San Diego "BBC Sessions" Review & Charting

[Ron Van Hyfte <ronvan@xxxxxxxxx>]

The "BBC Sessions" is number 4 on the San Diego Local Album chart according
to Tower Records.

The album received 4 stars out of a possible 4, and the following review
appeared in today's newspaper.


Zeppelin both hits heights, nose-dives on =91BBC=92 tracks

Rewind some 30 years to days when a wobbly legged Led Zeppelin was actually
new to radio, when Robert Plant sang "Going to California" with genuine
forlorn innocence, and when the rock monument was still being chiseled.
"BBC Sessions," More than 2 =BD hours of live music culled from British radi=
o
broadcasts in 1969 and 1971, gives an up-close look at the legend, showing
its towering strides and human flaws alike.

The mighty Zep is anything but invulnerable in these 24 songs.  "Black
Dog," for instance, is a mere Chihuahua next to the Rottweiler-like
original, its tiny guitar and bass a seeming parody of the studio
predecessor.  "Immigrant Song" finds wailing Plant struggling with the high
notes, while the ambling "That=92s the Way" lacks entirely the band=92s
trademark gumption.

But both versions of the powerhouse "Whole Lotta Love" rival the original
for raw rock spirit.  And the explosive latter version (from Disc 2, all of
which comes form one 1971 show) boasts a superb medley of the blues
classics "Boogie Chillun," "Fixin=92 to Die," "That=92s Alright Mama" and "A
Mess of Blues."

The dismal packaging art (no color whatsoever) might cause concern about
the collection=92s sound quality, but never fear.  "BBC Sessions" has what
amounts to an audiophile=92s seal of approval =96 a sticker proclaiming
"Compiled and mastered by Jimmy Page."  So even if you won one of the
countless bootlegs of these shows, the crisp, punchy sound that Page has
achieved won=92t be surpassed.

Along with such classics as "Communication Breakdown" (three versions) and
Willie Dixon=92s "You Shook Me" (two takes), "BBC Sessions" offers two songs
released for the first time:  a rushed, sloppy cover of Eddie Cochran=92s
"Something Else," and the energetic "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black
Wavy Hair," currently in rotation on hard-rock radio.

As guitarist, Page is not always so self-assured on "BBC Sessions" as the
band=92s studio discography might suggest.  He noodles aimlessly on "Thank
You," unable to find his sizzling signature groove.  But he lights up the
London Playhouse Theatre with "You Shook Me" and "Heartbreaker," and in
countless other moments displays enough fretwork brilliance to please even
the aficionados.

- - James Healy

- ---
Ron Van Hyfte
mailto:ronvan@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.users.cts.com/crash/r/ronvan