Published on Jul 23, 1997
In the studio, Led Zeppelin were masters of their own domain.
Under the production hand of guitarist Jimmy Page, the band created
glorious noises and layers of sound that gave even the trained ear
an incredible workout.
Live, however, Led Zeppelin was a hit-or-miss act. Page was
gloriously sloppy as a guitarist, and the only other true frontman,
Robert Plant, was busy preening for the audience when he wasn’t
singing. The remaining backbone, John Paul Jones and John Bonham,
were given rare moments to shine. (In fact, two bootlegs I have
from the band’s final tour are some of the best performances I’ve
ever heard Led Zeppelin give.)
That brings us to today’s subject, the 1976 soundtrack release
The Song Remains The Same. I know it’s heresy punishable by
death to speak ill of the great Zep, but this album shows not only
the limitations the band had in concert, but also how difficult it
truly is to make a live album.
Originally recorded in 1973 at Madison Square Garden, this album
features a mere nine songs through the two discs (never mind that
five of the songs stretch well past ten minutes). With only
material up to
Houses Of The Holy to draw upon, the band carefully – if not
often predictably – selects their performances.
The main problem comes up if you’ve seen the accompanying movie.
Not only were a lot of performances not included – I would have
enjoyed hearing “Since I’ve Been Loving You” or “Black Dog” – but
some have been edited to fit the vinyl slab. A good chunk of “Dazed
And Confused” has been taken out of the album – and you can hear
where the cut took place.
In fact, the movie spoils the album. Once you get a look at the
visual images accompanying the songs, listening to the album just
isn’t the same. (One image I could have lived without was that of
Plant’s son playing with himself in a stream.) It’s one thing to
hear Page play the guitar with a violin bow or sculpt the air with
a Theremin, it’s another to see him wailing on his Les Paul or
noodling with the Theremin, creating some unearthly sounds.
All this said, whether you’re watching the film or kicking back
with the double-album soundtrack, you can’t get past the fact that
this is incredibly boring. There’s only so much I can stand of a
Bonham drum solo or Jones’s diddling around with the keyboards.
(Page, on the other hand, at least keeps his guitar solo fresh
throughout on “Dazed And Confused.”) The band seems to be grasping
for straws in the ending bridge of “Whole Lotta Love.” On the other
hand, the performance of “The Rain Song” adds a whole new dimension
to the work.
And then, there’s the song that Led Zeppelin will always be
known best for: “Stairway To Heaven.” Color me extremely biased on
this one, but there is no substitute for the original studio
version. They try admirably to capture the same magic that they did
in 1971, but that kind of power is only harnessed once. Not that I
mind hearing it performed, it’s just that one needs to take any
version other than the original with a grain of salt.
The Song Remains The Same offers proof that Led Zeppelin
were more comfortable in the studio. Live, they have only each man
and the instruments he played. There was one shot, on one
instrument at a time; overdubs were impossible (and thank God they
chose not to use a tape loop). Plant’s voice is beginning to show
signs of wear here; he’s not always able to maintain levels on the
high notes. Page is downright messy at times in his playing, though
he is always able to recover and return to the track at hand. In
Jones’s case, there is only so much one can do with keyboards
before it becomes so much whacking off on the ivories. And Bonham –
there is no doubt in my mind he was one of rock’s greatest
drummers. Nonetheless, his solo is boring – and even the film
doesn’t save it.
Is this album Led Zeppelin’s fault? I don’t think so – there are
those who are still unhappy with the subpar performance in the film
(remember, it took three years from date of filming to release for
this to see the light of day). But rather than blame the
filmmakers, I just see this as another example of the difficulty
bands have in trying to harness the power of their live show into a
format where one is neither close to the band nor able to see them.
(A better example of a good live cut, ironically, is a soundcheck
version of “I Can’t Quit You, Baby” on the closet-cleaner release
Coda.)
Die-hard Zeppelin fans are undoubtedly forming lynching parties
in my honor, but the sad fact still remains: almost 25 years since
this performance was first captured,
The Song Remains The Same is a poor example of Led
Zeppelin’s power on stage… and it has not held up well with
age.