Led Zeppelin III - Barry Diament mastering with channels swapped

Today, I received another copy of the non-remastered Led Zeppelin III on CD. I compared it to the CD I already had (also Barry Diament mastering), but it sounded quite different. After a little while, I figured out that the channels are swapped between the two versions.

I had other CD's before where the channels were swapped, but never did I notice such a strong impact on the overall sound quality. The one CD sounds like a completely different mastering, sounding much better in my opinion. The mix just falls into place, whereas with the other version, it always sounded like something is not quite right.

I added a poll to this thread to see which versions people own. I noticed swapped channels on some other Led Zeppelin CD's before, but never did I notice such a strong overall effect on the sound quality.

I won't say yet which version I prefer (and which I think must be the original, correct orientation - without owning any original vinyl). I think swapped channels have also been found on some vinyl versions, but I don't know which albums.

Please vote which version you have, and if you own both versions, you can also vote for both options. I picked the song Gallows Pole since the acoustic guitar in the beginning is quite dominantly in one channel, so it is easy to pick.

With this new version I received today, it feels like I am discovering Led Zeppelin III all over again...

I don't have the remastered versions anymore, but people can also vote for that. I don't know if there are also two different channel orientations with the remastered version (I sort of doubt it, but it is possible), but I also enabled both options for the remaster.

I also added the same for vinyl.

You can choose multiple options. Please vote for each version you own/have.

 

The remaster places the 'Gallows Pole' acoustic intro left.

Sorry Barry, I prefer the remaster (only III). My two main playback systems are not too bright, but on the cans, the remaster is a bit shrill.

 

I don't own the remaster anymore, but it had the same channel orientation as my original CD, namely "Gallows Pole acoustic guitar intro in the left channel".

III is the Led Zeppelin where I think that the original is the biggest improvement over the remaster which has an exaggerated upper midrange.

 

The acoustic intro is in the left channel on my Diament disc.
3 19128-2 SRC+06 M3 S6

 

Roland, very interesting observation. I only knew of the swapped channels at different version of IV. Actually, I have both versions of III as well: The "normal" unremastered CD with left-channel GP, golden unremastered CD (from Series "40 Golden Greats") with right-channel GP - which I didn't notice so far since I bought the Gold-CD for just recently for collector's reason without having listened to it yet.

And you're right, without having checked the whole CD it really sounds like a different mix... even at the beginning of "Immigrant Song" the difference is quite striking. Could that be due to the fact that the whole LZ-III-album is mixed with relatively wide channel-separation?

 

All my versions (vinyl, original Barry CD, and remaster) have the intro on the left channel. Have you tried reversing the channels in an audio program and then comparing the two (or performing a phase invert test)?

 

Well, it appears that the version with the guitar in the left channel is the correct one - that is also the one where the mix sounds right to me.

The version with the swapped channels sounds much wider to me, but somehow not correct.

 

I haven't done that, but I am sure the two versions are the same mastering, just the channels switched.

 

I agree completely, but only when you have the correct channel orientation.

The remaster of III sounds very bright to me, especially Since I've Been Loving You and Immigrant Song. To my ears almost unlistenable on these two songs.

 

Both versions have wide channel separation (and they should, when they really are not different in all other aspects). That's the reason for noticing the channel-effect in the first place, IMHO.

That could be due to the fact that we're all too familiar with the left-channel-version... I reckon that version is much more available than the right-channel-one.

 

on both Original Versions - Vinyl and CD the left channel intro is very clearly noticeable. Only the Classic Vinyl 200 Gram QUIEX Version mixes the intro on both channels, but stays on the left channel later on, since Robert Plants vocals come from the right speaker side.

Never heard any version that has the intro on the other channel.
Best sounding is arguably the CD, next the Classic and then the Atlantic DeLuxe i am playing at the moment. It just doesn't have the full body and spacey ambience the other copies can present so easily. The bass sounds limited at a certain point. I never noticed this before .
Still sounds decent, just compared it looses against the later pressings. The Copy i am examing here is : Atlantic ATL 50 002 with an ATLANTIC De-LUXE stamp on the cover front side.
Made in Germany Barcode 7 7567-81527-1, so this was a 1981 repressing it seems. a pity since the vinyl is quiet and the cover looks mint with the inner wheel and all...Anyone cares to check out his regular Vinyl copies, so we get which pressing we should check for ?
Track 4's acoustic guitar sounds fantastic now, but the foot stomps don't..

 

Since we now have identified CDs with channel-swapped for both LZ III and IV: Does anybody know if that has happened with other LZ-albums as well? And does anybody have the slightest clue how that could've happened in the first place (so far I have never heard of similar variations of other artists/albums) ?

 

The Barry Diament version of the first album is also swapped. Not sure how it happens, unless the mastering studio was wired backwards (highly unlikely)...or the tapes they were given to master from, were created with the channels reversed.

 

I have, the:

20P2 "Forever Young" Japan For Japan
A2-19128 Made In USA By WEA
Remastered from the Complete Studio Recordings box.

Gallows Pole intro is on the left on all of them.

Roland, whats the pressing and matrix info of the one you have with the intro on the right?

Rick

 

Diament 3 19128-2 SRC-05 left channel intro is what I have.

 

On all Barry Diament versions?

Where is the hi-hat and cowbell at the beginning of "Good Times, Bad Times" supposed to be?

 

For some reason I thought I once had two different versions for Led Zeppelin II also, but maybe I remember it wrong.

 

I'm not sure how to describe it correctly, but the swapped versions almost sounds like a lot of instruments are all the way in the outer corners and not much in the middle.

Maybe it has to do with some out of phase problems.

In my case, it wouldn't have anything to do with what I am used to, because I was used to the wrong version all these years and I heard the correct version for the first time in a very long time, and instantly sounded "right" and the other version "wrong". Just listen to the hi-hat in "Since I've Been Loving Your" or "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", totally whacky on the wrong version in my opinion.

 

Matrix: 250002.4 RSA
On CD: 250 002 / 19128-2
Manufactured in Germany by Record Service GmbH, Alsdorf

 

I'm not sure about "all" BD versions, because I'm not sure how many there actually are. The Hi Hat/cowbell should be on the left like it is on the remaster and original vinyl. My BD version had it on the right. I just went through and corrected this last night. Also to compare...the acoustic guitar intro of Babe I'm Gonna Leave You should be on the left.

 

O.k., my two BD versions also have the same orientation (swapped channels). To me, on Led Zeppelin I, the swapped channels still sound o.k. and not whacky (like on the swapped version if III).

 

My Barry Diament CD also has the accoustic guitar at the beginning of Baba I'm Gonna Leave You in the right channel.

 

I think any time you've been listening to a piece of music over a number of years...suddenly hearing it with the channels reversed just sounds weird. I was soooo tired last night after a long week, and yet I could not go to sleep until I fixed the channels on LZ1.

 

Just checked the two LZ unremastered-CDs I have: "normal" CD w/out Barcode and golden CD w/ Barcode - both have BIGLY acoustic intro in the right channel. I don't have the golden LZ II unfortunately so I have nothing to compare my unremastered CD. Oh wait, could at least compare it with the remaster - there the channels seem to be correct, from all we can currentlly tell.

 

I take it that the West German digipak of III with the spinny wheel is the same as the unpopular remaster ?