Led Zeppelin Flying Rock Carnival 1971 (Tokyo, September 1971)

From collectorsmusicreviews.com

Budokan, Tokyo, Japan – September 23rd, 1971

Disc 1 (69:08): Introduction, Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed And Confused, Stairway To Heaven, Celebration Day

Disc 2 (37:50): Bron-Y-Aur Stomp/That’s The Way, Going To California, What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick

Disc 3 (42:41): Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown

This is a copy of the no label released in Osaka several months back, containing the complete tape source that first surfaced in fragment on the Watchtower label.

The sound quality is very good to excellent with some distortion present. Some of the gaps in the tape are plugged using alternate tape sources in seamless edits. The sound quality isn’t as bad as previously thought and this is a good title to seek out. The label also translated the Japanese liner notes into English explaining the origins of the tape. The notes read:

“This 3-disk CD set in your hands is the « Rock Carnival » long-length gold version that was previously released in 2004. Only the first half part was released which the lacking part of sound sources have been compensated by other sources. The left sound source of course was the source of the pioneer rock group at that time.

It was the most wanted rock group which everyone aspired to go to its live concerts. Since the debut in 1969, Japanese fans were impatient to attend its first visit to Japan. It may be clear that the first live concert had influenced the sources today. Although there are thousands of recording sources of that day left by ardent fans, the sources used in this CD are the best of all.

“As this CD recording offers extremely excellent sound quality, it has become a hot topic on internet websites, magazines and so on. In fact, when this CD was produced, nobody knew where the liner note had gone. Some say that a man working for music industry who lived in Kobe had given it to an American Japanese who lived in Arizona. On the other hand, some say that the master tape was lost about 10 few years ago during the Great Hanshin Earthquake.

The truth is not yet clarified. However, before reaching your hands, the sources were almost completely collected from the current master tape and this is the way how it was recovered and reproduced. The sound quality of the opening part is not good. A recording studio had spent 3 days and used the left master (data storage device) which had been used last time and the newly discovered master with a little inferior sound quality for editing. This work was done politely.

“Furthermore, as I mentioned before, these sound sources have not spread among the people who mainly related to the bootleg communities. Since the last CD has been released until today, there is no newly reissued CD being produced. After the release of this CD, it is declared that there is no more reissue CD from the master tape.

If any source of this is released, all must be declared as its digital copy. About the performance, since 2004 there are more and more underneath sources and remarks so that their fans can approach their real image through the official video and so on.

“Whereas, ZEP (Led Zeppelin) in 1971, just a little ahead before drug spreading among the group to digest severe tour, “something” was needed but the performance was still under control at that time. The accuracy of breaks, solos’ picking and the voice of the vocal, the pitch and others at that time was the most attractive period.

No one can impersonate 4 of them about the originality of the combination and their improvisation and so on. Even though the UK tour in 1973, US tour in 1975 and the last half part tour in Earls Court were not as good as before, but generally the touch of ZEP were still there. What a long introduction I’ve made.

Anyway, now I would like you to go back to 23rd Sep 1971, beside Jimmy, the seat a little behind Bonzo (John Bonham)…”