7/25/1969 Milwaukee, WI Zeppelin Digital Vol. 1Train Kept a Rollin', I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, How Many More Times, Communication Breakdown
Page's fingers are a bit sticky during I Can't Quit You Baby, but he manages to tear the notes out of the strings. The guitar solo in Dazed and Confused is played at lightning speed, a frenzied race to the finish. White Summer/Black Mountain Side features accompaniment by Bonzo on congas. The tape is cut between songs, possibly losing some of Plant's dialogue with the crowd.
Plant's moans are echoed by rhythmic cannon blasts from Page, Jones, and Bonzo during the first verse of How Many More Times. The guitar solo includes a great funky jam just before the Bolero section. There is a cut in the tape after the "squeeze my lemon..." bit, possibly cutting out a rendition of Everybody Needs Somebody to Love judging by Plant's adlibs. The cut ends just as Plant makes a reference to I've Got You Under My Skin in the "got you in the sights..." section. The set ends with a quick Communication Breakdown, which includes a short bass solo from Jones during the breakdown.
The tape is clear and well balanced, a really nice document of a quick festival performance.
3 comments:
1969-07-25, State Fair Park, Milwaukee, WI (From Source)
The source I listened to is 52:14 in length and includes The Train Kept A Rollin', I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, White Summer, How Many More Times and Communication Breakdown. Show starts with Plant and the guys checking the mics and tuning up a bit, and then launching into Train Kept A Rollin'. There is a bit of noise around the recorder while things are settling in, and the sound is a bit thin and tinny, but not not too bad. I Can't Quit You Baby is fairly strong and clear. There is a cut before Dazed and Confused, but it doesn't sound like any songs were skipped, just some of Plant's chat. During Dazed and Confused the mic gets knocked around a bit, around the bow solo, but it isn't too excessive. There is another cut before White Summer, but again it seems like most likely it just cut out some Plant Chat. Page rips it up on White Summer next, and as always from the early shows it's quite amazing. Another tape cut before How Many More Times, and a bit of issues with the tape, but by the time Plant introduces everyone and the music starts, things have cleared up. There is some tape issues and a cut near the last part of How Many More Times. They jump right into Communication Breakdown after this. The tape is getting a bit more distorted, but things then wrap up. Overall, an enjoyable listen.
7.25.69 Milwaukee, 2nd gen cdr
With all due respect to Conner, I must comment that the sound quality, despite what he says about the occasional noise around the microphone, is excellent, and not just for the era. Mine isn't tinny in the least, though the very popular bootleg title, "Stroll On" is tinny due to an over-zealous bit of EQ. Almost any audience recording could be improved with the bass/mid/treble available on the system you play it on if you don't go too far. My 2nd gen is very full-sounding and benefits from a reasonable boost of high end. Throughout 2009, I've been going through all the shows consecutively for the 40th anniversary, and this recording really stands out. I'm more about performance than sound, but for any who aren't prepared to wade through a so-so tape, this one won't disappoint.
Performance-wise, it's an average show for that summer full of festival appearances, which basically means it's excellent, maybe just not as good as Central Park or the second Rockpile show. In particular, Dazed and Confused is as good as any from the tour.
Does anyone hear the Jets from an airliner going over the show, right before DAzed Starts?
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