One performance in Stockholm, held early on in ZEP's most powerful 1973 European tour, is often overlooked. Partly because there were few items to begin with, this audience recording feels like it's finally been forgotten among the highly popular '73 Europe. The item containing this sound source itself feels like it failed to fully convey its appeal. The first-ever "(I CAN'T GET NO) SATISFACTION" paper jacket CD suffered from problems with gene drop and pitch deviation, making it a piece that has tended to be overlooked by enthusiasts since its initial release. On the other hand, "STOCKHOLM SYNDROME" might finally be the best, but the high-pitched equalization transformed it into a sound quality that was particularly noticeable on the cymbals. Furthermore, both items also suffered from issues like phase instability, which is common with mono vintage audiences. While the sound image is certainly distant, this recording condition could have been more easily reborn. "Since I've Been Loving You" in particular becomes much easier to listen to, thanks to the venue's stable sound output. Graf Zeppelin took on the challenge of revamping Stockholm, a recording of a European audience that was unfortunate in 1973. For this release, the entire sound source was converted to mono, eliminating the aforementioned phase instability. Furthermore, thorough mastering was applied to reduce the noisy texture, particularly of the cymbals. The resulting recording is reborn with a dramatically improved listening experience, even compared to the two previously released versions, each over 20 years old. While attention tends to be drawn to the incident where Jimmy briefly played the riff from the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," which also served as the title of the original release, just before the start of "The Song Remains the Same," this is 1973 Europe. Even at this point, the power of the performance shines through. Of course, this was before the release of their new album, and Plant's comment before the start of "Dancing Days"—"This is a new song, but the title of the new album isn't going to be 'Led Zeppelin V,' because it's 'Houses of the Holy'—reminds us of the pre-album atmosphere. The loose, long "Whole Lotta Love" also bursts with the tour's signature development and heaviness, but this track, too, is recorded in a much more accessible state than the early part of the live performance. It's also fascinating to see a rare moment before the encore, "The Ocean," when Plant, inspired by Jimmy's tearful choking, hums a line from Stephen Stills' "Go Back Home" ("Think I'll go back home..."). The bonus track includes a recently unearthed recording from the tour's first day in Copenhagen. While the sound image is so close it's hard to believe it's been lying dormant until now, unfortunately, the tape owner overwrote the recording, leaving only the final part of the live performance, and the song itself is often fragmented. While this is a pity, it can't be helped. This recording recently surfaced on YouTube, surprising enthusiasts, but this time, it's been recorded from a lossless file without going through YouTube, achieving the highest possible sound quality. Above all, "Whole Lotta Love," the only performance recorded nearly in its entirety, is a long, explosive performance that's well worth listening to. Along with the Stockholm performance, this is a wonderful snippet that demonstrates the band's peak performance from the very beginning of the tour. Adding this to the album makes it a rich compilation of the tour's early stages. '73 Europe is truly overwhelming from the get-go! While the soundtrack featured some noticeable metallic sounds like cymbals, EQ processing has softened the harshness and flatness, making it easier to listen to. The full mono conversion eliminates phase shift and provides a solid, centered sound that's enjoyable from start to finish. Bonus tracks include the first recent performance, the Copenhagen performance on March 2, recorded from the lossless master! While some unnatural reverb processing, like pseudo-stereo, was introduced, the full mono conversion eliminates this issue. Although it is only about 30 minutes of material, it is a valuable sound source that has appeared for the first time in recent years. Kungliga Tennishallen, Stockholm, Sweden 6th March 1973 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND UPGRADE!!! Disc 1 (58:26) 01. Rock And Roll 02. Over The Hills And Far Away 03. Black Dog 04. Misty Mountain Hop 05. Since I've Been Loving You 06. Dancing Days 07. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp 08. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 09. The Song Remains The Same ★1:40 cut 10. The Rain Son Disc 2 (42:22) 01. MC 02. Dazed And Confused 03. Stairway To Heaven ★2:01 cut Disc 3 (69:07) 01. Applause 02. Whole Lotta Love 03. Heartbreaker 04. The Ocean ★2:18 cut Bonus Tracks Live at K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark 2nd March 1973 05. Dazed And Confused ★1 minute fragment 06. Stairway To Heaven ★Cut-in 07. Whole Lotta Love
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