The Fat Angel Sings

To be so well-regarded as a touring band, Led Zeppelin certainly shied away from releasing live albums.

They released just one official concert recording during their ’70s-era heyday, 1976’s bombastic, oft-criticized “The Song Remains the Same“. The LP was an international smash, selling more than four million copies in the U.S. alone. But it was hardly the definitive release. Zeppelin wouldn’t release another live album for more than 20 years. Even then, 1997’s “BBC Sessions” was as notable for what it didn’t include (like, say, the previously unreleased “Sunshine Woman”?) as what it did.

An expanded version called “The Complete BBC Sessions” followed almost two decades later, very belatedly rectifying the problem. With two more Led Zeppelin albums one from the peak of their powers (2003’s “How the West Was Won”, featuring material from a pair of 1972 concerts the band performed in California) and another in the autumn of their years (2012’s “Celebration Day“, from the December 2007 concert at London’s O2 Arena).

The multi-platinum Led Zeppelin, career-retrospective release from 2003, completed their official live discography. Those four albums are joined by one partial reunion, 1994’s “No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded“, and Jimmy Page’s Led Zeppelin-focused Black Crowes collaboration on 2000’s “Live at the Greek”.

It’s not much, especially considering that classic-rock contemporaries like the Rolling Stones and the Who have issued more than a dozen live projects apiece. Thankfully, more than one of those later-period live Zeppelin projects can be considered the essential.

‘The Song Remains the Same’ (Led Zeppelin, 1976)

Perhaps The classic Led Zeppelin live release, the album was recorded and filmed during their three day residency at the Madison Square Garden, New York, July 27th–29th, 1973, and released three years later. It’s been discussed intensely by fans ever since due to a series of different, and sometimes controversial reasons. This live album was produced from performances held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, part of Led Zeppelin’s 1973 tour across North America. Eddie Kramer was responsible for recording the tracks on-site using the Wally Heider Mobile Studio truck. The final mixing of the songs took place at Electric Lady Studios in New York and Trident Studios in London. The artwork for the album features an image of a rundown cinema located within the Old Street film studios in London, a site where Led Zeppelin prepared for their 1973 tour.

The performances are great, and although we can hear Plant’s voice changing due to overuse, many live versions of their songs included here are regarded by most fans as definitive. “No Quarter,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Stairway to Heaven,” “Moby Dick,” “The Song Remains the Same,” and “The Rain Song” are all legendary and sometimes extended by improvisations.

The album didn’t follow the track-list of the movie, so some songs were only in the movie, and others were only on the album. In 2007 things changed dramatically: A remastered version of “The Song Remains the Same” was released, and the track list of the double CD was extended to include songs that were not on the original album and movie, like “Over the Hills and Far Away,” “The Ocean,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” and the complete “Heartbreaker.”

Led Zeppelin opens with the tough one-two punch of “Rock and Roll” and “Celebration Day” but then eventually dissolves into a well-named 27-minute version of “Dazed and Confused.” It was a time of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. But, as “The Song Remains the Same” definitively confirms, sometimes the former had a huge impact on the latter. At least listeners didn’t have to contend with goofy segues from the film version where Robert Plant rescues a fair maiden from a tower.

The reissue was expanded and remastered under the supervision of Jimmy Page, providing a more complete and enhanced listening experience that better represents the band’s live performance.

Regardless, this is Led Zeppelin at their peak, playing a setlist filled with classics.

‘No Quarter’ (Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, 1994)

Some long-time fans were likely disappointed that this live reunion didn’t include Led Zeppelin’s other then surviving member, John Paul Jones. But Plant and Page weren’t looking to reanimate past glories. Instead, “No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded” was a genre-bending, chance-taking project where they eschewed straight-ahead renditions of songs like “Stairway to Heaven” in order to dig deeper into the Middle Eastern and classical influences that permeated “Kashmir” – and then followed that fascinating thread into brand new places.

‘BBC Sessions (Led Zeppelin, 1997)

The BBC is a great source of interesting live recordings by many classic bands from the 60’s and 70s, and Led Zeppelin are no exception to this. The 1997 version of this album came out as a double CD, with the first disc being a collection of tracks recorded throughout 1969. It took two tries to get this album release right, as the original two-disc “BBC Sessions” included songs from four 1969 radio appearances and an April 1971 concert from London’s Paris Theatre but also some unfortunate edits and omissions. “The Complete BBC Sessions“, issued in 2016, resolved both issues.

The downside to Disc 1 are a lot of repeat tracks. However, the upside are several tracks not available elsewhere, like “The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair,” and very nice covers of “Travelling Riverside Blues” by Robert Johnson and “Somethin’ Else” by Eddie Cochran. You can hear Zeppelin’s development as a live band, from the early recording in March 1969 through the later recording in August (with great versions of “You Shook Me” and “How Many More Times”).

Disc 2 is probably more interesting, with an almost-complete recording of a show from April 1971, which sees the band relaxed relative to other recordings of that era), and most interestingly, they play songs that at the time were unreleased, such as “Black Dog” and “Stairway to Heaven!” There’s also a very powerful version of “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” a rare and longer version of “Thank You,” and also a fun medley of covers during “Whole Lotta Love” (sadly incomplete).

In 2016, as part of the reissue campaign, this album was remastered and expanded, including a third disc with more songs from 1969, and a couple from the 1971 show that were cut (“What Is and What Should Never Be” and “Communication Breakdown”). Also found was another entire disc of new material, including the previously unreleased “Sunshine Woman.” The only mild complaint that remains: This is Led Zeppelin in their ascent but not at their peak. The BBC Sessions are a great way to hear early Led Zeppelin live.

The collection showcases the band’s raw energy and versatility in a live setting, offering unique versions of their classic songs as well as some tracks that were never released on their studio albums. The album was produced by Jimmy Page and offers a glimpse into the band’s formative years, capturing their live performance prowess.

‘Live at the Greek’ (Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes, 2000)

Contractual issues meant the Black Crowes couldn’t include any of their own songs from these double-billed shows on the subsequently released LP. That might have been seen as great news for Led Zeppelin fans, since it presumably meant “Live at the Greek” would be focused on Jimmy Page’s deep well of material. It was. So why didn’t this more consistently work? Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson later admitted, “I’m not a big fan of Robert Plant’s lyrics or his singing.” Unfortunately, at various times on “Live at the Greek”, it really shows.

‘How the West Was Won’ (Led Zeppelin, 2003)

As they settled in for a pair of June 1972 concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena, Led Zeppelin was no longer searching for the just-right blend of their own influences and creativity. “How the West Was Won” brings us two and a half hours of music on three CDs. Some songs are cut (apparently they also played an acoustic version of “Tangerine,” and encored with “Communication Breakdown” and “Thank You”), but what is on par with “The Song Remains the Same“, and at times even better.

The opening with “Immigrant Song” and “Heartbreaker” is incendiary, the early version of “Over the Hills and Far Away” is a rare occasion to hear Plant singing the original high melody, the acoustic set is loose and fun, the jamming in “Dazed and Confused” and “Whole Lotta Love” is some of their best, and the last ever performance of “Bring It On Home,” extended out to nine minutes, is a perfect ending to this wonderful album.

In 2018, a remastered version was released, which sounds slightly better, but probably for copyright reasons, omitted “Hello Mary Lou” from the “Whole Lotta Love” medley, which was included in the 2003 version. The career-defining “IV” had just been released, with the deeply underrated “Houses of the Holy” just over the horizon. This, finally, was Led Zeppelin at the height of their considerable on-stage powers. Better late than never.

The performances on “How the West Was Won” are often cited among the best in the band’s career, making this album a crucial part of Led Zeppelin’s discography and a must-have for fans .

‘Led Zeppelin’ (Led Zeppelin, 2003)

The multi-platinum “Led Zeppelin” lacks a tight one-tour focus but makes up for that with its dramatic sweep. Every micro-era from their decade of dominance in the ’70s is touched upon, as live material from 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1979 offers new intrigue for both long-time fans and newcomers alike. Of particular note is a complete concert from January 1970 at Royal Albert Hall and the August 1979 set at Knebworth that marked Led Zeppelin’s last-ever U.K. performance.

This DVD is probably the best introduction to live Led Zeppelin, as it includes a selection of performances from 1969 through 1979. Most of the first disc is dedicated to the Royal Albert Hall concert from 1970, and even though it’s incomplete, it’s still more than an hour and a half of excellent video showing the band without fancy lights, just playing their early songs in a very solid way. From the opening “We’re Gonna Groove,” to the very long “How Many More Times,” and the spectacular “Moby Dick,” there is much to enjoy here.

On the second DVD we get four tracks from Madison Square Garden in 1973, two of which didn’t make the cut for “The Song Remains the Same” movie (“The Ocean” and “Misty Mountain Hop” We finally get a complete version “Black Dog” and a slightly different “Since I’ve Been Loving You” which was probably included because it was played right after “Misty Mountain Hop”.

After this, things get even more interesting, with 50 minutes from Earls Court in 1975 (the acoustic set, followed by incredible versions of “In My Time of Dying” and “Trampled Underfoot,” along with “Stairway to Heaven”), and another 50 minutes from Knebworth 1979, especially worthy at least for “Achilles Last Stand” and “Kashmir.” When the “Mothership” compilation was released around 2007 to coincide with their big reunion, there was a version with an added DVD. That’s basically a shorter version of the 2003 release, with fewer songs so it could fit on one disc and without bonus tracks. 

There are various TV appearances included. A favourite is from March 1969 and was recorded for Danish TV. The band rips through four songs, including a rare “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” is one of the best early Zeppelin videos I’ve ever seen.

‘Celebration Day’ (Led Zeppelin, 2012)

The legendary 2007 reunion concert at the O2 Arena in London, with Jason Bonham (John’s son) on drums. It took five years to be officially released on both CD and DVD. There were multiple editions, one of which included a full rehearsal, but the main thing, of course, was the concert itself. It was a real celebration, after a series of not so good reunions from the past (Live Aid 1985, Atlantic concert in 1988, etc.).

After they’d been gone so long, “Celebration Day” was perhaps understandably over celebrated in the moment. As with its participants, there are times when these renditions creak with age, times when the seams show where none did before. Still, if this ends up as the group’s last testament, then the wait was well worth it. This isn’t Led Zeppelin at their peak, but that hardly seemed possible at such a late date. Instead, “Celebration Day” fully redeemed those misfire band reunions in the ’80s.

The show has wonderful sound and professional camera work, and the band’s performance, while subdued compared to their younger selves (understandably so), is still incredibly solid. Highlights include one of the best versions ever of “Kashmir,” rarely played songs like “Good Times Bad Times,” “Ramble On,” and “For Your Life,” and a whole bunch of classics with very little jamming. This is probably the only occasion in which Page plays an almost note-for-note version of the “Stairway to Heaven” solo.

Robert Plant’s more mature voice (which sounds amazing), but the magic is still there, and Jason does an excellent job on drums. This is a legendary reunion, and there is not much to add to that.

‘Live at L’Olympia, Paris: October 10th, 1969’ (2014)

In 2014 Jimmy Page started a long series of re-releases of the whole Led Zeppelin discography, with every album was remastered and also available in an extended version, with bonus material added. While with most albums we got a second CD of rough mixes and demos of songs from the main album, with “Led Zeppelin I” actually came an almost full recording of a concert.

Recorded by the BBC in October 1969 in Paris, a few days before the release of their second album, and broadcast on radio, this concert was already available as a bootleg for a long time. The sound is slightly better than the old bootleg, but sadly, the recording is cut to fit on a single CD.

Most of the spoken parts in between songs are not present, Bonham’s “Moby Dick” is completely absent, and almost half of “How Many More Times” is cut. Still, it’s an hour and ten minutes of early Led Zeppelin playing material from their first album, a very early version of “Heartbreaker” and probably the most unique part, an instrumental snippet of “Good Times Bad Times” leading into “Communication Breakdown” at the beginning of the concert. It’s a high energy show with a bit of a messy sound due to the original recording quality, but still an enjoyable listening experience. Of course, the bootleg is still out there if you want to listen to the missing bits.