Led Zeppelin - new SHM Box from Japan.

I'll be getting one of the boxed sets on Monday[going to cost $349].

 

The real problem with these JPN. sets is what they end up being worth. Sure, as in this case, I too doubt that there is new remastering, but gosh, the packaging alone is enough to make you drool - yes, I am a sucker for these JPN. sets.

I won't be getting this, but I can almost guarantee that it will go OOP fast and retain its value. Look at what the target obi mini LP Who CD's from 1999 go for on ebay!

 

The domestic release will not have the SHM cd's just the regular ones.

 

I see that Elusive Disc has updated the product description on their site. They're now describing this as an imported Japanese SHM-CD set, not a domestic release. The listing on Amazon hasn't changed. Just to add to the confusion, they have a separate listing for the imported Japanese box - at well over twice the price.

 

It looks from the Elusive Disc listing as if it's actually Atlantic/Rhino importing 2000 copies of the Japanese set and reselling them in North America.

 

You guys who never heard any good SHM-CD (and this set in special which sounds GREAT) will never get it.
IF and that seems to be a fact the same Masters have been used the EAC will definitely show the same characteristics. So what do you learn from that sight ?
Nothing - hearing is believing.
Everyone who heard these raves about the sound - you think they all are fools ?
Sure Barry's CD's still sound excellent as well - but in a different way...
Here is a certain new quality of Led Zeppelin . Major improvement ? No !
As Good as It Gets ? Definitely so Sir !

 

I'd probably buy the domestic release if it were a lot cheaper. I think it's pretty stupid to include all 6 sleeves of In Through The Out Door and an extra sleeve for Led Zeppelin I. They should have just included a random one in a paper bag, just like the original release.

 

I liked what Classic Records did with ITTOD by doing just one cover on the album and then including a booklet with large reproductions of all six variations.

As for LZI, this is one bit of Led Zeppelin trivia I've never thought to track down. All my Canadian copies of the album over the years both CD and LP had reddish orange lettering/logo, yet the Classic version is yellow and now this new box has a turquoise lettering/logo version. the turquoise is apparently the original UK issue, but what's the story on the yellow to red. Was the first North American issue yellow and then it was changed to red?

 

I listened to the Song Remains The Same and Physical Graffiti sets from this box today and they're both excellent imho......hearing is most definitely believing in this case.

 

I don't like the white "banner" they put over House of the Holy, what a travesty!

 

Oops, I think the banner is removable and not printed on the artwork. I thought it was printed that way, my bad.

 

If it like the older mini-lp it is in fact removable.

 

Mine arrived yesterday . I've payed LZ I and it sounds good to me. Great package!

 

...for a split second there I saw SHM and my heart skipped a beat.

...my first thought was that it stood for "Steve Hoffman Mastered"...

Oh well.

No mastering credits, no money. BAD record label!

ccm

 

I seem to recall reading that at one point upon its initial release, the HOTH LPs had the removable banner slid over them to cover parts of the naked kids. Same reasoning as U2's "Boy"LP originally featured a different cover in North America because they were scared of accusations of encouraging pedophilia!

 

What Jimmy Page and/or Atlantic Records need to do now is instead of re-issueing the 1994 remasters time and time again in slightly different packaging every time is to go back to the original 2-track analog stereo master tapes and do a new 24bit/96khz transfer from them and then master it for CD from that. The Mothership CD sounded quite good but the source material for it was only the previous digital transfers which I guess were done at 16bit/44.1 or 48khz in the early 1990's which I thought was a bit disappointing. Hopefully these new remasters rumoured for next year will be new transfers from the original analog masters. Maybe we might even get 24/96 DVD audio discs aswell .

 

While I agree that the Zeppelin Catalog could benefit from another remaster from the master tapes, I can't say that Page is the man for the job. I say bring back Barry Diament and hire a creative team to dream up ways to distract Page while Barry is working his magic.

I also can't say that I thought that Mothership was listenable, much less sounded good, but that's my ears.

 

I didn't necessarily mean Jimmy Page do the mastering. I just meant a mastering engineer who knows what their doing. If you like the original Diament masters why not just listen to them? What difference would it make him mastering them again? Would he master them any differently this time?

 

He said elsewhere on this forum that they would not sound the same if he did them again.

What would be different? He would have the benefit of modern equipment/technology and access to the original master tapes, two things he did not have at the time. Plus, he didn't do LZ IV and I'd love to hear what he would come up with, especially the drum sound on When the Levee Breaks.

I can certainly live happy with my old Diament LZ CDs, I'd just live happier if he did them again, using the master tapes.

 

Lets all sign a petition for Steve Hoffman remaster/remixes!

 

I believe I've read this thread through so sorry if someone has already posted this but...

Just got my Japan SHM copy of Led Zeppelin II and thought I'd post wav forms (vs the original Japan 20P2, sorry but I don't have the later remaster to compare with) as well as samples:


ARTIST:_Led_Zeppelin
TITLE:_Led_Zeppelin_II (Japan 20P2)
TIME______PEAK___NAME
5:34.55___97.4___Whole Lotta Love
4:48.02___80.7___What Is and What Should Never Be
6:19.23___83.8___The Lemon Song
4:47.32___61.7___Thank You
4:13.60___90.6___Heartbreaker
2:39.10___67.7___Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)
4:35.43___71.1___Ramble On
4:20.55___67.8___Moby Dick
4:20.70___71.6___Bring It on Home
PEAK_AVE:_68.2
PEAK_MIN:_61.7
PEAK_MAX:_97.4
TOTAL_TIME:_00:41:38



ARTIST:_Led_Zeppelin
TITLE:_Led_Zeppelin_II (Japan SHM)
TIME______PEAK____NAME
5:35.17___100.0___Whole Lotta Love
4:45.63___100.0___What Is And What Should Never Be
6:19.52___100.0___The Lemon Song
4:49.43___100.0___Thank You
4:14.05___100.0___Heartbreaker
2:39.25___100.0___Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)
4:24.20___100.0___Ramble On
4:20.70___100.0___Moby Dick
4:21.10___100.0___Bring It On Home
PEAK_AVE:_89.0
PEAK_MIN:_100.0
PEAK_MAX:_100.0
TOTAL_TIME:_00:41:29




Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) (Japan 20P2 First Minute).wav

Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman) (Japan SHM First Min).wav

-s1m0n-

 

Hi Andrew,

The overall approach would be similar but I have different ears now. ;-}

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi SimonSaysCake,

Is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture? (Not the graphic, the numbers.)

Perhaps Audacity does the math differently but how do a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 100 lead to an average of 89? (Were points deducted for bad behavior? ;-} )

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

P.S. The bottom waveform says (to me) that someone might just as well have bound Bonham's arms to restrict their range of motion.

 

I bet if the volume on the first one were increased to 100% the waveforms would look similar. The main issue I have with the second one is the clipping.