Okay folks, here it is- Led Zeppelin live at the Knebworth Festival,
Stevenage, England, August 11th, 1979, "Soundboard" source...Let me
explain the quotations further...
This tape is *NOT* what you would commonly refer to as a
soundboard tape, which is usually either a patch from the FOH feed, or a
monitor mix...This "soundboard" is actually comprised of four(4) different
sources:
The first cd is from an extremely low, possibly first generation
videotape. It uses the same audio feed that was used to make the
band's personal copies of the video. This video has seen some
circulation in trading circles in recent years, but the sound was just
*never* this good- nice stereo, with virtually no hiss...
The second source cuts in during the first few moments of Page's
White Summer/Black Mountain Side guitar solo piece. This one is a
fairly good audience source, and is used to complete this song- I'm
not sure as to why; I'll have to check my copy of the video to see if
there is a cut there...
The third source used, cuts in just a brief moment before the
start of Kashmir. Most people missed this source when reviewing the
set, but check your discs- for the rest of the "soundboard" portion of the
disc- this source is used. It is still a really great sounding stereo
video feed, but either it came from a different, lower grade vhs tape, or
is one or two generations higher, as there is more hiss present in this
source...Still the most enjoyable tape of this that I have ever heard,
though- so don't let my comments here discourage you...
The fourth source is again an audience one, but is only used for
the final comments made by Plant at the end of the show. This one is
sourced from an old vinyl bootleg, apparently, but has no real crackle to
speak of, just surface rumble from the turntable, and it only lasts a few
moments...I have to check my videotape copy about this as well...
All in all, this is an excellent recording, but it *does* have
it's faults. I have auditioned five different copies of this source,
including a dat source that was supposed to be master>dat or 1st>dat, but
unfortunately, I find this to not be so- it is almost identical to the cd
sets I have listened to, with the exception of a little less distortion.
This is the source which I will be using to seed the tree.

As for the faults in the recording- here's the deal- *Someone* did a
really nice job assembling this show from multiple sources, and they
should be commended for their efforts...Unfortunately, the actual transfer
of the analog material to digital was done at a level which was just a
hair too high, which results in some very mild digital clipping on the
very loudest parts of the music. It is less apparent on the dat tape, but
still there, and it exists on *all* the cd-r copies that I have received-
coming from three different continents!!!

I would love to speak to the gent who assembled this and sold it, as
it could have bee absolutely perfect if he had set the record levels just
a tiny bit lower. Unfortunately, the chance of getting this one remastered
is pretty much nil, so we will have to make due with what it is...Don't
let this scare you away- it's a good show, and not a bad listen, either...
There have been several complaints about the inclusion of an 11
minute break between the last song of the regular set and the encores,
which effectively stretched this into a three disc set, but collectors and
perfectionists demand this. To make it more appealing, I have included two
songs from the previous week's performance, 8-4-79, Ten Years Gone, and
Kashmir, also SB recordings from my personal collection, on the end of
disc three, to bring the time of that disc up to a respectable 56
minutes...

Okay- all things aside, this is a nice set, and will make a good
addition to anyone's collection. I have positions available for
approx. 250 leaves at this time, pending more branch signups...If you
would like to sign up for this tree, send an email to:

srstim@fsinter.net

In the subject line, type "Knebworth Tree" and either "Branch"
or "Leaf"...Please include your real name, geographical location, and if
you are signing up as a branch, also include the following information:
1. Your full snail mail address
2. Make and model of cd burner
3. Type of software you will be using for DAE and cd burning, so I can
determine if you can do proper DAO recording...
4. Type of blank cd-r's you intend to use...

Today is February 12, 2000, the 25th. anniversary of one of Zep's
great shining moments- a spectacular show at Madison Square Garden in NYC,
waaaay, waaaaay back in 1975...I will take signups until the 250 leaf
positions, and any new branches are filled, or until March 1st. 2000,
whichever comes first. Upper level branches will be sent their discs
shortly, and the tree will start moving before the signups are fully
closed. As soon as I have a branch full, discs will begin to move...
Help stop the spread of bad media- I recommend Kodak, Mitsui, and TDK
media, in that order, as Zep-Head approved for low failure rates and
longevity...Please- no 2 for 1 on this tree, B+P should be enough for
everyone on this one...
Peace-
Toonz