BBC Sessions

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BBC Sessions is a compilation album featuring studio sessions and a live concert recorded by English rock group Led Zeppelin for the BBC. It was released on 11 November 1997, by Atlantic Records. This was the first release of new Led Zeppelin material in 15 years. LP's 1 & 2 consists of material from four different 1969 BBC sessions. LP 3 & 4 contains most of the 1 April 1971 concert from the Paris Theater in London. Countless bootlegs of these recordings circulated for years before the officia...

BBC Sessions is a compilation album featuring studio sessions and a live concert recorded by English rock group Led Zeppelin for the BBC. It was released on 11 November 1997, by Atlantic Records. This was the first release of new Led Zeppelin material in 15 years. LP's 1 & 2 consists of material from four different 1969 BBC sessions. LP 3 & 4 contains most of the 1 April 1971 concert from the Paris Theater in London. Countless bootlegs of these recordings circulated for years before the official release. This release was widely welcomed by Led Zeppelin fans as the first live release since The Song Remains the Same in 1976. Others have criticized the decision to edit some of the songs and drop others that were recorded for the BBC. Most notable are one session from 1969 which included the unreleased song "Sunshine Woman," and about 7 minutes of the "Whole Lotta Love" medley from 1971. Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AMG) Led Zeppelin's BBC sessions were among the most popular bootleg items of the rock & roll era, appearing on a myriad of illegal records and CDs. They were all the more popular because of the lack of official Led Zeppelin live albums, especially since The Song Remains the Same failed to capture the essence of the band. For anyone who hadn't heard the recordings, the mystique of Zeppelin's BBC sessions was somewhat mystifying, but the official 1997 release of the double-disc BBC Sessions offered revelations for any fan who hadn't yet heard this music. While some collectors will be dismayed by the slight trimming on the "Whole Lotta Love Medley," almost all of the group's sessions are included here, and they prove why live Zeppelin was the stuff of legend. The 1969 sessions, recorded shortly after the release of the first album, are fiery and dynamic, outstripping the studio record for sheer power. Early versions of "You Shook Me," "Communication Breakdown," "What Is and What Should Never Be," and "Whole Lotta Love" hit harder than their recorded counterparts, while covers of Sleepy John Estes' "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair," Robert Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues," and Eddie Cochran's "Something Else" are welcome additions to the Zeppelin catalog, confirming their folk, blues, and rockabilly roots as well as their sense of vision. Zeppelin's grand vision comes into sharper relief on the second disc, which is comprised of their 1971 sessions. They still have their primal energy, but they're more adventurous, branching out into folk, twisted psychedelia, and weird blues-funk. Certainly, BBC Sessions is the kind of album that will only appeal to fans, but anyone who's ever doubted Zeppelin's power or vision will be set straight with this record. 4 LP Track listing A1 You Shook Me 5:44 Written-By – J.B. Lenoir, Willie Dixon A2 I Can't Quit You Babe 4:22 Written-By – Willie Dixon A3 Communication Breakdown 3:12 Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones A4 Dazed And Confused 6:39 Written-By – Jimmy Page B1 The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair 3:00 Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, John Estes* B2 What Is And What Should Never Be 4:20 Written-By – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant B3 Communication Breakdown 2:40 Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones B4 Travelling Riverside Blues 2:40 Written-By – Jimmy Page, Robert Johnson, Robert Plant C1 Whole Lotta Love 6:09 Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Willie Dixon C2 Somethin' Else 2:06 Written-By – Bob Cochran, Sharon Sheeley* C3 Communication Breakdown 3:05 Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones C4 I Can't Quit You Babe 6:21 Written-By – Willie Dixon D1 You Shook Me 10:19 Written-By – J.B. Lenoir, Willie Dixon D2 How Many More Times 11:51 Written-by [The Lemon Song] – Chester Burnett, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones E1 Immigrant Song 3:20 Written-By – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant E2 Heartbreaker 5:16 Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant E3 Since I've Been Loving You 6:56 Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant E4 Black Dog 5:18 Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant F1 Dazed And Confused 18:36 Written-By – Jimmy Page G1 Stairway To Heaven 8:49 Written-By – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant G2 Going To California 3:54 Written-By – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant G3 That's The Way 5:43 Written-By – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant H1 Whole Lotta Love (Medley): Boogie Chillun' / Fixin' To Die / That's All Right Mama / A Mess Of Blues 13:54 Written-by [A Mess Of Blues] – Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman Written-by [Boogie Chillun'] – Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker Written-by [That's All Right Mama] – Arthur Crudup* Written-by [Fixin' To Die] – Bukka White Written-By – Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Willie Dixon H2 Thank You 6:37 Written-By – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant Recording information Session one John Peel's Top Gear Venue: Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London Recording date: Monday 3 March 1969 Original broadcast: Sunday 23 March 1969 (in a show with sessions from Free, the Moody Blues and Deep Purple) Tracks: Disc 1; 1,2 and 4. Also included a version of "Communication Breakdown". Producer: Bernie Andrews Engineer: Pete Ritzema Tape operator: Bob Conduct Session two Alexis Korner's Rhythm and Blues, (BBC World Service) Venue: Maida Vale Studio 4, Delaware Road, London Recording date: Wednesday 19 March 1969 Original broadcast: Monday 14 April 1969 Tracks: "I Can't Quit You Baby", "You Shook Me" and "Sunshine Woman". The session was wiped or lost by the BBC, although recordings survive on bootlegs. The show was re-run later in 1969, adding the recording of "What Is And What Should Never Be" from the June 16 session. Producer: Jeff Griffin Session three Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae (although originally commissioned for Dave Symond's Symonds On Sunday show) Venue: Aeolian Hall studio 2, Bond Street, London Recording Date: Monday 16 June 1969 Original Broadcast: Sunday 22 June 1969 Tracks: Disc 1; 3,5 and 10. The session also included a prototype version of "What Is and What Should Never Be". Producer: Paul Williams Session four John Peel's Top Gear (Double recording session) Venue: Maida Vale studio 4, Delaware Road, London Recording date: Tuesday 24 June 1969 Original broadcast: Sunday 29 June 1969 Tracks: Disc 1; 6-9. (track 8; Travelling Riverside Blues, is the same version that appears on the reissued/remaster of Coda as a bonus track) Producer: John Walters Engineer: Tony Wilson Session five One Night Stand Venue: Playhouse Theatre Recording date: Friday 27 June 1969 Original broadcast: Sunday 10 August 1969 Tracks: Disc 1; 11-14. Also included a version of "Dazed and Confused", plus "White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side" (which was released on the 1990 Led Zeppelin boxed set.) Session six In Concert (Emcee John Peel) Venue: Paris Theatre, Lower Regent Street, London Recording date: Thursday 1 April 1971 Original broadcast: Sunday 4 April 1971 Tracks: Disk 2; all tracks. Also included a version of "Communication Breakdown" and "What Is and What Should Never Be". Producer: Jeff Griffin Engineer: Tony Wilson Personnel Led Zeppelin John Bonham – drums, percussion, backing vocals John Paul Jones – bass guitar, bass pedals, keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals Jimmy Page – acoustic and electric guitar, backing vocals, mastering, production Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica Additional personnel Andie Airfix – art direction, design Jon Astley – mastering Luis Rey – liner notes Chris Walter – photography Notes © 1997 Atlantic Recording Corporation. All Rights Reserved Manufactured and distributed under license by Classic Records, Inc. Tracks 1,2 and 4: 'Top Gear' Recorded 3.3.69. Transmitted 23.3.69 Tracks 3,5,10: 'Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae' Recorded 16.6.69. Transmitted 22.6.69 Tracks 6,7,8,9: 'Top Gear' Recorded 24.6.69. Transmitted 29.6.69 Tracks 11,12,13,14: 'One Night Stand' - Playhouse Theatre, London. Recorded 27.6.69. Transmitted 10.8.69 All songs on DISCS 3&4 recorded at the Paris Theater, London 1.4.71 - "In Concert' (Unedited) Tracks 17, 18, 24: Not transmitted Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.