A thread in which to discuss the first tranche of Led Zeppelin reissues

My three Super Deluxe boxes have just arrived.

I have to go out very shortly, so I won't have time to listen to them for a good while. But first impressions of the presentation are very favourable. All three boxes - LZIII specially - are things of real beauty, with a pleasing attention to detail and use of high quality material. They weigh a ton as well!

The vinyl - supplied in polylined inners - looks flat, thick and clean, and the graphics are great. The hardback books, while not containing any revelatory essays and the like, are well designed and printed, and there are a few pictures I haven't seen before. The facsimile press pack with LZ1 is a nice touch. The CD sleeves are a bit fiddly but otherwise OK.

Am looking forward to hearing these later!

Just compared Led Zeppelin III on CD to my original US Diament released CD. Seems John Paul Jones' bass lines are deeper in the mix-they are not as apparent and I prefer the way I can follow it on the original release. The remaster is too forward with the percussion and guitars. Rather bright sounding. I haven't opened the other two CD's yet...

Still at work so I can't tell about the sound quality, but I noticed that L.Z. III Deluxe from HD Tracks is all mixed up, the songs on a bonus disc are all falsely named and there is Bron-Y-Aur stomp missing from the original disc. And I'm afraid to contact them because I'm not...well, an US citizen.

I am just downloading LZ I, II & III, remastered editions and do not have any problems. Cost is £11.07 per album.

Gerry 

Oh the joys of non-physical formats!

Just been listening to some of the tracks on the CDs for a quick A/B comparison. The ones I chose were the tracks also on Mothershit - Good Times Bad Times, Communication Breakdown, D&C, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, WLL, Ramble On, Heartbreaker, IS and SIBLY - and there is a huge difference.

I think my initial impressions when I heard these streamed last month were right - anyone expecting another Mothershite type cock-up can rest easy, because, on CD at least, these are an awful lot better.

Time to jump into the companion discs next...

Hurry up and get on with the vinyl ! 

I have them on high res. But haven't had yet the time to really dig deep so I will need to post again. But the initial impressions I have:

• WOW - this is really a notch up - it's like I am with the guys while they are playing;
• Balance of drums and bass has changed;
• While I like it a lot I seem to miss a bit of the dirty / rough / uncontrolled sound we had before....

More to follow.

Received three box sets this afternoon all numbered under 30000 and nicely packaged. Had a quick spin of '1' Vinyl so far and sounds great - only problem was the centre hole was very tight on the spindle. Forced it down with the Michell clamp and then had difficulty removing it! Will probably download the 24/96 versions next.

Will report back soon Graham - just gotta do some work in order to pay for these things!

Just took 45 minutes to download '1' from the Warners site. Normally takes me a couple of minutes to download a 24/96 album. Maybe the site is very busy today - I'll wait a while before trying the other two.

Led Zep II - my first impression from first listen

Nicely pressed [in Germany] vinyl, no warping, and comes in nice poly-paper inner-sleeves.
The centre hole needed enlarging slightly.

Cue Kadid - to a quiet lead-in....

fairly squeaky clean musical instrument separation.
The bass guitar is very pronounced. Drums slightly more distant and duller.
Fortunately nothing gets too over bright.

It seems to me that the mixing has varying amounts of compression used, maybe this is dependent upon how the analogue tapes have survived the years..?
Sometimes I hear an analogue hiss cut in, and cut out again [with a guitar].

So far I’m happy enough with this re-issue remaster in that i was braced for something worse, perhaps this is all we can expect from digital; a crisp, clean and clinical wash that removes some of the old funk and soul of the 70s sound.

But i’m enjoying the listen because this is not a horrid digitally LOUD recording but one that copes with a reasonable amount of volume, and Led Zep needs volume imo.
It’s true the sonics do have a rather digital quality [because it is actually digital] and the clean up seems to have rendered the group more prim and proper from an otherwise loose and in the groove analogous past.

This is only my first play though, perhaps these new discs will sound better after a few plays : )

Debs

The masters must be in pretty good nick Debs as the all analogue Classic's reissues were excellent and not too far off the original first presses for SQ.

After fearing the worse! these don't sound to bad with my ears on my system. I have never owned an original of this particular album so have nothing to compare it against, will leave that to SteveJ. However all the vinyl is nice and flat and noise free, the art work is superb and all in all I am happy to have it in my collection.

OK, just finished listening to the six sides of vinyl from the Super Deluxe LZ1.

Nice and thick and flat, very quiet - silent in fact. In terms of SQ, I think it's very, very good.

On the album itself, I'm really impressed with the level of detail in the sound - it exceeds both my Classic and 1980s Japanese pressings. Separation is great as well - overall, I'm hearing things I never heard before. I also like that there's more of a "studio ambience" feel, which again I like.

It's a tad trebly, but not unpleasantly so - Bonzo's cymbals sound great. They sound like a piece of metal being hit with a heavy wooden stick. The drums sound powerful, which is how they should be.

If there's a problem, it's with the bass. It doesn't seem as meaty as it does on the Classic or even the aforementioned Jap, but I could live with it.

I can see why Debs might think it's a bit polite, but on my system (which is quite forward and has a high boogie factor) it sounds just dandy. Two tracks jumped out at me - HMMT, which really swings despite the bass not being as fat as it could be; and Your Times Is Gonna Come, which has always been my favourite track from the album - JPJ's organ at the start... oh my! Never heard it like that before.

So, a different presentation from the Classic (and, I presume) a 1st press, but not necessarily an inferior one. It's definitely sourced from digital, but a very high quality file, and it has been very, very well done.

John Davis should get some kudos for the excellent job he's done here. He's obviously learned some lessons from Mothershite and the New Order Singles compilation (the mastering on that was so bad it makes Mothershite sound like a UK first press of Dark Side of the Moon).

On to the Olympia concert. I love this. It's a fearsome performance, with Heartbreaker, HMMT, and You Shook Me being pretty outstanding. The sound (it's in mono) is a bit all over the place (occasionally it's a bit muddy, the bass is VERY heavy and Page's guitar gets lost in the mix) but the venue acoustics come across well and the audience is lively. There's a real feeling of "being there" which for me is what a live album's all about - even though this is definitely not a "hi fi" experience!

On another note, I have nothing but praise for the presentation of the set.

All three boxes were sent in a well-padded box, and each box set was encased in its own foam-lined box, so everything arrived completely undamaged.

The LZ 1 box itself is sturdy cardboard, linen-covered affair with the original cover well-printed on the front. Inside you get two CDs, each with a polylined inner and a thick card cover. The LZ1 cover itself is a replica of the original sleeve, down to a message on the back about playing stereophonic record with a mono pickup! Printing is very, very good. Same goes for the sleeves of the original LP and the Olympia concert (which has two LPs in a single sleeve).

There's a numbered print of the first album cover and a facsimile folder containing an original press kit and two 8 x 10 B&W photos. The book is stunning, a 72-page hardback, linen-covered 12 x 12 affair with a great diet-cut Zeppelin on the front. No essays or anything, but plenty of fantastic memorabilia and some great photos.

Finally, there's a card containing a code for a hi-res download (will have to listen to this later, when I can get round my friend's house and listen on his system).

10/10 for presentation then, and, for £79, not bad value at all.

In conclusion, anyone thinking about buying the vinyl, my advice is, go for it. It's very good, and unless you're willing to pay three figures for a Classic or a first press, you won't get any better (indeed, I can see someone preferring this presentation to the Classic - in some respects I do).

I am very happy with how all this has turned out.

Bought 1/2/3.  All on the single album pressing, only played the first album so far, don't have anything to compare it with as my vinyl copy was nicked at a party. Will compare my originals of 2&3 sometime tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to hearing them when I get back. My son tells me they've arrived. I have listened to the bonus material downloaded on my iPad and there are some great tracks.

Vinyl copies of LZII and III arrived on Monday from What Records. I've only ever owned IV, on 3 pressings, Mobile Fidelity reissue  being the worst!. This lot are clear, detailed and dynamic. III seems more forward in presentation. Otherwise, quiet, quality pressings and only £12.99 each. Bargain. am now tempted to order I and IV based on SQ thus far.

I have now listened to the original LPs from the deluxe sets of II and III. They are really good - I don't think anyone should worry over the quality, or the provenance of the source for that matter. 

Led Zep II - I have compared with two other copies - a UK 1974 K40037, and a UK Plum/Red  from 1970.  The 1974 copy is ok, until you hear the 1970 Plum copy, which is much better - it is just, well, right. No question, and as you would expect, and mine isn't a 1st pressing. The 2014 jacket is good, the inners poly lined, the vinyl flat and quiet. Quality. And it sounds amazing. Trounces the 1974 K40037 in every way. In some ways it improves on the 1970 Plum - it is more detailed, more forward, but without being brash, and just fun!  If you want to wind the clock back and play Led Zep II on LP at a party, this is the copy to go for.  You will hear many things you haven't, even on an original, so merits the pipe, slippers, and glass of single malt approach too.

Led Zep III - I have compared with the Classic 200g, which is excellent, and vastly better than mid 70s issues again. The jacket on the Classic is definitely better, with the brass stud through the wheel and a gorgeous glossy finish. The 2014 jacket is great though, but a different layout from the original on the deluxe version, of course. It is early yet, but I think the 2014 issue sounds better. It brings out the layers of acoustic instruments on Gallows Pole, and Tangerine etc wonderfully. Dynamic but graceful. And more detail than on the Classic throughout the frequencies. Any way I won't prattle on - there will be mountains of comments on others on this, and especially the 'American' forum to come.

I have always found it frustrating that decent versions of the earlier Zeppelin LPs have been hard to find for so long.  And Plum or Classic copies are outrageously expensive. If you want Zeppelin on LP get these. You really won't need anything else.

Except perhaps that mint plum original in that charity box for ten bob……... 

Super Deluxe or just vinyl Steve?

The 24/96 downloads sound superb. I can't see me listening to the vinyl versions much now.