Led Zeppelin / Copenhagen 1971 / 2CD

Led Zeppelin / Copenhagen 1971 / 2CD / Non Label

Live at K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark 3rd May 1971

Play sample :

Click image to enlarge

The 1971 ZEP has a very spectacular impression, with the historical masterpiece “IV” and the rare masterpiece “Stairway To Heaven” being produced, and the legendary first performance in Japan being held. After the BBC recording, the finishing of the previous album was prioritized, so there is a big blank area until summer. The group had sporadic live performances during this period, but there are very few sound sources. The only precious audience recording in such a situation is Copenhagen on May 3rd. When the new chapter of ZEP is about to begin, it is still useful to enthusiasts as a document of a bold stage where the songs recorded in the album “IV”, which was just before the release, were put on a trial basis.
“Four Sticks”, which will be released later in “IV”, tells the story of such a test stage. This song was performed live only at this time later and earlier. Another valuable repertoire is “Gallows Pole” from the previous work. It is now known that this song was performed on stage several times in the latter half of the same year, but the fact that it was played live like “Four Sticks” was discovered by enthusiasts all over the world. I was surprised. In fact, the first release of the sound source of the day was an analog 10-inch that put together only these two songs on the A side, and looking back, it was a strong commercial item that contained only the highlight songs.
It wasn’t until the CD era that the whole picture of the day was revealed, and many items such as the nostalgic “POLES AND STICKS” will be produced by the vertically long digipak. When I listened to it, it was monaural and the sound image was far away, but it was easier to hear than I expected, and I was reminded that the whole live was very valuable, not to mention the two songs in the example. However, the released items are all releases that have some problems such as pitch and editing.

The definitive edition that finally put an end to such a situation is “STICK OUT!” Released by the predecessor of Graf Zeppelin. It has been more than 10 years since the release of the title, which was highly evaluated by enthusiasts as the definitive edition of Copenhagen as soon as it was released, solving all the problems that the items before that had, and it has been difficult to obtain it for a long time. It was an item. Since this title has disappeared from the market, many people have never heard of Copenhagen itself in 1971. It can be called a masterpiece that has been waiting for a re-release.
Therefore, this week, Graf Zeppelin’s heartfelt new generation definitive edition, which enthusiasts around the world have been waiting for, will finally be released on a limited press CD. However, “STICK OUT!” itself showed a very high degree of perfection, so this time I’m just adding the last step of the overhaul starting from the complete monophonization of the sound source. There is also a difference in the fact that the high-pitched sound is naturally better than the previous time, and many enthusiasts may like the clean feel of this time.
And the pitch deviation was also re-examined, and the instability that was seen especially at the end of the live was resolved by making full use of the latest technology. I think it is an important point in this re-release that you can listen to rare songs and scenes with rare scenes more calmly than ever before.

It’s a day when you tend to catch your eye on the rare songs you first mentioned, but what’s more important about ZEP’s live recording is that Robert almost completely released the album version of the songs from “IV”. He sings on the melody line. As early as summer, “Black Dog” and the like will be sung with the melody at the end of the lyrics lowered, but it is reliable to sing that day without difficulty. Combined with the fact that this day was the stage since the BBC was recorded, Robert’s screaming voice was fully opened. The day when the songs recorded in “IV” are sung in exactly the same tune as the album version is extremely valuable, and this sound source is also important in that respect.
At this point, even in the new song “Stairway To Heaven” before the release, Robert attacked with high tone from the beginning, and the ending was also completely high tone and it seemed to be goose bumps. Even though I had performed live several times at this point, the fresh atmosphere is really precious. Jimmy’s guitar solo is also the same.
And at the end of the live, a rare number on parade starting with the previous “Four Sticks”. While the song has a unique atmosphere that makes you want to call it rhythmic chaos, it is undeniable that the arrangement for live performances, which is different from the album, has not been elaborated, and that was the only show on this day. That’s right. In addition, did the plant have to sing in high tones throughout the whole story?
The following “Gallows Pole” is clearly played by Jimmy on the 12-string double-neck from the tone of the intro, but I think this was tried as a further repertoire using the double-neck SG introduced in 1971. However, it is clear that the arrangement is not well-developed here as well, and it seems that the song was easier to play or sing than the previous song, so it seems that another try was tried on the later UK tour. increase.
And it was suitable for a day of the aggressive set list, and the songs recorded in “IV” before the release were shown in quick succession at the end. “Rock And Roll” was still being tested on stage before the BBC, but after all, “Misty Mountain Hop”‘s 71st real-time live performance was only on this day. As you can see from the later treatment, this was a repertoire for live performances, but here it seems that it was a live premiere, and Robert tends to lose track of the timing of the song, which is the reason why it ended in 1972 only on this day. It may be. Moreover, this time, the twist of the tape has been eliminated, making it even easier to hear.
Still, Robert sings in high tone until the end, which is also a very valuable live version. Besides, the sound image itself has a sense of distance, but his singing voice is captured in a big balance, and it is too vivid that his scream echoes in the venue. This is also a big attraction of this sound source. In the history of ZEP, it is extremely rare that a new song before the release was released in quick succession, and it is a miracle that it was recorded in a very easy-to-hear state. Therefore, the new definitive edition of the day loved by enthusiasts has been revamped by Graf Zeppelin himself!

————————————————– ————————————————– ————-

(Remaster memo) REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN

★ “STICK OUT!” Has already been released on CD from Mono Aud Master, which is distributed among traders as in the previous edition.
However, since there are multiple sound sources due to different branches and leaves, this time we will make a CD from the version with high frequencies.
The appearance of the waveform is definitely better than the previous version (it is a target with respect to the central axis).

★ After correcting the pitch, it is completely monolithic.
The pitch is not clear due to the large tuning error, but it was judged to be slightly lower in the previous edition and corrected.

★ This time, we emphasized freshness and did not apply his reduction.

歴史的名盤「IV」や稀代の名曲「Stairway To Heaven」が生み出され、さらには伝説の初来日公演が行われるなど非常に華々しい印象のある1971年のZEPですが、実は4月のBBC収録の後、先のアルバムの仕上げが優先されたこともあって夏までの間が大きな空白地帯となっている。この時期にもグループは散発的なライブを行っていたのですが、存在する音源が極めて少ない。そんな中で唯一と言える貴重なオーディエンス録音が5月3日のコペンハーゲン。ZEPの新章が始まろうとしている時期、まだリリースどころか完成直前だったアルバム「IV」収録曲の試験投入を行った大胆なステージのドキュメントとして今も昔もマニアに重宝されています。
そんなテスト段階を物語っていたのが後に「IV」でリリースされることになる「Four Sticks」。この曲がライブで披露されたのは後にも先にもこの時だけ。もう一つの貴重なレパートリーが前作からの「Gallows Pole」。今でこそこの曲は同年後半にも何度かステージ披露していたことが判明していますが、「Four Sticks」と同様にライブ演奏されていたという事実が発覚したことは世界中のマニアを驚かせたものです。実際、この日の音源を最初にリリースしたのはこれら二曲だけをA面にまとめたアナログ10インチで、振り返ってみると目玉の曲だけを収めるという商魂たくましいアイテムでした。
この日の全貌が明らかになったのはCDの時代になってからで、縦長デジパックが懐かしい「POLES AND STICKS」を始めとして多くのアイテムを生み出すことになります。いざ聞いてみればモノラルで音像は遠めながらも思いのほか聞きやすく、例の二曲どころかライブ全体が非常に貴重な内容であったことを思い知らされたのでした。ところがリリースされたアイテムはピッチや編集など、どこかしら問題を抱えたリリースばかり。

そうした状況にようやく終止符を打ってくれた決定版がGraf Zeppelinの前身によってリリースされた「STICK OUT!」。それ以前のアイテムが抱えていた問題をすべて解消し、リリースされるやいなやコペンハーゲンの決定版としてマニアから高く評価されたタイトルもリリースから早10年以上の歳月が経過、何より入手困難となって久しいアイテムとなっていました。本タイトルが市場から消えてしまったせいで、そもそも71年コペンハーゲン自体を聞いたことがない人も少なくないはず。正に再リリースが待たれていた名盤と呼べるでしょう。
そこで今週、Graf Zeppelinの肝いりで世界中のマニアが待ち望んだ新世代決定版が限定プレスCDにて遂にリリースされることになりました。とはいっても「STICK OUT!」自体が非常に完成度の高い仕上がりを見せていましたので、今回は音源の完全モノ化から始まるオーバーホール最後の一手を加えるだけに留まっています。また前回と比べて高音の抜けがナチュラルに良くなっている点にも違いが生まれており、今回のすっきりとした感触を好まれるマニアも多いのでは。
そしてピッチの狂いに関しても洗い直し、特にライブ終盤で散見された不安定さも最新技術を駆使して解消。レア曲やレアな場面が続出する場面を今まで以上に落ち着いて聞きこめるようになったのも今回の再リリースにおける重要なポイントかと。

最初に触れたレア曲についつい目が行きがちなこの日ではありますが、さらにこの日がZEPのライブ記録として非常に重要な点として、ロバートが「IV」収録曲をほぼ完全にアルバム・バージョンのメロディラインで歌いあげてくれているということ。「Black Dog」などは早くも夏の時点で歌詞の終わりの部分のメロディを下げて歌われるようになってしまうのですが、この日はそこも難なく歌ってみせるのが頼もしい。そこにこの日がBBCの収録以来のステージという事も合わさり、ロバートのスクリーミング・ボイスはエンジン全開。「IV」収録曲をアルバム・バージョンとまったく同じ旋律で歌い切った日というのは非常に貴重で、その点でもこの音源が重要な意味を持つのです。
この時点ではリリース前の新曲であった「Stairway To Heaven」でもロバートが序盤からハイトーンで攻めまくり、エンディングも完全ハイトーンでフィナーレとなる様子は聞いていて鳥肌が立ちそうなほど。この時点で数回ライブ披露していたとはいえ、まだまだ初々しい雰囲気が本当に尊い。ジミーのギターソロもまたしかり。
そしてライブ終盤は先の「Four Sticks」を皮切りとしたレア・ナンバーのオンパレード。同曲はリズムのカオスとでも呼びたくなるような雰囲気が異色である一方、アルバムとは違ったライブ用のアレンジが練り切れていない感が否めず、それがこの日だけの披露に終わってしまったのでは。さらにプラントが全編を通してハイトーンで歌い切らなければならない点も仇となったか。
続く「Gallows Pole」はイントロの音色からしてジミーがダブルネックの12弦で弾いていることが明らかですが、これは71年から導入したダブルネックSGを使ったさらなるレパートリーとして試したのでしょう。ところがこちらもアレンジが練り切れてないのが明白な演奏で、前の曲よりは弾きやすい、あるいは歌いやすい曲調であったことから後のUKツアーで再度のトライが試みられたのだと思われます。
そして攻めまくったセットリストの一日に相応しく、締めくくりもリリース前の「IV」収録曲が立て続けに披露。まだ「Rock And Roll」はBBCの前からステージで試されていましたが、何と言っても「Misty Mountain Hop」の71年リアルタイム・ライブ演奏はこの日だけ。こちらは後の扱いからも解るようにライブ向けなレパートリーだった訳ですが、ここではいかにもライブ初演らしくロバートが歌のタイミングを見失いがちで、それが71年はこの日だけの披露に終わった理由なのかもしれません。しかも今回はテープのヨレが解消されてさらに聞きやすくなりました。
それでもなおロバートは最後までハイトーンで歌い通しており、これまた非常に貴重なライブバージョンとなっています。それに音像自体は距離感がありながら、彼の歌声に関しては大きなバランスで捉えてくれており、彼のスクリームが会場に響き渡る様があまりに生々しい。これもまた本音源の大きな魅力。ZEPの歴史においてもこれほどまでにリリース前の新曲を立て続けに披露した日というのは非常に珍しく、なおかつ非常に聞きやすい状態で記録されていたのは奇跡でしょう。それ故にマニアから愛された日の新たな決定版がGraf Zeppelin自身によって刷新されました！

—————————————————————

（リマスター・メモ）REMASTERED BY GRAF ZEPPELIN

★既発は 「STICK OUT!」　前回盤と同様トレーダー間に流通するMono Aud MasterからのCD化｡
但し枝葉違いで音源は複数存在するため､今回は高域の出ているバージョンからのCD化｡
波形の見た目は前回盤よりも間違いなく良いです(中心軸に対してキチンと対象である)｡

★ピッチ修正のうえ､完全モノ化｡
ピッチは､チューニングの狂いが大きく､判然としませんが､前回盤では若干低かったと判断し補正｡

★今回は鮮度を重視しヒスリダクション等掛けてません｡

—————————————————————-

Disc 1 (65:33)
1. Introduction
2. Immigrant Song
3. Heartbreaker
4. Since I’ve Been Loving You
5. Dazed And Confused
6. Black Dog
7. Stairway To Heaven
8. Going To California
9. That’s The Way

Disc 2 (56:28)
1. MC
2. What Is And What Should Never Be
3. Four Sticks ★
4. Gallows Pole ★
5. Whole Lotta Love
6. Communication Breakdown
7. Misty Mountain Hop
8. Rock And Roll