September 28, 1976 - The Song Remains The Same

Just three days since my last release and a short 6 months since "Presence", Led Zeppelin released a concert film and corresponding live soundtrack titled "The Song Remains The Same" on September 28, 1976. This live album was made from three days of concerts at Madison Square Garden during their 1973 tour for "Houses Of The Holy". I do not have a lot of live albums in my library, but this one contains greatly extended versions of several of their songs that make them distinct from their studio counterparts. When this was released in 1976 the time constraints of vinyl records didn't allow for all the performances they wanted to put on the album but when it was re-released in 2007 they included six more songs from these shows that had their been no time constraints would have made the original record. I have this even longer version of this double LP and I'm sure some live music by arguably the best rock group around will sound amazing. Let's dive in!

The album kicks off with "Rock And Roll", the same opener as "Led Zeppelin IV". They play it at a slightly slower pace than the studio version, but it still sounds pretty great. Robert Plant's voice sounds a little quieter but I'm sure that's just the live feel as he still sounds like his awesome self. Jimmy Page plays a sweet little guitar solo then it's back for a final verse. A very fitting opening song as John Bonham plays a great drum fill that leads right into the next song, "Celebration Day". Page plays the epic guitar riff at a quick pace and the rest of the band joins in to form the sweet main riff. John Paul Jones plays some great bass throughout to carry the beat and I love Plant's ramblings as whatever he says sounds great. Another song that wasn't very different from the studio version, but still expertly done. Track 3 is "Black Dog" which opens with the intro to "Bring It On Home" but they connect it to "Black Dog" very easily in a cool segue. Page's guitar leads the way with the epic riff as Plant sings the verse. Inbetween verses he doesn't hit some of the high "oh"'s that he does on the studio version, which is a little disappointing. The back and forth with the audience sounds pretty cool though and Plant does go high to kick off the solo and he sounds awesome. Page plays an excellent guitar solo as usual that's a little longer and I'm certainly not complaining. They play a classic rock and roll flourish to end this cool song as Plant delivers a simple "Good evening". Up next is "Over The Hills And Far Away" as Page's guitar playing sounds fantastic! He leads the way with some really good stuff and Plant's live vocals sound really good. All four guys are at the top of their game it sounds like as Jones and Bonham play a wonderful rhythm section to back Page's extended guitar solo. It's not really a solo though as all three guys are playing great stuff together. This solo is way more intense than the studio version, and I love it! It finally ends as they play a final verse and it ends as it began with Page's epic, slow guitar. What a show this would have been! They're back to "IV" again with "Misty Mountain Hop" and Jones leads the way with the catchy keyboard riff as the audience claps along to the hoppin' beat. Plant's voice sounds great once again and Bonham plays lots of great drums as well. Aside from Plant's different emphasis on words, this one is pretty true to the studio version, but once again done perfectly. Track 6 is "Since I've Been Loving You" which Page kicks off with some great guitar. This slow blues-y jam was played live a lot at Zeppelin shows as the whole 8 and a half minutes is basically a guitar showcase for Page. It sounds pretty awesome as Plant sings wonderfully along about how it's such a drag to work all day. He adds lots of his typical antics to this song and I think it sounds great as Page continues to play every perfect note. His guitar solo is spectacular as you'd expect and at the end "all my tears fell like rain" as they bring it back to the main riff. Bonham's drumming is great as always and they continue to jam out this song very awesomely. They slow it down very slow for the finish and Page gets a deserved nod from Plant at the end. Plant introduces the next song, "No Quarter" as Jones takes it away with the amazing keyboard riff. Page's slow guitar sounds fantastic as well, but Jones continues to play amazing stuff in the background before taking the spotlight again for the verse. Plant just sounds so amazing as he sings and this whole song is just incredible. It's also almost 3 minutes longer than the studio version as Jones plays some extra keyboards that sound really epic. His solo quiets the whole place down and around the halfway mark Bonham and Page finally rejoin and we hear some pretty cool bonus guitar. Jimmy takes off for some really great guitar as he can just come up with the perfect solo that never was. It slows down once again and gets very quiet as Jones and Plant finally bring it back to the verse. There's a cool siren-like sound and the chorus sounds just as epic as ever. Page takes off for another bonus guitar solo and it's crazy to think that these guys made such a good song even better! This is definitely my favourite thus far and we're not even done the first disc yet! Track 8 is "The Song Remains The Same" and Page carries this one with his speedy guitar playing throughout. Jones' bass is pretty awesome as well and they slow it down very nicely for the verse. Plant likes to yell "push, push it" in this one and Page's guitar solo, and playing in general on this song, is very true to the studio version, which is impressive for sure. Plant's final yell continues into the beginning of "The Rain Song", with Page playing some great sounding slow guitar. He plays it note for note, as you would expect, and Plant's singing sounds masterful. Jones plays some cool orchestra-like keyboards that add to the epic vibe as they recreate this slow song expertly live. It's not a headbanger like most of these songs, but it sounds pretty great nonetheless. Bonham steps it up on drums and they do rock out for a short bit that sounds great and Plant can really hit some high notes! They end it on a great note as Led Zeppelin continue to show that they excel at several different styles. The first disc wraps up with "The Ocean" and just like the studio version, Bonham counts in the rest of the band as they start up this tribute to their fans. The guitar sounds pretty heavy and pretty awesome as Plant sounds great as usual. The guitar solo sounds pretty spot on as they move into the na na na part but the audience doesn't participate as much as I thought they would. I'm happy to listen to the band play another one that's pretty true to the studio version. A little too much cheering at the end that could've been edited out, but a pretty damn solid first disc.

The second disc begins with a near 30-minute version of "Dazed And Confused", which is normally only 6 and a half minutes! They slow down the tempo to about half as slow as normal and it sounds pretty epic! Jones' bass sounds so great as Page and Bonham both play some cool stuff. Plant sings the verse very well and he adds lots of his usual ramblings to this extended version, especially loving to scream "twenty-five" in the chorus. A little after 4 minutes in, Page starts to play some speedy guitar that is not from the studio version as the new stuff begins to unfold. Bonham plays a really great fast drum beat and they're off on a new great sounding riff. After a little bit of sweet jamming they slow it down for a new riff. Bonham and Jones are both playing some solid stuff to carry the beat while Page wanders beautifully up and down his guitar. Plant adds some nice vocals to this part as well before Page goes off for a nice little guitar solo. He never stops playing something cool throughout this whole song as they slow it down again. Bonham gets a chance to play a few different cool drum fills before it gets very quiet with just Jimmy's droning, trippy guitar. He uses the bow on his guitar and makes it scream some truly great noises. Words don't do justice as you really need to listen to how he bends the strings to his will and makes some epic music. This trippy guitar solo goes on for several minutes and it sounds like nothing else I've ever heard before. Plant starts to echo Page's guitar with his voice in another trippy part and the two of them sound pretty insane together! Around the 16-minute mark we hear some familiar notes once again as they tie this amazing trippy part right into the guitar solo from the original. Just as in that original, Jones and Bonham are both playing some fantastic stuff in what is technically a guitar solo. Page goes absolutely insane and I love every second of his craziness as this all sounds pretty freaking awesome. He extends the solo well beyond the studio one and it sounds fantastic! They move from this wonderfully into some more new music as we hear another pretty great riff. Saying that Jones and Bonham play some cool stuff to back Page's awesome lead guitar would technically be accurate, but it's nowhere near enough. It's the best rhythm section you could ever ask for backing one of the best guitarists of all time. They play a cool stop-and-start section that sounds pretty good as Page plays a little riff, followed by an awesome little bit by Jones and Bonham. After going back and forth a couple times they merge to form yet another fantastic "guitar solo" with all three guys really giving it their all. They stop briefly for another cool Plant echoing Jimmy part, then it's right back to the awesomeness. Jimmy just keeps on coming up with amazing stuff to play but finally around 24:30 they finally bring it back to the original as Bonham's excellent slow drumming starts up the verse. Right when they would usually cue up the final riff, Page breaks off and we're treated to one last bonus guitar solo. Jimmy continues to blow our collective minds with his mesmerizing play as this part also sounds really great. This masterpiece finally comes to a close as Bonham delivers a fantastic short drum solo to finish it off. Plant acknowledges Page once again, and after that amazing performance I am bowing down to the greatness that is Jimmy Page. Plant introduces the next song "Stairway To Heaven" as a "song of hope" as Jimmy plays the very famous guitar riff. Jones plays the beautiful flute-like keyboards and Plant's voice sounds just as epic as in the original. It's played at a slightly slower pace than normal but it sounds just as great as Plant adds a few nice oh-whoa's. Bonham finally joins in about halfway through and he plays some nice stuff to spice up the slow verse as they move into the epic build-up. Page delivers an extended guitar solo and just like the original, it's easily the highlight of this epic song. He plays a fantastic solo that fits perfectly in the mood and is even flashier than the original! Plant comes back in for the final verse and his yells still sound great this late in the show. They play a bit more extra stuff at the end as Plant beautifully brings the song to a close. Once again they've taken a great song and made it even better! This is also the case with the next song, "Moby Dick", which is originally just over 4 minutes long but is just over 11 minutes here! An extra 7 minutes of arguably the best drummer ever? Yes please! Plant introduces the song as they kick into the main catchy riff that preludes the drum solo. They keep true to the original with Page playing the same nice guitar riffs and right on cue Bonham begins his much-extended drum solo. Words cannot describe it. You have to listen to this epic journey that he takes you on as he plays some blistering fast stuff in spurts. Just like the studio version John goes off for a bit just on his toms with no cymbals and it sounds really good! He mixes in everything again and it all sounds like perfect insanity. He is really talented and this is his time to shine and he leaves it all on the drum kit playing one of the best drum solos i've heard. He plays in the rest of the band to finish the final riff, and then takes off again for one final wonderful drum solo! Everyone comes together for a flourish ending and what a terrific song that was! Plant calls out "John Bonham!" several times as he deserves all the credit. Bonham's great drumming continues into the beginning of "Heartbreaker" as Page takes lead with the catchy guitar riff. Plant continues to sound wonderful as they stay true to the studio for the verses. Plant adds a few extra bars before we hear another extended guitar solo by Page. The original solo is fantastic enough, and he builds on it even further, playing some more electrifying stuff! He plays a true guitar solo that goes on for several minutes and is mostly bonus material and boy does it sound awesome! The audience starts to clap along to a fantastic quick riff Jimmy is playing as everyone sounds like they're having a good time. Jones and Bonham rejoin as Page continues to play fantastic guitar. They do another superb revamping, turning a great song into an even greater one and the drums at the end segue right into the final song of this wonderful live album, "Whole Lotta Love", which contains almost 9 minutes of bonus music compared to the studio version! Page leads the way with the signature guitar riff and Plant sounds like he's really enjoying himself on this one. They don't try and recreate the trippy middle section from the original; instead they just go off on a completely new riff with Jones playing some wicked bass that carries the beat. Page keeps it trippy still with some whining and wailing guitar that sounds pretty cool and Plant sings along with his signature wordless vocals as everything sounds pretty amazing! After a cool couple of minutes Page plays the short solo from the original that ties right back into the verse. Before the "way down inside" part begins, Plant takes it a different way with some new lyrics as Page backs him with some cool guitar. They reach the "boogie" part and I love Plant's "oh lord have mercy!" This new part sounds pretty sweet as they play a solid boogie rock riff and even mention Elvis! Page lets loose once again playing some great speedy guitar to lead the way. They boogie for several minutes with Bonham really picking it up near the end before we finally reach the "way down inside" part. They bring it beautifully back for the final verse as Plant rambles and moans on. They finish it all off with a classic rock and roll flourish and Plant delivers a final "New York, Goodnight" as the audience screams until the fadeout. A fittingly awesome end to such a great album.

That is the end of "The Song Remains The Same" and I think that easily goes down as one of the best live albums ever. Not only do they perform several songs true to the studio version expertly, they also create so much more new music that all fits just so snugly into the original songs. All four members play some fantastic stuff throughout the whole album and I think the entire second disc was absolute mastery of music. "Dazed And Confused" is just so amazing and Jimmy Page in particular really shows why he's one of the best at his instrument. Truly excellent stuff, how amazing it would have been to be there!