The stage in May 1971, which has become legendary among enthusiasts due to the live test introduction of songs from the album "IV" before its release. This period was initially scheduled as a short-term Scandinavian tour, but after all, all the tour plans were canceled after the first two shows, making it a valuable period in every sense. Not only were there few sound sources, but the number of shows themselves was limited. In such a situation, the only choice was Copenhagen on May 3, the first day, but after all, the super rare repertoire of "Four Sticks" and "Gallows Pole" was heard, and the sound quality itself was easy to hear, so everyone was satisfied with the sound source of that day, and "COPENHAGEN 1971", which continues to be a best-seller as a new definitive edition even this year, has just been released. In May 1971, it was thought that it would be impossible for a sound source other than that in Copenhagen to appear, but information began to be whispered among enthusiasts that there was a sound source capturing a show held in Odense the next day this year. Not only were such rumors flying around, but even a track list recorded on a tape was made public. Naturally, enthusiasts were excited by the shocking information that began to be whispered around spring, but as expected, there was no sign of it being made public. At one point, I was even disappointed that it was just a rumor, but at the end of summer, the holy grail of ZEP enthusiasts was finally revealed. Since it is a record of such a precious time, the fact that it exists was a discovery that would make enthusiasts ecstatic, but what is still of concern is the quality of the audience recording. When you open the lid, it is so easy to listen to that you can't believe it was a tape that had been sleeping for 50 years, and you can imagine it as a state where the sound image of Copenhagen is far away and a little rough. It's not a vintage quality (at all!) where you can't hear the details of the performance because of the roar, but although there is a bit of hiss noise, it's still quite audible. However, when it appeared on YouTube, the pitch was 30% lower, so it was adjusted properly. I think many people were the first to hear it in front of the Holy Grail that finally appeared, but there must have been many people who felt the strangeness of the pitch. It's a historic excavation. Interestingly, if you look at the photos from that day, both Robert and Jimmy are on stage in the same fashion as they were in Copenhagen the day before, so at first glance it's hard to tell them apart from Copenhagen. However, the background is clearly different from the day before, so you can tell that it's a different day. It was a typical ZEP look before they had clear stage costumes like they did after 1973. And finally, the Odense performance was unveiled, and from the beginning, the unrestrained and creative stage unique to before the release of "IV" was in full swing. It can be said that ZEP's performance changes every day. First, in "Dazed And Confused", Jimmy bows to incite the audience, and Jimmy plays the bow at the same tempo. In addition, Robert sings the lyrics of "Stairway To Heaven" "echo with laughter" with a higher melody than the record, and all of these performances shine with the free and unrestrained performance that is unique to this period. And above all, two rare repertoires that were performed on the previous day. It is now known that "Gallows Pole" was tried on stage several times after that, but the second take of the live version of "Four Sticks" finally appeared. Moreover, the performance was clearly more destructive than the previous day when it was first performed, which was really impressive. If they had continued playing like this, it might have become a thing. When I think about it, it's so moving that a new live version of "Four Sticks", which enthusiasts have been listening to since the release of a 10-inch bootleg containing the takes of these two songs in Copenhagen, has been unearthed in 2022. Speaking of destructive power, Robert's screaming is also attractive in that it captures the unique explosion of May 1971 everywhere. It seems that "Four Sticks" ended up being short-lived because it required not only the performance but also Robert's explosive singing, but that's why the explosion on this day was really amazing. In addition, the lyrics of "Black Dog" from the second verse onwards, which can be said to be unique to 1971, are a very unrestrained song, and the screaming at the end of the "Whole Lotta Love" medley is also spectacular. Unfortunately, the recording stopped at the end of "Communication Breakdown", and it is assumed that further songs like "Misty Mountain Hop" were performed, just like the previous day, but the content that I want to call a lump of listening even just up to that point is stunned. As expected, it is only the day after Copenhagen. Please enjoy such a literal holy grail to your heart's content. This is the sound source that maniacs all over the world wanted to hear and wait for. Pay attention to the excavation of that too precious sound source, the audience recording of Odense! (Remastering note) Corrected the pitch to be about 30% semitone slower. Increased the overall sound pressure. Fyens Forum, Odense, Denmark 4th May 1971 Disc 1 (56:29) 1. Intro 2. Immigrant Song 3. Heartbreaker 4. Since I've Been Loving You 5. Dazed and Confused 6. Black Dog 7. Stairway to Heaven Disc 2 (56:36) 1. MC 2. Going to California 3. That's the Way 4. What Is And What Should Never Be 5. Four Sticks 6. Gallows Pole 7. Whole Lotta Love 8. Communication Breakdown
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