Led Zeppein – It’s Time To Travel Again (TDOLZ Vol. 041)

It’s Time To Travel Again (TDOLZ Vol. 041)

Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium – January 12th, 1975

Disc 1 (47:43):  Rock And Roll, Sick Again, Over The Hills And Far Away, When The Levee Breaks, The Song Remains The Same, The Rain Song, Kashmir

Disc 2 (60:12):  The Wanton Song, No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, In My Time Of Dying, Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Communication Breakdown

Led Zeppelin took their first real break from live performance in the latter half of 1973 and 1974.  They established their record label Swan Song and recorded Physical Graffiti and intended to tour the world several times over in 1975.  The return to live activity were two low key shows in Europe.  The first was January 11th in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and the second was January 13th in Brussels, Belgium.  No tape currently circulates for the first but two tape sources exist for the second.

It’s Time To Travel Again is one of three silver pressings of this show.  The first is Operation Moonbeam(Tarantura Belgium-1, 2) and after TDOLZ Empress Valley included it as part of  Belgian Triple (EVSD- 232-237), a six disc set with the 1972 and 1980 shows at the same venue.  These two titles are rare and expensive which makes the TDOLZ an affordable alternative.

Although all the songs are present and are virtually complete, there are several very minor cuts scattered throughout the show.  There is a cut twenty-seven seconds in “Rock And Roll,” at 4:29 in “The Rain Song” and one immediately afterwards, one forty-seven seconds into “Kashmir” and a cut at the very end eliminating the very final note, one at 11:22 in “No Quarter” and immediately afterwards and one after “Stairway To Heaven.” 

The show is very short, lasting under two hours, and lacks any major epics such as “Dazed And Confused” or “Moby Dick.”  But this was a chance to introduce live arrangements to the new songs.  It begins with “Rock And Roll” which segues into “Sick Again,” played for the second time live (assuming it was premiered the previous evening in Rotterdam).

“It is very nice to be back in Brussels again,” Plant greets the audience.  “We have been very busy for eighteen months, but we do not play very much. This is the second concert in nearly two years for Led Zeppelin… maybe that’s good for you, and maybe it ain’t. This is…we’re gonna do new songs from the new LP Physical Graffiti, which comes out soon.”  Bonham begins to bang out the introduction to “When The Levee Breaks,” but stops when he realizes he’s a song too early in the set.  Page then starts “Over The Hills And Far Away” and the band follow with a sloppy version of the piece. 

“When The Levee Breaks” is introduced as “one we really always enjoyed and we finally got around to playing.”  This was probably the second ever performance of the song which would be dropped after the first couple of shows in Chicago on the US tour.

“The Song Remains The Same” and “The Rain Song” sound much more confident and tighter than the previous songs.  But “Kashmir” sounds tentative and they miss a cue early on.  They quickly catch themselves, but are unsteady throughout the duration of the song.  This is followed another new song from Physical Graffiti “The Wanton Song” which is called “another song of lust. A little habit I picked up after meeting Phil Carson, one of my idols.”  Of all the new songs in the set this fares the best. 

“No Quarter” sounds just like the compact and intense arrangements on the previous tour.  The follow two new songs, “Trampled Underfoot” and especially “In My Time Of Dying” sound very good on this tape.  The latter is so intense that it wakes up the audience who give it a very loud ovation at the end.  “So how do the new ones feel, OK? You’re fired” Plant asks afterwards. 

“Stairway To Heaven” is installed as the new set closer.  Led Zeppelin reward Brussels with two encores.  The first is “Whole Lotta Love” and segue into “Black Dog” and a rare 1975 version of “Communication Breakdown” with a funk interlude featuring Plant’s “I don’t feel it” interjections.   

It’s Time To Travel Again is packaged in a single pocket cardboard sleeve.  The front has a picture of Jimmy Page taken at Earls Court playing the guitar with the violin bow (ironic since there is no such solo in this show), and the back a photo of the band on the tour plane flying to the US for the tour.  This show isn’t essential for all collectors, but Zeppelin collectors would enjoy hearing the Physical Graffiti songs when they were first introduced for the stage.  This is a common, affordable edition of the show worth having.