Ultraviolence Attack (Badgeholders BH-006-01-02)
Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI – January 31, 1975
Disc 1: Rock And Roll, Sick Again, Over The Hills And Far Away, In My Time Of Dying, The Song Remains The Same, The Rain Song, Kashmir, No Quarter
Disc 2: Trampled Under Foot, Moby Dick, How Many More Times (including Dazed & Confused, The Hunter, The Lemon Song), Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog
Another release from one of Zeppelin’s weakest eras, Ultraviolence Attack is the latest on the Badgeholders label and the first release of the Detroit show in ages. This tape first saw the light of day on vinyl as Detroit-Just About Back (King Kong LZ 1046) and Plant Waves (WRMB 337). The full tape was released on the old Immigrant label as Tune Up (IM 52-53).
Badgeholders likes to work the volume on the tapes to make them as loud and clear as possible and there is nothing to suggest it isn’t the case here. The tape is fair to good and very listenable.
It’s a good recording of the music with very minimal audience interference and almost complete. There is a small cut in “Moby Dick” and the tape begins to degenerate by the end of “How Many More Times” right when Plant is squeezing his lemon. The final verse is cut off and the tape picks up again with Plant introducing “Stairway To Heaven” and continues to the end of the encores.
Ultraviolence Attack is the second release this year from the beginning of Zeppelin’s tenth US tour. Unlike the Chicago concert, there really isn’t anything here for the general collector. Rarities like “When The Levee Breaks” and “The Wanton Song” were dropped by this time and what you hear is a band trying to pull themselves together, fighting various misfortunes (Plant’s flu, Page’s finger). “No Quarter” is very good, played in 1973 style with inventive riffs from Page.
“Stairway To Heaven” and the encores are also very strong ending the show on a high. But the lowpoint is “How Many More Times” which they played in lieu of “Dazed & Confused”. The Detroit performance was the second to last of the piece (it’s final airing in Pittsburgh which was unfortunately not recorded) and here sounds quite dull.
This will appeal to the Zeppelin collector who has to have one of everything. Badgeholders packaged it nicely in a double slim jewel case with a four page insert and liner notes from The Concert File, all encased in a nice slip cover.
