Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant (vocals); Jimmy Page (guitar); John Paul Jones (bass, piano); John Bonham (drums).

Recorded live at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Cameron Crowe.

Back in the seventies, it seemed that every rock band needed to have a live concert film to commemorate their triumphant treks across America. Led Zeppelin were no exception and THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME is a chronicle of Led Zeppelin on tour. Although the uninspired visual aspects of the film fail to capture the power of Led Zeppelin at their mid-seventies peak, the album manages to convey their live prowess. The twenty-six minute, hypnotic version of "Dazed and Confused" works much better here than in the film, where movie patrons would head to the concession stand ten minutes into the song. "Whole Lotta Love" gets a similar extended treatment and the results are equally impressive.

THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME also lets you hear that songs like "Stairway To Heaven" sound wonderful even without the benefit of studio overdubs. Though not perfect, this is an honest documentation of the Led Zeppelin live experience, serving as a reminder that beneath the larger-than-life myths that surrounded the group, Led Zeppelin were simply a powerful blues-influenced rock band who lived for their music.