Led Zeppelin fans have long tolerated less than ideal recordings to enjoy moments from the band during its heyday. I’ve considered doing an extensive shoot-out of some of the original Zep albums in my quest to obtain the best sounding copies, but while I’m still pondering that, here’s one that is worth the coin- cheap, in fact, for what you get: Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes- Live at the Greek.
These performances, recorded in the post-Zeppelin era, are well worth owning. Although touted as the first release of these recordings on vinyl (not true, a vinyl set was released in Germany in 2008), I’m not sure you’ll be impressed with the sonics: the recording at times sounds distant and alternates between congested and threadbare. But, the performances more than make up for that; it’s Zep revisited, with Page out front, and very similar, but not “cover band” arrangements of the originals. What brings it home isn’t the star power, or even the re-treading of some time-worn Zep “standards”; instead, you get a slightly different take on these classic songs by a band that sounds like they are on fire.
For the tidy sum of $26 U.S., courtesy of Amazon, you get three records, mostly of Zep standards with a few bonus tracks thrown in. “ Shape of Things To Come” has the same raw power as the version on Jeff Beck’s Truth, and may better it in tune.
We should explore The Black Crowes repertoire at some point: I have a very nice older UK copy of The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion that is still in my pile to be cleaned. I still need to track down a decent pressing of Amorica. It has been reissued recently, and that may be a better alternative (though I have not listened to the reissue yet) than the older American Recordings copies, which now command some coin.
While we’re at it, I’ll throw in another Zep-inspired record or two: Ben Harper’s White Lies for Dark Times. Harper, better known for his ‘roots’ orientation, worked with a group that was at one time a Zep cover band to deliver some real electricity. It isn’t quintessential Ben Harper (if there is such a thing), but it is worth buying if you don’t own it.
And, Vanessa Fernandez, whose Use Me album, on the Groove Note label (which contains a marvelous cover of the great Curtis Mayfield tune, “Here But I’m Gone”) struck an audiophile chord for its sonics (as well as gutsy performances) is now cooking up a new album of Zep covers, which will include acoustic pieces as well as full band numbers. That one promises to sound good, and is worth keeping an eye out for.
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