released November 18, 1997 \n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Led Zeppelin's BBC sessions were among the most popular bootleg items of the rock & roll era, appearing on a myriad of illegal records and CDs. They were all the more popular because of the lack of official Led Zeppelin live albums, especially since The Song Remains the Same failed to capture the essence of the band. For anyone who hadn't heard the recordings, the mystique of Zeppelin's BBC sessions was somewhat mystifying, but the official 1997 release of the double-disc BBC Sessions offered revelations for any fan who hadn't yet heard this music. While some collectors will be dismayed by the slight trimming on the "Whole Lotta Love Medley," almost all of the group's sessions are included here, and they prove why live Zeppelin was the stuff of legend. The 1969 sessions, recorded shortly after the release of the first album, are fiery and dynamic, outstripping the studio record for sheer power. Early versions of "You Shook Me," "Communication Breakdown," "What Is and What Should Never Be," and "Whole Lotta Love" hit harder than their recorded counterparts, while covers of Sleepy John Estes' "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair," Robert Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues," and Eddie Cochran's "Something Else" are welcome additions to the Zeppelin catalog, confirming their folk, blues, and rockabilly roots as well as their sense of vision. Zeppelin's grand vision comes into sharper relief on the second disc, which is comprised of their 1971 sessions. They still have their primal energy, but they're more adventurous, branching out into folk, twisted psychedelia, and weird blues-funk. Certainly, BBC Sessions is the kind of album that will only appeal to fans, but anyone who's ever doubted Zeppelin's power or vision will be set straight with this record. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nFrequently bootlegged and now digitally remastered by Jimmy Page, these tapes capture a 25-month (1969 to 1971) arc in which Zep's sound grew to encompass the speed rush and jazz/blues festival stuff of their 1969 debut, the fully developed folkie musings of "Going to California" (in which Plant vowed to make a hejira right up to Joni Mitchell's front door), and the band's modestly popular multilayered epic "Stairway to Heaven." The Sessions also give a glimpse of nearly off-the-cuff invention in an intense take on Robert Johnson's "Traveling Riverside Blues." Most other white blues musicians would've rushed to get this on vinyl; Page and Plant instead used it for parts, most notably taking its profound acoustic freneticism for Led Zeppelin III. --Rickey Wright \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nthink for a second, February 8, 2003\nReviewer: jahsh (las vegas, nv)\nled zeppelin has done a lot of things musically, emotionally, and every other "ally" in the book for people all over the universe. they've accomplished this through various studio recordings and even more-so with live recordings. "BBC Sessions," is a MUST as it can, as cameron crowe reportedly said to his mother, "...change your life." led zeppelin can tend to do just that.\nled zeppelin, however, cannot... \n\nexcuse me, led zeppelin HAS NEVER or ever will be capable of (for more than the obvious reasons) doing anything LESS than what they did, and that is more than the, "best." few musicians have been able to this- jimi hendrix, the thirteenth floor elevators, miles davis, public enemy, etc. etc.\n\nas for the "shunned-i-wish-i-was-an-elitests' motto:" \n\n"[...]not as good without overdubs," a statement i've heard in so many words more or less- whence spoken by a zeppelin "fan" completely revokes their opinion and self-proclaimed, "competence," that they acredit themselves for having. \n\ncriticisms, in that manner, from anyone should and/or can ONLY be given when they WRITE/perform/etc. songs contained in the zeppelin catalogue. this means WRITE not be able to play- anybody, including myself, can play these tunes verbatim- as they are standards to mosts guitarists. but,when one of us have written the most "requested rock song in history," or debuted an un-heard song from an up and-coming album to a crowd that stared in silent awe after you played it, criticisms on this matter can be given- but never taken seriously. \n\njimmy page is the TWO HARDEST WORKING GUITARISTS IN ROCK N' ROLL HISTORY. his perfomances on the 'BBC sessions' and on 'the song remains the same' are proof of this. listening to live versions of his songs showcases his great improvisational techniques with the blues and other songs- deviating away from pentatonic scales and warm-up's i leanred middle-school band class that can be heard a lot of other places. i would've liked to hear jimmy work around some modal tunes as well- but his speed, great sense of time, and odd progressions are the most musical rock 'n roll compositions ever created. live material from led zeppelin are guitarist/song writer/singer/musician/fan "how-to's" and "you wish you could's" that should be appreciated by everyone. \n\njohn bonham's ability to play under the group- not over shadowing or being too modest with the rhythm, making it more than a percussive element to the song... in some songs maybe even making it just as, if not, more integral than melodic elements. its funny to see friends air-drum the bridge of 'stairway to heaven' that goes into the solo incorrectly (start counting on 'and'), or when 'dazed and confused' is sometimes mistaken for being in 4/4 or 3/3, getting lost on "misty mountain hop" for a quick count etc. etc... some of the his best drumming on 'bbc...' would have to be on 'since i've been lovin you.' especially after a thorough studying of the recorded version is done. as with jimmy and the rest of the band- listening to a live version is like getting a whole new song- variations on a theme even, and sutdio work is NEVER lacking or missed in these recordings. so for those of you that memorized all of those bonzo solos and confidently pound those dents into your dashboard, get ready for a new learning experience and dents on more places. \n\nrobert plant's vocals are undescribable- he too, rarely perfomed recorded versions verbatim live. "soulfull," stylings is what they could be called... could be. i just call it robert plant.\n\njohn paul jones' song writing abilites weren't out in the forefront quite yet- at least i don't think, as far as i know- most of the "more melodic/less" dissonant riffs/progressions are his- as i don't know exacts off hand- i cannot give him the proper credit he deserves, most likely even with the specifics. \n\nthe best song on the set though would have to be, 'since i've been lovin' you.' displaying the band's entire scope and range- all the way from influences to their signature sound. they succeed in melting the blues influences without sacraficing any oiriginality during the verses and the solo. in the bridge portions and the ending, they drop their trademark, "heavy-metal," sound in which all of the band is other-worldly in sync with each other, creating recorded evidence that they in fact did NOT sell their souls- as many of our parents' parent's might have thought. they even play gospel styled changes, like the ending where robert plant can receive no praise that would suffice. when plant sings, "do you remember mama, when i knocked up on your door..." the song turns into a psychedellic master-piece (along with blues, rock, etc. masterpiece.) \n\nthe entire album is perfection- for lack of a better term, highlights being, 'whole lotta love," "dazed and confused," "that's the way," well- i'm not in the mood to type down the entire tracklisting.\n\nall in all- the ablum, for those of us who yearn for new material sometimes, is a "change of scenery." never growing tired of where led zeppelin took us, but just moving us down the street or out to the park for a day- some fresh air and sunshine, and just like the real world- we eventually come back home.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nEssential for a full understanding of this band., October 1, 2000\nReviewer: D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA)\nI wasn't even born yet when these performances took place, so there aren't that many other places where I could have heard this band's live material.\nTo me, Led Zeppelin's BBC Sessions really pointed to the studio skill of Jimmy Page. Live, without the benefit of overdubbing, Zeppelin's music is not quite as good. Robert Plant, obviously, couldn't afford to cut loose his highest registers for fear of losing his voice before the concert/broadcast is done, and since Zeppelin didn't use hired rhythm guitarists, when Jimmy Page rips into his solos, there's no rhythm-guitar support, which takes away from some of the crunch of the songs. Honestly speaking, I don't think there's any version on this set that surpasses the original recordings.\n\nBut that's not the point, is it? The fact is, BBC Sessions is an excellent representation of the band's history. Only after listening to that stripped-down version of "Stairway to Heaven", or the 15-minute wank of "Dazed and Confused" (which doesn't come off well as a listening experience, though live audiences in its time mostly loved it), the noisy "Communication Breakdown". It's all testament to how great a job Jimmy Page did on crafting those Zeppelin albums. Musically speaking, the Zeppelin backbeat (hailed by many as the best of all time) of John Paul Jones and John Bonham is the only part that didn't suffer, coming off powerful and funky.\n\nJust from a musical standpoint, BBC Sessions isn't the greatest piece of the Zeppelin history. Nevertheless, it's the closest I've ever come to seeing this band live, and its existence only augmented my appreciation of Zep's studio catalogue.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nLoud, Sexy and Raunchy, August 12, 2000\nReviewer: Nicholas Karp (Surrey, England United Kingdom)\nThis collection of songs recorded from BBC sessions is a quite oustanding collection showing Zeppelin as a young fire breathing blues band. The first side contains a powerhouse of tunes with numerous versions of "communication breakdown" and a couple of versions of "i can't quit you baby". This was zeppelin showing the kind of raw power and danger of their first two albums and many of the versions of the songs on this colleciton actually outdo the original studio work, the sound is tougher and louder encompassing this period of Led Zeppelin better. The songs are also extended with dramatically lengthened versions of "i can't quit you baby" and "dazed and confused", the first of many classics the group would do. Travelling Riverside blues, a robert johnson cover is brilliant and is probably one of the best songs never to get onto a zeppelin studio album thanks to Page's excellent guitar playing.\nThe second side is an actual live show done for the BBC which was done around mid '71 taking in the more electic focus of Zeppelin 3 and ZOSO with a slightly tamer but still immensley powerful attack to the songs. It is clear though that Zeppelin have matured from the first side and the performance they give is something quite special. The medley at the end is an obvious standout but it's the quieter songs such as "going to california" which shows us the leaps and bounds by which zeppelin have acheived since their earlier work. Their effort of "stairway to heaven" is also a defining moment and is a great introduction to one of the all time great songs. Black Dog is another great song, and by using the "out on the tiles" intro, nobody saw it coming. What continues to amaze from this release is their ability to play live, there is not a moment where they seem to lose the rhythm or go out of time to each other, making the "greatest live band" tag easily theirs. The other thing is on the alternate versions of the studio songs, even though they may be drastically different, they still clock in more often than not at the same time, showing their ability at transforming a song without sacrifice.\n\nBasically this album is excellent and shows clearly that as a live group they were loud and they were untouchable\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nThe material on the BBC SESSIONS is drawn from the band's performances for the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1969 and 1971. Disc 1 is presented in mono while Disc 2 is presented in stereo.\n\nLed Zeppelin: Robert Plant (vocals); Jimmy Page (guitar); John Paul Jones (keyboards, bass); John Bonham (drums).\n\nRecorded between 1969 and 1971.\n\nIncludes liner notes by Luis Rey.\n\nThere is no question that Led Zeppelin was one of the greatest studio bands ever. Every rock album made since 1969 owes a huge debt to the techniques Jimmy Page developed, especially his groundbreaking "guitar-as-orchestra" style of layering track upon track. But what is often forgotten is that for all of their studio tinkering, they could deliver a live performance as powerful and full of spontaneity as any "jam" band.\nDisc one, recorded on four separate nights in 1969, shows a raw, blues-obsessed rock and roll band. The emphasis is clearly placed on creating a highly-charged improvisatory atmosphere. Recorded in 1971, just before the release of their seminal IV album, disc two captures a band exploring the limits of what they could create live without losing sight of their roots. The performances are more cerebral and introspective, with more attention paid to arrangements, though they still find the time to stretch out and jam, particularly during "Whole Lotta Love" and "Dazed And Confused." Recorded at two critical points in the band's career, THE BBC SESSIONS offers an important look at Led Zeppelin as they define and redefine themselves, and in the process, rock and roll.\n\nIndustry Reviews\nLet Page and Plant timewarp you back to a pre-PHYSICAL GRAFFITI era when Zep were still breathing blues fire. These oft-bootlegged live shows from '69 and '71 (remastered by Page himself) are sloppy, gravy thick, and rife with inspired Page-Plant interplay... - Rating: B\nEntertainment Weekly (11/28/1997)\n\n...the band at their rawest, bluesiest best.\nMelody Maker (11/29/1997)\n\n...the mettle of the mighty Zep comes through loud and raw....BBC SESSIONS is a must own...\nMusician (04/01/1998)\n\n...captures Led Zeppelin in their early, hungry prime, a white blues-rock band with big ideas and the instrumental might and cocksure nerve to pull them off...\nRolling Stone (12/25/1997)\n\nLet Page and Plant timewarp you back to a pre-PHYSICAL GRAFFITI era when Zep were still breathing blues fire. These oft-bootlegged live shows from '69 and '71 (remastered by Page himself) are sloppy, gravy thick, and rife with inspired Page-Plant interplay...\nEntertainment Weekly (11/28/1997)
This misc cd contains 3 tracks and runs 63min 45sec.
Freedb: 230eef03
Buy: from Amazon.com

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