Zeppelin on LP... what to get?

I've been on an LP binge lately... the latest victim of my desires is Led Zeppelin vinyl.

I have most of the remastered CDs. I still have a few copies of LPs but they aren't that great. The best is a Canadian LZIII. My copy of Presence was trashed, and In Through The Out Door, though playable, is beat up and a dreaded "Strawberry" pressing.

I've read some threads here, but only got more confused.

The best I can tell is that I have three choices: 1) Classic Reissues, 2) original US pressings, or 3) some 80s pressings.

We should use this thread to narrow down the best LP pressings available. Let's talk about it all.. deadwax, matrix numbers, catalog numbers, etc. Perhaps we can get somewhere... or perhaps we'll get more confused.

 

I have an "RL" Led Zep II that sounds pretty sweet, even if it's a little trashed. Isn't that supposed to be the holy grail of Zep pressings?

 

Led Zeppelin I
I have ...
an original UK orange & plum Atlantic pressing 588171 A1/588171 B1
a Canadian Green & Red Atlantic pressing SD8126 A/SD8216B

for me the UK wins by a mile.

I also have a UK 'Sterling' pressing of Houses of the Holy K50014 A1/K50014 B1 which sounds excellent.

I also have a couple of 'Strawberry' pressings of Zep stuff, I replaced these with Classic Records versions. Maybe I have been lucky, but I don't seem to have got bad Classic pressings.
JG

 

The ORIGINAL UK pressing?

 

Yikes...what a can of worms! Here are my preferences after a lengthy search a while back:

Led Zeppelin I..............................Classic Records

Led Zeppelin II.............................original US Robert Ludwig "RL" mastering

Led Zeppelin III............................original US Robert Ludwig "RL" mastering

Led Zeppelin IV............................Classic Records

Houses Of The Holy......................US 1980's reissue, Specialty mastering

Physical Grafitti............................original UK pressing

Presence....................................Classic Records

In Through The Out Door...............Classic Records

Can't help with "The Song Remains The Same" as I don't have a copy of that on vinyl.

There are some other reasonably good pressings aside from these. I tend to like the original UK pressings I've heard. I really haven't heard a 1980's US Specialty reissue that wasn't at least decent, either. Have fun...I'm sure you'll get preferences all over the map from this thread.

 

Thanks Don! I'm sure I'll get a variety of opinions, but I don't mind.

Let's not forget "Coda"!

 

I stand corrected but I think the version I have is. Anybody know different?

UK orange & plum Atlantic pressing 588171 A1/588171 B1

 

You sure about that?

I don't have Coda on anything, so I'm afraid I can't help there. I'm sure somebody knows something....

 

That's it...mastering-wise, anyway. There was an earlier and rare cover variation that had turquoise lettering on front, but sound-wise you've got the real deal.

 

Aw, c'mon... I LOVE "Coda"!


How can I not, when I'm such a Bonham geek? I even have a 26" bass drum.

 

More info:

http://www.geocities.com/ledcollector.geo/Discography.html

 

That's a big drum!

 

I'm very, very fond of my MFSL LZ II pressing.

 

I wouldn't jump through hoops trying to track some of these down. Truthfully, the Classics are very good on the whole, and some are outstanding. Of those I have, III is probably the worst & brightest, but even then it's inconsistent.

II is bright around the vocals, but I've been using a friend's preamp/amp (a Forte II w/Aragon 2002) and it's much improved over when I used my Yamaha integrated amp. In fact, it sounds pretty darn good. Go figure.

I think Steve said at one point (hopefully I got this right) that the 1st US cut of Physical Graffiti is pretty much what the tapes sound like, and I agree that it sounds great. Unfortunately the vinyl quality can suck pretty badly. The Classic is brighter but not obnoxious, and the vinyl is much quieter. On this album, that matters... (think intro to In The Light).

I do disagree about HOTH. The Classic stomps all over the Specialty, though the Specialty is very good - in fact, as good as I'd heard until the Classic. I've got 3-4 Specialty copies, and none comes close to the Classic, and all are noisier (but mint). IMHO. Opinions vary on this one.

IV is great. Classic nailed this one.

I is bass-shy on the Classic, otherwise it's really great. So buy an amp with tone controls or an outboard unit of some kind. Problem solved.

 

One last thing, the 80s US reissues on the whole are quite good and I do recommend picking them up, especially since they often can be found quite cheaply.

 

I've heard a lot of great things about LZI, so I just ordered it (along with a Searchers SACD) from Red Trumpet.

You know, considering the price of original LZ pressing, the Classic route might be a good one. There's something about that heavy vinyl....

Still, I'll probably track down more LZ vinyl anyway. I'd like to compare. I'm still interested in hearing more about matrix numbers, etc.

Also, how is the Classic "Song Remains the Same?" I always thought the original was a bit muddy.

 

I rather like the original UK plum of Zep IV myself.

 

The pressing I have is the UK plum of Zep IV it has the following on the dead wax

2401102 A PECKO DUCK
2401102 B PORKY

The Porky, Pecko Duck refers to George Peckham of Porky Prime Cut fame.
JG

 

Excellent thread Bug my friend- I have been on a search and destroy mission to find better pressings than the Classsic series. Dons list is hard to fault, I have to do some listening as Ive recently turned up an "RL" U.S. HOTH, and a "GP" U.S. Led Zep 1 !!! I would love to hear some input about Song Remains and In Through as I dont have much experience with those. I think my In Through is a Strawberry original, which I cant comment on cause its been too long, and I have a plain jane late 70s Song Remains which is OK.

My picks:
Zep I: still searching UK plum: with A-1 B-4 stampers, not bad, but a little veiled and bright, Classic: bass shy otherwise amazing- this could have been the holy grail, frustrating!!
Zep II: hands down "RL"
Graffiti: hands down UK original
Presence: Classic

 

Great about the LZ I! - I always very much liked the guitar & tabla bit (forgot the name?) before Communication Breakdown, and it sounds very cool on this LP.

I don't have Song Remains The Same, and I don't really plan to get it.. Not a must-have for me anyway, except for "Does anybody remember laftaaaa?"

The BBC box does sound much better than the CDs in my opinion (easy to do, I know), but is very bright. Still, it's good enough that I'm glad I bought it, and the price was totally reasonable. Make sure you use a cart that can track sibilance though, otherwise it's going to be a horrid mess. I know this from experience!

Last but not least, I heard How The West Was Won is supposed to be issued sometime this year..

 

I have a mint RL of II and the Classic. The RL wins hands down, and I got it for $7.00 on ebay. I also have 3 versions of IV, the Classic, Pecko Duck in the dead wax and a Japan pressing. All very good, but would go with the Classic for the heavy vinyl and great sound. Presence and PG - go with the Classic. III - find an early US pressing with the 1840 Broadway address.

 

This site recomends the Japanese P Series. I have read elsewhere they are not good at all.

 

I have Japanese P pressings of I, III, and IV. While they are OK, I prefer the German reissue pressing of III and IV, and the Classic of I. I still have to find some US originals.