The Song Remains Insane

TWA/Birdcage Records 1998 | 2 CD Set

The Song Remains Insane is a double live album originally released by Birdcage Record’s sister label, TWA Records of Australia. Culled from some of their best performances circa 1991, TSRI features some of DZ’s best material from their first three CDs (The IRS Years). Recorded in Paris, Tokyo Sydney, Copenhagen and Las Vegas.

DREAD ZEPPELIN The Song Remains Insane TWA Australia | New & Sealed 2 CD Set | On Sale Price: $5.00

Disc 1
(The Song Remains Insane)

• 1. Black Dog
• 2. Whole Lotta Love
• 3. Heartbreaker
• 4. Do The Claw
• 5. The Song Remains The Same
• 6. Your Time Is Gonna Come
• 7. In Through The Ed Door
• 8. Stairway To Heaven

Disc 2
(The ‘Live On Strawberry Cheesecake’ Sessions)

• 1. See See Rider
• 2. Immigrant Song
• 3. Black Dog
• 4. Heartbreaker
• 5. Do The Claw
• 6. Big Ol’ Gold Belt
• 7. Viva Las Vegas
• 8. Woodstock
• 9. Lookin’ For Trouble
• 10. Rock ‘n’ Roll Medley
• 11. Plant Chat
• 12. A Quiet Moment With Tortelvis

More Reviews Of The Song Remains Insane

Produced By Jah Paul Jo And Rasta Li-Mon For Birdcage Productions

Engineered By Rasta Li-Mon

Recorded live in Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Copenhagen and beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada

Review: “This 2-CD import on TWA, Birdcage’s Australian sister label, offers ample evidence Dread Zeppelin was an even better band live. The first CD presents eight previously unreleased live performances recorded in Paris during the “5,000,000? tour with the classic 1990-91 Dread lineup – Tortelvis, Jah Paul, Carl, Butt-Boy, Ed and Fresh Cheese (heck, even the original Charlie was there). Here’s another opportunity to appreciate Greg Tortell’s powerful singing voice; the conga playing of Bruce Fernandez and the amazing guitar work of Carl Haasis, the latter showcased on “Heartbreaker” with two hot solos, thus taking the boys nine minutes to get down to the end of Lonely Street. Now add Joe Ramsey and once again you have that full, twin guitar attack – especially on “The Song Remains The Same” and “Your Time Is Gonna Come” – that you haven’t heard in Dread Zeppelin for some time now.

By the time we’re climbing a “Stairway To Heaven” – we realize that at just under fifty minutes, it’s over much too soon and that’s a shame. On a 70-minute format this was a missed opportunity to add two to four more songs to the Dread canon that were never tried anywhere else. That aside, my only real criticism is that the audience responses on this disc are mixed way too low and appear to have been “sweetened” in places. As wild and enthusi- astic as Dreadheads often get (you want proof, pull out your Japanese “Rock ‘N Roll” CD-5), I was disappointed this disc couldn’t offer that kind of appreciative energy.

Disc two collects some rare live artifacts including for the first time on CD the “Live On Blueberry Cheesecake” recordings, a vintage broad-cast for Triple J Radio in Sydney from January ‘92, previously only available on a rare fan-club only cassette. This flows nicely into a live “Woodstock,” a command performance before the cast and crew of “Woodstock” on the occasion of the film’s 20th anniversary. A brief version of “Lookin’ For Trouble” makes an excellent segue into the “Rock ‘N Roll Medley,” a classic eleven-minute performance, over a minute longer than the version previously released on European 12? and CD-5 imports for “Stairway To Heaven.”

The final two cuts, “Plant Chat” (a testimonial from Robert) and “A Quiet Moment With Tortelvis” (a testimonial for Burger King) is followed by an unlisted thirteenth cut, a collage of sound bites from the archives, lovingly assembled by disc producers Jah Paul Jo and Rasta Li-Mon as both tribute and goodbye to the band they helped create. With excellent packaging throughout, including several nice colour photos and liner notes from Paul (Sounds UK) Elliot and Jah Paul himself, “The Song Remains Insane” closes the Birdcage chapter of Dread Zeppelin’s history with style. Absolutely essential.” ~ Mike Hockinson