1971 can be called the apex of the era when ZEP was rushing forward with young momentum led by Robert Plant. Among them, their first performance in Japan in September can be called a masterpiece without any special value, even considering that it was a live performance in Japan. The foreshadowing was the US tour in August. In other words, ZEP in 1971 has been performing truly wonderfully throughout the year, and the numbers from the album "VI", which later became a standard after being released, faithfully follow the album's arrangement both in terms of performance and singing. It was at a time when I was performing. To put it simply, this was the last year when Plant's Scream was in full swing. I think this is common knowledge for enthusiasts. In addition, the aggressiveness with which they played the number ``VI'', which had already been recorded even before it arrived in the United States in August, was another big attraction. Although it has been sold out for a long time now, the best example of this was the Copenhagen performance that was heard in our store release "Stick Out!". Furthermore, it is well known to enthusiasts that Plant was in great condition at the live performance at Montreux Casino, which was held as a warm-up before the start of the American tour. Let's get back to the American tour. One year after their hugely successful American performance from August to September of the previous year, which produced the groundbreaking byproduct of Blueberry Hill, ZEP, whose popularity has grown even more, will once again visit the country. As a result, ZEP was caught between sporadic performances in Europe and their first visit to Japan, but since it was their long-awaited return visit to America, ZEP was greeted with great enthusiasm. What's more, after opening in Vancouver, the first performance location in mainland America (there is a theory that it was held in Washington) was the LA Forum. ZEP's glorious live venue, which started with the legendary Blueberry Hill the previous year, will be performing for two consecutive days for the first time to reflect its popularity. This title will be released by coupling the two days. It is one of the standard sound sources in America in 1971, which has been released many times in the past with audience recordings on both days. These sound sources were recorded with the same taper, but because they were based on copies with lost generations, they have always had problems with equalization processing aimed at hiding hiss noise, and even pitch deviations. In particular, the level of hiss noise was strong, which caused equalization to be added in past releases. However, this time, both are based on the low copy of the second generation, and although there is the same hiss noise, you will get the impression that it has become much easier to listen to. Moreover, since it is not equalized, its natural feel may be a big attraction. Rather, what we did for this release was the adjustment of the volume level, and above all, the adjustment of the pitch. First of all, regarding the first day, it is presumed that the recording position of the venue on that day and the sound output balance had something to do with it, but the sound image was flat, and the most noticeable thing was Bonzo's drums, which was an unexpected balance. It was an unusual recording situation in which the bass drum sounded clearly. It will be valuable to hear his kicks, which are the cornerstone of ZEP, which took the 1970s to the next level and took the 60s rock sound created by the Beatles and Stones to the next level. However, the sound of Page's guitar throughout is a deep sound image, and in that respect it is undeniable that it is aimed at enthusiasts. Even more so, in "Dazed And Confused", the balance is a disaster, and the negative point may be that it seems like 20 minutes of Bonzo's sound and the plant growling rather than music. Regarding "Celebration Day", which was not recorded because it coincided with the timing of the tape change, in past items the sound quality was considerably degraded and was compensated for by another source, but this time it is a single source natural song. Since the concept is to record the state, it is intentionally left unrecorded. However, since the sound image of the performance is flat, it is fortunate that the appearance of Plant, who returns to his favorite LA forum and is enthusiastic, is clearly captured. Even at this point, Plant doesn't remember the lyrics to "Black Dog," and sings it with a tremendous amount of excitement, including some random parody songs (the "sweet jerry roll" line doesn't even appear). This spectacular flying performance is the climax of 1971. On the contrary, after the ``Whole Lotta Love'' medley, Plant has reached an unprecedented height, and even when the audience gets too excited and firecrackers are set off, Plant's overwhelming state of rushing forward is captured. is. In addition to the cover version of "Weekend," the ending of "Rock And Roll," which sings the same melody as the album version, and the final scream, is on a completely different level from the same song from 1972 onwards. I'm just overwhelmed! On the other hand, the second day is famous for the surprising ``Walk Don't Run,'' which was played to bridge the gap when the concert was about to start. The performance was well-controlled throughout the live performance, and above all, the recording balance, including Page's guitar, was more stable than the previous day, giving the impression that it was easier to listen to. There are many enthusiasts who prefer the previous day because the impact of the plant flying at the end of the previous day was too great, but personally, I personally think that the second day is better in terms of both sound source and performance. I feel like it's a thing. Even if you subtract the previous incident, it is a show worthy of being called a masterpiece. Even so, I was overwhelmed by the hyper performance, which was as good as the previous day. ``Black Dog'' is still sung with the lyrics messed up, and ``Dazed And Confused'', which lacks the structured improvisational tactics of 1973 and 1975, but features Page's light footwork, is better than the previous day. It was an overwhelmingly wonderful performance, and following the previous day, the innocent and sincere performance of “Stairway To Heaven” was the first to be performed live on American soil, and it seemed to knock out the audience at the Forum where they were hearing it for the first time. I also understand it clearly. In fact, Page later recalled that he was impressed by the applause and cheers he received at the time. This is a coupling release for two consecutive days, and enthusiasts should not miss the fact that it is a release that clearly conveys that ZEP at the time performed at the same venue with completely different expressions just one day apart. yeah. On both days, "Thank You" was played as if to thank the overly enthusiastic forum audience, but to calm them down, and it was truly moving! And by recording it in a more natural state and accurate pitch than ever before, it will become a revolutionary item that will allow you to thoroughly enjoy the overwhelming performances of these two days. From ZEP's LA Forum sound source titles that we have released in the past, more masterpieces are now here! The Forum, Inglewood, CA. USA 21st & 22nd August 1971 The Forum, Inglewood, CA. USA 21st August 1971 Disc 1 (72:54) 1. Introduction 2. Immigrant Song 3. Heartbreaker 4. Since I've Been Loving You 5. Black Dog 6. Dazed And Confused 7. Stairway To Heaven 8. That's The Way 9. Going To California 10. What Is And What Should Never Be Disc 2 (56:14) 1. Whole Lotta Love 2. Weekend 3. Rock And Roll 4. Communication Breakdown 5. Organ Solo 6. Thank You The Forum, Inglewood, CA. USA 22nd August 1971 Disc 3 (64:09) 1. Introduction 2. Walk Don't Run 3. Immigrant Song 4. Heartbreaker 5. Since I've Been Loving You 6. Black Dog 7. Dazed And Confused 8. Stairway To Heaven 9. Celebration Day Disc 4 (79:36) 1. That's The Way 2. What Is And What Should Never Be 3. Moby Dick 4. Whole Lotta Love 5. Communication Breakdown 6. Organ Solo 7. Thank You
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