Led Zeppelin – 1970.09.04 – Ultimate Blueberry Hill – Los Angeles, CA – AUD MATRIX 2CDS A+

Led Zeppelin
September 4th, 1970
Los Angeles Forum
Inglewood, CA

Ultimate Blueberry Hill Stereo Matrix / Moonchild

101. Band Introduction
102. Immigrant Song
103. Heartbreaker
104. Dazed And Confused
105. Bring It On Home
106. That’s The Way
107. Bron-Yr-Aur
108. Since I’ve Been Loving You
109. Organ Solo
110. Thank You

201. What Is And What Should Never Be
202. Moby Dick
203. Whole Lotta Love
204. Communication Breakdown
205. Out On The Tiles
206. Blueberry Hill

STEREO MATRIX of 4 audience recordings synchronized & mixed together in varying levels:
* Source #1 = Neutral Zone bootleg CDs [the Blimp Records / TMOQ recording].
* Source #2 = Rubber Dubber Records bootleg LP.
* Source #3 = tape source [of Mud Dogs bootleg].
* Source #5 = tape source [of Tarantura (2000) bootleg].
The lesser fidelity tape sources #4 [a/k/a Tarantura (1997)] and #6 (the most recently surfaced one) have been used to patch the introduction which is almost wholly missing from the other circulating tapes. See the Note further below for more information and identification (to the best of our ability and recollection).

Source #1 = the classic TMOQ / Blimp Records bootleg recording (by “Dub” Taylor, Sennheiser 805 shotgun mic > Uher 4000 reel-to-reel?) via the Neutral Zone CDs [NZCD-89019/20, songs re-ordered, from vinyl cutting master?].
Small sections flown in from an Empress Valley bootleg CD box [EVSD-385/6] which is somewhat more complete, even after its composite-patches from other sources have been eliminated. Nevertheless, over 5 minutes of “Moby Dick” (and 16 seconds afterwards) and nearly 2 minutes following “Communication Breakdown” are still missing. The recording also has a small splice in “Dazed and Confused”, plus 13 and 10 second cuts after it and “WISASNB”, respectively.

Source #2 = the original Rubber Dubber Records bootleg recording (by Scott Johnson) via vinyl LP transfer [dadgad]; incomplete and in the wrong order on the LP, missing mainly the first three songs and the two encores, “Moby Dick”, nearly 6 minutes of the “Whole Lotta Love” medley (all marked with * above) and 2 minutes of the intro to “Bron-Yr-Aur”. The original tapes have never surfaced and were reportedly lost when the bootlegger was busted, but the available recording is of rather excellent quality for its time and has been used to good effect to augment the sound of the tracks for which it exists.

Source #3 = taken from a transfer of a 2nd gen. reel [Doinker; EVSD calls this recording “TMOQ Alternate Source”]. Retains fragments of the concert introduction but is missing some 1:45 of the intro & tuning before “Bron-Yr-Aur”, most of the “Organ Solo” (just after “SIBLY” ends; 2 seconds is also cut in the applause afterwards), about 12 minutes of “Moby Dick”, and about 45 seconds after both “Whole Lotta Love” and “Communication Breakdown”. In addition, 3 seconds is cut in “Dazed” along with 5 and 12 seconds during the introductions to “That’s the Way” and “WIAWSNB”, respectively. Used in somewhat lesser degree than sources #1 & #5, which are arguably superior sounding.

Source #4 = used for the concert intro only, taken from Wendy bootleg CD box (discs 7-8) [WECD-285/6; EVSD calls this “Antrabata Source”]. This recording contains the complete introduction but has poorer sound than the other sources, except the last.

Source #5 = taken from a DAT transfer of a 2nd gen. cassette [javit/dadgad; EVSD calls this “Cobra Source”]. A relatively unscathed recording as it circulates, with just the bulk of “Bron-Yr-Aur” and 45 seconds prior to “Whole Lotta Love” (including the first bars) missing, presumably at tape changes; also has a small cut in “Dazed” and omits 2 seconds after “Whole Lotta Love”. Has more tape available after the show ends (along with the EVSD version of #1). Blends well with source #1 so that together they reduce the shortcomings of each other.

Source #6 = taken from a transfer of the master cassette (ext. mic in taper’s t-shirt to Craig Portable Cassette Recorder). The last source to surface, made available by the original taper. Like #4, captures the complete concert intro but the sound quality is a notch below even that tape.

All six recordings were necessary in making this matrix. Surprisingly, it turned out to be feasible to utilize in some fasion all the four major sources, as far as they are available; as mentioned, the two lesser fidelity sources have been used just for the introduction. (Note that the numbering of sources #4 & #5 is sometimes reversed compared to the preceding.)

The exact details are too complex to be written out but the workflow was to first manually yet accurately synchronize — and where necessary, patch and re-arrange — the recordings in digital realm with high quality varispeed resampling, resulting in a sort of quasi-multitrack/mic recording. Some audio restoration work was then done on each and the general mix for level and stereo balance was arrived at after trial, error, and experimentation, accounting for any gaps in the tapes. Further work was then required to fine-tune the transition points (at tape breaks), the relative levels and EQ until the end result seemed to be reasonably close to what can be achieved, without too obviously audible artifacts resulting from the mixing together a bunch of half a century old analogue recordings, which cannot be completely brought into exact phase and sync.

This is the big one, the tape that started it all. The lives of Led Zeppelin fans would never be the same after this recording made its way into their collective hands.

There are not many live Led Zeppelin shows available to purchase officially. For a band as important as Led Zeppelin, it s very surprising that Atlantic Records, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant have not released more live shows to their fans. For years, all we had was the soundtrack to the motion picture The Song Remains the Same. It is only within the past twenty years that the vaults have opened just a bit with the release of The BBC Sessions , How The West Was Won and the bonus live CD on the remastered Led Zeppelin One album. Still, three official live albums of the original four members of Zep is very limiting for a band that many feel was the greatest rock and roll band to ever grace the stage

Like all legendary classic rock artists, Led Zeppelin has always been a group that has been widely bootlegged. Most of the Led Zeppelin bootlegs that collectors have traded, shared and sold are audience recordings. There a just a handful of soundboards. The 1977 Soundboard that was released under the title Destroyer is usually thought of as the best Led Zeppelin bootleg ever released. The sound quality on Destroyer comes close to an official release. Nonetheless, there are some audience recordings from the late 1960s and early 1970s that define the brilliant musicianship and passion of the band wonderfully. The bootleg Live on Blueberry Hill is one such recording that showcased a band that was looking to prove just how great they were. They succeeded immensely on this one.

Live On Blueberry Hill is so fabulous because of the performances by all four members on that September 4, 1970 night at the Los Angeles Forum. The heart of a great Led Zeppelin performance was always led by the great Jimmy Page. If Page was on, Led Zeppelin was on. These guys listened to each other. All musicians have great nights and so so nights. That September 4th night in L.A. was a night in which Page was in complete tune and his solos were clean and exciting. Page solos right away as the night began in the opening number The Immigrant Song. However it s in the set s second song Heartbreaker, when Page lights it up with a solo in the middle of the song that stands as one of his best live performances of all time.