BBC Sessions (Led Zeppelin album)

BBC Sessions
Live album by Led Zeppelin
Released	11 November 1997 16 September 2016
Recorded	March & June 1969, 1 April 1971, London, England, UK
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, folk rock
Length	138:58
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Jimmy Page
Compiler	Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin chronology
The Complete Studio Recordings (1993) BBC Sessions (1997) The Best of Led Zeppelin (1999–2000)
Singles from BBC Sessions
"The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair" Released: 11 November 1997

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Blender	[2]
Robert Christgau	[3]
Pitchfork Media	8.9/10[4]

BBC Sessions is a compilation album featuring studio sessions and a live concert recorded by English rock group Led Zeppelin for the BBC. It was released on 11 November 1997, by Atlantic Records. This was the first release of new Led Zeppelin material in seven years. Disc one consists of material from four different 1969 BBC sessions. Disc two contains most of the 1 April 1971 concert from the Paris Theatre in London.^[5] Disc three was only included in a limited run of album releases and features rare interviews from 1969, 1976/1977, and 1990.

Countless bootlegs of these recordings circulated for years before the official release. This release was widely welcomed by Led Zeppelin fans as it was the first live release since The Song Remains the Same in 1976. Others have criticized the decision to edit some of the songs and drop others that were recorded for the BBC. Most notable are one session from 1969 which included the unreleased song "Sunshine Woman", and about seven minutes of the "Whole Lotta Love" medley from 1971.^[6] The album was re-released in September 2016 with further BBC recordings, including the "Sunshine Woman" session.

Track listing

Standard edition

Disc one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"You Shook Me" (Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir)	5:14
2.	"I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon)	4:22
3.	"Communication Breakdown" (John Bonham, John Paul Jones, and Jimmy Page)	3:12
4.	"Dazed and Confused" (Page)	6:39
5.	"The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair" (Bonham, Sleepy John Estes, Jones, Page, and Robert Plant)	3:00
6.	"What Is and What Should Never Be" (Page and Plant)	4:20
7.	"Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, and Page)	2:40
8.	"Travelling Riverside Blues" (Robert Johnson, Page, and Plant)	5:12
9.	"Whole Lotta Love" (Bonham, Dixon, Jones, Page, and Plant)	6:09
10.	"Somethin' Else" (Bobby Cochran and Sharon Sheeley)	2:06
11.	"Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, and Page)	3:05
12.	"I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon)	6:21
13.	"You Shook Me" (Dixon and Lenoir)	10:19
14.	"How Many More Times" (Bonham, Jones, and Page)	11:51

Disc two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Immigrant Song" (Page and Plant)	3:20
2.	"Heartbreaker" (Bonham, Jones, Page, and Plant)	5:16
3.	"Since I've Been Loving You" (Jones, Page, and Plant)	6:56
4.	"Black Dog" (Jones, Page, and Plant)	5:17
5.	"Dazed and Confused" (Page)	18:36
6.	"Stairway to Heaven" (Page and Plant)	8:49
7.	"Going to California" (Page and Plant)	3:54
8.	"That's the Way" (Page and Plant)	5:43
9.	"Whole Lotta Love"/"Boogie Chillun'"/"Fixin' to Die"/"That's Alright Mama"/"A Mess of Blues" (Bonham, Jones, Page, and Plant/John Lee Hooker/Bukka White/Arthur Crudup/Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman)	13:45
10.	"Thank You" (Page and Plant)	6:37

The Complete Sessions edition – bonus disc

Eight unreleased recordings from a conglomerate of 1969 sessions, including "Dazed and Confused", "White Summer", "I Can't Quit You Baby", "You Shook Me" and "Sunshine Woman" along with two versions of both "Communication Breakdown" and "What Is and What Should Never Be" (recorded two years apart) were released on 16 September 2016, comprising a third disc of the previously two-disc BBC Sessions compilation. The lost March 1969 three-song session – by all accounts erased from its master tapes – appears on the disc sourced from a reputed AM radio recording. This session contains the oft-bootlegged, boogieing blues rocker "Sunshine Woman," a track that Zeppelin never formally released, and renditions of Willie Dixon's "I Can't Quit You Baby" and "You Shook Me."

Disc three
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, and Page)	3:00
2.	"What Is and What Should Never Be" (Page and Plant)	4:14
3.	"Dazed and Confused" (Page)	11:08
4.	"White Summer" (Page)	8:22
5.	"What Is and What Should Never Be" (Page and Plant)	4:44
6.	"Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, and Page)	4:54
7.	"I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon)	5:26
8.	"You Shook Me" (Dixon and Lenoir)	4:10
9.	"Sunshine Woman" (Bonham, Jones, Plant, and Page)	3:06

Recording information

Session one

John Peel's Top Gear

• Venue: Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London
• Recording date: Monday 3 March 1969
• Original broadcast: Sunday 23 March 1969 (in a show with sessions from Free, the Moody Blues and Deep Purple)
• Tracks: Disc 1; 1, 2 and 4. Also included a version of "Communication Breakdown".
• Producer: Bernie Andrews
• Engineer: Pete Ritzema
• Tape operator: Bob Conduct

Session two

Alexis Korner's Rhythm and Blues, (BBC World Service)

• Venue: Maida Vale Studio 4, Delaware Road, London
• Recording date: Wednesday 19 March 1969
• Original broadcast: Monday 14 April 1969
• Tracks: "I Can't Quit You Baby", "You Shook Me" and "Sunshine Woman". The session was wiped or lost by the BBC, although recordings survive on bootlegs. The show was re-run later in 1969, adding the recording of "What Is And What Should Never Be" from the June 16 session.
• Producer: Jeff Griffin

Session three

Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae (although originally commissioned for Dave Symond's Symonds On Sunday show)

• Venue: Aeolian Hall studio 2, Bond Street, London
• Recording Date: Monday 16 June 1969
• Original Broadcast: Sunday 22 June 1969
• Tracks: Disc 1; 3,5 and 10. The session also included a prototype version of "What Is and What Should Never Be".
• Producer: Paul Williams

Session four

John Peel's Top Gear (Double recording session)

• Venue: Maida Vale studio 4, Delaware Road, London
• Recording date: Tuesday 24 June 1969
• Original broadcast: Sunday 29 June 1969
• Tracks: Disc 1; 6-9. (track 8; Travelling Riverside Blues, is the same version that appears on the reissued/remaster of Coda as a bonus track)
• Producer: John Walters
• Engineer: Tony Wilson

Session five

One Night Stand

• Venue: Playhouse Theatre
• Recording date: Friday 27 June 1969
• Original broadcast: Sunday 10 August 1969
• Tracks: Disc 1; 11-14. Also included a version of "Dazed and Confused", plus "White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side" (which was released on the 1990 Led Zeppelin boxed set.)

Session six

In Concert (Emcee John Peel)

• Venue: Paris Theatre, Lower Regent Street, London
• Recording date: Thursday 1 April 1971
• Original broadcast: Sunday 4 April 1971
• Tracks: Disc 2; all tracks. Also included a version of "Communication Breakdown" and "What Is and What Should Never Be". The "Whole Lotta Love" medley has had "For What It's Worth", "Trucking Little Mama" and "Honey Bee" edited out, shortening the medley by about 7 minutes.
• Producer: Jeff Griffin
• Engineer: Tony Wilson

Personnel

Led Zeppelin

• John Bonham – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• John Paul Jones – bass guitar, bass pedals, keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals
• Jimmy Page – acoustic and electric guitar, backing vocals, mastering, production
• Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica

Additional personnel

• Andie Airfix – art direction, design
• Jon Astley – mastering
• Luis Rey – liner notes
• Chris Walter – photography

Chart positions

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Japanese Albums Chart[7]	10
French Albums Chart[8]	38
New Zealand RIANZ Top 50 Albums Chart[9]	26
Finnish Albums Chart[10]	28
Swedish Albums Chart[11]	50
UK Albums Chart[12]	23
Norwegian Albums Chart[13]	36
US Billboard The 200 Albums Chart[14]	12
Canadian RPM Top 100 Chart[15]	30

Re-release

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16]	34
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17]	32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18]	15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19]	12
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20]	32
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[21]	41
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22]	7
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[23]	11
Irish Albums (IRMA)[24]	93
Italian Albums (FIMI)[25]	14
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[26]	3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[27]	21
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[28]	18
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29]	6
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[30]	28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31]	18
UK Albums (OCC)[32]	3
US Billboard 200[33]	21

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]	Silver	60,000^^
United States (RIAA)[35]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog #
United States	11 November 1997	Atlantic Records	4 LP	83061-1
			2 Compact Disc	83061-2
			2 Cassette	83061-4
			3 Compact Disc	83074-2
United Kingdom			2 Compact disc	7567-83061-2
Japan		WEA Japan	2 Compact disc	11756-7

References

1. BBC Sessions at AllMusic
2. Archived November 22, 2005, at the Wayback Machine.
3. Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: led zeppelin". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
4. Archived February 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
5. Lewis, Dave (2003). "Led Zeppelin at the BBC". Led Zeppelin: The 'Tight but Loose' Files': Celebration II (1st ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 8. ISBN 1-84449-056-4.
6. Lewis, Dave (2004). "BBC Sessions". Led Zeppelin: The Complete Guide to Their Music (1st ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 76. ISBN 1-84449-141-2.
7. "Top 100 Albums – 15 November 1998". Oricon. Archived from the original on 18 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
8. "Top 200 Albums – 22 November 1997". lescharts.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
9. "Top 50 Albums – 23 November 1997". RIANZ. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
10. "Top 40 Albums – 23 November 1997". finnishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
11. "Top 100 Albums – 28 November 1997". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
12. Warwick, Neil (2004). "Led Zeppelin – 29 November 1997". The Complete Book of the British Charts (3rd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 627. ISBN 1-84449-058-0.
13. "Top 40 Albums – 30 November 1997". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
14. "The 200 Chart – 6 December 1997". Billboard. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
15. "RPM Albums Chart – 1 December 1997". RPM. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
16. "Australiancharts.com – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
17. "Austriancharts.at – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
18. "Ultratop.be – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
19. "Ultratop.be – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
20. "Led Zeppelin – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Led Zeppelin. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
23. "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2016. 38. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
24. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 38, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
25. "Italiancharts.com – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
26. "Weekly Foreign Albums Chart". oricn ME inc. 2016-09-26. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
27. "Charts.org.nz – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
28. "Portuguesecharts.com – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
29. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
30. "TOP 100 ALBUMES — SEMANA 38: del 16.09.2016 al 22.09.2016" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
31. "Swisscharts.com – Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
32. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
33. "Led Zeppelin – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Led Zeppelin. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
34. "British album certifications – Led Zeppelin – BBC Sessions". British Phonographic Industry. Enter BBC Sessions in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
35. "American album certifications – Led Zeppelin – BBC Sessions". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

• Ledzeppelin.com BBC Sessions
• The Garden Tapes – analysis of live tracks edits for the album