Member:
AdmKirk
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by AdmKirk)
Date:
6/18/2004
Format:
CD (Album)
For many years if you wanted to hear Led Zeppelin live on record it was either this or one of the many bootlegs that appeared. Fans of the band have always raved about what a great live act the mighty Zep were, but it was sometimes hard to tell by this particular live release that was put out to coincide with the theatrical release of the same name.
Recorded on their 1973 U.S. tour at New York City's Madison Square Garden, The Song Remains the Same was an attempt to capture the band at their zenith. Unfortunately this album fails to do that. It's not terrible by any stretch of the imagination and if any other band had released it then it could have been considered a major achievement. By Zeppelin standards, it's a bit off. Side 1 opens with “Rock and Roll” straight into “Celebration Day”. While the opening track is everything an opening song should be, loud, powerful, and energetic the band seems like they don't quite hit the groove. “Celebration Day”, one of the best cuts on the album, doesn't have that problem. “The Song Remains the Same” and “The Rain Song”, which wrap up side 1, are also quite good. Side 2 is taken up by a nearly 28 minute version of "Dazed and Confused". While I like this just for the shear length and improvisational aspects, there are much better versions of this. Check out the BBC Sessions 18 minute take of this. It manages to accomplish so much more in 10 less minutes. Side 3 opens with the John Paul Jones opus "No Quarter" complete with the best Page solo on the album, but I have heard better versions in other places. Next up is "Stairway to Heaven", and it's OK, but not as good as the BBC Sessions or the How the West Was Won versions. Side 4 suffers from much the same fate. John Bonham's "Moby Dick" has also been done better as has the album's closer "Whole Lotta Love". The "Let that boy boogie" section is very nice and a pretty strong finish to the album.
Three years after the recording was made it finally saw the light of day, along with the film in 1976. The band was never totally thrilled with the movie or the soundtrack. Page said many times it wasn't the best show and that it was what it was. With that in mind, the album and film are enjoyable. The definitive statement of what Zeppelin could do on a stage would wait until 2003's How the West Was Won album and DVD film. Still, this is a nice listen and look at where the band was in 1973.
Bill
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