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BBC Sessions is a compilation album featuring studio sessions and a live concert recorded by English rock group Led Zeppelin for the BBC. It was released on 11 November 1997, by Atlantic Records. This was the first release of new Led Zeppelin material in 15 years. Disc 1 consists of material from four different 1969 BBC sessions. Disc 2 contains most of the 1 April 1971 concert from the Paris Theatre in London.[1]
Countless bootlegs of these recordings circulated for years before the official release. This release was widely welcomed by Led Zeppelin fans as the first live release since The Song Remains the Same in 1976. Others have criticized the decision to edit some of the songs and drop others that were recorded for the BBC. Most notable are one session from 1969 which included the unreleased song "Sunshine Woman," and large portions of the "Whole Lotta Love" medley from 1971.[2]
[edit] Track listing
- Disc one
- "You Shook Me" (Dixon/Lenoir) – 5:14
- "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon) – 4:22
- "Communication Breakdown" (Bonham/Jones/Page) – 3:12
- "Dazed and Confused" (Page) – 6:39
- "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair" (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham/Estes) – 3:00
- "What Is and What Should Never Be" (Page/Plant) – 4:20
- "Communication Breakdown" (Bonham/Jones/Page) – 2:40
- "Travelling Riverside Blues" (Johnson/Page/Plant) – 5:12
- "Whole Lotta Love" (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant) – 6:09
- "Somethin' Else" (Cochran/Sheeley) – 2:06
- "Communication Breakdown" (Bonham/Jones/Page) – 3:05
- "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon) – 6:21
- "You Shook Me" (Dixon/Lenoir) – 10:19
- "How Many More Times" (Bonham/Jones/Page) – 11:51
- Disc two
- "Immigrant Song" (Page/Plant) – 3:20
- "Heartbreaker" (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant) – 5:16
- "Since I've Been Loving You" (Jones/Page/Plant) – 6:56
- "Black Dog"(Jones/Page/Plant) – 5:17
- "Dazed and Confused" (Page) – 18:36
- "Stairway to Heaven" (Page/Plant) – 8:49
- "Going to California" (Page/Plant) – 3:54
- "That's the Way" (Page/Plant) – 5:43
- "Whole Lotta Love{inc. Boogie Chillun' (John Lee Hooker), Fixin' to Die (Bukkah White), That's Alright Mama (Arthur Crudup), A Mess of Blues (Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman}" (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant) – 13:45
- "Thank You" (Page/Plant) – 6:37
[edit] Recording information
- Session one
- John Peel's Top Gear
- Venue: Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London
- Recording date: Monday 3 March 1969
- Original broadcast: Sunday 23 March 1969 (in a show with sessions from Free, the Moody Blues and Deep Purple)
- Tracks: Disc 1; 1,2 and 4. Also included a version of "Communication Breakdown".
- Producer: Bernie Andrews
- Engineer: Pete Ritzema
- Tape operator: Bob Conduct
- Session two
- Alexis Korner's Rhythm and Blues, (BBC World Service)
- Venue: Maida Vale Studio 4, Delaware Road, London
- Recording date: Wednesday 19 March 1969
- Original broadcast: Monday 14 April 1969
- Tracks:"What Is And What Should Never Be", "I Can't Quit You Baby", "You Shook Me" and "Sunshine Woman". The first three tracks were wiped or lost by the BBC. The last was not released.
- Producer: Jeff Griffin
- Session three
- Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae (although originally commissioned for Dave Symond's Symonds On Sunday show)
- Venue: Aeolian Hall studio 2, Bond Street, London
- Recording Date: Monday 16 June 1969
- Original Broadcast: Sunday 22 June 1969
- Tracks: Disc 1; 3,5 and 10. The session also included a prototype version of "What Is and What Should Never Be".
- Producer: Paul Williams
- Session four
- John Peel's Top Gear (Double recording session)
- Venue: Maida Vale studio 4, Delaware Road, London
- Recording date: Tuesday 24 June 1969
- Original broadcast: Sunday 29 June 1969
- Tracks: Disc 1; 6-9.
- Producer: John Walters
- Engineer: Tony Wilson
- Session five
- One Night Stand
- Venue: Playhouse Theatre
- Recording date: Friday 27 June 1969
- Original broadcast: Sunday 10 August 1969
- Tracks: Disc 1; 11-14. Also included a version of "Dazed and Confused", "White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side"
- Session six
- In Concert (Emcee John Peel)
- Venue: Paris Cinema, Lower Regent Street, London
- Recording date: Thursday 1 April 1971
- Original broadcast: Sunday 4 April 1971
- Tracks: Disk 2; all tracks. Also included a version of "Communication Breakdown" and "What Is and What Should Never Be".
- Producer: Jeff Griffin
- Engineer: Tony Wilson
[edit] Sales chart performance
| Year |
Chart |
Peak position |
Certification |
Sales / shipments |
| 1997 |
Japanese Albums Chart[3] |
10 |
|
|
| 1997 |
French Albums Chart[4] |
38 |
|
|
| 1997 |
New Zealand RIANZ Top 50 Albums Chart[5] |
26 |
|
|
| 1997 |
Finnish Albums Chart[6] |
28 |
|
|
| 1997 |
Swedish Albums Chart[7] |
50 |
|
|
| 1997 |
UK Albums Chart[8] |
23 |
Gold[9] |
150,000 |
| 1997 |
Norwegian Albums Chart[10] |
36 |
|
|
| 1997 |
US Billboard The 200 Albums Chart[11] |
12 |
2x Multi-Platinum[12] |
2,000,000+ |
| 1997 |
Canadian RPM Top 100 Chart[13] |
30 |
|
|
[edit] Release history
| Region |
Date |
Label |
Format |
Catalog # |
| United States |
11 November 1997 |
Atlantic Records |
4 LP |
83061-1 |
| 2 Compact Disc |
83061-2 |
| 2 Cassette |
83061-4 |
| United Kingdom |
2 Compact disc |
7567-83061-2 |
| Japan |
WEA Japan |
2 Compact disc |
11756-7 |
[edit] Personnel
- Led Zeppelin
- John Bonham – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- John Paul Jones – bass guitar, bass pedals, keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals
- Jimmy Page – acoustic and electric guitar, backing vocals, mastering, production
- Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica
- Additional personnel
[edit] References
[edit] External links