Led Zeppelin on DVD |
They were vast. They contained multitudes.
It's now hard to conceive of how big the band was and how
wide-ranging its influence. There are no comparable rock acts today. Sure there are bands
that sell as many records, but not one that casts as big a shadow.
Led Zeppelin is said to have been the template for heavy
metal. There's some truth to that, of course. Jimmy Page was (and remains) a guitar
monster capable of lightning-fast runs and massive chord pile-ups. Robert Plant was the
role model for generations of lead singers, from his big hair and powerful yawp to his
tight trousers and cocky swagger. And then there was John Bonham -- more a force of nature
than a drummer.
But Led Zeppelin was always bigger than the cookie-cutter
forms so many of its fans tried to force it into. For one thing, it boasted John Paul
Jones, who did more than anchor the band with his hugely solid bass -- he also added
orchestral color with his arranging, keyboards, and mandolin playing. And there was the
band's incredible breadth -- it played everything from Middle-Eastern modal-influenced
drones to Delta Blues to ancient-sounding British (Welsh, Plant would claim) folk music.
The band's amps might go up to 11, but the group also knew how to unplug them.
So all these years later, we are left with LZ as role
model, monster act, and cultural avatar. What's been forgotten in the midst of it all is
that first and foremost they were a performing band. Does that make sense -- that a
group can be so legendary for being a legend that the very quality that made it famous in
the first place is obscured by all the hoopla it created? Of course it does, it happens
all the time.
Fortunately, in the case of Led Zeppelin, we have the
two-DVD set, also yclept Led Zeppelin, to set the record straight.
Disc 1’s primary feature is a 1970 Royal Albert Hall
concert shot by the BBC on 16mm film that's over 100 minutes long and features extended --
some might say self-indulgent -- versions of classic Zep songs like "Dazed And
Confused," "How Many More Times," and "Moby Dick" (which is
thrilling in its fearlessness).
Then there are the "extras." The disc is loaded
with them: a "Communication Breakdown" promo clip; a half-hour-long four-song
set in front of a miniscule audience, originally shown on Danish TV in 1969; a performance
of "Dazed and Confused" shown on Supershow; and performances of
"Communication Breakdown" and "Dazed and Confused" originally
televised in France.
Disc 2 is more or less an assembled concert taken from
several different venues between the years 1972 and 1979. The disc's version of
"Immigrant Song" is pretty much a Frankenstein monster, since it was constructed
from jerky video footage shot at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse and audio from an American
concert. That's followed by four songs from the band's 1973 Madison Square Garden stand
(different footage, but taken from the same shows that produced The Song Remains the
Same). These songs are the best-looking footage of the lot, since they were originally
shot in 35mm -- even here, however, we are periodically "treated" to amateur
footage shot from a fan's-eye view (purists take note).
The rest of the "set" comes from a 1975 Earls
Court gig and the monstrous 1975 Knebworth festival. Each of these sections is extended
(almost an hour's worth per date). These are the most conventional "rock'n'roll"
footage of the set -- apparently what has made it to the disc was the video feed that was
projected on the gigantic video displays surrounding the stage. As a result, what we see
are lots of headshots and close-ups of hands.
Disc 2's "extras" include: a 1970 NYC press
interview with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page; 1972 footage of "Rock and Roll" from
Randwick Racecourse, combined with a Germaine Greer interview with John Bonham and John
Paul Jones; a 1975 Robert Plant interview from The Old Grey Whistle Test; and two
vignettes featuring "Over The Hills and Far Away" and "Traveling Riverside
Blues" made for the 1990 release of the Remasters CD box set.
The real revelation is the 1969 and 1970 footage. Page is
phenomenal, but Plant is also astonishing -- especially as a harmonica player. That said,
the Earls Court set has a special place in my heart for its "unplugged" mini-set
of "Going To California," "That's The Way" and "Bron Yr Aur
Stomp." It's nice to be reminded that the band had true range -- both musically and
dynamically.
Even the Knebworth footage is full of surprises, though.
Firmly ensconced as superstars, the band still played like they meant it -- and, far from
being jaded, the group came off as "comfortable." Comfortable, yes, but still up
to ripping through "Nobody's Fault But Mine," "Sick Again," "In
The Evening," and "Kashmir," as well as the underrated "Achilles' Last
Stand" as though they really meant something.
The DTS soundtrack is remarkably clear and natural
sounding. Some of Zep's songs ("Dazed and Confused" for instance) were notorious
for their stereo panning effects and the swirling, enveloping pans and washes are
extremely well pulled-off here. The Earls Court acoustic set is amazingly good and the
full-bore heavy-metal assault of Zep at its loudest is nothing short of overwhelming. Yup,
this set is a sonic winner.
It ain't perfect -- there are audio and video gaps that are
hard to ignore. Plant's vocals seem a bit subdued in the 1970 Royal Albert Hall footage --
at least compared to Page's guitar. (That could just be internal band politics, however;
guitarists think it’s "balanced" that way.) The bass is undefined there as
well. Maybe the Albert Hall gig was jinxed: At one point, not one but both cameramen
filming it ran out of film. The dead spots are "filled" with still photos.
Don't be put off by these minor blemishes, however. I find
them almost endearing -- especially from a band that was at times criticized for being
"too good."
Too good -- there's an interesting criticism; and probably
the only real one that can be leveled at this remarkable two-DVD set.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhometheater.com
