Led Zeppelin Remasters

Not quite - but I take your point........

Ok, what I'm really looking for is this:

Which is the best version of each album on both vinyl & CD and (good one this) where am I likely to get them from?

 

For CD, any original non-remastered CD from any country will be fine.

Zeppelin is the only band I've ever heard on CD where the original 1st pressing Japanese and W. German CDs are absolutely identicle to the domestic releases with no mastering variations. This lasted all the way into the early 90's until the remasters were released.

 

So you're saying the original CD releases are all better than the remasters?!

What does everyone think is so wrong with the remasters?

 

Yes, that's what I'm saying.

They sound slightly over-compressed and the top end is very brittle, sounding hard compared to the originals. If you compare them you can even tell the "exact sound" of Page's guitar changes slightly on the first remasters in particular spots. I don't recall exactly where on the CDs I heard this as it was many years ago, but I and a visiting friend did hear it and in fact he, a non-audiophile, pointed this out to me.

 

Even IV?

So the target CDs of IV and HOTH are the same as the standard Atalntic CDs before they were remastered? I thought so as well but never saw a proof.

 

Yes even IV. I currently have the Canadian standard aluminum, the W. German second standard aluminum pressing, after the Target I'm fairly certain, and the extremely rare Bild am Sonntag W. German gold CD and they are all identicle in the mastering.

 

Good to hear they're identical, the standard pressings are easier to get than the others.

 

Here are my two cents about the remasters. I have Led Zep II and IV, the originals and the remasters.

The original LZ II has a boomy low end and some well sounding midrange and top end. The remastered LZ II has a well sounding low end but an annoying midrange. It's between a rock and a hard place.

The LZ IV remaster is an improvement, IMO. It sounds like made from a lower generation tape with nothing to complain about. BTW, the channels are changed on the CD's.

 

I think the remasters sounded great. Since the later nineties, I've gotten lots of "remastered" titles that were squeezed and max'd to death, but that wasn't the case with these discs. If you're looking for the "holy grail" of the Led Zep catalog, happy hunting. But if all you have available to you are the remastered versions, they'll do fine. The best thing about them is that they sound uniform across the entire catalog, and I thought they sounded more solid than the original CDs, some of which sounded like they had various tape playback problems.

If you can get the box that has all the albums in it in their original running order, you'll also get a nifty book with it.

I think it's more a matter of taste than a consensus.

 

P.S. I'd LOVE to get surround-sound SACDs of the Led Zep catalog....

 

Can you give any examples?

 

In My Time Of Dying has the cough part cut off.

 

I agree. I was so disappointed with IV on cd until I got the remasters. There days I when I listen to Zeppelin I pull out the vinyl, I'm not really pleased with any of the cd releases.

 

I like the remasters over the original CDs, although Houses original CD is a nice sounding disc! IMHO cheers!

 

Specifically, no - it was so long ago and the CDs are long gone. But I remember stuff like one channel sounding a bit brighter than the other, and possibly some tape damage in one channel, stuff like that. They didn't sound like they always used the actual masters. I just remember thinking that the remasters sounded so much better to my ears.

Sorry if I can't be more specific. Hope I haven't offended anyone or got them worrying.

 

By the way, does anyone else here the rather glaring tape glitches on "Stairway to Heaven"? Can't remember where they are exactly (both during the quiet part at the beginning, but towards the end of that section - I'll get the exact times later), but there are at least a couple that always make me cringe. And these are on every copy, CD or vinyl, I've ever heard. Makes me sad that apparently the master tape of such a monumental recording was damaged so early on.

 

Well, I just stepped out of vinyl. And the Zeppelin cd's are not even close to the sonics of the Classic vinyl on my system. CD's aren't bad, just don't have that whack of the drums. How The West Was Won DVD is OUTSTANDING ! I mean great ! Never get enough of Zep.

John

 

Okay, I was wrong on this - it actually kicks in around 5:18 ("Dear lady...") for about two seconds. Then there's another drop-out at around 5:29. In both cases, it's most noticable if you listen to the drums. Anyone else hear those? Does it drive them crazy, too?

By the way, whoever said their copy of IV has the channels reversed, I seem to recall that every copy I've ever owned (again, vinyl and CD) has "Stairway" with the opening guitar on the left side. (In fact, I used to use it to check that my speakers were set up right!)

 

No problem. It is just that many have claimed that the original CDs were mastered from inferior tapes or with other tape problems, but with the exception of "In My Time Dying", they don't give any specific examples.

The two original CDs I have so far, III and HOTH, do not have any of those problems and I would bet that they used the original master tapes for those two.

 

No drop-outs on either of the two I have in my hands right now.

On my made in Germany catalog #19129-2/EUROPE: 250 008 the opening guitar is on the right side. On my Germany Bild am Sonntag gold CD catalog # identicle to the above, the opening guitar is on the left. Yes these are both Germany and not W. Germany releases and the back-panel artwork is also identicle with no UPC codes.

 

Any difference in the SQ of the Zeppelin Japan mfg Atlantic discs and the US mfg Atlantic discs???