The Undercover Review

Unlike the brilliant but limited companion CD 'How The West Was Won', Led Zeppelin's live 2DVD digs deep to give us a front row seat to the radiance of their entire career.

Across a total of 5 hours and 20 minutes of footage, we are given a complete performance from the Royal Albert Hall on Disc 1 then a synopsis of shows from Madison Square Garden (1973), Earls Court (1975) and Knebworth (1979). In total, at least something from every one of their studio albums is represented in this package.

Jumping to disc 2 first, the Madison Square Garden component features material recorded for but not used on the flawed 'The Song Remains The Same'. By Knebworth, we witness the juggernaut Led Zep became. It is a treat watching the relative low budget show from 1970 on disc one and comparing the growth to the gargantuan production of Knebworth. This was the fault line where rock and roll cracked into big business.

The songs speak for themselves. A browse of the tracklisting is all any Led Zep fan needs to be convinced to own this package. What they had to do to construct certain components is indeed fascinating. Take 'Immigrant Song' from 1972 for instance. This wasn't a hi-tech time. The performance filmed at the Sydney Showground in Australia looked great but sounded bad. To rectify the problem, they kept the visual and replaced the audio with music from a show at Long Beach California some months later.

Australia actually gets a good run on this collector's treasure. The extras feature news footage from that same Sydney Show and after-show visuals with a young Germaine Greer talking to Robert Plant. On the subject of the extras, you'll also find an early clip of 'Communication Breakdown' from 1969, various radio and television performances all giving a different projection of Pages epic 'Dazed and Confused', a New York Press conference from 1970 and Robert Plant being interviewed the Old Grey Whistle Test. It's funny watching the horrified faces on the studio audience from the French television show. The aging audience from the show from 1969 are clearly dazed and confused watching 'Dazed and Confused'.

From disc 1 the thrill of owning the visual performance of John Bonham's drum solo in 'Moby Dick' is a highlight. Being able to watch benchmark classic rock at it's peak with performance of "Stairway To Heaven', 'Kashmir' and 'Rock and Roll' leave a whole new value for young bands to aspire too.

Being able to watch the performances in chronological order also illustrates a bad who only ever got better and then disbanded at their peak.

Hats off to producer Kevin Shirley (Silverchair, Baby Animals, Aerosmith) who worked on this project with Jimmy Page.

If this is ever to be shown on television it should be on The History Channel.

By Hector The Rock Dog

Track Listing

Disc 1
Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1970) 1hr 42 mins
We're gonna groove
I can't quit you baby
Dazed and confused
White summer
What is and what should never be
How many more times
Moby Dick
Whole lotta love
Communication breakdown
C'mon Everybody
Something Else
Bring it on home

Disc 2
The Immigrant Song

Madison Square Garden (1973) 23:24 mins
Black dog
Misty mountain hop
Since I've been loving you
The ocean

Earls Court (1975) 49 mins
Going to California
That's the way
Bron Y Aur stomp
In my time of dying
Trampled underfoot
Stairway to heaven

Live at Knebworth (1979) 51:41 mins
Rock'n'roll
Nobody's fault but mine
Sick again
Achilles last stand
In the evening
Kashmir
Whole lotta love

Label

Warner Vision