LED ZEPPELIN / BLACK BEAUTY (1CD) at the Fillmore 1969

Features the opening night's concert from the legendary four-show run at the Fillmore in April 1969.

01. Tuning
02. As Long As I Have You
- Fresh Garbege
- Shake
- Mockinbird
- You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover
　 03. Killing Floor　
04. White Summer - Black Mountain Side
05. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
06. Pat's Delight

In terms of sound quality, this recording is so magnificent that it transcends the usual categories of "top-tier audio." It sparked a debate over whether it was a soundboard or an audience recording—a question that remains unresolved to this day. The instrumentation and cymbal resonance are crystal clear, and the powerful low-end frequencies remain intact; while the bass sound suggests a soundboard source, the vocals tend to get slightly buried, hinting at an audience recording. Although it is generally classified as an audience recording now, it is clearly no ordinary one—perhaps captured with a dual-microphone setup or recorded right in front of the stage monitors. Regardless of the specific method, it is undeniably an extraordinary source. This superb sound quality stands as a true masterpiece in the history of Led Zeppelin collecting.

As for the content, the original recording features very few cuts, and this release maintains that integrity; the pitch is accurate, ensuring a stable listening experience throughout. The uncut, 18-minute rendition of "As Long As I Have You" is packed with improvisation. Even when Johnsey (John Paul Jones) encounters bass trouble mid-song, the band incorporates the mishap into the lyrics, slicing through the air and driving the performance forward with the precision of a razor-sharp blade. The tension! The dynamic energy! The picture disc features the famous photograph of a boy gazing reverently at the stage. Listening to this album, you can truly understand that boy's feelings—the stage radiates a divine aura that makes you want to bow down and worship it!

Another noteworthy feature is the handling of the tape-curl section during "White Summer - Black Mountain Side." While most previous releases left this flaw uncorrected, this edition applies speed adjustment to bring the playback back to the correct pitch (±0). Being able to hear details that were previously obscured is yet another highlight of this release. According to specialist publications, the prevailing view has been that versions without speed correction at this specific point are "uncut," while those with correction involve cuts immediately before and after; however, during the production of this release, we applied speed correction to the "tape curl" section and listened to the recording in full, revealing that cuts exist around that point regardless of the correction. Consequently, all previously released versions contain these cuts—and this release is no exception. While we have endeavored to ensure a natural listening experience, the presence of the cuts is unavoidable. Nevertheless, this release likely marks the first time the "tape curl" section can be heard with such clean, smooth pitch correction. That "tape curl" was a glaring flaw—almost synonymous with the first night at the Fillmore—but from this release onward, a properly pitch-corrected version will surely become the standard. Although this is the Wendy label's first single-disc title, the content is rich and substantial, offering a level of satisfaction comparable to listening to a two- or three-disc set. Moreover, the sound quality is so exceptional that it sparks debate over whether the source is a soundboard or an audience recording.