Shout That Loud (Electric Magic EMC-024 A/B)
Madison Square Garden New York September 19, 1970
Disc One 69:24:- Introduction 1:02 Immigrant Song 3:09 Heartbreaker 6:39 Dazed and Confused 16:12 Bring it on Home 9:27 Tribute to Jimi Hendrix 2:09 That’s the Way 6:37 Bron-Y-Aur 2:43 Since I’ve Been Loving You 7:21 Organ Solo 6:47 Thank You 7:12
Disc Two 72:19:- What Is And What Should Never Be 4:53 Moby Dick 11:37 Whole Lotta Love 23:15 (includes Boogie Chillin’/ Dust My Broom/ Bottle Up and Go/ Lawdy Miss Clawdy/ Cinnamon Girl/ Some Other Guy/ Train Kept A Rollin’/ I’m a King Bee/ Baby Don’t You Want Me to Go/ CC Rider) Out on the Tiles 3:07 Communication Breakdown 8:07 (includes Gallows Pole) The Girl Can’t Help It/Twenty Flight Rock 5:26 How Many More Times 15:51 (includes Cadillac/Blueberry Hill)
How long did we really think it would take for the boot labels to get their hands on this recording and release it on silver discs? Especially, since the recording was generously made available to download for free by everyone, including the boot labels, off of the net by the taper of the show. (A huge thank you must go out to the taper of the show for sharing this gem of a concert for free). Electric Magic won the race to be the first boot label to release this incredible concert as Shout That Loud. I understand that Empress Valley has just released this show as Requiem and another boot label released it under the title Final Daze. I have not heard either of these newer releases yet. Electric Magic’s Shout That Loud comes in a slimline double CD jewel case with live pictures circa 1970. It is packaged in an identical fashion to most of Electric Magic’s recent releases like Another Night On Blueberry Hill.
There have already been some excellent and detailed reviews of this concert from the folks who have downloaded it from the internet and shared their thoughts about it on Underground Uprising. So, I won’t go into detail about every song. I want to add to and/or reiterate some things about what has been said about this show. It is simply one of Led Zeppelin’s best performances in terms of their playing and set list. The band is absolutely on fire. We are treated to a unique medley in Whole Lotta Love. The concert set list that includes Out On The Tiles, possibly the first live version of Gallows Pole ever played by the band (as part of Communication Breakdown), and How Many More Times as the final encore including Blueberry Hill are just a few of the treasures found here. The audience recording for the performance is very good for the time period. It comes in excellent stereo sound. It appears that Electric Magic downloaded this release from the internet (which I am told runs slightly fast – which means Electric Magic did not speed correct it).
The length of the discs and each song are very close to the internet version (One More For The Road). The songs have been indexed slightly differently between the two versions. Communication Breakdown and Gallows Pole are not indexed separately on the Electric Magic version. So, what is the difference between what you can download for free from the internet and this Electric Magic release? Electric Magic have “applied” their own brand of Equalization to the recording. Fortunately, The EQ job does not include the strange metallic sound found on some of Electric Magic’s earlier releases. Electric Magic’s version emphasizes the lower frequencies which are quite pronounced during Moby Dick. One More For The Road has some balance and channel problems most notably during Heartbreaker and Dazed And Confused. Electric Magic was able to smooth those areas out to make for a more enjoyable listening experience.
Shout That Loud has less tape garble and distortion than One More For The Road. However, by equalizing the tape in this fashion Electric Magic have dulled the sound on their release. Put simply, the sound is not as dynamic as One More For The Road. Which version is better really depends on your preference. Electric Magic’s Shout That Loud will appeal to listeners that like a smoother recording that emphasizes the lower frequencies. One More For The Road is more raw with a more dynamic sound quality, albeit, with the distortions intact from the original recording. I found both recordings to be enjoyable in their own ways. But, one of them costs nothing to download except a couple of blank CD’s. You do the math. (Scott Shallcross March 04)
