Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 29, 2018

The Blu-ray release of The Song Remains the Same came early enough in the life of this site that its review doesn’t even feature screenshots. It’s been a kind of weird review week for me, with a bunch of older titles being revisited courtesy of 4K UHD packages that have included at times very old 1080p Blu-rays as part of the releases, but all of the original 1080p Blu-rays I referenced in my 4K UHD reviews at least offered screenshots. In a way, some cheeky types may argue that it may have been best if this review didn’t contain screenshots, since the relatively brief video supplements offered on what is for all intents and purposes an audio Blu-ray disc aren’t exactly demo material in the quality department. But this is after all really and truly an audio Blu-ray (with a little extra video swag, for those who care), and fans of Led Zeppelin and The Song Remains the Same should be thrilled with the audio presentation of the film’s soundtrack.

The band's set list includes:

• 1. Rock and Roll


• 2. Celebration Day


• 3. Black Dog


• 4. Over the Hills and Far Away


• 5. Misty Mountain Hop


• 6. Since I've Been Loving You


• 7. No Quarter


• 8. The Song Remains the Same


• 9. The Rain Song


• 10. The Ocean


• 11. Dazed and Confused


• 12. Stairway to Heaven


• 13. Moby Dick


• 14. Heartbreaker


• 15. Whole Lotta Love

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This is in essence an audio Blu-ray with a little video bonus content. The concert plays to a variety of images encoded via AVC in 1080p that are in a number aspect ratios (see screenshots 6 - 14 for several examples), and the bonus video offers AVC encoded 1080i transfers hovering around 1.78:1, with some just a bit narrower (see screenshots 1 - 5 for examples of the bonus videos). The slideshow looks fine and generally sharp, but as can be seen in screenshots 1 - 5, the bonus video is in pretty rough shape.

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Song Remains the Same features three audio options, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and LPCM 2.0. I frankly heard little to no difference between the two stereo options, and as I frequently tend to experience and then comment on, the stereo iterations, while lacking quite a bit of the overall amplitude and lower end "oomph" of the surround audio, might strike some listeners as more focused, with a more forward mix of Robert Plant's often plaintive vocals. That said, while Plant is at least arguably minimally buried by the lower end of the surround track, the 5.1 audio offers a more lifelike accounting of the arena acoustics, with a general wash of sound that is at times almost overpowering. The lower midrange can tend to sound just slightly murky as a result of either the original recording or the hall acoustics, and there are some minor and transitory issues with feedback (something that sounds like it was quickly curtailed by the board operators at the concerts). The spill of sound in the surround track is quite inviting, with some of Jimmy Page's more florid guitar riffs seeming to envelope the listener. (Is it just me, or do Page and Plant briefly lose track of where they are in "Stairway to Heaven", sounding just for a moment like they're ending after the second verse?) Occasionally the surround track tends to slightly bury some of John Bonham's stick work on cymbals, though the lower end drums tend to punch through the morass of other sound consistently. The crowd sounds in the surround mix especially seem to be a little artificial at times, ebbing and flowing for no discernable reason, and even sounding a bit phase-y on occasion. Fidelity is generally very convincing throughout all three presentations, with a solid accounting across all frequencies and, aside from the aforementioned very brief bouts with feedback, no real problems to speak of.

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This is the rare ostensible audio Blu-ray which has actual video content. The actual music plays to a slideshow (1080p; see screenshots 6-14), but there is also some bonus video.

• Video (1080i; 19:29) is authored as a unit, but contains the following songs, each of which is accessible individually, at least as a starting point (the supplement continues to play through subsequent songs if there are any):

  Celebration Day (Cutting Copy)

  Over the Hills and Far Away

  Misty Mountain Hop

  The Ocean

  Screenshots 1 - 5 are from the video supplement, and as can be seen feature fairly ragged looking imagery which is also rife with combing artifacts.

Additionally, this handsomely packaged set (both the slipcover and the digipack cover are in a kind of plush "faux leather" texture) comes with a nicely appointed insert booklet with the original 2007 retrospective essay by Cameron Crowe and lots of stills.

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This "original soundtrack" might seem to be kind of an odd entry in Led Zeppelin's Blu-ray audio adventures, but Jimmy Page has evidently given this release his all, both producing it and supervising the mastering of the "advanced resolution surround and stereo" audio, as evidenced by the credits included in the insert booklet. The Song Remains the Same (i.e., the film itself) has been kind of a "shaggy dog story" for some Zeppelin fans, never really properly registering as either a concert video or a more fanciful cinematic fairy tale of sorts, but the soundtrack, divorced from some of the patently weird imagery of the film, actually provides some uniquely powerful moments. This handsomely packaged release may not be at the top of some Zeppelin's fans "must have" lists for Blu-ray audio, but for those who are curious, this release sports generally excellent audio and some fun if tangential video supplements.