Into the Blu

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same

Posted on 25. Feb, 2008 by Ryan Keefer in 1.85:1, 1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English), Music / Concert, Reviews, VC-1, Warner Bros.

It’s hard to think that at one point, Led Zeppelin seemed to be almost anonymous to anyone over 35 years old. But apparently, in an era where the Beatles had just left rock and the Who and Rolling Stones were plugging away, Led Zeppelin’s records were found to be the perfect mix of acoustic, rock, electric blues and rockabilly, with touches of Indian and Nordic themes. When they embarked on their 1973 North American Tour, they decided to hire Joe Massot to shoot some footage from several Madison Square Garden concerts to put on film.

The two hour-plus set is brought back for the world to see and enjoy, and for the unfamiliar, the songs are:

• Rock and Roll
• Black Dog
• Celebration Day
• No Quarter
• The Song Remains The Same
• The Rain Song
• Dazed and Confused
• Stairway To Heaven
• Moby Dick
• Heartbreaker
• Whole Lotta Love

Historically, the necessity for Zep to put a film together never really seemed all that prominent, and I was personally aware of the overall apathy they seemed to have for the film, but I never really remembered why. Massot was called with a week’s notice to come to New York and film, and he also filmed the dream sequences that the band’s members and its manager Peter Grant took part in, but he was replaced by Peter Clifton before the film was realized. And as far as the film goes, it’s really about the performance.

Speaking of the performance, by Zeppelin standards it is pretty good though seems hardly praiseworthy. Zeppelin is a renowned live act, so songs like “Dazed and Confused” would routinely run in excess of a half hour, and most other songs on the set list would run into the fifteen to twenty minute category. Interspersed with the dream sequences, Plant lives out his fantasy about being a Welsh warrior while Page contributes even more to the Alaistair Crowley and witchcraft themes that people seemed to think included some satanic perceptions. Jones and Bonham were the most normal, or at least a little bit metaphorical. Jones’ is a monster going through the land, but returns home to his family and reads them nursery rhymes to boot. Bonham’s life on a farm and working around his restored vehicles and drag racing is displayed, so there is the occasional refreshing look past the pretentious British rock star. Overall the film is a nice capsule look at where the band was at the time, and the reason why this is seeing next-generation video, along with some extra material to boot was for a 2007 London concert where the band reunited for only the third time in over two decades.

Video

1.85:1 VC-1 encoded widescreen. The film looks a little better than the standard def release, but bear in mind that most of what goes on is in washed arena lights. The blacks are pretty weak, but there is an occasional moment where there’s some image depth (during the Plant sequence), but this presentation isn’t worth writing home about.

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, but a TrueHD soundtrack as well, with the rear speakers supporting the front channel rather well, with an occasional subwoofer pulse or two, and the sequence where Page plays his solo in “Dazed” presents a fine moment of panning. If anything, it seems a little bit too front-heavy; I was expecting a little more immersion than what actually occurred.

Special Features

There certainly are some unique inclusions to this set, but conventionally, there are four unreleased songs included on the disc, and they all come with a Dolby 5.1 surround track. “Celebration Day”, “Over the Hills and Far Away”, “The Ocean” and “Misty Mountain Hop” have been included for your pleasure. Following that is a fifteen minute look at the band’s career up to the film’s release, presented as a radio segment in audio only and hosted by then-Rolling Stone writer (and current Hollywood director) Cameron Crowe. The piece isn’t anything new, though it’s a nice inclusion and shows off the writing prowess of Crowe. Newsreel footage on the robbery in the film follows, along with a concert performance on the tour which set the then-North American record for attendance at a concert performance in Tampa, Florida. About ten minutes worth of interview footage with Grant and Plant is next, and the film’s trailer wraps up the disc.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t the best, most complete or representative look at one of the greatest bands of all time, but it’s a nice snapshot into what they were doing and how they were doing it. If you’re a fan of the band, then you should be adding this to your collection, but I’d personally prefer the 2003 two disc DVD set that covers various eras, before you plunge into this one.

(Writer’s note: This review is based on the earlier Blu-ray version of the disc that Warner pulled back and is releasing on 2/26)