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| Rare Short Party; Image Quality (2 CDs) | ||
| 15 August 1970; Yale Bowl; New Haven, Connecticut | ||
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Track Listing: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed And Confused, Bring It On Home, Since I've Been Loving You (cut), What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lota Love (incomplete, includes: Boogie Woogie/ Bottle Up and Go/Truckin' Little Mama/Move On Down the Line/I'm Movin' On/Honey Bee/Lemon Song/Needle Blues...), Communication Breakdown/Good Times Bad Times.
Comments: I recollect wondering aloud a few months back why, despite the fragmentary nature of this source, there had not been a CD release of this show. Well, here it is. As the first show of the 6th U.S. Tour, this is very much a transitional show. Outside of the legendary Bath show and a handful of July shows in Germany, the band is coming off its longest layoff without touring since its inception. None of the enthusiasm has been lost in the intermission: no rust here! Elements of earlier tours as well as the new direction Zep was taking are evident in this show. 50 days after Bath and 20 days before Blueberry Hill, this is Zep at their best. The opener "Immigrant Song" is distorted and drifts in and out as the tapers discuss where to position their equipment. By Page's solo they have decided, and the recording improves accordingly. Although the band has settled on the traditional arrangement of "Immigrant Song" this track still has an *experimental* feel to it, reminiscent of the Bath festival (in fact the whole show has a great outdoor atmosphere feel to it). "Heartbreaker", the already familiar set standard, receives a warm reception from the crowd. The whole band, led by Page, is particularly frantic after the quiet section. The first few seconds of "Dazed" is cut, a recurring phenomenon of this well-known source is the edits between tracks. The bow solo transcends description (one of the tapers compares it to being in the "twilight zone"). Great interplay between Page and Bonham during the fast solo section (some low end rumble distorts this portion of the tape, but after this section the recording quickly recovers). Some fun call and response between Page and Plant here (above and beyond the usual). "Bring It On Home", worth the price of admission alone, has Plant doing some great harmonica work in the intro and in an extended improv section working the crowd into a frenzy (one of the best "BIOH" in its short set life). Page rains cascades of fast-paced notes down on the audience, even snatches of "Poor Tom" can be heard in this section. "Since I've Been Loving You" has come a long way from early '70 versions, and its evolution into a much more dramatic piece is apparent here. Slow and drawn out is the method (the antithesis of the '73 versions). Plant's vocal range is dynamic: his "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" at the start of the second verse send chills down the spine. Some new lyrics for the last verse as well, include: "You're the worst woman that I ever saw, I don't want to boogie with you no more!" Unfortunately, what was shaping up as a great finale is cut short. "WIAWSNB" is marred by cuts. The centerpiece of the concert is one of the best ever WLL medleys (despite the fact that the recording does not pick it up until near the start of the boogie section). After the Bath Festival, "How Many More Times" had been dropped, and now "Whole Lotta Love" contains the medley. Played with guts and unparalleled enthusiasm, this medley features some great rarities. Plant works the audience into a frenzy until all of the tension is released by the explicit lyrics of the "Lemon Song" and "Needle Blues", voraciously received by the crowd. The hysteric chants of "more!" are answered by a "Communication Breakdown" encore. Bottom Line: A great and historic performance. The recording is good, but certainly not exceptional. Some distortion and hiss are evident throughout, as well as occasional low end rumble. The IQ 2CD release is roughly the equuivalent of the tape I have of this show. As this is only an 85 minute tape, it is rather paltry for a 2 CD set. The edits detract from the show as well. Nonetheless, I still recommend it. Paul Holdren (9/22/97) The review for "Rare Short Party" is ©1998 Paul Holdren, and may not be reproduced in any media, electronic or otherwise, without the express permission of the author. | ||
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