Collectors Music Reviews

At Nassau Coliseum (Eelgrass 20229-31)

Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY – February 14th, 1975

Disc 1(55:47): Rock And Roll, Sick Again, Over The Hills And Far Away, In My Time Of Dying, Since I’ve Been Loving You, The Song Remains The Same, The Rain Song
Disc 2(67:00): Kashmir, No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, Moby Dick
Disc 3(73:16): Dazed And Confused, Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Heartbreaker

Of all the 1975 shows surfacing on soundboard the past couple of years, the ones in most need were the February 14th and March 12th shows, two legendary nights documented by mediocre audience recordings.  At Nassau Coliseum is Eelgrass’ version of the recently surfaced soundboard recording from Zeppelin’s St. Valentine’s Day show in New York.  Like the other Zeppelin 75 soundboards it is clear and powerful but with an emphasis on the high end.  The sound from the cymbals from the drum kit are extremely saturated.

And like the other soundboards this one also is incomplete.  The small event after “Dazed And Confused,” when Plant sings a bit of “Tangerine” in response to audience request, is cut out.  It is a minor issue but diminishes the character of the show.  Some have suggested that this cut are actually intentionally done either by Empress Valley or the actual source who they bought it from.

The positives far outweigh the negatives however.  The audience tape, while at times listenable, is a chore to get through compared to this.  And while the audience tape is good at recording the audience’s reaction to Zeppelin’s very presence, the soundboard is good at picking up the band’s response to the audience’s warmth.  Shouts from the audience are audible on the tape along with running commentary by Bonham and Plant off mic.  Eelgrass have done an excellent job at producing an affordable edition of the show.  They utilize thick glossy paper for the inserts with beautiful but common photos from the tour giving it a more high class appearance.   

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