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The Song Remains the Same (album)

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For the song, see The Song Remains the Same (song). For the film, see The Song Remains the Same (film).

Untitled

The Song Remains the Same is the soundtrack live album of the concert film of the same name by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The album was originally released in 1976, before being remastered and re-issued in 2007.

Overview

The recording of the album and the film took place during three nights of concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden, during the band's 1973 North American tour. All songs were recorded by Eddie Kramer using the Wally Heider Mobile Studio truck, and later mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York and Trident Studios in London.

The album was released on 28 September 1976, by Swan Song Records. The sleeve design depicted a dilapidated movie house located on Old Street film studios in London, which was used by the group for rehearsals prior to their 1973 tour.

Until both the album and the film were remastered and re-released in 2007, there were significant differences between the two in terms of the songs included on each. These differences were as follows:

In addition, of the songs that both the album and the film had in common, some of the recordings featured on the album were of different performances from those in the film. Other tracks which were recorded at Madison Square Garden, but omitted from both the film and the soundtrack album, included "The Ocean" and "Misty Mountain Hop". A comprehensive analysis of the sources of the original album and the edits is available at The Garden Tapes.

2007 reissue

The Song Remains The Same soundtrack album was reissued on CD on 20 November 2007, with the surviving band members having overseen the remixing and remastering of the original release. This coincided with the re-issue of the film, released on HD-DVD, Blu-ray and DVD. The new version of the soundtrack included six songs that were not on the original album release: "Black Dog", "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Misty Mountain Hop", "Since I've Been Loving You", "The Ocean" and "Heartbreaker", plus new liner notes by Cameron Crowe.

With the 2007 re-release of both the album and film, the songs were synchronised so that the full set-list from the concerts was available on both, with each song mixed the same way (the only exceptions being "Bron-Yr-Aur" and "Autumn Lake", both of which continued to be absent from the album).

Led Zeppelin guitarist and producer Jimmy Page explained:

We have revisited The Song Remains The Same and can now offer the complete set as played at Madison Square Garden. This differs substantially from the original soundtrack released in 1976, and highlights the technical prowess of Kevin Shirley, who worked with us on How The West Was Won.[1]

Due to legal complications, the band decided not to change the video portion of the original movie for the re-release.[2] Instead, Shirley created an entirely new mix of the three 1973 Madison Square Garden concerts so that the audio portion of the film would better match the on-screen visuals. The audio on the new CD release was nearly identical to the soundtrack of the new DVD release. One difference was that the songs included on the CDs that were not featured in the original movie were included as bonus tracks on the DVD.[3]

The audio mixes also differed from those found on the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD. The most obvious example is that "Black Dog" was two minutes longer on the 2003 DVD than on the 2007 releases.

On 29 July 2008, a four-LP edition of the 2007 re-issue, on 180 gram audiophile vinyl, was released. It was presented in a deluxe archival two-piece box with foil-stamping. It includes a 12-page oversized full-color booklet with dozens of previously unpublished stills from the film, as well as four individual jackets with new and unique artwork. A special white vinyl edition was also printed in very limited numbers. Just 200 were produced, with only 100 being made available to the public from Led Zeppelin's official website.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4] (original version)
Robert Christgau(C+)[5] (original version)
Q[6] (original version)
Blender[7] (original version)
Uncut[8] (reissued version)
Mojo[9] (reissued version)

Upon its initial release in 1976, the album received some poor reviews, with some critics considering it to be over-produced and lumbering.[10] Indeed, the band's members themselves have since expressed a lack of fondness for the recording. Page has admitted that the end product was hardly the best representation of Led Zeppelin as a live band:

Obviously we were committed to putting this album out, although it wasn't necessarily the best live stuff we have. I don't look upon it as a live album...it's essentially a soundtrack.[11]

In an interview he gave to rock journalist Cameron Crowe, Page elaborated:

As far as Led Zeppelin's studio recordings went, every single one of them has a certain ambiance, certain atmospherics that made them special. When it came to the live shows, we were always trying to move things forward and we certainly weren't happy leaving them as they were. The songs were always in a state of change. On [The] Song Remains the Same you can hear the urgency and not much else. The live shows were an extension of the albums.[12]

In contrast, the 2007 reissued version received generally much more positive reviews. In a review published in Mojo magazine in December 2007 James McNair gave the album four out of five stars,[13] as did David Cavanagh in Uncut magazine, who wrote:

... The sound is vastly improved, as is the playing of the musicians (due to digital re-editing of the three MSG concerts, presumably). Not so much remastered as reconstructed, the 15 tracks (six previously unreleased) showboat, strut and snarl.[14]

Track listing

Original release

Side one
  1. "Rock and Roll" (John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant)  – 4:03
  2. "Celebration Day" (Jones, Page, Plant)  – 3:49
  3. "The Song Remains the Same" (Page, Plant)  – 6:00
  4. "Rain Song" (Page, Plant)  – 8:25
Side two
  2. "Dazed and Confused" (Page)  – 26:53
Side three
  2. "No Quarter" (Jones, Page, Plant)  – 12:30
  3. "Stairway to Heaven" (Page, Plant)  – 10:58
Side four
  2. "Moby Dick" (Bonham, Jones, Page)  – 12:47
  3. "Whole Lotta Love" (Bonham, Willie Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant)  – 14:25

Reissue

All tracks written by Jones, Page, Plant, except as noted.

Disc one
  1. "Rock and Roll" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) – 3:56
  2. "Celebration Day" – 3:37
  3. "Black Dog" (with "Bring It On Home" intro) – 3:46*
  4. "Over the Hills and Far Away" (Page, Plant) – 6:11*
  5. "Misty Mountain Hop" – 4:43*
  6. "Since I've Been Loving You" – 8:23*
  7. "No Quarter" – 10:38**
  8. "The Song Remains the Same" (Page, Plant) – 5:39
  9. "The Rain Song" (Page, Plant) – 8:20
  10. "The Ocean" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) – 5:13*
Disc two
  1. "Dazed and Confused" (Page) – 29:18***
  2. "Stairway to Heaven" (Page, Plant) – 10:53
  3. "Moby Dick" (Bonham, Jones, Page) – 11:02**
  4. "Heartbreaker" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) – 6:19*
  5. "Whole Lotta Love"/"Boogie Mama" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant, Willie Dixon) – 13:51**

(*) Not on original soundtrack release
(**) Shorter than the original soundtrack release
(***) Longer than the original soundtrack release

Sales chart performance

Original release
Chart (1976) Peak position
Japanese Albums Chart[15] 6
UK Albums Chart[16] 1
US Billboard The 200 Albums Chart[17] 2
Norwegian Albums Chart[18] 21
Swedish Albums Chart[19] 29
Canadian RPM Top 100 Albums Chart[20] 8
New Zealand Top 50 Albums Chart[21] 6
German Albums Chart[22] 28
Spanish Albums Chart[23] 23
Reissue
Chart (2007) Peak position
Japanese Albums Chart[24] 5
UK Albums Chart[25] 73
Belgian Albums Chart (Walloon)[26] 86
US Billboard Top Soundtracks Chart[27] 9
US Billboard Tastemakers Chart[28] 11
US Billboard Top Hard Rock Chart[29] 11
US Billboard Top Pop Albums Chart[30] 23
US Billboard Comprehensive Albums Chart[31] 92
German Albums Chart[32] 65
Digital download
Chart (2007) Peak position
US Billboard Top Digital Albums Chart[33] 24
US Billboard Top Internet Albums Chart[34] 18

Sales certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[35] Gold 20,000^
France (SNEP)[36] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[37] Gold 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[39] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Led Zeppelin
Additional personnel

External links

  • The Garden Tapes – a study of sources of the live material and the edits for release on this album.

References

  1. ^ "Led Zeppelin postpones reunion show", liveDaily.com, 2 November 2007.
  2. ^ Liner notes by Cameron Crowe for The Song Remains the Same, reissued version, 2007.
  3. ^ Kevin Shirley Talks about Revisiting Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same
  4. ^ Allmusic Review
  5. ^ Robert Christgau Review
  6. ^ Q Magazine Review, October 2000
  7. ^ Blender Magazine review
  8. ^ Uncut Magazine review
  9. ^ Mojo magazine, December 2007, p. 83.
  10. ^ Chris Welch (1994) Led Zeppelin, London: Orion Books. ISBN 0-85797-930-3, p. 68.
  11. ^ Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 116.
  12. ^ Liner notes by Cameron Crowe for The Complete Studio Recordings.
  13. ^ McNair, James, "Vanity Fair!", Mojo magazine, December 2007, p. 83.
  14. ^ Cavanagh, David. "Review of Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same" Uncut Magazine.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 20 October 1976". Oricon. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 13 November 1976". chartstats.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  17. ^ "The Billboard 200 – 13 November 1976". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  18. ^ "Top 20 Albums – 28 November 1976". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  19. ^ "Top 60 Albums – 30 November 1976". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  20. ^ "RPM Albums Chart – 25 December 1976". RPM. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  21. ^ Scapolo, Dean (2007). "Top 50 Albums – December 1976". The Complete New Zealand Music Charts (1st Edition ed.). Wellington: Transpress. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/1-877443-00-8|1-877443-00-8[[Category:Articles with invalid ISBNs]]]]. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  22. ^ "Top 100 Albums – December 1976". charts-surfer.de. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 5 March 1977". PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  24. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 11 November 2007". Oricon. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  25. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 1 December 2007". chartstats.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 1 December 2007". ultratop.be. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  27. ^ "Top Soundtracks – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  28. ^ "Tastemakers – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  29. ^ "Top Hard Rock Albums – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  30. ^ "Top Pop Albums – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  31. ^ "Comprehensive Albums – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  32. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 10 December 2007". musicline.de. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  33. ^ "Top Digital Albums – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  34. ^ "Top Internet Albums – 16 August 2008". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  35. ^ "Argentinian album certifications – Led Zeppelin – The Song Remainds the Same". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.
  36. ^ "French album certifications – LedZeppelin – The Song Remains the Same" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  37. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Led Zeppelin; 'The Song Remains the Same')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  38. ^ "British album certifications – Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Song Remains the Same in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  39. ^ "American album certifications – Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same". Recording Industry Association of America.
Preceded by
Soul Motion by various artists
 UK Albums Chart number one album
13–20 November 1976 		Succeeded by
22 Golden Guitar Greats by Bert Weedon
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