How the West Was Won (Led Zeppelin album)
How the West Was Won | ||||
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Live album by Led Zeppelin | ||||
Released | 27 May 2003 | |||
Recorded |
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Venue | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Jimmy Page | |||
Compiler | Jimmy Page | |||
Led Zeppelin chronology | ||||
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How the West Was Won is a live triple album by the English rock group Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on compact disc on 27 May 2003, and DVD-Audio on 7 October 2003. The recordings are taken from two 1972 performances in California: L.A. Forum (25 June 1972) and Long Beach Arena (27 June 1972).
Background
Guitarist Jimmy Page considers Led Zeppelin at this point to have been at their artistic peak, as is mentioned in the album's liner notes and in an interview he gave to The Times newspaper in 2010.[1]
For many years, live recordings of these two shows only circulated in the form of bootlegs, and even then only certain audience recordings were available to fans and collectors (for example, Burn Like a Candle). Though several soundboard recordings of Led Zeppelin concerts were circulated amongst fans after having been stolen from Page's personal archive some time in the mid-1980s, no soundboards of the 1972 Long Beach or LA Forum shows were taken, meaning the release of How the West Was Won was the first chance fans had of hearing the soundboard versions of these concerts.[2] The songs from the two shows underwent extensive editing and audio engineering by Page at Sarm West Studios in London before being released on the album.
The album was remastered and reissued on 23 March 2018 in many formats, including 3CD, 4LP, Blu-Ray Audio and a Super Deluxe Edition box set.[3]
Reception
Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 97/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[6] |
Pitchfork | 8.8/10[7] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Stylus Magazine | A−[9] |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart for the week ending 14 June 2003 at number 1, with sales of 154,000 copies. It remained on the chart for 16 weeks.[11] It was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA on 30 June 2003.[12] [13] How the West Was Won received an overall score of 97 by review site Metacritic.[4]
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Classic Rock | UK | "The 50 Greatest Live Albums Ever"[14] | 2003 | 4 |
Les Inrockuptibles | France | "2003 Best Reissues"[15] | 2003 | 4 |
Record Collector | UK | "New Albums: Readers Top 10" (2003)[16] | 2004 | 4 |
The Village Voice | US | "Albums of the Year"[17] | 2004 | 37 |
Q | UK | "10 Live Albums You Must Own"[18] | 2005 | * |
Q | UK | "The 20 Greatest Live Albums"[19] | 2006 | 11 |
Rock Hard | Germany | "The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time[20] | 2005 | 342 |
(*) designates unordered lists.
Track listing
Disc one | ||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date and venue | Length |
1. | "LA Drone" | John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page | 27 June, Long Beach Arena | 0:15 |
2. | "Immigrant Song" | Page, Robert Plant | Mixed from both nights | 3:41 |
3. | "Heartbreaker" | John Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant | Mixed from both nights | 7:23 |
4. | "Black Dog" | Jones, Page, Plant | Mixed from both nights | 5:40 |
5. | "Over the Hills and Far Away" | Page, Plant | Mixed from both nights | 5:07 |
6. | "Since I've Been Loving You" | Jones, Page, Plant | 27 June, Long Beach Arena | 8:01 |
7. | "Stairway to Heaven" | Page, Plant | Mixed from both nights; Mellotron from Southampton University, Southampton, England, 22 January 1973 | 9:36 |
8. | "Going to California" | Page, Plant | 27 June, Long Beach Arena | 5:36 |
9. | "That's the Way" | Page, Plant | 25 June, LA Forum | 5:53 |
10. | "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp" | Jones, Page, Plant | 27 June, Long Beach Arena | 4:52 |
Disc two | ||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date and venue | Length |
11. | "Dazed and Confused" "Walter's Walk" "The Crunge" | Page (inspired by Jake Holmes) Page, Plant Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant | 25 June, LA Forum | 25:25 |
12. | "What Is and What Should Never Be" | Page, Plant | 27 June, Long Beach Arena | 4:41 |
13. | "Dancing Days" | Page, Plant | Mixed from both nights | 3:42 |
14. | "Moby Dick" | Bonham, Jones, Page | 25 June, LA Forum | 19:20 |
Disc three | ||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date and venue | Length |
15. | "Whole Lotta Love" "Boogie Chillun" "Let's Have a Party" "Hello Mary Lou" (omitted from 2018 reissue) "Going Down Slow" | Bonham, Willie Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant Bernie Besman, John Lee Hooker Jessie Mae Robinson Cayet Mangiaracina, Gene Pitney James B. Oden | 25 June, LA Forum | 23:08 (20:59 2018 reissue) |
16. | "Rock and Roll" | Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant | 27 June, Long Beach Arena | 3:56 |
17. | "The Ocean" | Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant | 25 June, LA Forum | 4:21 |
18. | "Bring It On Home" "Bring It On Back" | Dixon Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant | 25 June, LA Forum | 9:30 |
Notes
- The DVD-Audio version of the album has tracks 1-11 on disc one with tracks 12-18 on disc two. It features the whole album in 48 kHz/24bit for both 5.1 and Stereo.
- The Blu-Ray Audio version of the albums has all tracks on one disc. It features the whole album in 96kHz/24-bit DTS-Master Audio 5.1, as well as two stereo tracks (PCM and DTS-MA)
- The 4 LP version of the album has tracks 1-4 on Side A, tracks 5, 12 & 13 on Side B, track 6 & 7 on Side C, track 8-10 on Side D, tracks 11, 14 & 15 on Sides E, F & G respectively, and tracks 16-18 on Side H
Personnel
Led Zeppelin
- John Bonham – drums, percussion, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp"
- John Paul Jones – bass guitar, double bass, bass pedals, keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals
- Jimmy Page – guitars, mandolin, backing vocals, production
- Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica
Additional personnel
- Jim Cummins – photography
- James Fortune – photography
- Drew Griffiths – sound assistant
- Ross Halfin – package creative consultant
- Eddie Kramer – engineering
- Phil Lemon – design, artwork
- Jeffrey Mayer – photography
- Michael Putland – photography
- Kevin Shirley – engineering, mixing
- John Davis – mastering (2018 reissue)
Charts
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
---|---|
French Albums Chart[21] | 11 |
Italian Albums Chart[22] | 7 |
Irish Albums Chart[23] | 9 |
Canadian Albums Chart[24] | 1 |
Polish Albums Chart[25] | 24 |
Norwegian Albums Charts[26] | 10 |
Finnish Albums Chart[27] | 23 |
UK Albums Chart[28] | 5 |
Spanish Albums Chart[29] | 39 |
Austrian Albums Chart[30] | 17 |
Japanese Albums Chart[31] | 3 |
Swedish Albums Chart[32] | 16 |
US Billboard The 200 Albums Chart[33] | 1 |
US Billboard Top Internet Albums[34] | 1 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Walloon)[35] | 2 |
Dutch Albums Chart[36] | 15 |
Australian ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart[37] | 10 |
German Albums Chart[38] | 11 |
Swiss Albums Chart[39] | 20 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Flemish)[40] | 9 |
New Zealand RIANZ Top 50 Albums Chart[41] | 13 |
Danish Albums Chart[42] | 25 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
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Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[43] | Gold | 50,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[44] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] | Gold | 100,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog # |
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United States | 27 May 2003 | Atlantic Records | Compact Disc | 83587-2 |
7 October 2003 | DVD-Audio | 83587-9 | ||
Japan | 27 May 2003 | WEA Japan | Compact Disc | 11585-7 |
References
- ↑ James Jackson, "Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin IV, the band's peak and their reunion, The Times, 8 January 2010 .
- ↑ Lewis, Dave (2003). Led Zeppelin: The 'Tight but Loose' Files: Celebration II (1st ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 156. ISBN 1-84449-056-4.
- ↑ Sinclair, Paul. "Led Zeppelin / How The West Was Won reissued on vinyl, blu-ray and box set". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- 1 2 How the West Was Won at Metacritic Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. How the West Was Won at AllMusic
- ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony (20 June 2003). "Entertainment Weekly Review". Ew.com. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ↑ Leone, Dominique (11 June 2003). "Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won". Pitchfork.
- ↑ Kot, Greg (21 May 2003). "Led Zeppelin - How the West was Won". Rolling Stone.
- ↑ Smietanik, John. "Led Zeppelin - How the West was Won". stylusmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ↑ Uncut. "Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won". Uncut.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008.
- ↑ "The Billboard 200: How the West was Won". Billboard. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Led Zeppelin – How the West Was Won". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- ↑ "Zeppelin Smashes Records as CD/DVDs Debut at No. 1 – 4 June 2003". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Classic Rock – The 50 Greatest Live Albums Ever (2003)". Classic Rock. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "2003 Best Reissues". Les Inrockuptibles. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "New Albums: Readers Top 10". Record Collector. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "Albums of the Year (2004)". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "10 Live Albums You Must Own – April 2005". Q. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "The 20 Greatest Live Albums – June 2006". Q. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ↑ [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 72. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 25 May 2003". lescharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 29 May 2003". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 75 Albums – 29 May 2003". acharts.us. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 1 June 2003". CRIA. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 50 Albums – 1 June 2003". OLiS. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 5 June 2003". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 5 June 2003". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 7 June 2003". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 7 June 2003". PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 8 June 2003". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 11 June 2003". Oricon. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 12 June 2003". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Billboard.com How the West Was Won – 14 June 2003". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top Internet Albums – 14 June 2003". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 14 June 2003". ultratop.be. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 14 June 2003". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 15 June 2003". ARIA. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 15 June 2003". musicline.de. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 15 June 2003". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 21 June 2003". ultratop.be. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 29 June 2003". RIANZ. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 8 August 2003". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – Led Zeppelin – How the West Was Won" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Led Zeppelin – How the West Was Won". Music Canada.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Led Zeppelin – How the West Was Won". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type How the West Was Won in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
External links
- Ledzeppelin.com How the West Was Won
- The Garden Tapes – analysis of live tracks edits for the album
- How the West Was Won at Metacritic