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LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - After years of
reluctance, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin are reissuing
their only live album, along with an associated concert movie
described by Q magazine as "one of rock's great catastrophes."
"The Song Remains the Same," which culled material from an
underwhelming three-night stand at New York's Madison Square
Garden in 1973, was originally released on vinyl and celluloid
in 1976.
Both packages will come out again in the United States on
Nov. 20, laden with previously unreleased tracks and other
bonus features. A week earlier, Led Zeppelin will release a
two-disc compilation featuring 24 hits, entitled "Mothership."
Guitarist/producer Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant and bass
player/keyboardist John Paul Jones have given the deluxe
reissue treatment to their catalog over the years, including a
boxed set of all their eight studio albums in 1993, and a
Grammy-nominated DVD in 2003.
But they largely ignored "The Song Remains the Same." The
double-disc album was released on CD in 1987, and the film on
DVD in 1999 -- and that was the extent to which the band
acknowledged the project's existence in the digital age.
Page once said the concerts were not "one of those real
magic nights," while critics and fans felt similarly
disappointed.
The soundtrack was essentially an obligatory companion
piece to the film, a costly project marred from the start by
poor preparation.
Late director Joe Massot, who was later booted from the
project, also filmed bizarre fantasy sequences involving Page,
Plant, Jones and drummer John Bonham, whose 1980 death led to
the band's dissolution.
British music publication Q said it was "the silliest rock
'n' roll movie ever," while manager Peter Grant said it was
"the most expensive home movie ever made."
The reissues are being handled by Warner Music Group's
archival label, Rhino Records, and sister label Warner Home
Video. A statement offered just one quote, from Page:
"We have revisited 'The Song Remains The Same' and can now
offer the complete set as played at Madison Square Garden. This
differs substantially from the original soundtrack released in
1976 ... When it comes to 'The Song Remains The Same,' the
expansion of the DVD and soundtrack are as good as it gets on
the Led Zeppelin wish list."
Page, who was unavailable for further comment, credited
producer Kevin Shirley for his work on the reissues. Shirley
previously worked on the 2003 CD "How the West Was Won," which
collected live footage from two 1972 shows.
Reuters
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2007
Reuters.
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