Here are some of the things that could be released for Led Zeppelin’s fiftieth anniversary in 2018

(PBS)

Jimmy Page has confirmed that “all manner of surprises” will be released in 2018 to mark 50 years since Led Zeppelin was formed.

Page said in an interview with the Academy of Achievement that “there’ll be Led Zeppelin product coming out, for sure, that people haven’t heard because I’m working on that. Next year will be the fiftieth year so there’s all manner of surprises coming out.”

But what surprises could Page mean? We decided to take a look at some likely options for what’s on the way in 2018, as well as some more outlandish theories. To be clear: We don’t know what’s coming. But it’s fun to guess.

Live material from Led Zeppelin’s 1971 Japan tour

Realistically, we’re probably not going to see any more previously unheard studio material from Led Zeppelin. Page’s remasters series plundered the vaults for the companion discs. Page confirmed as much in a press conference to promote the final remasters in 2015. “As far as the studio side of things, this is it,” he reportedly said.

So, let’s look to the live material. Led Zeppelin’s five-date tour of Japan in 1971 has been widely bootlegged, but it’s seen as a pinnacle of the band’s career in terms of live performances.

It’s widely believed that Page has the soundboard recordings of the 1971 Japanese tour, so it would make sense that he could edit together a supercut of the five shows into one live album, similar to what he did with “How The West Was Won.”

Southampton University 1973

The recording of this small scale Led Zeppelin performance was reportedly considered for an official release in the past but was seemingly abandoned. It’s not clear if that’s because the tapes were considered inferior in quality, or if other material was deemed to be more worthy.

Led Zeppelin’s Southampton University show from January 22, 1973 is a live highlight of the band’s career and has circulated as a bootleg for years. In fact, one bootleg of the performance is titled “The Great Lost Live Album.” Maybe it’s time for Page to find it.

Restoring the Bath Festival video

Led Zeppelin performed at the Bath Festival on June 28, 1970 and the performance was professionally filmed by director Peter Whitehead. However, it was believed for many years that the footage was unusable as it was too dark.

However, earlier this year we reported that the film of this show does exist, and is apparently “perfectly fine.” Professor Steve Chibnall from De Montfort University, who has access to the footage, said that “there’s 20 to 30 minutes and a lot of it is backstage. I’ve only seen the footage, I haven’t seen it with sound … it is usable because, I mean, it can be, it can be restored now. So you can raise those lighting levels, you can see more digitally.”

Earl’s Court 1975

Led Zeppelin performed five shows at Earl’s Court in London in 1975 and recorded each of the shows for posterity. However, there has never been a full, official release of the audio and video recorded from the shows. Six songs were included on the “DVD” release, but it’s likely that there’s more in the vaults that could be restored and released for the fiftieth anniversary.

A photo book

Page’s comment that “all manner of surprises” are planned for 2018 could mean more than just audio and video — maybe a book is in the works. Led Zeppelin were shot by many photographers both on-stage and off-stage, and eager fans would snap up an expensive, official hardback book that includes previously unseen photographs.

Jimmy Page has a connection here that would come in handy — he has a longstanding relationship with Genesis Publications in London. That’s the publishing house that released his limited edition photographic autobiography in 2010, and then a wider release of the book in 2014.

An official documentary

Surprisingly, there has never been a definitive documentary that covers Led Zeppelin’s career from a small band in London in 1968 to the sell-out O2 reunion performance in 2007.

There’s a wealth of video footage that could be used, and Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones would likely be happy to be interviewed for it. Filmmakers could also speak to former road manager Richard Cole, Jason Bonham, and musician Roy Harper who also joined the band on tour.

A new greatest hits compilation

This one seems like a no-brainer. Led Zeppelin last released a greatest hits album in 2007 with the “Mothership” compilation. Since then, Jimmy Page has overseen the remastering of all of the studio tracks, so it would make sense that Warner Music Group could release an updated greatest hits album featuring the remastered studio tracks.

‘Blu-ray’

In 2003 Led Zeppelin released “DVD,” a box set of footage of live performances by the band that was the biggest load of official footage ever released.

But that was 2003, and video quality has moved on since then. It should be relatively easy to upscale or rescan the footage used for “DVD” and release a high-definition version for digital download or a physical release on Blu-ray.

Jimmy Page has shown an awareness of high-definition formats with the Led Zeppelin remasters — the super deluxe box sets included cards with codes to download the albums in high-definition. “I thought the most sensible thing to do was be prepared with super-high-resolution files for whatever may come,” Page told The Telegraph. Perhaps it’s time for video to get the same treatment as audio?

A limited edition vinyl release for Record Store Day

Jimmy Page has repeatedly mentioned the idea of releasing some previously unreleased studio material on vinyl for Record Store Day.

Page said in an interview with Tight But Loose magazine in 2015 that he could release studio material on Record Store Day “in five year’s time.”

And in the press conference for the final Led Zeppelin remasters around the same time, Page reportedly said “as far as the studio side of things, this is it, unless something might pop up on international Record Day or something like that. But it will be a long way off.”

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13 Comments on "Here are some of the things that could be released for Led Zeppelin’s fiftieth anniversary in 2018"

  1. OMG SO FUCKEN EXCITED!!!!!!

  2. Great report but it could include the information that 2 entire gigs at earls court were filmed pro shot – zep heads know and got it, like me, but regular fans maybe don’t know it. A new blu ray wirh this would be great!

  3. The ‘73 MSQ and Shepperdton performances without the SRTS “dream sequences” in HD would be my bucket list concert film.

  4. Wish they would release the Knebworth ’79 video of Ten Years Gone remastered… JPJ playing acoustic guitar backup and bass pedals!

  5. Also on live Ten Years Gone: Jimmy Page’s B-bender guitar solo…

  6. Japan and Earls Court I’m really excited about – if they are on the schedule. Earls Court would give us the first post 1973 live release. So what about 1977? L.A. Forum 06-21-1977 is a no brainer and would make a great release to represent the 77 tour. Only (slight) drawback is that Trampled Underfoot was not played on the 21st but if Jimmy were to comprise a live album from all the Forum run then I’m sure he’d include TU as it is a great live track.

  7. Achilles First Stand | 23rd December 2017 at 7:58 pm | Reply

    It would be great to see a re-release of the entire catalog in 5.1 surround…at least all the original studio albums

  8. There is unreleased studio music yet to see the light of day, Swan Song, Lost in Space, All my love extended version with guitar solo, Fire (rehearsal run through from Clearwell castle spring 78) and I am sure there are more than this in the vault. Also a release from the 1980 tour over europe would be nice.

  9. i like ‘achilles first stand’ idea,but i would mesh the upcoming photobook with selected 5.1 soundtracks and release it as dvd/bluray/hdr….rememember all songs have been remastered to cover all bases and there are a lot of studio songs that would suit the surround sound effects and i even remember JP made a mix of ‘when the levee breaks’ that included different effects during the breaks in the verses…the mind boggles to see what can be done with ‘rain song’ ‘kashmir’ etc etc etc

  10. Everybody is overlooking Seattle 77. Professionally filmed and recorded. 16 different camera angles

  11. to rover,as much as i love led zep,the 77 shows became bloated affairs,pushing soloing to boredom levels,you know watching the marx brothers and f/forwarding of the piano/harp sequences.no quarter[40min]/moby dick[30min]/guitar solo-kasmir[25min] and theramin-achilles last stand[25min]…thats 2hrs/4 songs and i’ll say it again and again–achilles last stand is a song that cant be captured in a live setting,after the studio version,its a failure again and again.Having said all that,i’ll go and listen to ‘listen to this eddie’ bootleg and play no quarter……love the jazz interplay between the piano/guitar-classic

  12. jerkybillthecat | 29th December 2017 at 1:20 pm | Reply

    With so many great soundboard live recordings out there, why not release every studio album with a companion live track album comprising of the best sounding tracks of each song- maybe even including a few extras (Train Kept a Rolling anyone?)

    • @jerkybillthecat Led Zeppelin didnt do every song in concert. Never performed live by Zep were Your Time Is Gonna Come, Living Loving Maid, Gallows Pole (in full), Hats Off To Harper, Four Sticks, The Crunge (in full), D’yer Mak’er, Custard Pie, The Rover (in full), Houses Of The Holy, In The Light, Down By The Seaside, Night Flight (there is a soundcheck performance), Boogie With Stu, Royal Orleans, Candy Store Rock, Hots On For Nowhere, Tea For One, South Bound Sauez, Fool In The Rain, Carouselambra, Im Gonna Crawl, Poor Tom, Walters Walk (in full), Ozone Baby, Darlene, Bonzos Montreux, Wearing And Tearing, Hey Hey What Can I Do, Baby Come On Home
      Though some of these have been performed in the solo years, thats differemt record labels, artists and legalities to deal with that kind of make it impossible

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