The Nobs - 12.30.68 - I Can't Quit Trains A-Rollin - 1 & 2

Artist: Len Zefflin (Led Zeppelin)
Bootleg Album: Gonzaga 1968
Date: December 30th 1968
Song: The Train Kept A-Rollin' & I Can't Quit You Babe

Concert Setlist:
1. The Train Kept A-Rollin'
2. I Can't Quit You Baby
3. As Long As I Have You/Fresh Garbage/Shake/Mockingbird
4. Dazed And Confused
5. White Summer/Black Mountain Side
6. How Many More Times/The Hunter
7. Pat's Delight

Concert Notes:
How obscure was the opening band for Vanilla Fudge at Gonzaga University on Dec. 30, 1968? Well, the ads in both The Spokesman-Review and Chronicle read, "The Vanilla Fudge, with Len Zefflin."

The ad copywriter misheard the name and thought it was some guy named "Len Zefflin."

Little did anybody know that old Len would turn out to be Led Zeppelin, one of the most popular and influential rock bands of all time, whose reunion concert this month made worldwide news.

That 1968 show at Gonzaga's Kennedy Pavilion would later assume a historic status in Zeppelin lore -- all because a student brought a small tape recorder.

Today, this tape -- bootlegged and distributed all over the world and the Web -- is widely considered the first Led Zeppelin concert ever captured on tape; the earliest live recording of Led Zeppelin ever.

Here's how lead singer Robert Plant introduced one of the songs: "This is off an album that comes out in about three weeks time on the Atlantic label. It's called 'Led Zeppelin.' This is a tune ... called 'Dazed and Confused.' "

So their first album wasn't even out yet. The album would not make a mark on the charts until February 1969.

This concert was only their fifth in the U.S. The band had done tours of the U.K. and Scandinavia a few months before, many of them as The New Yardbirds, the band's short-lived original name. Some of these dates were actually leftover bookings for the Yardbirds, guitarist Jimmy Page's earlier band. Page and his new mates Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones had taken over some of these concert bookings.

So the band was mostly an unknown quantity. Yet at least one concertgoer, Bob Gallagher -- a record store 4,000 Holes -- was aware that he wasn't going to see some guy named Len Zefflin.

"We knew who Jimmy Page was, from the Yardbirds, and we heard it was his band," said Gallagher, who was a teenager at the time. "I was a big Vanilla Fudge fan because psychedelia was really happening then. ... But we were excited about seeing Jimmy Page."

Spokane was experiencing a severe cold snap that week, with temperatures dropping to 10 below. Apparently, the Kennedy Pavilion (Gonzaga's gym) wasn't well-heated either, because many fans remember it as being icy inside, as well.

But when Led Zeppelin launched into the first song, the place heated up.

"Bonham came out and started drumming on 'Train Kept a-Rollin',' and everybody went, 'Holy crap,' " said Gallagher. "There's never been a drummer like him. He was awesome. Then they all started playing and they were totally amazing."

Plant said, between songs, "You won't believe this, but I don't think that either ourselves or our equipment is quite used to the temperature. It's taken about three hours of gas stoves under the equipment to get everything going."

A little later Plant said they were now "getting warmed up properly," and you can hear the crowd response building after each song. By the evidence of the recording, the band's sound was already fully formed, distinguished by Plant's wailing voice -- at one point he sounds like a siren -- and Page's virtuoso guitar.

"What I mostly remember is when Jimmy Page took out a violin bow and began bowing his double-neck guitar," remembered Jeff "Tor" Nadeau. "The house was universally mind-blown. It was the most stunning and awesome sound ever."

"It took about a half a song before everybody was blown away," remembered David Priano. "When Plant harmonized to Page's pipe-wrench riffs, the audience went nuts. The other thing I remember was the drum solo (during 'Pat's Delight'). As a rule I don't like them. This was the exception. When he threw away his drum sticks and finished with his bare hands -- far out."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• early
• len
• zefflin
• the
• nobs
• blues
• rock
• pop
• classic
• 1968
• new
• live
• rare
• cover
• yardbirds
• dixion
• willie

[deepislandboy]

When Jimmy palyed Stairway live did he use the 6-string or 12-string neck of guitar for the intro?

[pepperc2900]

he used a double neck...but he played it on the 6 string side for the intro...

[fredzepp1]

Now that's how rock is supposed to sound. Zeppelin were so astonishingly good that a 40 year old audience bootleg like this can reach your gut and make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. I want to watch this entire concert on my flat screen in blu ray high def and surround sound. Yea right. I know. Well, as long as I'm dreaming I might as well be in the audience with a cold one witnessing the birth of the greatest band in rock history. You know there had to be some jaws hanging open.

[francescaemc2]

Oh, dear, I was drawn back by this very hip and happening music. The sound quality is better than some of my Caruso 78's, so can't complain.

They really are quite an ensemble. The guitar player is so versatile. Excellent vibrato.

I got to put this down for a while, I'm mistreating my only child and he wants his dinner.

[thenobs123]

@ledzeppelin750 i dont remember why i said that. but i think its cause you said beck left. when he definitiedly didnt. he didnt show up a few shows and tried to come back and everyone was like go fuck yourself. what a little pussy cunt.

[ledzeppelin750]

@thenobs123 "Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page-Talk about their Yardbird days" 1:40 into this interview and you got it, both page and beck talking about the immense touring, beck says "i freaked out, and left the band" and jimmy kept going for awhile. get your facts str8 before you start dicrediting another persons comment. ive got every single yardbirds tv appearance recorded including interviews and documentaries. LOL at you now... besides Jimmy Page will always be my favorite.

[thenobs123]

@ledzeppelin750 HA! yeah thats what it was hahaha that actually made me laugh out loud. oh man. im still laughing hahahahhaah and im not being sarcastic...

[thenobs123]

haha i love this, led zeppelin is still a baby here.

[ZiSt1989]

@ledzeppelin750

I once read on Hammer Of The Gods book (which actually is a crappy bunch of lies at some parts) that Jeff Beck turned into bad condition. Alcohol abuse, terrible stage performances such as insulting the auditorium with dirty words and drinking way to much. I was curious about that, so I had a little enquiries on the net. This story has been confirmed on a page about this Jeff Beck era, but don´t ask me where I found that, I really can´t remember.

[ledzeppelin750]

@ZiSt1989 Jeff wasnt thrown out of the yardbirds, he left cause the touring was emense and the money was petty. he was tired of it and thats actually why the band disbanded later on.

[AustrianZeppelin]

@jmyelz yes the first US gig was in Denver but the "bootleg" you had was wrong. the gonzaga set is the first available from Zeppelin....

[Pepper2Jason]

@pepperc2900 i love the sound of that! thank you so much for the post!!

[PaintedSidewalk]

i can see why people were like "holy crap!" all cause of bonzo!

[jmyelz]

there first concert in us was in Denver,1968 i know cause i used to have the bootleg. The set is the same as this one.