How the West Was Won (Led Zeppelin album)

Guitarist Jimmy Page considers Led Zeppelin at this point to have been at their artistic peak, as is mentioned in the album's liner notes and in an interview he gave to The Times newspaper in 2010.James Jackson, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110809081905/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6979690.ece Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin IV, the band's peak and their reunion], The Times, 8 January 2010 .

For many years, recordings of these two shows circulated only in the form of bootlegs, such as Burn Like a Candle. Though soundboard recordings of Led Zeppelin concerts were circulated among fans after being stolen from Page's personal archive in the mid-1980s, no such versions of the 1972 Long Beach or LA Forum shows were taken, meaning How the West Was Won was the first chance fans had of hearing the soundboard versions of these concerts.{{Cite book|last=Lewis|first=Dave|year=2003|title=Led Zeppelin: The 'Tight but Loose' Files: Celebration II|edition=1st|location=London|publisher=Omnibus Press|page=156|isbn=1-84449-056-4}} The songs from the two shows underwent extensive editing and audio engineering by Page at Island Studios in London before being released on the album.

"It wasn't in our thoughts to try and outdo The Song Remains the Same…" remarked engineer Kevin Shirley. "The reason those performances still stand up now is because Jimmy really was a genius. He could create tempests, summon storms. He really was the master of light and shade. And the musicians around him allowed him to flesh out that vision. Especially John Bonham, without whom Jimmy and Zeppelin would never have been able to do what he did."{{cite magazine|title=Live albums|magazine=Classic Rock supplement: The Live Albums That Changed The World|date=December 2011|page=14}}

The album was remastered and reissued on 23 March 2018 in many formats, including 3CD, 4LP, Blu-Ray Audio and a Super Deluxe Edition box set.{{cite web|last1=Sinclair|first1=Paul|title=Led Zeppelin / How The West Was Won reissued on vinyl, blu-ray and box set|url=http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/led-zeppelin-how-the-west-was-won-reissued-on-vinyl-blu-ray-and-box-set/|website=Super Deluxe Edition|date=24 January 2018 |access-date=23 March 2018}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 97/100{{Metacritic album|title=How the West Was Won|accessdate=7 October 2011}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{AllMusic | class=album | id=R640634 | label=How the West Was Won | first=Stephen Thomas | last=Erlewine}}

| rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3Score = A−{{Cite web | first=Anthony | last=DeCurtis | url=https://ew.com/article/2003/06/20/how-west-was-won/ | title=Entertainment Weekly Review | publisher=Ew.com | date=20 June 2003 | access-date=7 October 2011 | archive-date=19 February 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219005433/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,458304,00.html | url-status=live }}

| rev4 = Pitchfork

| rev4Score = 8.8/10{{Cite web | first=Dominique | last=Leone | title=Led Zeppelin – How the West Was Won | url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4707-how-the-west-was-won | date=11 June 2003 | work=Pitchfork}}

| rev5 = Rolling Stone

| rev5Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{Cite magazine | first=Greg | last=Kot | title=Led Zeppelin – How the West was Won | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/how-the-west-was-won-20030521 | date=21 May 2003 | magazine=Rolling Stone}}

| rev6 = Stylus Magazine

| rev6Score = A−{{Cite web|first=John |last=Smietanik |title=Led Zeppelin – How the West was Won |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/led-zeppelin/how-the-west-was-won.htm |work=stylusmagazine.com |access-date=7 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027082603/http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/led-zeppelin/how-the-west-was-won.htm |archive-date=27 October 2011 }}

| rev7 = Uncut

| rev7Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite web | author=Uncut | url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/led_zeppelin/reviews/5808 | title=Led Zeppelin – How The West Was Won | work=Uncut.co.uk | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013065641/http://uncut.co.uk/music/led_zeppelin/reviews/5808 | archive-date=13 October 2008}}

}}

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart for the week ending 14 June 2003 at number 1, with sales of 154,000 copies. It remained on the chart for 16 weeks.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/2003-09-27/billboard-200|title=The Billboard 200: How the West was Won|magazine=Billboard|access-date=18 January 2009}} It was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA on 30 June 2003.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|title=How the West Was Won|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album}}{{cite magazine| url = http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/70752/zeppelin-smashes-records-as-cddvds-debut-at-no-1 | title = Zeppelin Smashes Records as CD/DVDs Debut at No. 1 – 4 June 2003 |magazine=Billboard | access-date =19 January 2009}} How the West Was Won received an overall score of 97 by review site Metacritic.

{{small|(*) designates unordered lists.}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Disc one

| extra_column = Recording date and venue

| title1 = LA Drone

| writer1 = John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page

| extra1 = 27 June, Long Beach Arena

| length1 = 0:14

| title2 = Immigrant Song

| writer2 = Page, Robert Plant

| extra2 = Mixed from both nights

| length2 = 3:42

| note2 = from Led Zeppelin III

| title3 = Heartbreaker

| writer3 = John Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant

| extra3 = Mixed from both nights

| length3 = 7:25

| note3 = from Led Zeppelin II

| title4 = Black Dog

| writer4 = Jones, Page, Plant

| extra4 = Mixed from both nights

| length4 = 5:41

| note4 = from Led Zeppelin IV

| title5 = Over the Hills and Far Away

| writer5 = Page, Plant

| extra5 = Mixed from both nights

| length5 = 5:08

| note5 = from Houses of the Holy

| title6 = Since I've Been Loving You

| writer6 = Jones, Page, Plant

| extra6 = 27 June

| length6 = 8:02

| note6 = from Led Zeppelin III

| title7 = Stairway to Heaven

| writer7 = Page, Plant

| extra7 = Mixed from both nights; Mellotron from Southampton University, Southampton, England, 22 January 1973

| length7 = 9:38

| note7 = from Led Zeppelin IV

| title8 = Going to California

| writer8 = Page, Plant

| extra8 = 27 June

| length8 = 5:37

| note8 = from Led Zeppelin IV

| title9 = That's the Way

| writer9 = Page, Plant

| extra9 = 25 June, LA Forum

| length9 = 5:54

| note9 = from Led Zeppelin III

| title10 = Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

| writer10 = Jones, Page, Plant

| extra10 = 27 June

| length10 = 4:55

| note10 = from Led Zeppelin III

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Disc two

| extra_column = Recording date and venue

| title1 = Dazed and Confused" (from Led Zeppelin)
"Walter's Walk" (from Coda)
"The Crunge

| note1 = from Houses of the Holy

| writer1 = Page (inspired by Jake Holmes)
Page, Plant
Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant

| extra1 = 25 June

| length1 = 25:25

| title2 = What Is and What Should Never Be

| writer2 = Page, Plant

| extra2 = 27 June

| length2 = 4:41

| note2 = from Led Zeppelin II

| title3 = Dancing Days

| writer3 = Page, Plant

| extra3 = Mixed from both nights

| length3 = 3:42

| note3 = from Houses of the Holy

| title4 = Moby Dick

| writer4 = Bonham, Jones, Page

| extra4 = 25 June

| length4 = 19:20

| note4 = from Led Zeppelin II

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Disc three

| extra_column = Recording date and venue

| title1 = Whole Lotta Love" (from Led Zeppelin II)
"Boogie Chillun"
"Let's Have a Party"
"Hello Mary Lou" {{small|(omitted from 2018 reissue)}}
"Going Down Slow

| writer1 = Bonham, Willie Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant
Bernie Besman, John Lee Hooker
Jessie Mae Robinson
Cayet Mangiaracina, Gene Pitney
James B. Oden

| extra1 = 25 June

| length1 = 23:07

| title2 = Rock and Roll

| writer2 = Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant

| extra2 = 27 June

| length2 = 3:56

| note2 = from Led Zeppelin IV

| title3 = The Ocean

| writer3 = Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant

| extra3 = 25 June

| length3 = 4:21

| note3 = from Houses of the Holy

| title4 = Bring It On Home"
"Bring It On Back

| writer4 = Dixon
Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant

| extra4 = 25 June

| length4 = 9:30

| total_length = 150:27

| note4 = from Led Zeppelin II

}}

Notes:

• The DVD-Audio version of the album has tracks 1–11 on disc one with tracks 12–18 on disc two. It features the whole album in 24bit/48 kHz for both 5.1 and Stereo.
• The Blu-Ray Audio version of the albums has all tracks on one disc. It features the whole album in 24-bit/96 kHz DTS-Master Audio 5.1, as well as two stereo tracks (PCM and DTS-MA)
• The 4 LP version of the album has tracks 1–4 on Side A, tracks 5, 12 & 13 on Side B, track 6 & 7 on Side C, track 8–10 on Side D, tracks 11, 14 & 15 on Sides E, F & G respectively, and tracks 16–18 on Side H
• The medley omitting "Hello Mary Lou" has a runtime of 20:59 in the 2018 reissue

Led Zeppelin

• Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica
• Jimmy Page – guitars, mandolin
• John Paul Jones – bass guitar, double bass, bass pedals, keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals
• John Bonham – drums, percussion, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp"

Additional personnel

• Jim Cummins – photography
• James Fortune – photography
• Drew Griffiths – sound assistant
• Ross Halfin – package creative consultant
• Eddie Kramer – engineering
• Phil Lemon – design, artwork
• Jeffrey Mayer – photography
• Michael Putland – photography
• Kevin Shirley – engineering, mixing
• John Davis – mastering (2018 reissue)

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for How the West Was Won}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|title=How the West Was Won|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=2003|certyear=2003}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=How the West Was Won|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=2003|certyear=2004|certmonth=2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=How the West Was Won|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Gold|certyear=2003|id=3023-2162-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=How the West Was Won|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|multidisc=2}}

{{Certification Table Bottom}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://discography.ledzeppelin.com/disc_htwww.html How the West Was Won from Led Zeppelin's official site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923013732/http://discography.ledzeppelin.com/disc_htwww.html |date=23 September 2019 }}
• [http://www.thegardentapes.co.uk The Garden Tapes] – analysis of live tracks edits for the album
• {{metacritic album|title=How the West Was Won}}
• {{Discogs master|type=album|115931|name=How the West Was Won}}

{{Led Zeppelin}}

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Category:2003 live albums

Category:Led Zeppelin live albums

Category:Albums produced by Jimmy Page

Category:Live albums published posthumously

Category:Atlantic Records live albums

Category:Live folk rock albums