How the West Was Won (album)

How the West Was Won is a triple live album by English rock group Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on CD on 27 May 2003 and DVD-Audio on 7 October 2003.

Overview
These live performances are from Led Zeppelin's 1972 concert tour of the United States, documented at the LA Forum on 25 June 1972 and Long Beach Arena on 27 June 1972. The West in How the West Was Won referring to the West Coast of California.

For several decades, live coverage of these two concerts only circulated in the form of bootlegs, and even then only select audience recordings were accessible to collectors and fans (The Forum bootlegs include Burn Like a Candle, Burn That Candle, A Night In the Heartbreak Hotel, while Long Beach Arena was covered by Wild Beach Party). This release is the first time soundboard recordings were officially made available of these concerts. The material from the two performances experienced some editing by Kevin Shirley and Page at Sarm West Studios in London before being released. This was done for quality constraints. "Communication Breakdown", "Thank You" and a one-off version of "Louie Louie" from the 25 June show, were absent from How the West Was Won.

Reception
The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart for the week ending 14 June 2003, at Number 1, with initial sales of 154,000 units. It charted for 16 weeks. It was certified first gold and then platinum (1,000,000 units) by the RIAA on 30 June 2003. How the West Was Won became the first Led Zeppelin release since 1979's In Through the Out Door to achieve the Number 1 position. The album scored a credible 97% as one of the best reviewed album of all time by Metacritic magazine.

Accolades
(*) designates unordered lists.