Led Zeppelin Remasters

I have the two CD in the 'fat box' which I bought as I was looking for a 'best of' back in 1990. It's a bit bright but I can live with it. If I were looking for the studio albums I most probably look for the original CD issues or even go back to vinyl.
I'm kinda wary of buying re-masters these days without reading the reviews.

 

Yea, and for the guy who said he preferred it because it sounded like the album... Steve is quoted as saying he doesn't want the stuff to sound like the album, but *better* than the album.

 

`
The original master tapes of Led Zeppelin II were supposedly either damaged, in bad shape and unplayable, according to one thread I remember seeing here, that Steve said something about "Old lousy BASF tape" or something to that effect. Wish I could find that post now. Someone correct me on this!

The Barry Diament CD of Zep II sounds great. Makes the remaster look silly.

The RL and MOFI's are kings of the vinyl versions.

 

I think I've said this before, but I could swear I once read that the master for II "exploded" while being played back once. Haven't been able to find that reference lately though.

 

It's gotta be here somewhere...Maybe in the archives? What a shame! Maybe someone forgot to bake it before play?

 

The lack of the master tape for Led Zeppelin II is the reason II sounds worse than all the other albums except for some early records which were made with the master prior to it being destroyed, blown up, lost, etc.

 

I guess the Mobile Fidelity LP was probably the last release using the original mixes. I would imagine the ones following it (Diament CD, Remaster CD, Classic LP's) were made using safties.

 

Fear not! Page is in possession of all the multi-tracks for every Zep album. Page said so himself when he was working on the HTWWW DVD with Kevin Shirley that he found all of the multi-tracks. I have a feeling that we will be seeing all the Zep albums released in a hi-rez format sometime in the not to distant future.

 

So when LZ recorded their albums...they didn't do so in a stereo manner? They recorded in a multi-track manner?

 

Oh...as far as I know, so were the first CDs....the actual analog boxes are the ones that Atlantic had from way earleir on.....I NEVER saw new boxes shuffling at the times of Marino's mastering...and I did see the boxes they used.

Perhaps Barry would like to shed some light on this

 

Fear not! Page is in possession of all the multi-tracks for every Zep album. Page said so himself when he was working on the HTWWW DVD with Kevin Shirley that he found all of the multi-tracks. I have a feeling that we will be seeing all the Zep albums released in a hi-rez format sometime in the not to distant future.
__________________

They were mixed to Stereo, from multi-track masters.

If they do remix Zep II, I'll bet there would be a lot of the character of the original mix lost. Let's hope all that distortion, compression, and tape saturation is on the multi's...

 

Well **** yeah! Get on it Page! Or better yet -- Mr. Hoffman himself!

So if this is the case they can fully create another Led Zeppelin II "master" that will sound better in all aspects than the current CDs and be on par with the Robert Lugwig release?

 

That 'rumour' was originally published as fact in ICE magazine, years ago, around the time the first LZ CDs appeared. They quoted sources who said that the LZ II masters had been stored in the trunk of someone's car, and were essentially useless. Then, years after that, we see Zeppelin remasters....from 'original master tapes'. Kinda like the way the 'lost' original masters of Tommy turned out...not to be.

 

I would be thirlled to, with a BUT in there....we listen differently nowadays, and we surely mix differently as well. AMBIENCE is very important, especially with the Zep catalog.

I remember when I listened to the first album on CD for the first time, and I was surprised that there was no pre-audio on the second side opener WHERE THERE WAS on my (obviously?) "defective" vinyl version.

I missed it on the CD!

 

Question: How have the multitracks held up?

 

In an interview I read with Page (or perhaps Kevin Shirley, who engineered the DVD+live release, I can't remember) he said they located all the multitracks for all the studio albums and they were in good shape. This was as opposed to the multitracks for some of the live stuff, which they had to bake for up to 60 hours before transferring to digital.

 

When I asked this question on the FBO mailing list, someone mentioned that the lost master in question may be a copy that was owned by Atlantic and that Page himself still has the original. Of course, they're the only ones that know for sure. All I know is that all the Classic re-issues sound incredible, except for II, which although it's not bad, doesn't sound as good as the others. Both II and III seem to have boosted highs, but III is very clean. The clean parts of my old beat-up red label Canadian II sounds far better than the Classic re-issue, and I assume the hallowed RL does as well. Page has apparently said that the album was recorded a bit in the red so there'll always be some grunge, but I also know I saw an mp3 online once that features the rhythm guitar and rhythm section after the solo in Heartbreaker and it sounded very clean and very good. I wish someone would go in and remix from the multitracks, although imagine trying to recreate the panning, etc., in the middle section of Whole Lotta Love!

 

I had all of the originals (even the "no cough" Physical Graffiti, which I hated), and then I got the remasters. (No SH forum back then. ) I have been happy enough with the remasters.

But if I wanted to compare, for one release, the worst remaster vs the best original CD, what would y'all suggest?

 

I don't doubt you or them....and visually may be different than audibly....the proof will be in the pudding!

 

Graffiti often gets mentioned. House of the Holy is another good one for comparison, especially the intro to the Rain Song. Barry's original is bright, wide and lush. The remaster is narrow and muffled in comparison.

 

Actually, let's hope the tapes are not "pudding"

 

very good point

 

LZ III and parts of Houses Of The Holy (espcially the Rain Song).

 

Interesting update. Someone just posted a quote on a Led Zeppelin mailing list from a web site that discussed guitarist Joe Bonamassa's upcoming release and how it was worked on by Kevin Shirley and then mentioned that Shirley's next project takes him to London to remix classic Zeppelin. Shortly after the post reached the mailing list, I checked the linked web site and the mention of remixing classic Zeppelin was removed. Hmmmmm

 

Let's hope it's true! But one question...is Kevin Shirley any good at mastering CDs? I'll admit he did a fine job on the Zeppelin DVD...but how is his CD work?