The Song Remains the Same (album)

The Song Remains the Same
A drawing of a dilapidated theatre with a thick black border around it
Live album / Soundtrack album by Led Zeppelin
Released 22 October 1976 (1976-10-22)
Recorded 27–29 July 1973
Venue Madison Square Garden, New York City
Genre Hard rock
Length 99:45
Label Swan Song
Producer Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin chronology
Presence
(1976)		 The Song Remains the Same
(1976)		 In Through the Out Door
(1979)

The Song Remains the Same is the live soundtrack album of the concert film of the same name by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The album was originally released in October 1976, before being remastered and reissued in 2007 and again in September 2018..

Overview

The recording of the album and the film took place during three nights of concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden, during the band's 1973 North American tour. All songs were recorded by Eddie Kramer using the Wally Heider Mobile Studio truck, and later mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York and Trident Studios in London.

The album was released on 22 October 1976, by Swan Song Records. The sleeve design depicted a dilapidated movie house located on Old Street film studios in London, which was used by the group for rehearsals prior to their 1973 tour.[1]

Until both the album and the film were remastered and re-released in 2007, there were significant differences between the two in terms of the songs included on each. These differences were as follows:

In addition, of the songs that both the album and the film had in common, some of the recordings featured on the album were of different performances from those in the film. Other tracks which were recorded at Madison Square Garden, but omitted from both the film and the soundtrack album, included "Over The Hills and Far Away", "The Ocean" and "Misty Mountain Hop".

2007 reissue

The Song Remains The Same soundtrack album was reissued on CD on 20 November 2007, with the surviving band members having overseen the remixing and remastering of the original release. This coincided with the re-issue of the film, released on HD-DVD, Blu-ray and DVD. The new version of the soundtrack included six songs that were not on the original album release: "Black Dog", "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Misty Mountain Hop", "Since I've Been Loving You", "The Ocean" and "Heartbreaker", plus new liner notes by Cameron Crowe.

With the 2007 re-release of both the album and film, the songs were synchronised so that the full set-list from the concerts was available on both, with each song mixed the same way. Kevin Shirley, who worked on How The West Was Won, was involved in the mixing .[2]

Due to legal complications, the band decided not to change the video portion of the original movie for the re-release.[3] Instead, Shirley created an entirely new mix of the three 1973 Madison Square Garden concerts so that the audio portion of the film would better match the on-screen visuals. The audio on the new CD release was nearly identical to the soundtrack of the new DVD release. One difference was that the songs included on the CDs that were not featured in the original movie were included as bonus tracks on the DVD.[4]

The audio mixes also differed from those found on the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD. The most obvious example is that "Black Dog" was two minutes longer on the 2003 DVD than on the 2007 releases, two of the four verses being cut from the song.

On 29 July 2008, a four-LP edition of the 2007 re-issue, on 180 gram audiophile vinyl, was released. It was presented in a deluxe archival two-piece box with foil-stamping. It includes a 12-page oversized full-color booklet with dozens of previously unpublished stills from the film, as well as four individual jackets with new and unique artwork. A special white vinyl edition was also printed in very limited numbers. Just 200 were produced, with only 100 being made available to the public from Led Zeppelin's official website.

2018 reissue

On September 7, 2018, a newly remastered edition of The Song Remains The Same was issued in multiple formats, including a multi-disc, super deluxe boxed set, Blu-ray audio with a hi-resolution stereo and new 5.1 surround mix, 180-gram vinyl, CD, streaming and downloads, including 96kHz / 24-bit hi-res audio files for the first time. This is based on the 2007 version of the soundtrack album and concludes the campaign of reissues of their live albums and deluxe editions of their studio albums that started in 2014.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Blender[7]
Robert ChristgauC+[8]
The Daily Telegraph[9]
Mojo (2007 reissue)[10]
MusicHound2/5[11]
Q[12]
Record Collector (2007 reissue)[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]
Uncut (2007 reissue)[15]

Upon its initial release in 1976, the album received some poor reviews, with a number of critics considering it to be over-produced and lumbering.[16] Indeed, the band's members themselves have since expressed a lack of fondness for the recording. Page has admitted that the end product was not the best representation of Led Zeppelin as a live band.[17][18]

In contrast, the 2007 reissued version received generally much more positive reviews. In a review published in Mojo magazine in December 2007 James McNair gave the album four out of five stars,[19] as did David Cavanagh in Uncut magazine, who wrote:

The sound is vastly improved, as is the playing of the musicians (due to digital re-editing of the three MSG concerts, presumably). Not so much remastered as reconstructed, the 15 tracks (six previously unreleased) showboat, strut and snarl.[20]

Track listing

Original release

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rock and Roll"
4:03
2."Celebration Day"
  • Jones
  • Page
  • Plant
3:49
3."The Song Remains the Same"
  • Page
  • Plant
6:00
4."The Rain Song"
  • Page
  • Plant
8:25
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dazed and Confused"Page26:53
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."No Quarter"
  • Jones
  • Page
  • Plant
12:30
2."Stairway to Heaven"
  • Page
  • Plant
10:58
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Moby Dick"
  • Bonham
  • Jones
  • Page
12:47
2."Whole Lotta Love"
14:25

2007 reissue

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rock and Roll" 3:56
2."Celebration Day" 3:37
3."Black Dog*" (with "Bring It On Home" intro)
  • Dixon
  • Jones
  • Page
  • Plant
3:46
4."Over the Hills and Far Away*"
  • Page
  • Plant
6:11
5."Misty Mountain Hop*" 4:43
6."Since I've Been Loving You*"
  • Jones
  • Page
  • Plant
8:23
7."No Quarter#" 10:38
8."The Song Remains the Same" 5:39
9."The Rain Song" 8:20
10."The Ocean*"
  • Bonham
  • Jones
  • Page
  • Plant
5:13
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dazed and Confused+" 29:18
2."Stairway to Heaven" 10:53
3."Moby Dick#" 11:02
4."Heartbreaker*"
  • Bonham
  • Jones
  • Page
  • Plant
6:19
5."Whole Lotta Love#" 13:51

Notes

  • (*) Not on original soundtrack release
  • (#) Shorter than the original soundtrack release
  • (+) Longer than the original soundtrack release

Personnel

Charts

Original release

Chart (1976–77) Peak position
Canadian RPM Top 100 Albums Chart[21] 8
Italian Albums Chart[22] 13
Japanese Albums Chart[23] 6
New Zealand Top 50 Albums Chart[24] 6
Norwegian Albums Chart[25] 21
Spanish Albums Chart[26] 23
Swedish Albums Chart[27] 29
UK Albums Chart[28] 1
US Billboard 200 Albums Chart[29] 2
West German Albums Chart[30] 28

Reissue

Chart (2007) Peak position
Belgian Albums Chart (Walloon)[31] 86
German Albums Chart[32] 65
Japanese Albums Chart[33] 5
UK Albums Chart[34] 73
US Billboard Top Soundtracks Chart[35] 9
US Billboard Tastemakers Chart[36] 11
US Billboard Top Hard Rock Chart[37] 11
US Billboard Top Pop Albums Chart[38] 23
US Billboard Comprehensive Albums Chart[39] 92

Digital download

Chart (2007) Peak position
US Billboard Top Digital Albums Chart[40] 24
US Billboard Top Internet Albums Chart[41] 18

2018 Reissue

Chart (2018) Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[42] 16
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[43] 23

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[44] Gold 20,000^
France (SNEP)[45] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[46] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[47] 3× Platinum 45,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Led Zeppelin: A Celebration". google.co.uk.
  2. ↑ "Led Zeppelin postpones reunion show" Archived 7 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine., liveDaily.com, 2 November 2007.
  3. ↑ Liner notes by Cameron Crowe for The Song Remains the Same, reissued version, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Modern Guitar Magazine". modernguitars.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014.
  5. ↑ http://www.ledzeppelin.com/news/song-remains-same-soundtrack-featuring-newly-remastered-audio-supervised-jimmy-page-due-sept-7
  6. ↑ AllMusic Review
  7. ↑ Blender Magazine review Archived 21 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: led zeppelin". robertchristgau.com.
  9. ↑ McCormick, Neil (23 April 2014). "Led Zeppelin's albums ranked from worst to best". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  10. ↑ Mojo magazine, December 2007, p. 83.
  11. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 662. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  12. ↑ "Q Magazine – Music news & reviews, music videos, band pictures & interviewsQ Magazine". q4music.com.
  13. ↑ Staunton, Terry (Xmas 2007). "Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same (R1976)". Uncut. Retrieved 8 December 2014. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ↑ "Led Zeppelin: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  15. ↑ Cavanagh, David (December 2007). "Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same (R1976)". Uncut. p. 93. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  16. ↑ Chris Welch (1994) Led Zeppelin, London: Orion Books. ISBN 1-85797-930-3, p. 68.
  17. ↑ Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 116.
  18. ↑ Liner notes by Cameron Crowe for The Complete Studio Recordings.
  19. ↑ McNair, James, "Vanity Fair!", Mojo magazine, December 2007, p. 83.
  20. ↑ Cavanagh, David. "Review of Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same Archived 3 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine." Uncut Magazine.
  21. ↑ "RPM Albums Chart – 25 December 1976". RPM. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  22. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 1976". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  23. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 20 October 1976". Oricon. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  24. ↑ Scapolo, Dean (2007). "Top 50 Albums – December 1976". The Complete New Zealand Music Charts (1st ed.). Wellington: Transpress. ISBN 978-1-877443-00-8.
  25. ↑ "Top 20 Albums – 28 November 1976". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  26. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 5 March 1977". PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  27. ↑ "Top 60 Albums – 30 November 1976". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  28. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 13 November 1976". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  29. ↑ "The Billboard 200 – 13 November 1976". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  30. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – December 1976". charts-surfer.de. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 1 December 2007". ultratop.be. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  32. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 10 December 2007". musicline.de. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  33. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 11 November 2007". Oricon. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – 1 December 2007". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  35. ↑ "Top Soundtracks – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 July 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  36. ↑ "Tastemakers – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 July 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  37. ↑ "Top Hard Rock Albums – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  38. ↑ "Top Pop Albums – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  39. ↑ "Comprehensive Albums – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  40. ↑ "Top Digital Albums – 8 December 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  41. ↑ "Top Internet Albums – 16 August 2008". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  42. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Argentinian album certifications – Led Zeppelin – The Song Remainds the Same". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.
  45. ↑ "French album certifications – LedZeppelin – The Song Remains the Same" (in French). InfoDisc. Select LEDZEPPELIN and click OK. 
  46. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Led Zeppelin; 'The Song Remains the Same')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  47. ↑ Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts (1st ed.). Wellington: Transpress. ISBN 978-1-877443-00-8.
  48. ↑ "British album certifications – Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Song Remains the Same in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  49. ↑ "American album certifications – Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  • The Garden Tapes – a study of sources of the live material and the edits for release on this album.

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