Stars: Led Zeppelin

Summary: Three of their best-ever performances - Royal Albert Hall 1970, Earls Court 1975, Knebworth 1979 plus Madison Square Gardens 1973 - plus other highlights including rare television appearances, interviews, behind-the scenes clips and 'bootleg' footage.

Very few Led Zeppelin performances were caught on camera during the band's life-span, but the footage that has been preserved for posterity is collected here on this 2-DVD set. With a running time of over 5 and a half hours, this collection is the definitive word on Zep's global stage-straddling performances. The footage is taken from London's Royal Albert Hall in January 1970; London's Earls Court in May 1975; Knebworth in August 1979; and Madison Square Garden in July 1973. Guitarist Jimmy Page has taken great care to restore, remix and remaster the sound from these shows, providing a visual and sonic assault that offers indisputable proof of Led Zeppelin's reputation as a rock 'n' roll behemoth! Additional footage comes in the shape of several television interviews, a bootleg shot of the band performing "Heartbreaker," behind the scenes footage from Knebworth, and a whole lot more.

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Legendary and long sought-after, this live Led Zeppelincollection is nothing less than the rock music equivalent of the Holy Grail. Quite simply, this is what all the fuss was about.

Given that they were the biggest band in the world, Zeppelin were notoriously camera-shy in their heyday. Their official filmic legacy until now has been just the fascinating but flawed The Song Remains the Same. While this new set presents some previously unseen footage from the same 1973 Madison Square Garden gigs, its real wonders lie in the earlier (1970) Royal Albert Hall footage and the later Earls Court (1975) and Knebworth (1979) concerts. Everything here looks and sounds new-minted, thanks to painstaking restoration and remastering of both audio and visual sources, a Herculean labour of love on the part of co-producer Dick Carruthers working hand-in-glove with Jimmy Page.

Trawling through thousands of yards of previously unseen film and unheard tape recordings--some with missing visuals, some with missing audio--Page and Carruthers have chosen only the best possible footage available. They were also at pains to make the segments segue seamlessly so that the viewer is treated to what feels like a continuous concert--just sample the transition from a grainy Super 8 "Immigrant Song" (Sydney, 1972) to "Black Dog" at MSG.

Highlights? It's not hyperbole to say that every powerhouse minute of this collection (some 230 minutes of concert footage plus another hour and a half of extra DVD material) is a rare musical and visual treat. But hearing Page's violin bow work on "Dazed and Confused" in DTS or Dolby 5.1 is an experience not soon forgotten.

On the DVD:Led Zeppelintwo-disc set presents all the footage in pristine 4:3 picture ratio (the Madison Square Garden footage is letterboxed) with Dolby 5.1, DTS or PCM Stereo sound options. Note that the audio is uncompressed for maximum ear-shattering enjoyment. The menu screens do not pop up beforehand, but have to be selected. It's well worth doing so. Enjoy the music first, then discover that even the menus have been painstakingly designed to provide still more unseen footage and unheard recordings (some screens don't cycle round, but present another song in its entirety). Extras include rare TV appearances, interviews and bootleg footage. --Mark Walker

Aspect Ratio:	4:3
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2003
Release Date:	May 26, 2003
Runtime:	320 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	0349 70198 2
Keywords:	Music, Rock, Two, Pop, Led, Zeppelin, Performing, Discs, Arts, Popular
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts