You probably know by now that I have a fondness for the Zep. I also have an extreme fascination with bootlegs, and illicit recordings, of any nature. I love it that almost every show performed by my favorite band has at least some sort of document it. This little gem is great, because it consists of two separate media, and recorders, spliced into a seamless whole. Apparently the band themselves oversaw/approved this little video. It is from LA 3/25/75, and it is a super 8mm film of the boys performing Over The Hills And Far Away. The film was shot from the front row, or even the security pit, and since Peter Grant is shown grinding the filmer into a fine powder, one must assume that the filmer had the ok of the band. Thus, the footage is of excellent quality, with Jimmy in frame throughout. Yay.
The audio is from the excellent stealth recording made by the legendary Mike “The Mic” Millard. He was a taper who used a wheelchair to get moved up to the front and center of almost every LA show, in the 70’s. He built high end microphones into the chair, and had a battery pack, and a top end Nakamichi tape deck built under the seat. There wasn’t handicapped seating back then, so all the gimps got slid up front and center, just like at a Benny Hinn revival. His work is so good, it’s Zep used it as the menu music for their DVD set. It’s the Song Remains The Same. That song is from Mike, and was taped on (if memory serves it was 6/21/77). Legitimacy.
So, Mike the Mic was able to get stunning quality with his rig. Great stereo separation, and a clarity unrivaled in the non Grateful Dead taping world. The guy’s a legend. So, the Zep camp used this great silent footage and great audio (all low generation or master) to make this wonderful little video of a song from 33 years ago (also known as one Jesus). The song is great, the performance is great (ignore Robert Plant. I have for 20 years), and the fact that it’s reconstructed from two different illicit sources… is priceless. The underground is so alive. As Tom Waits sang, “There’s a world going on underground.”
