Guitar... Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the Led Zeppelin...
120000 people gathered in Texas on this hot summer day of 1969. An
impressive line up with B.B.King, Canned Heat, Chicago, Grand Funk
Railroad, Herbie Mann, Incredible String Band, Janis Joplin, Johnny
Winter, Led Zeppelin, Sam & Dave, Santana, Sly & the Family
Stone, Spirit, Ten Years After and many others. We'll concentrate here on the Led Zep set, presented in a superb version by Genuine Masters.
Band : Led Zeppelin
Date : August 31st, 1969
Venue : Texas International Pop Festival
"Texas Pop" GM-LZ-31.08.1969-DVD-A-12
Two Sources :
- Soundboard / Aud source to fill - 64:37.07
- Video Soundtrack / Aud Source to fill - 66:28.74
1 Intro
2 The Train Kept A' Rollin'
3 I Can't Quit You
4 Dazed And Confused
5 You Shook Me
6 How Many More Times
7 Communication Breakdown
And bellow is the original poster for the festival
Reviews
These are taken from the Underground Uprising website
This release brings together for the first time the soundboard tape source and the video soundtrack source, with the very good audience recording used to fill the gaps in both the sources. The sound quality for the stereo soundboard (with the audience tape to fill the cuts), is extremely good. It has not however been heavily EQ'd to bring up the bottom end, but has a very clear, natural sound. This source was originally released on Whoopy Cat as Plays Pure Blues and by Oh Boy as Texas International Pop Festival. The second source, the stereo video soundtrack (with audience tape to fill gaps) first came out on Empress Valley as The Only Way To Fly. The sound on that release was extremely good, albeit with a lot of EQ, but not detrimental to the overall sound. This new release from Genuine Masters is the longest ever for the video/audience combo (more than a minute more than the Empress Valley version), and again has a very sharp, natural sound. It has better instrumental separation than the soundboard source, noticeable in the drums of John Bonham. You can hear the gong more clearly at the start of Dazed on this source. Visually this release is also a gem, there is a tremendous late 1960s psychedelic feel to all the graphics and visuals. A wonderful array of colours, perhaps one should smoke a 'strong' cigarette before watching this DVD! The cover art is again of very high quality, a great photo of Plant, and the screen printed disc is also a treat for the eyes. This is an extremely worthwhile presentation of the two stereo soundboard/video sources. But oh to have the video footage from which the audio was sourced, now that would be magical! (Jules McTrainspotter Jan 05)
With much excitement I have received Genuine Masters' latest release, "Texas Pop" the compilation of Zep's compact, and powerful, set on 8/31/69 at the Texas International Pop Festival. Like all of GM's releases, for me the value is found in the audio. This is no exception as the psychedelic slide show is rather an uninteresting cascade of all-too-familiar shots of the guys from the late 60's, early 70's, with few being new to my eyes. There's also a fair quantity of repetition in the pictures that doesn't make for a very stimulating visual experience. The audio, particularly that from the video soundtrack, is a major treat and sounded most spectacular on the home theater. There's a punch and definition to Bonzo's drums, cymbals, and cowbell that I don't recall hearing before, and I have the Whoopy Cat and Oh Boy releases, but not Empress Valley's The Only Way to Fly. Without a question, to me, the bass drum is deeper and bearing more of a "live" and exciting sound. The snare drum's crisp, and toms very present. After hearing this, I don't feel a need to obtain EV's release as I doubt it can get any sweeter than GM's mastering of this video soundtrack. There's a perfect balance, clarity and, where there are patches filled with the audience source, the transitions are smooth as silk and very temporary in duration before returning to the main soundtrack. The performance is well documented, and has dropped the jaw of many a peer of mine who never heard Zep like this, so thumbs up to Genuine Masters for doing this recording justice. It's definitely nice to have both the mixing board and video soundtrack sources on one DVD, but the value of this purchased for me is decidedly found in the video source. Add it to your collection if this show turns you on. (Symmetry101, Feb., 2005)
Such a familiar document for just about any degree of Zeppelin collector, novice or expert. Or is it? I took a different approach to this Genuine Masters release than what I have done typically in the past. As most collectors are aware of, GM offers audio discs along with their DVD-Audio/Video Montage DVDR shows. I decided to give the audios a run through first and I was simply floored. The only thing that was going through my mind was how fresh this soundboard sounded and, if this is what I am experiencing on these discs...what revelations will the DVDR unveil? Even the familiar soundtrack source packs a devastating punch. Actually, the soundtrack production or source here sounds like an official release - aside from the brief audience source filler at the beginning, etc. Pretty incredible for such a mass-circulated show over the years. I mean how excited should one be?We all have had several versions to this point. The answer: VERY excited. This isn't the same old standard fare.Those that have read my reviews of GM's other titles, get ready. I'm going to throw an abundance of praise and kudos to the label again for the superb presentation assimilated on the DVD-Audio/Picture Montage Picture Disc. Nay sayers relish the bashing of any label using a "DVD-Audio" description. These are people that haven't experienced what this product has to offer. You want to experience a new twist on an old tale?...I challenge and urge anybody to put these new sources, this new title up against your favourite "other" or previous version of the Texas Pop Festival show. Again, back to the Mixing Board version first. It has such depth, clarity and that trademark Genuine Masters' natural sound that is preserved - it's quite amazing. At times it's as if you are right onstage in the middle of the band playing. That IS a revelation in this case. I've never felt that way listening to this recording but I have always held the recording in high regard and it's one of my favourites from the band. This source has been previously available on Whoopy Cat's "Plays Pure Blues" and also on the original Oh Boy! release, "Texas International Pop Festival".The stereo Video Soundtrack provides its' own revelations as well. This source was originally unveiled on Empress Valley's nice "The Only Way To Fly", a couple years ago. As others have noted, EV applied some fairly heavy EQ to their versions. We now can grasp just how heavily theirs was equalized after hearing GM's presentation and lack of treatment. With the breathing quality the DVD-R medium provides these stellar recordings, this Video Soundtrack source really sounds like an official production on the DVD-Audio/Picture Montage version!It is essential to comment on the accompanying video or pictorial slide show that supplements the GM experience. This is the creative, niche production Genuine Masters continues to bring to the table for collectors. The cosmic use of imagery combined with the incredible resolution of the pictures themselves can be breathtaking - and blinding sometimes. The spectacular colors and some of the special effects incorporated really deserve some acclaim. I can't imagine how time-consuming it must be to come up with the new images to feature and come up with a variety that works for a given show. Again, we have some familiar pictures featured on Texas Pop but what is really nice is that GM seemingly makes a conscious effort to feature the individual members equally this time. It's not just 95% Jimmy & Robert as in some of the other titles. Sourcing of material is always key, but let's re-state it here again...it always starts with the audio. Then it's on to putting together an appropriate and stimulating pictorial to program along with it. GM has this process patented and continues to bring interesting twists to each release. This is a very cool title and will be very difficult for the label to beat on several levels. There, lies the challenge. Don't hesitate a second on picking this one up and get the audio discs too. I don't always think they are worthwhile but in this case, get them. As for the sound quality overall, the only subtractions taken off is because the sources are incomplete and the audience source is needed for filling in the gaps. Otherwise, it would be hard not to give this a perfect thumbs up. (SVENGI HotWacks On-Line Feb/05)
This latest Genuine Masters release, Texas Pop is sure to be a must have for anyone who likes Led Zeppelin. Needless to say this performance is a classic, fortunately recorded from the soundboard. Both the included soundboard and video soundtrack sources sound completely satisfying, and sounds like an official release. Compared to my old version the new GM release has a much more three dimensional sound. Each instrument is separated with a fuller more defined sound. In my opinion the DVD visuals are also excellent. Obviously quite a lot of time and work goes into each new GM release. I can`t help wondering what future releases of other classic shows will sound like! (Randy Johnson February 05)
Being recently new to this bootleg bug of only 3 years, it was easy to work out what shows and titles to grab first with the help from web sites like U.U. and others. If you take your time to read the volume of information and do your research you won't get stuck with a lemon title. A few years back when I started collecting it seemed the label of choice was Empress Valley and a close second by the how deep are your pockets Tarantura label. This past year there appears to be only one label putting out consistent quality and that's the Genuine Master label. By all accounts every one of their titles are a massive improvement of what has come before them. I can vouch for that when I compared the GMs Mystic San Diego to EVs Conspiracy Theory. Vast difference if you have the right music system set-up. Besides the stand-out audio on the GM titles they also stand alone on how they present their titles with their eye-grabbing slide-shows to accompany the music. Their The Devils Blues title was I thought a hard one to top but with Texas Pop Mr BlackDog has pulled another proverbial rabbit out of the hat. Texas Pop just has to be heard and seen! The audio quality is on par with Devils and the slideshow format is not as perfectly matched to the music but is still a well thought out and constructed sequence that befits the period. What I notice on these GM titles that have mixing board sources is their ability to make the instruments much more clearer and defined in each speaker. Even the mono mixing board sources give a nice separation in each speaker. Wonderful to hear and by all accounts mastered by the talented Mr Dog. The tone of each instrument comes through as it should be without those annoying tweaked up, distorted and EQd titles form other labels. This label can do no wrong and Texas Pop is just another confirmation that they are a quality company putting out sensational titles. Just listening to 1 minute of "I Can't Quit You" from this title and you will be hooked. Double thumbs up. (Dwayne Jenkins Feb 05)
Given GM's track record, it goes without saying that Texas Pop offers the best version to date of this Labor Day Weekend 1969 performance, in this case via two different sources: the original soundboard recording first released by Whoopy Cat and Oh Boy, and the newer "video soundtrack" source first released by Empress Valley. Which is superior? The distinction between the two isn't considerable; we give the nod to the video source as being slightly clearer (sure would love to hear it WITH picture). And kudos, as usual, to Black Dog for the seamless fill-ins of missing bits from the audience source. Having not played this material in many years, upon revisit the performance itself stands as interesting though certainly not an all-timer. The context of the appearance -a short set in the middle of a multi-band, multi-day bill - is hard to shake, and one gets the feeling that the band is sort of holding back as a result, with Robert Plant left to carry the load of connecting with the audience. As such, the versions are more textbook than exploratory, which isn't to say they are weak, they just feel bridled. Only with the encore, "Communication Breakdown," do the gloves come off, and we're treated to a short, sharp, shock of a reading. GM's video accompaniment embraces the period and motif of the festival itself, loaded with rich, psychedelic colors around familiar photos. This may not be Zep's greatest moment, but Texas Pop is an important set of recordings that deserved the GM benchmark treatment. (Butterking Feb 05, an expanded Review from Going Underground, ICE Magazine, April 05)
Titles available for comparison incuded the Whoopy Cat version and EV's The Only Way to Fly. Once again, Genuine Masters cracks it on a 1969 performance. While both of the aforementioned titles are well produced affairs and keepers in the ol' collection for me, it will probably always be Texas Pop I reach for when I want to hear this show. The visuals while nice and of the period with psychedelic fractal type backgrounds are not the reason to buy this title. I could not help thinking however that these visual stills would make an excellent PC screen saver! GM's skills no doubt lie in the ability to get as much extraneous noise out as possible whilst retaining all the dynamic range inherent in the recording. Instrument separation, bottom/top end presence and balance are as always, flawless and as good as they can be. The others sound great, this one, better. This ability is no doubt augmented by the DVD format's unquestioned superiority to the CD format (when played on the right system). So, in short, combine this Zep performance, GM's superior skills at the digital desk, a superior digital format, and an obvious fan's knowledge of the band and you get a winning combination. Get it. (Chris Serratella February 05)
More info
- Texas Pop Festival website
- Bootleg Encyclopedia : reviews the EVSD DVDA version
- Dazed and Confused
- You Shook Me
Jeu de briques
Snake
Pacman
Bubble