The Genuine Masters Label ceased production roughly a year ago but Blackdog was coaxed out of retirement earlier this Summer to provide work on Jules McTrainspotter's DAT tape of the Led Zeppelin Reunion. This was a one-off 'favor' to a friend and I'm sure the opportunity to finesse a nice tape of his long-time favorite band's biggest moment helped Blackdog with that decision!
All the ingredients that are familiar with the GM DVD-Audio format standards are in place and "For Ahmet" seems like a more appropriate release for Genuine Masters to slide back into retirement. We get high resolution imagery and animated menus though the production here, over 600 images and were leveraged from online stock photos of the event as well as still shots from news clips and the Third Eye high defintion video. Overall the selection of images along with the pace and rhythm of the slideshow is stellar. This is a big sequencing production and decision fatigue was bound to slide in along the way as every once in awhile there is a screenshot from a video that doesn't quite work or is zoomed in too far but, that's creative critique from someone that hasn't attempted any audio/visual project of this nature.
The McTrainspotter DAT audience tape is the real story here. Captured from a primo location directly in front of the stage, the tape has a new dimension with the Blackdog treatment and presentation on the DVD-A format. Originally shared via Bit Torrent over the internet around Christmas time and utilized on the Tarantura release "For Your Life" earlier in the year, this presentation makes it sound nearly like a new tape altogether - and it's probably the best sounding version of the first 4 or 5 songs out there. Something that really couldn't be attributed in it's previous or original state(s). As I've mentioned on the recent titles that opted for the Schoep's source (who must have within 5-10 feet Mr. McTrainspotter), while listening to these awesome tapes, it accentuates the bonehead sound engineering live at the event that evening and this GM release at least helps those initial tracks pop a little better and with more depth and dimension. The latter attributes stand for the entire tape production on this one.
The performance has been dwelled upon in great length over the last 9-and-a-half months so I'm not going to get into all that. Though I will admit that while I was taking in the experience that is "For Ahmet" that Robert Plant's performance kind of grates on me a bit during songs like "Trampled Underfoot" where he typically ad-libs vocally. After many repetitions he starts sounding awkward and even uncomfortable during those stretches. It's just not his 'format' or zone vocally to perform a set like this at this stage of life. Which is probably why he doesn't want to commit to anything on a long-term basis. That I can now maybe understand. But that's just my take. It was a brilliant outing and we are all forever grateful to the McTrainspotters and Schoeps and Third Eye people for bringing it all back with them! And there were of course others, thanks to all. We should also be pleased that Blackdog latched on to this great tape and brought out it's real brilliance. Nice work.
We now have this Reunion captured and presented in every conceivable way and this GM effort stands up there with the best in their catalog and as I stated above, is a more fitting bookend in their output over the years so that seems to tie up any potential loose ends. If you have enjoyed other GM presentations, you will certainly enjoy experiencing the Reunion gig in this fashion as well. It should be mentioned that this title was simultaneously made available as a free download complete with artwork at several torrenting hotbeds and could be purchased as a standard package through established outlets.
