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Rating: After 30 years of waiting, the expanded version of what was once the only existing live album of the Led Zeppelin, "The Song Remains The Same," finally comes out in November 2007. Recorded over 3 nights in July 1973 at Madison Square Garden in New York, this live album represented a piece of Zeppelin history, and more generally, of the entire rock genre. But history in 2007 has been inexorably changed... and not for the better!! In fact, with the release of this new edition, the "old" album originally released in 1976 will be discontinued. The problem is that this new edition absolutely does not have the credentials to replace the previous one.
The music is not up for debate, for heaven's sake; the performances are brilliant and energetic, the Zeppelin captured here are in splendid form. However, it is worth emphasizing that there are evident and gross errors in the mix and the editing of the tracks, which leave a non-casual listener disappointed at the end, with the realization that the original album, with all its known limitations and shortcomings, remains decidedly preferable to this new release.
But let's analyze in detail the problems encountered, track by track. It starts with "Rock And Roll", which, although edited from several nights compared to the known version, is excellent and doesn't make you miss the original too much. "Celebration Day" has its beautiful original solo replaced with one very similar but less inspired. "Black Dog" is one of the additional tracks on the album, but it's scandalously cut, missing the entire second sung part. "Over The Hills And Far Away", "Misty Mountain Hop", and "Since I've Been Lovin You" are three other tracks not present in the original, and they are definitely welcome here. The only comment on "Since..." is that in some passages, it's noticeable that the track comes from different nights, a symptom of sloppy work at the editing bench. Nothing serious, anyway, the worst is yet to come...
...and here we are at "No Quarter": it's one thing that some small parts have been replaced, and even some effects added to the voice can be overlooked, but cutting the entire first part of the solo, in the same way, it was cut in the movie, is truly unforgivable!! What anger!! Moving forward... "The Song Remains The Same" and "Rain Song" use the same versions and are essentially the same; more attentive listeners will notice very small differences, but I'm not going to describe them here. The first CD closes with an excellent version of "The Ocean"; in concert, it was performed as an encore, here it’s advanced, and it's unclear why since there would have been room to include it in the second CD without exceeding the 80 minutes of the CD, oh well...
Let's move on to the second CD, which starts with "Dazed And Confused", enriched with passages that were removed in the original album but penalized by the replacement of part of Jimmy Page's first solo, carried out with a dog's breakfast of an edit, clearly audible when the CD reaches 5 minutes and 23 seconds. Not even "Stairway To Heaven" was spared from the shears: after the solo, in the final vocal part, Robert Plant sang "Come On Baby Roll," mysteriously disappeared here. "Moby Dick" has been entirely replaced with a new version, which seems inferior to me, and is also further penalized by somewhat intrusive effects. A great version of "Heartbreaker" leads us toward the finale. Here too, however, I seem to hear bad editing during Jimmy Page's final solo. The album closes in perfect scissors-style with "Whole Lotta Love", which is stripped of the entire funky section right after the second chorus, with a horrible and insane cut clearly audible at 1 minute and 33 seconds... madness!!
Concluding, I urge all Led Zeppelin enthusiasts to find the original CD before it goes out of production, and to regard this release as a still valid album of "alternate takes with bonus tracks". The rating: 5 stars for the music, one star for the product. Average 3... Cold and insensitive like the fool who mixed the record.Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Rock and Roll (04:03)
It's been a long time since I rock and rolled
It's been a long time since I did the stroll
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back, let me get it back
Baby, where I come from
It's been a long time, been a long time
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time, yes it has
It's been a long time since the book of love
I can't count the tears of a life with no love
Carry me back, carry me back, carry me back
Baby, where I come from, whoa whoa whoa-oh-oh
It's been a long time, been a long time
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time
Oh, seems so long since we walked in the moonlight
Makin' vows that just can't work right
Ah yeah, open your arms, opens your arms, open your arms
Baby, let my love come running in, let it
It's been a long time, been a long time
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time
It's been a long time, been a long time
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time
02 Celebration Day (03:49)
Her face is cracked from smiling, all the fears that she's been hiding
And it seems pretty soon everybody's gonna know
And her voice is sore from shouting, cheering winners who are losing
And she worries if their days are few and soon they'll have to go
My my my, I'm so happy
I'm gonna join the band
We gonna dance and sing in celebration
We're in the promised land
She hears them talk of new ways to protect the home she lives in
Then she wonders what it's all about when they break down the door
Her name is Brown or White or Black, you know her very well
You hear her cries of mercy as the winners toll the bell
My my my, I'm so happy
I'm gonna join the band
We gonna dance and sing in celebration
We're in the promised land
There is a train that leaves the station, heading for your destination
But the price you pay to nowhere has increased a dollar more
Yes, it has!
And if you walk you're gonna get there, although it takes a little longer
When you see it in the distance you will wring your hands and moan
05 Dazed and Confused (26:52)
Been dazed and confused for so long it's not true
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you
Lots of people talk and few of them know
Soul of a woman was created below, yeah
You hurt and abuse tellin' all of your lies
Run 'round sweet baby, Lord how they hypnotize
Sweet little baby, I don't know where you've been
Gonna love you baby, here I come again
Every day I work so hard, bringin' home my hard earned pay
Try to love you baby, but you push me away
Don't know where you're goin', only know just where you've been
Sweet little baby, I want you again
Ah ahh...
Oh yeah, alright
I don't want your lovin' this time yeah
Oh don't leave me so confused, ah
Ohh baby
Been dazed and confused for so long it's not true
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you
Take it easy baby, let them say what they will
Tongue wag so much when I send you the bill?
Oh yeah, alright
Oh oh...
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Other reviews
By Miki Page
"The Song Remains The Same is certainly an interesting live album, but it does not reflect the true magic of Led Zeppelin concerts."
Page said at the time, 'The Song Remains The Same was the result of one of the few compromises accepted by Led Zeppelin, and both the album and the film only prove him right.'
By Rax
"Plant was a truly intelligent person... He didn’t abuse [the spotlight]. There’s almost a shyness in his performance when there’s no song to hide him."
"It’s hard to believe that at a concert of the quintessential rock band, the girls were sitting and listening, and not screaming."
