Led Zeppelin NON-Remastered CDs question

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by dvda, Aug 12, 2006.

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  1. dvda

    dvda Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    usa
    I recently picked up a full set of the old Barry Diament-Mastered Led Zeppelin CDs. I need to know if they are all the correct ones.

    Some say made in West Germany, some say made in Japan by JVC, some say Made in USA. They all are silver-colored though. Is there any difference between these other than cosmetic?

    Also, Physical Graffiti has the full version of IMTOD with the cough at the end. This is still the unremastered version?

    IV has STH acoustic guitar on the right channel, I heard this was incorrect, do I need another one of these? If so how would I find it?

    Here are the cat numbers. Let me know if anything is wrong with these.

    LZI
    SD-19126-2

    LZII
    (NO "SD") 19127-2

    LZIII
    SD 19128-2

    LZIV
    (NO "SD") 19129-2 / EUROPE 250 008

    HOTH
    (NO "SD") 19130-2 / EUROPE 50014

    PG
    SS 200-2

    PRES
    SS 8416-2

    ITTOD
    16002-2 / EUROPE 059 410

    CODA
    7 90051-2
     
  2. There are "right" versions of LZ IV out there, one of them is the target, but there are also other ones (probably less expensive).

    Unfortunately, I can't pin-point it down to what version is the right one besides the target version.

    Roland
     
  3. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    I picked up two Canadian non-remastered CDs this afternoon while scouring the used CD stores here in Montreal:

    LZIV: CD 19129
    ITTOD: CD 16002

    Both are in mint condition and sound great! No sign of the dreaded R word (remaster) anywhere!
     
  4. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialistâ„¢

    Location:
    B.C.
    Your Physical Graffiti is the one you want with the cough included. You are correct that the acoustic guitar should be on the left side if it's the correct version of S2H. So far all I can confirm is the W. German Target and Bild am Sonntag gold CD's as having the correct channels.
     
  5. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    My non-remastered LZ II CD is A2-19127; is this one forum-approved?
     
  6. Andrew T.

    Andrew T. Out of the Vein

    Location:
    ....
    Yes; the "A2" means that it was distributed by Columbia House, but there shouldn't be any difference in sound.
     
  7. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    Oops forgot to mention in my earlier post: I can confirm that the LZIV: CD 19129 WEA Canada CD I picked up today has the correct channel order with the Stairway intro guitar in the left channel.
     
  8. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Hi,

    You got the right ones, baby! Uh! Huh! The best Led For The Head obtainable and superbly mastered by Barry Diament. Puts a smile on your face. Makes my cat purr hearing it!
     
    wrappedinsky likes this.
  9. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialistâ„¢

    Location:
    B.C.
    Good find Steve! :righton: Sounds like it might be the Canadian 1st pressing, can you post a scan or pic of the CD face and artwork?
     
  10. Studio_Two

    Studio_Two Forum Resident

    My "non-remastered" copy has the guitar in the right channel. Is this sonically "inferior", or is it just that the channels are switched?

    I thought I read somewhere on here that Barry didn't master the LZ IV disc.


    TIA,
    Stephen
     
  11. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    I guess I had a good week buying used cds. Among my finds were the "cough" version of Physical Graffiti and the correct channel LZ IV, both original mixes, US pressings. Both $2 each in M-/EX+ condition.
     
    wrappedinsky likes this.
  12. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    According to Barry in another post, LZ IV was originally mastered for CD by Joe Sidore at Warner Brothers in L.A.

    To my knowledge, the Zeppelin studio albums have only been mastered twice for CD, once in the 80's by Barry Diament (all releases except IV) and Joe Sidore (IV), then again in the 90's by George Marino. Therefore, the version of IV with the channels reversed would logically come from the Joe Sidore master. I have a friend with the reversed-channel version. I'll see if we can get a bit-by-bit comparison together sometime soon.
     
  13. Studio_Two

    Studio_Two Forum Resident


    That's great information. Thanks.

    I just noticed the search facility is back!

    Thanks,
    Stephen
     
  14. Russ

    Russ Outlaw

    Location:
    Anglesea, NJ
    They're the same master and digitally identical, just switched.
    :)
     
  15. Jopin

    Jopin Active Member

    Location:
    Paderborn, Germany
    Could somebody please enlighten me regards the "cough" version of PG. I have a non-remastered CD and I do not hear the cough. Is my version sonically inferior? How can I easily identify the right one?
    Thanks

    Joachim
     
  16. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    I don't know about sonics, but the right one has the cough and talking (I was amazed that it was somehow cut off) and isn't the Page/Marino remaster (which is identified on the case). You just have to find some used original discs and listen. Simple as that. :)
     
  17. 22dRow

    22dRow New Member

    Location:
    USA
    I own both non remastered versions of Physical Graffiti: one with and one without the cough. The one without the cough was made in Japan for the US, the one with was made in the US. Barry said the one he remembers remastering had the cough. In my a/b listening, I find both discs to sound similar but slightly different. The JPN version without the cough sounds a LITTLE flatter than the other one. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to your sound system. It is possible on that first printing that Atlantic altered Barry's work and then restored it in a secret remaster. It is also possible that that first early issue wasn't Barry's work and the other non-remastered version with the cough was. He doesn't know, and neither do I.
     
  18. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    This reminds me about a recent Usenet posting of an attempted needledrop of House of the Holy. Bonzo's count-in intro to The Ocean is completely missing. The record goes right from the end of No Quarter to the intro riff of the Ocean with just a regular silent gap in between. I've never heard HOTH on LP or CD without the count-in.
     
  19. Uncle Harley

    Uncle Harley Active Member

    Bought a copy of a forum member a few months ago for $10, and it was sealed. It was available for about a week before I snagged it.:)
     
  20. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    My scanner is on the fritz, so I had to get a friend scan these.

    Here's the LZIV disc, tray insert, and inside the front cover. Notice the stylized font used. This matches a Target version I had in the 80's and foolishly gave away. the remastered version doesn't have this font.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    As for In Through the Outdoor, here's the disc and tray insert. Note that the non-remastered version has the paragraph about the limitations of analog recordings. The remastered version looks very similar but instead of this text, it mentions that it was remastered. To my ears, this non-remastered version sounds much more natural.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Happy hunting!

    Steve.
     
  21. ChristianL

    ChristianL Senior Member

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    This paragraph is considered as a quality mark here at the forum.:laugh:
     
  22. gordolindsay

    gordolindsay Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grand Rapids, MI
    I just picked up LZ I, II, & III all original USA first pressings mastered by Barry Diament. They sound great!

    Now, my search to find the rest of the 'right' ones.:agree:
     
  23. leopoldstotch

    leopoldstotch New Member

    Location:
    Phila. Pa USA


    Steve, the remastered version looks nothing like the original mastered CD. The remastered series CD's all look like the original albums ie the first 5 are all red, white and green on the CD and the Swan Song releases all have the large Swan Song on the CD. If I had a scanner I'd scan the CD's but the main point is for the most part the remasters sound bad.
     
  24. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    Yes, I have all the remasters. The packaging is great, but the sound sucks. All the highs are distorted and raspy. It gets so bad at times you can't tell a ride cymbal from a splash! John Bonham was a loud drummer but he also did some fantastic, intricate cymbal work. It sounds much better on the non-remasters. Idiot kids and their damn iPods! :)
     
  25. pdenny

    pdenny 22-Year SHTV Participation Trophy Recipient

    Location:
    Hawthorne CA
    Short aside...I was in high school when I bought this on Lp and when the talking started on "Ocean" I cranked it up to "11" to hear what they were saying...BIG mistake! Ouch!
     
    wrappedinsky and David del Toro like this.
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