Live Peace In Hiroshima 1971 (Wendy wecd-01/02)
Municipal Gymnasium, Hiroshima, Japan – September 27th, 1971
Disc 1: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed & Confused, Stairway To Heaven
Disc 2: Celebration Day, That’s The Way, Going To California, Tangerine, What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (incl. Boogie Chillun’, Let’s Have Fun, Be Bop A Lulu), Communication Breakdown
Right in the middle of Zeppelin’s crazy 1971 tour of Japan they decided to hold a low key charity gig for the victims of the atomic blast in Hiroshima. The venue was much smaller (6,000) than the Budokan in Tokyo and Festival Hall in Osaka and the band played a much shorter, subdued set. This is one of the few charity gigs the band played in their career.
The two tape sources used for this release are distant, distorted and sometimes disturbing. Wendy also used very heavy-handed equalization on this release producing the crunchy metallic sound that swirls around the music. It’s too bad because, despite being a small show, Zeppelin produce a very good performance with the acoustic set being a highlight. The “Whole Lotta Love” medley is short and sweet, unlike the mammoth epics in the other shows on this tour. Wendy have produced the longest version of this show clocking in at over 142 minutes.
This current release is identical to Wendy’s first release back in the summer of 2003. The only modification is the packaging. This release is in line with the other Wendy titles from this specific tour: a tri-fold glossy cardboard sleeve with many pictures from the era. It is a beautiful production. It’s obvious they put a lot of thought into it. Too bad they didn’t put the same though into re-mastering the release to make it sound as enjoyable like their September 29th Fatally Wanderer. It is the music that should be of primary concern, not necessarily the packaging. Zeppelin collectors are still waiting for the definitive release of this show.
