BOTM #5 part eins

[tytlane@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

So today I picked a different shelf to draw my finger across and closed
my eyes and pulled out.......

  Sturm und Drang ( Led Note ) March 17, 1973

http://zeppelinart.com/main/1973/1973-03-17%20munich/sturm%20und%20drang%20%28led%20note%29/sturm_und_drang_f.jpg
http://zeppelinart.com/main/1973/1973-03-17%20munich/sturm%20und%20drang%20%28led%20note%29/sturm_und_drang_b.jpg

  Olympiahalle, Munich Germany
http://www.oldbuckeye.com/Houses_of_the_Holy/imagepages/image126.html

Excellent Smithers!!! Europe 1973 has got to be good no matter how you
slice it! I think it's pretty hard to not agree that perhaps some of the 
finest Live Zeppelin can be attributed to this particular European tour. 
IMO  that period featured Zep probably as fine tuned as you can be. With 
a fifth album under their belt, ( not released until a week or so after 
this particular show ) a revamped set list that now featured R&R as it's 
opening knockout, a romp through Japan and a 2 month winter UK tour to 
get their new cuts honed, Zeppelin took Europe by storm. or should I say 
sturm ?

Right away, by checking out the setlist, you can see that the Wales
factor has been cut from the picture a bit and this is Zeppelin with a
harder edge. The acoustic set is no longer a set , just BYR Stomp. The
light and shade is still there within the songs themselves, but
certainly looks like the pace of it all is more uptempo. They mean
business!!

OK so let's plop this sucker in the tray and go....

 Oh great, now I have to learn German!!!! stage announcements....blah
blah blah blah Steve Winwood Traffic..blah blah blah blah Emerson Lake
and Palmer....blah blah blah Dankesein ( sp? )  My goodness what a
polite audience!!!! I can't believe that for the 3 or so minutes before
Zep takes the stage that it appears to sound so calm. I mean, by the 
time I saw Zep, the crowd was just an insane jet roar. The clapping does 
grow slowly and I like this...ANTICIPATION.... so many boots just cut 
right in this gives a sense of the audience's mood.  Oh yeah, this is a 
mono audience source. Even as you hear Zep on stage with what sounds 
like Plant tapping the mic and calling out for Olga ? and Bonzo's snare 
noodlings the audience remains calm until the first drum notes of RnR 
kick in...And Man it kicks. Good straight Rock 'n Roll played with gusto.
 Plant's voice sounds decent for now, pretty even mix of all 
instruments and Jimmy pulls off a perfect solo. Nice... Bonzo's roll at 
the end it at breakneck speed and they immediately launch into OTHAFA an 
unknown
number to this crowd so no applause at all. Ahhh the light and shade, a
bombastic R'nR now followed up with this happy little ditty with Robert
calmly singing to some Lady...oh Darling Darling and the 9th fret 7th
fret a/g lulling the audience into the false security cause WHAM BAM "
MAny Times I've Loved...." Hmmm, Page JPJ & Bonzo slam into it but Plant
is not as out there as I was expecting... watching his voice so early in
the tour maybe ? Still getting over his inluenza? Many say that walk in
the Sheffield rain with Bonzo changed it ( his voice ) forever  The solo
is way cool, I love the tone of Jimmy's guitar captured nicely on this
tape but not drowning out the muscle of the rhythm machine behind him. I
don't think that he could ever construct his solos this way without
having that combo of JPJ and Bonzo behind him. They all feed off of each
other it seems. I'd say it's a perfect solo and if there's a flubbed 
note in there it's hard to find as Jimmy has become a master of turning
things his way and JPJ and Bonzo don't miss a heartbeat following him
and addind the perfect accent. A bass and drum clinic IMO. And the way
it comes back to the light is a testament to their songwriting skills. I
dig it. You'd figure the audience would too, but for what I would think
was a pretty big audience it's not thunderous. Seems like Plant thinks
so too as he says Good Evening ....Good Evening...almost in a coaxing
manner.  "Last time I saw this place there was a lady from Russia doing
some very good things.....Remember?" I wonder what the hell he's talking
about but the audience dosen't seem to know either as there is no
reaction to that whatsoever!!! dead silence.... Plant continues to fill
the air with " Here's a song about a creature who could not stop
boogeying, we once met him trying to get back from his lady.. unable to
walk...." and more silence...HA! That must do a number on your nerves
man... it is taking a while for things to get going and Plant say "
we'll have a short interlude....about three seconds" the audience now is
restless and starts rhythmic clapping....this grates on Plant obviously
and " No need to do that. Cool it cool it otherwise it just takes so
much longer"  and finally a loud OH! from Plant starts the OOTT riff
that leads into Black Dog. .  Ouch, you hear it…Plant’s voice is
starting to crack on this one and he is singing it in a much lower
register. Page on the other hand is killing it adding extras all over
the place. Plant really seems to have hurt himself and is not even
singing some of the oh baby’s. And the lack of audience participation in
the ah ah AH AH must be driving him nuts!!!  While Page’s solo is not
extended it’s fast and furious but Bonzo’s roll at the end again seems
endless.

 It dosen't end here....