The last live performance of 1971, which took place after the legendary first performance in Japan, was the UK tour from November to December. At one time, the number of items was extremely small, and ZEP was playing in a surprisingly calm atmosphere compared to the United States and Japan, so it was a time when it was deified among enthusiasts. Although soundboard recordings have not been excavated, a considerable number of performances have been excavated over the past 15 years, and the full picture of the tour has become clear. The Ipswitch performance on November 16th, which was released by our shop and quickly sold out, had a rare topic in which "Weekend" and "Gallows Poll" were played in the encore, which was previously unknown fact because only partial sound sources were excavated. In addition, many items have been released for the UK tour in the winter of 1971 as the sound sources are excavated, but all of them have been subjected to intense equalization to improve the plain sound quality, or they often appear as expensive items, and the entire tour has become a "high threshold" period in terms of both sound quality and items. Our "IPSWICH 1971" was released to throw a stone into that situation. It's true that the situation is completely different from the enthusiastic and excited first performance in Japan. However, ZEP's performance voltage and Plant's voice are still of 1971 quality. The UK tour was previously misunderstood as being "inferior to America and Japan, even though it was the same 1971," but in fact, very wonderful performances were still being played out... and the title proved that. Rather, the 1971 UK tour was a tremendous performance that was still being played out in a calm situation, even though there was no frenzy like in America or Japan. This is the excellent sound source of the 1971 winter UK tour that we are releasing this time, the Leicester performance on November 25th. Between Ipswitch and this Leicester, the Electric Magic show was held, but it was interesting because this and Ipswitch performances were more like ZEP's traditional free-spirited performances than Electric Magic, which was a well-planned event for ZEP. On the other hand, it is well known that Plant's voice began to deteriorate from this tour. It is certainly true, but the quality of his voice itself is easily 1971 quality. For example, from the beginning of the show on this day, you can see Plant singing in a lower voice than usual, but even there, rather than "it's crazy," you can feel the ease of "let's sing in a slightly lower voice," which is unique to youth. After all, ZEP's year 1971 is special. This "youth" is not only overflowing with Plant, but also with all the members on this day, and it is really interesting to see the sharp performance being performed in the relaxed atmosphere unique to the 1971 UK tour. Moreover, although the audience recording in Leicester is mono, it has a unique charm that the performance and vocals can be heard through it. All previous items had been equalized, and surprisingly, this is the first time that the recording has been made in a natural state. The first half of the set is a hot performance that runs smoothly through the set, and the acoustic set even gives off a relaxed British tea time atmosphere. Moreover, on this day, there was a rare incident where Page redid "Tangerine". One theory is that it was due to equipment trouble, but it doesn't sound like he simply played it wrong. However, the Leicester audience was not disturbed by such a scene, and the good sound quality realistically documented the scene of them literally watching in a warm atmosphere. Even more interesting is "Dazed And Confused". The phrase that Page played while stepping on the wah pedal in the part from the middle to the latter half is a phrase from the movie "Shaft". The song called "Black Jaguar Theme" in Japanese appears. It was a movie that had been released six months ago and was quite a hot topic at the time, so Page's inclusion of it gives a sense of the historical background. His guitar solo starts one beat later on "Stairway To Heaven" which is really interesting! It's a heartwarming scene because it was just released and not yet a standard. In the "Whole Lotta Love" medley at the end of the show, Plant starts singing Don Nicks' "Going Down", and in the usual "Hello Mary Lou", Page mixes in the riff of the Beatles' "Day Tripper", which is a scene that is unique to the idyllic 1971 UK tour. And the performance of the encore "Rock And Roll" is also not at all matured and is very innocent. The atmosphere is completely different from the 929 version. You will be surprised that even songs that became super standards from 1972 until the dissolution of ZEP were played with such an unrefined atmosphere (in a good way). A truly unique ZEP live feeling only for this short period of time, different from the first performance in Japan and 1972. Many of the songs that later became ZEP standards are played in a small and cozy manner. That was the 1971 UK tour. Live at Leicester University, Leicester, UK 25th November 1971 Disc 1 (61:05) 01. Intro 02. Immigrant Song 03. Heartbreaker 04. Black Dog 05. Since I've Been Loving You 06. Celebration Day 07. Going to California 08. That's the Way 09. Tangerine 10. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp Disc 2 (40:00) 01. MC 02. Dazed and Confused 03. Stairway to Heaven Disc 3 (50:16) 01. What Is and What Should Never Be 02. Whole Lotta Love 03. Rock and Roll 04. Communication Breakdown
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