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2*CD plus DVD: 
- November 2007
- Rating: 10/10++
Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed And Confused, Bring It On Home, Since Ive Been Loving You, Thank You, Thats The Way, What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown,Medley: Long Tall Sally, Say Mama, Johnny B.Goode, Thats Alright Mama….
Thats the lucky 13-song setlist that changed Led Zeppelins fortunes forever:they were paid £20,000 as headliners.
It was played at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music ’70, held onthe Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet on 27/28 June 1970. Going onstage at 8.30 as the sun was setting, they played their hearts out. Finally,the British press was won over. Things would never be the same for Led Zeppelin.
On a personal angle, my first taste came on the cusp of going to art college.A school friend saw them at Kings Hall Aberystwyth on January 16, 1973, highlyrecommending them. It was time to check them out. As a big fan of T.Rex andother pop acts, I was in for a big, life changing experience. Sounds profound,but true. I effectively grew up to, and with them.
At college, a fellow student handed loaned me Led Zeppelin 4, aka FourSymbols. From the opening track, Black Dog and opening blues-holler,“Hey, hey mama, said the way move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove,”shivers ran down the spine. That was it – hooked!
On Friday May 23, 1975 I saw them at Earls Court London. Even now, as thisreview is being written, listening to the CDs, it still brings a tingle to thesystem. Now we can all experience the mind-boggling array of styles theythrust upon us.
Blues-inflected classics such as Since Ive Been Loving You, to riff-ladenWhole Lotta Love – theme to Top of The Pops. The folkie-blues-power rockerBabe Im Gonna Leave You still sounds as dazzling over 30 years on.The 6 minutes and 27 seconds of Dazed And Confused, with cello bow-bashing,and ominous sound, it remains one of the most unique rock explorations ever.
Beginning with Good Times Bad Times from their debut album, releasedJanuary 12 1969, it follows a chronoligical order, ending CD 1 with theirsignature tune Stairway To Heaven from 4.
Disc 2 picks up from album Houses Of The Holy with The Song RemainsThe Same. This showed a stylistic turning point, which introduced a widerscope of music, like reggae thumper DYer Maker. 1975s Double album PhysicalGrafitti gets three tracks here, all from side two Trampled Underfoot, Kashmir and Houses of The Holy.
Missing are the brilliant Black Country Woman and heavy blues monsterIn My Time Of Dying. Last track, All My Love, from last studioalbum proper In Through The Outdoor (August 1979) is a sublime synth-basedbeauty, dedicated to Plants son Karac who died from a stomach infection.
Downside? None of their folkier gems like Going To California, Battle OfEvermore and Tangerine.
Not exactly the very best of… but close enough, from the greatest band ofall time. Respect.
Weblink:ledzeppelin.com
The full list of tracks included are :
Disc 1:
1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Communication Breakdown
3. Dazed And Confused
4. Babe Im Gonna Leave You
5. Whole Lotta Love
6. Ramble On
7. Heartbreaker
8. Immigrant Song
9. Since Ive Been Loving You
10. Rock And Roll
11. Black Dog
12. When The Levee Breaks
13. Stairway To Heaven
Disc 2:
1. The Song Remains The Same
2. Over The Hills And Far Away
3. DYer Maker
4. No Quarter
5. Trampled Underfoot
6. Houses Of The Holy
7. Kashmir
8. Nobodys Fault But Mine
9. Achilles Last Stand
10. In The Evening
11. All My Love
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.