A rare recording of Led Zeppelin in their pomp has been uncovered at a car boot sale.
Led Zeppelin were one of the most outrageous, overblown and unforgettable live experiences to ever hit the stage. The band were formed as the 70s dawned, and spent the bulk of the decade owning the world.
Touring vast arenas across the United States, Led Zeppelin helped to pioneer heavy metal with a series of seminal recordings. However the band’s live show remains frustratingly un-documented, with official releases rarely doing the group justice.
Concert movie ‘The Song Remains The Same’ is overly convoluted, demonstrating a bloated side to the group. Now a new recording has been found at a car boot sale which captures Led Zeppelin in their prime.
A bootleg copy of a show at St Matthew’s Baths Hall in Ipswich was recently purchased for just “two or three pounds”.
Recorded in 1971, the show features material drawing from the band’s first three albums. A relatively intimate performance, the recording even features between song chatter from Robert Plant.
“I was going through a stand of CDs at the car boot at Portman Road and the guy who was selling them said ‘you might be interested in this’,” Vic Kemp told the Evening Star.
“It must have been recorded by someone standing at the front with a microphone. You can hear (singer) Robert Plant talking to the audience quite clearly.”
The gig was not officially documented, and it is rare to find a live recording of this quality. The new copy features the entire concert and contains stand out tracks such as ‘Immigrant Song’ and a then unreleased ‘Stairway To Heaven’.
There has been no announcement on an official release.
