Maps of Music

Celebration Day (2012)

Where the lyrics of Celebration Day take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded in 2007 with 16 cameras, this concert album waited nearly five years for release, and Jimmy Page had called the mixing a 'massive job'.

Key places

Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena (2007)

Recording site The O2 Arena — The concert that became this album was recorded at The O2 Arena in London on 10 December 2007. The band coordinated a professional recording of the show with 16 cameras. The recording was not released until 2012. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Concert film and live album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin
• Recorded at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, 10 December 2007, in The O2 Arena, London
• Limited theatrical release from 17 October 2012; home audio and video release on 19 November 2012
• Standard edition: one DVD or Blu-ray bundled with two soundtrack CDs
• Triple vinyl LP first announced for 10 December 2012; distribution started in mid-February 2013
• Deluxe edition adds bonus video from the Shepperton rehearsals and news footage from the BBC
• Audio-only Blu-ray with DTS-HD MA 24-bit/48 kHz sound

Background

• Benefit concert commemorating music executive Ahmet Ertegun, with a reunited Led Zeppelin as the main act
• The band played many of its most famous songs to an enthusiastic crowd
• The show was recorded professionally, with the possibility of a home video release
• Release rumours circulated at once, but the following year Jimmy Page said release was not certain and that mixing was required
• Even through 2010, Page was uncertain of the album's status
• A Facebook update on 9 September 2012 led to wide speculation that the release was ready
• On 13 September the band revealed the theatrical date of 17 October and premieres in Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York City and Tokyo
• Surviving members appeared at a press event on 21 September 2012 to promote the release

Recording

• Professional recording of the show with 16 cameras
• Alan Moulder worked with Jimmy Page on mixing
• Only a minimal amount of overdubs and corrections was used, because the performance and recording were of high quality

Cover

• Shepard Fairey designed the cover and promotional art, as he did for the 2007 greatest hits album Mothership

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in London in 1968 from the remnants of the Yardbirds, originally as the New Yardbirds.
• Jimmy Page recruited Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones; the first full performance was in Denmark in September 1968.
• The name was changed to Led Zeppelin after a cease and desist letter from Chris Dreja, with the 'a' dropped from 'lead' at Peter Grant's suggestion.
• Atlantic Records signed them with a large advance and gave the band artistic and publishing autonomy.

Members

• Robert Plant on vocals and harmonica; Jimmy Page on guitar; John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards; John Bonham on drums.
• Page wrote most of the music and Plant most of the lyrics; Jones often originated keyboard-based songs.

Career

• Released eight studio albums in ten years, achieving eight consecutive UK number-one albums and six US Billboard 200 number ones.
• Led Zeppelin IV, with 37 million copies sold, is among the best-selling albums in history.
• Set attendance records on tours in the 1970s, including 56,800 fans at Tampa Stadium in 1973.
• Disbanded in December 1980 after John Bonham's death; surviving members reunited only sporadically, including the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; estimated to have sold 200 to 300 million records.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic normalized score of 85%, indicating universal acclaim
• Album received generally positive reviews from critics
• NME said the show proved the band could still perform at the level that earned its legendary reputation
• The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones wrote that the failed gigs of the 1980s and 1990s had been supplanted by a triumph

Records

• Debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 9
• Ranked 13th-best-selling album globally of 2012 by the IFPI, with 1.8 million copies sold
• Won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards
• The 'Kashmir' rendition on the album was nominated for Best Rock Performance

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The concert film and album came from a 2007 benefit show, but the release only arrived in 2012 after years of uncertainty.
• The See also list calls Live Aid (1985) the band's first reunion.
• The film debuted at London's Hammersmith Apollo on 12 October 2012, and the surviving members answered questions afterward.
• When asked about more reunion performances, the trio were coy.
• The LP release was first announced for 10 December 2012, but distribution did not start until mid-February 2013.
• The cover art was designed by Shepard Fairey, like the 2007 greatest hits album Mothership.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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