Re: "What's he think I am, an ignoramus?"

["Perry Justus" <pjustus@xxxxxxx>]

I try not to look at Led Zeppelin live albums as being live 
documents, but rather live _albums_.  The way I see it, unless it's 
being marketed as a Dick's Picks/Warts and All/Live Phish style 
release, Jimmy can cut and paste as he pleases.  One of the best live 
albums around, Frank Zappa's _Roxy & Elsewhere_, has overdubs, as 
does the Grateful Dead's _Europe '72_.  (They later released it, 
untouched, as _Hundred Year Hall_.)

If Jimmy ever gets around to releasing Japan '71, I suppose it would 
be all right if it was a mixture of all the nights... but I don't see 
why it wouldn't be mostly 09/29/71 with, for example, one of the 
other night's Black Dogs.  It's a fantastic performance of the song 
on 9/29, but there's at least one genuine fuck-up; later in that 
chillingly great evening, STH has a bad mistake towards the end.  My 
main problem, with an official treatment of 09/29/71, however, would 
be that Page might edit out all the hilarious on-mic (and off!) 
banter.  If I were JP, I'd bring the volume *up* on the banter.  :)

Perry

On 23 May 2003 at 8:29, davidp_@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Greetings to the brethren of Zeppelin:
> 
> All right, I have to say it?not too loudly, but I must.  I'm
> disappointed that Page felt it necessary to "cut and weave" with the
> track list of HTWWW.  Certainly, his editing of this live release
> doesn't compare to TSRTS, but I simply can't understand why he insists
> on mixing different nights of a show to create a track that is,
> essentially, not the "real McCoy"?or is that the "real Spock"?.  Live
> music is just that?live, with all it's glory and all its weaknesses. 
> You can't splice and mend a bad moment when you're playing on stage,
> and I don't believe it's fair to the listening audience to do that on
> a recording.  When someone asks me, "By the way, which night was used
> for 'Immigrant Song" on HTWWW?"  I'll have to reply, "Well,
> essentially it comes from Long Beach, but some of the vocals come from
> the night in LA."  That person is going to look at me a little
> curiously and reply, "I thought this was a live album?"  See what I
> mean?  I'm not moaning and groaning about the r! elease?God knows, the
> public needs to hear what Zeppelin really sounded like in their
> prime?but I just wish that vanity played absolutely no part in these
> release, as it doesn't in the actual shows.