A Mike Millard Recording on The Heart of Markness Podcast
On May 25, 1980 Genesis, touring in support of Duke, played an intimate gig for 500 fans, at West Hollywood’s iconic Roxy. Mike Millard was there, front and center, with his legendary recording gear. There’s ambiguity as to whether this is a master recording, or taken from a 1st gen, but in any case the sound is phenomenal, as is the performance.
The magnificent owner of the Led Zeppelin Rarities YouTube channel, Zach, has created something magickal. He has created matrix (soundboard/audience tape mix) compilation of Led Zeppelin’s early dates on their 1980 European Tour.
His work brings life, atmosphere, and fun to a tour that has been held in low regard for decades. The addictions, dysfunction, and schisms within the band were all reaching critical mass at this point, and it shows in the performances, which were done no favors by a batch of dry as fuck, uninteresting soundboard recordings, which highlighted issues such as Jimmy’s loss of ability, Robert’s ambivalence, and Bonzo’s loss of spark.
This compilation, Dancing in the Doldrums, shows a band coming back and starting to gel again, after a hideous trio of years. Bonzo is here in force as this is before his collapse in Nurenberg, and Jimmy is focused and intent on ‘cutting the waffle’ or losing all the bloat like 40 minute songs and long solos.
You can download this entire compilation off of Led Zeppelin Rarities’ YouTube channel. Enjoy.
1980 was a weird time for The Who. Keith Moon had died, Kenny Jones was the new drummer, they added John Rabbit Bundrick on keys, and they toured without an album to support.
Who Are You was two years old and Face Dances hadn’t been recorded yet, so The Who did a basic ‘Hits’ tour. On this night Pete was playing with a broken hand, but the show must go on, and it did. If you like to hear the whole show, in excellent quality, from Mike Millard’s master tape, you can download it here: https://mega.nz/folder/iwskmCba#NOcQt2LZi7ANE2TGG0oNhw
The second to last Led Zeppelin concert with John Bonham.
Led Zeppelin & Bad Company
Simon Kirke & John Bonham In Munich 1980
I have been revisiting Led Zeppelin’s 1980 tour, and I had never listened to their July 5, 1980 show, in Munich. This is one of the only (maybe the only) show from this tour that doesn’t have a soundboard out there. That late 1980’s glut of dry soundboards did this tour no favors. Jimmy’s tone is brittle and highlights every flubbed note wayyyyy more than a good audience tape.
Munich is a very good audience tape, maybe even excellent. There’s good stereo separation, good ambience, and you can hear Jimmy’s guitar the way you would have heard it in the hall. On top of that it was a fun show.
At the conclusion of the show, a second drum kit was set up, next to Bonzo’s drums. Not even Keith Moon got his drum kit when he played with Zep in ’77. This is a one time thing.
After a brief break, Led Zeppelin comes back with the drummer from Bad Company, Simon Kirke. Bad Company was the biggest act (aside from Zeppelin themselves) on their Swan Song label, as well as friends with the band, so they had special access. Jimmy and Robert even jammed with Bad Company a couple of times, but that’s the subject of another blog post.
So here is a very cool, very funny, version of Whole Lotta Love, with two drummers. This is also the second to the last time the band would play this song, before Bonzo’s untimely death. It’s a fun one. Jimmy goes into the fun blues things, and even brings the drummers back into line, when they get lost. This recording really changed my mind about this tour, and tipped the scales in deciding to make this tour the topic of my next podcast.
Courtesy of the almighty Steve A Jones, the Venerable Bede of Zep Lore.
This is a smoking hot jam from July 1, 1980, in which Jimmy Page jams with Santana in Frankfurt. Led Zeppelin had just played one of their best shows of their 1980 Tour Over Europe, the night before. Santana (the band) breaks out the old chestnut Shake Your Moneymaker, and Jimmy Page joins in. It’s pretty great.
You don’t get much jamming from Jimmy during the last years of Zep. He had his demons but not this night. The soundboard recording is very hot (oooh hot mic), and a bit shrill to these old ears, but it’s still awesome. Jimmy is at home sparring with the amazing Carlos Santana. It’s got the bounce and enthusiasm of the version, 20 years later done by Jimmy and the Black Crowes.
I’ve been revisiting the 1980 tour and I believe I’m changing my mind about it. For the last 30 years (Jesus, that’s sobering) I’ve thought of the ’80 tour as essential a shell of Zeppelin. This is based on the dry soulless soundboard recordings which abound.
The soundboard boots were everywhere when I was a youth, and even not there are only a relative handful of good audience recordings from this tour. Munich is an exception. It’s audience tape is excellent and it makes the show SO MUCH BETTER. You get the sound with reverb and space, as opposed to the flat line input sound. The soundboards highlight Jimmy’s shaky playing and is the aural equivalent to the fluorescent lighting in a gas station bathroom. It does the subject no favors.
Anyhoo give this a listen and you’ll hear Jimmy giving it his all and playing the fuck out of his Les Paul. Enjoy.
I think the 1980 tour will be the topic of my next podcast. #foreshadowing
