ITALIAN/ENGLISH

Led Zeppelin, Mobile, Municipal Auditorium 13 May 1973 (dadgad remaster 2019)

LABEL: no label

TYPE: soundboard

SOUND QUALITY: TTTT

PERFORMANCE: TTTT

ARTWORK: no artwork

PACKAGING: no packaging

BAND MOOD: TTTT

COLLECTION ZEP FAN: TTTT

COLLECTION CASUAL FAN: TTT

Remaster nuovo di zecca di questa vecchia registrazione live da fonte soundboard a cura di dadgad, fan noto nel circolo dei collezionisti di registrazioni dal vivo e specializzato in deliziose rimasterizzazioni. Il lavoro di dadgad mi sembra davvero ottimo, confrontato col bootleg Speed Freaks della Empress Valley questo nuovo remaster spicca per chiarezza, per assenza di fruscio e per pulizia, dadgad sa di sicuro il fatto suo.

Il concerto di Mobile fu la sesta tappa della prima parte del tour americano del 1973. Finita l’incredibile tournée Europea (le date di marzo in Germania sono semplicemente spettacolari, dal punto di vista strumentale uno dei picchi più alti mai raggiunti dal gruppo), circa un mese di pausa e poi via di corsa nel Nord America. Già alla secondo data (a Tampa il 5 maggio) fu battuto il record di presenze (appartenuto precedentemente, come sappiamo, ai Beatles), i Led Zeppelin incrementarono dunque l’isteria che già li riguardava, tuttavia le primissime date servirono al gruppo più che altro per carburare e per entrare nella giusta modalità.

Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 – 1973 tour first leg

Arrivati a Mobile i quattro erano già sufficientemente pronti e di buon umore e questo fece sì che il concerto fu un successo sotto tutti i punti di vista.

Il trittico d’apertura Rock And Roll, Celebration Day e Black Dog è come sempre efficace sebbene la voce di RP non sia ancora esattamente calda.

RP: “Good evening. I did say good evening. That’s better. We gonna, every eighteen months we seem to manage to get an album out, and this is a track from Houses of the Holy, which, uh. This is a song about, uh, man, if you like to call it that. It’s called ‘Over the Hills.”

Robert fatica un po’ in Over The Hills And Far Away, pezzo impegnativo per un cantante.

Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 dadgad 2019 remaster

RP: “Malacum salaam. It’s a bit of Indian. Um, this is a song about what happens in England if you go walking in the park and you have a packet of cigarette papers in your pocket and something to put in the cigarette papers, and things don’t go quite so well as they should. That sounds like, uh, that guy sounds like a nut. This is called ‘Misty Mountain Hop.”

Misty Mountain Hop e Since I’ve Been Loving You si susseguono nel tipico arrangiamento live del 1973; segnalo un ottimo JPJ al piano in SIBLY.

RP: “That was, uh, somethin’ off the third album, which we always will play as long as we’re in existence. It’s one of those things that we get off on a lot, you know? Talkin’ about gettin’ off a lot on things, uh, this is John Paul Jones, and a track from the new album. It’s called ‘No Quarter.'”

No Quarter inizia con l’impeccabile lavoro al piano di John Paul Jones; è un peccato che la pedaliera basso non si senta a sufficienza. E’ una versione in qualche modo simile a quella di studio e all’epoca appena pubblicata sull’album Houses Of The Holy. Adorabile il duetto Jones/Bonham prima dell’entrata in scena di Page. Particolari gli arabeschi creati dalla chitarra prima dell’inizio dell’ultima strofa. Versione stringata e dritta al punto. Il riff di chitarra del “ritornello” è suonato senza l’effetto wah wah, curioso.

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Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 dadgad 2019 remaster (homemade cover by a fan)

RP: “Thank you. Good evenin’!t seems so early, really, to do a concert, ya know? ‘Cuz, uh, we only got outta bed about 2:30, so it, see, I just finished me bacon and egg and here we are. Well this might, what’s the name of this place? So we go to Mobile. So we go to Bombay. So we go to Hong Kong. So we go to Bangkok. And everywhere we go it always seems to be wild, heh, hah, hah, the same. This is a song called ‘The Song Remains the Same.'”

Altra accoppiata vincente è quella di The Song Remains The Same e The Rain Song.

RP: “John Paul Jones played the orchestra. You’re very kind.”

LZ 13 may 1973 Mobile dadgad prod 2019 – homemade cover

Dazed And Confused dura 28 minuti ed è meravigliosa. Tutto funziona a dovere, gli ordini del Signore Oscuro sono chiari, il gruppo lo segue con coerenza e coraggio lungo i sentieri dell’esoterismo musicale. Il botta e risposta tra Page and Plant durante la sezione dell’archetto di violino è perfetto. Il lungo assolo di chitarra che viene subito dopo è degno della fama che aveva Page in quel tempo. Finale magniloquente. Un trionfo.

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La Stairway To Heaven del 1973 è quella definitiva. Arrangiamenti più ricchi e maturi e gruppo ancora al vertice delle proprie possibilità. Anche qui a Mobile ne suonano una versione incantevole. Robert Plant ispirato, John Paul Jones sicuro e diligente, John Bonham caparbio e superbo e James Patrick Page dispensatore di emozioni musicali di massimo livello. I Led Zeppelin insomma.

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RP: “Thank you. Thank you very much. Well we been, uh, well we been together now for over five years and we’ve come to America a total of ten times, and the English tax people are quite pleased about this, ‘cuz they’re ripping us off terrible. We decided to live somewhere in between America and England and it’s pretty wet. Huh, huh, we gonna have to do it. But every time we come here we always manage to feature one of our favorite members of the group. A rather fat chubby happy fellow. Full of shit and speed, ha. I’m not talkin’ about the Drag Queen from New Orleans. I’m talkin’ about John Henry Bonham. ‘Moby Dick!’ Johnny Bonham.”

Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973

Quello di Moby Dick credo sia uno dei miglior riff del rock e qui il gruppo lo rende molto bene. A questo seguono ovviamente circa 15 minuti di acrobazie ritmiche. Non è da tutti ascoltare per intero un assolo di batteria, ma quando si tratta di John Bonham una volta iniziato ad ascoltarlo poi è difficile tirarsi indietro. La foga percussiva, l’immenso talento, la creatività ritmica e il senso del rock che aveva Bonham, non possono che irretire ed incantare gli amanti della musica Rock. Versione riuscitissima.

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Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 poster

Il nastro soudboard di Mobile termina qui, non contiene tutto il concerto dunque ma è comunque una gran cosa che sia arrivato sino a noi, se poi consideriamo il nuovo remaster di dadgad, beh diventa un registrazione live da avere.

Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 ticket

Led Zeppelin – 1973.05.13
Venue: Municipal Auditorium
City: Mobile
Country: USA
Title:
Label:
Quality: Excellent Stereo Soundboard

Comments: 2019 Remaster from an unverified gen analog tape>DAT>CDr transfer.

01 Rock And Roll
02 Celebration Day
03 Black Dog
04 Over The Hills And Far Away
05 Misty Mountain Hop
06 Since I’ve Been Loving You
07 No Quarter
08 The Song Remains The Same
09 The Rain Song
10 Dazed And Confused
11 Stairway To Heaven
12 Moby Dick

Unverified gen analog tape>DAT>CDr

remastered and speed corrected

dadgad prod.

(broken) ENGLISH

Brand new remaster of this old soundboard source live recording by dadgad, a fan known in the collectors’ circle of live recordings specialized in delicious remastering. The work of dadgad seems really good to me, compared with the bootleg Speed ​​Freaks of the Empress Valley, this new remaster stands out for its clarity, for no hiss and cleanliness, dadgad knows for sure how to make an old recording shine. The Mobile concert was the sixth of the first part of the  1973 American tour. The incredible European tour ended early april (the march dates in Germany are simply spectacular, from the instrumental point of view it is one of the highest peaks ever reached by the group), about a month break and then off to North America. On the second gig (in Tampa, May 5) there was the attendance record (previously belonging as we know to the Beatles), Led Zeppelin therefore increased the hysteria that already concerned them, however the very first dates served the group more than anything else to get going and to enter in the right mood.

Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 – 1973 tour first leg

Once in Mobile the four were almost ready and in good spirits and this meant that the concert was a success from all points of view. The opening triptych Rock And Roll, Celebration Day and Black Dog is as always effective although the RP voice is still not warm enough.

RP: “Good evening. I did say good evening. That’s better. We gonna, every eighteen months we seem to manage to get an album out, and this is a track from Houses of the Holy, which, uh. This is a song about, uh, man, if you like to call it that. It’s called ‘Over the Hills.”

Robert struggles a little in Over The Hills And Far Away, a challenging piece for a singer.

Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 dadgad 2019 remaster

RP: “Malacum salaam. It’s a bit of Indian. Um, this is a song about what happens in England if you go walking in the park and you have a packet of cigarette papers in your pocket and something to put in the cigarette papers, and things don’t go quite so well as they should. That sounds like, uh, that guy sounds like a nut. This is called ‘Misty Mountain Hop.”

Misty Mountain Hop and Since I’ve Been Loving You follow each other in the typical 1973 live arrangement; I report a great JPJ on the piano in SIBLY.

RP: “That was, uh, somethin’ off the third album, which we always will play as long as we’re in existence. It’s one of those things that we get off on a lot, you know? Talkin’ about gettin’ off a lot on things, uh, this is John Paul Jones, and a track from the new album. It’s called ‘No Quarter.'”

No Quarter begins with John Paul Jones’ impeccable piano work; it is a pity that the bass pedal volume is low. It is a version somewhat similar to the studio one at the time just published on the Houses of the Holy album. The Jones / Bonham duet before Page entered the scene is adorable. Unusual are the arabesques created by the guitar before the beginning of the last verse. Short version and straight to the point. The “refrain” guitar riff is played without the wah wah effect.

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Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 dadgad 2019 remaster (homemade cover by a fan)

RP: “Thank you. Good evenin’!t seems so early, really, to do a concert, ya know? ‘Cuz, uh, we only got outta bed about 2:30, so it, see, I just finished me bacon and egg and here we are. Well this might, what’s the name of this place? So we go to Mobile. So we go to Bombay. So we go to Hong Kong. So we go to Bangkok. And everywhere we go it always seems to be wild, heh, hah, hah, the same. This is a song called ‘The Song Remains the Same.'”

Another winning combination is that of The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song.

RP: “John Paul Jones played the orchestra. You’re very kind.”

LZ 13 may 1973 Mobile dadgad prod 2019 – homemade cover

Dazed And Confused lasts 28 minutes and it is wonderful. Everything works properly, the Dark Lord’s orders are clear, the group follows him with consistency and courage along the paths of musical esotericism. The call and response between Page and Plant during the violin bow section is perfect. The long guitar solo that comes soon after is worthy of the fame he had at that time. Magniloquent ending. A triumph.

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The 1973 Stairway To Heaven is the definitive one. Richer and more mature arrangements and group still at the top of its game. Also here in Mobile they play an enchanting version. Robert Plant inspired, John Paul Jones confident and diligent, John Bonham stubborn and superb and James Patrick Page dispenser of top-level musical emotions. In short: Led Zeppelin.

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RP: “Thank you. Thank you very much. Well we been, uh, well we been together now for over five years and we’ve come to America a total of ten times, and the English tax people are quite pleased about this, ‘cuz they’re ripping us off terrible. We decided to live somewhere in between America and England and it’s pretty wet. Huh, huh, we gonna have to do it. But every time we come here we always manage to feature one of our favorite members of the group. A rather fat chubby happy fellow. Full of shit and speed, ha. I’m not talkin’ about the Drag Queen from New Orleans. I’m talkin’ about John Henry Bonham. ‘Moby Dick!’ Johnny Bonham.”

Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973

I think that Moby Dick riff is one of the best of rock music and the group play it very well here. This is obviously followed by about 15 minutes of rhythmic acrobatics. It is not for everyone to listen to a drums solo in its entirety, but when it comes to John Bonham once you start listening to it then it’s hard to stand back. The percussive enthusiasm, the immense talent, the rhythmic creativity and the sense of rock that Bonham had can only enthrall and enchant Rock music lovers. Very successful version.

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Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 poster

The mobile soudboard tape ends here, it does not contain the whole concert but it is still a great thing that this beautiful tape from the beginning of the 1973 tour is available to us, if we consider the new dadgad remaster, well it becomes a live recording to have.

Led Zep Mobile 13 may 1973 ticket

Led Zeppelin – 1973.05.13
Venue: Municipal Auditorium
City: Mobile
Country: USA
Title:
Label:
Quality: Excellent Stereo Soundboard

Comments: 2019 Remaster from an unverified gen analog tape>DAT>CDr transfer.

01 Rock And Roll
02 Celebration Day
03 Black Dog
04 Over The Hills And Far Away
05 Misty Mountain Hop
06 Since I’ve Been Loving You
07 No Quarter
08 The Song Remains The Same
09 The Rain Song
10 Dazed And Confused
11 Stairway To Heaven
12 Moby Dick

Unverified gen analog tape>DAT>CDr

remastered and speed corrected

dadgad prod.