Led
Zeppelin BBC Sessions review
Led Zeppelin's album the BBC
Sessions has many of the best songs from their first four
albums, which are played in varying stages of development. Many of
the songs give the listener plenty of improvisation to enjoy, as
opposed to the polished nature of their studio work.
The first disc is a
collection of various live performances at the BBC; several tracks
are repeated from different venues. Most of the songs are from their
first album, plus two tracks from Led
Zeppelin II, and two that were not on any of their studio
albums. The highlight of this disc is the four songs to close the
disc from August 10, 1969, at the Playhouse House Theater in London.
All four songs are blistering hot, especially the two Willie Dixon
blues pieces; these version far exceed their studio counterparts.
The second disc of the BBC
Sessions is from an April 1, 1971, performance at the Paris
Theater in London. The disc includes the two songs with the longest
instrumentals, "Dazed and Confused" and "Whole Lotta
Love," which are certain to satisfy fans that want to hear the
band open up and improvise. The rest of the songs are essential live
versions of tracks from their second through four albums. The
beginning of the disc rocks hard with a great workout on the blues
oriented "Since I've Been Loving You," and a rocking
"Black Dog." Softer, the band pulls out acoustic
instruments for three songs in the middle of the set, which is one
of the
highlight of the set. Robert Plant really shines on these numbers.
With these two
discs packed to the gills with exciting music, the BBC Sessions
offers exceptional value with disc one 74:40 minutes and disc 2 at
78:13 minutes. by Barry Small ©
Grade A -
