Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti LP - Sounds Awful!

I Don't find the SQ of the 3 others I have (ii,iii,iv) too bad considering the age of the originals. Full disclosure here, I stopped buying the vinyls at iv so am not that familiar with PG and I am auditioning speakers so not listening to anything I am familiar with so may not be the best judge but I just found the sound of PG to be over bright, bordering on harsh and it certainly sounds different to the other 3 remasters I have.

There is such a lot of emotional nonsense attached to the Zep remasters. I suppose it is because we have all loved them since we were kids, know the records inside out, and are super familiar with the pressings we've heard for 40 years.

Add to that the explosive issue of analogue vs digital and we have a topic as hot as a very hot thing.

Then add into the mix a lot of us are getting old and cantankerous. You know who you are! Don't fight it, I am too! 

Jimmy Page didn't do the remasters, John Davis from Metropolis did them. Jimmy may have been present from time to time. Or not. Yes he's 'owned' them.

I've only compared the vinyl issues. Mostly they are really very good. They differ from the originals, and in many ways for the better. I do think PG is the least good so far. It's cut a bit too hot for my taste, but it still has more detail than the original. Regarding the other four, I have a mix of UK plum originals and Classic Records to compare, and the new masters stack up really well. The new II and III are go to copies for me.

I'm not interested in stoking the hot fire on this. The reason I post is solely because there may be folks who are dissuaded from getting these new Zep records because of flat assertions from some that they are pants.

That would be a shame because its not true.

They are certainly better than any of the orange/green mid 70s issues, and in some instances better than original pressings.

Depending on what you are listening for.

Which remixes do you have in mind? I have the King Crimson vinyl reissues, which sound quite good to me (admittedly they're remasters rather than remixes). Islands sounds much better than my 1978 Polydor reissue, for example.

All the classic Steven Wilson remixes I've heard (and that's most of them) have been first class - true to the spirit of the original but sounding much better. The only exception to that is Land Of Grey And Pink, where his remix uses completely differently (and to my mind much inferior) takes.

Nah. His Jethro Tull efforts aren't a patch on the original vinyl. King Crimson isn't bad. Could do better IMO.

I have every single original album by KC and it pains me to hear them being musically violated the way  he does. I can't stand his crap, overrated band and it would be appreciated if he could leave those early masterpieces well alone but I'm sure there will always be support for this kind of trash. 

All my albums are original first pressings and I also listened to most reissues . Of course,  you are entitled to you opinion. There's the Midas touch and what I call the "Shitas" touch.

I agree that I, II & III sound excellent. My gut reaction is that PG sounds bright. It certainly sounds more detailed - just listen to the in between talky bits. I need to do an A-B to know for sure. HOTH is bright in places too, but I'm less familiar the original.

I'm big fan of Steven Wilson (His new album is awsome). Some of his remixes are great (Jethro Tull Benefit) and others less so. I view them as interesting alternatives, which I'm not forced to buy or listen to. At least they haven't replaced the originals, unlike the shocking Nick Davis remasters of the Genesis records.

Keith

Have to say of the ones I have heard these remasters on cd are truly bad. Not sure why some people rate them so high, emotional attachment possibly.

I have the reissues of LTiA and Reds. They are superb. 

I also picked up a pink rim 2nd pressing In the Wake of Poseidon last year for £10 last year, which was very lucky, but most people would be very happy with the reissues.

Keith

Kevin,
I made no mention of Page being deaf, seems a leap on your part. My posit is not utter bollocks, but a matter of physiological reality; hearing degrades with age and more so with exposure to loudness. Having not heard the remaster of PG in question obliges me to aquiesce on the present topic, but any words your hack friend may have had with JP does not make you better qualified to comment on the SQ in question than anyone else here. If JP is intent on a legacy targeting the MP3 market, he's likely hitting the mark with recent work. Old timers will have their original vinyl and newbies will have the latest remasters. Perhaps us old timers are remiss if expecting a reinvention of the wheel.

Joe

You did not directly say that JP was deaf but plenty of others have done and you also made references to "seventy-something ears subject to hundreds of hours of raucous concerts" and "someone with hearing" so I think it's pretty clear what you're implying, don't you?

I don't like to drop names which is why I made not mention of it beforehand, but I actually had a conversation with Page last October when IV/HOTH came out. He is certainly not deaf - his memory of 1970s events may be (intentionally?) wobbly but his hearing ain't. I think that makes me rather more qualified to comment on this matter than anyone else on this thread.

I've said it before and I will re-emphasise it. The way this latest series of masters sound is the result of a conscious decision on the part of the artist and not his deafness. Of course if anyone has actual proof of   Page's deafness I will modify my opinion.

As far as I'm concerned your post remains bollocks.

Nobody is forcing anyone to purchase anything and if you don't like these remasters, don't buy them; there are plenty of second-hand Zep LPs and CDs out there, often available for less than you'd pay for these latest issues.

Kevin,

You've apparently read my replies closely, so I will concede you're correct and abjure my opinions on the matter. Since you've spoken directly to JP regarding his intentions, you seem best suited on this forum to address LZ's recent remaster sound quality and its purpose. And, as you suggest, I'll stick to my current stock of vinyl and CDs issued in the previous millennium. Peace out.

My impressions for what their worth - using young ears and no particular bias:

I compared my father's original US pressings of III, ZoSo, HOTH, and PG to the latest 180g remastered (i.e. non-deluxe) versions as well as my 90's CD issues of all four. Of course I'm most familiar with the CD versions having spent the most time with them. Interestingly enough, to my ears I note trends across all three release types.

To me, III has the most enjoyable sonic signature of the lot. In other words, of the original vinyl presses, the 90's CDs and the latest remastering job, of the four issues, I think the sonic quality is more nuanced, greater dynamics, closer presentation, etc. with III. And no, III is not my favorite of the four regarding the music. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, to me, PG is the worst sounding of the four. I always scratched my head at this as it was obviously the last one recorded, in '75, so theoretically it would be candidate to sound the best (of the four). But to me it has always sounded tinny, distant (Plant's vocals in particular sound like they're being forced through a tunnel), and pretty narrow. Sometimes the dynamics do funny things and you hear Page suddenly expand on the soundstage and you think, "what the hell was that, did he just run up to the mic's?" 

So with the latest remastering jobs I can say that I was pleased to purchase as a collective group, noticeable improvements across the four releases, although less with PG, but I chalk this up to PG probably having the (relative) most inferior recording session(s) of the four. 

Just came across this thread. I feel vindicated. Listed to this album on Qobuz a fortnight ago and nearly gave up listening to it. Only because it's the mighty Led Zeppelin did I persist. The poor sound quality really did detract from musical enjoyment. Poorest sounding album I've heard for a while. Don't tell me, peak limiting has been used.

No, it's been compressed!

Guess you got the iTunes equivalent of an LP.

Well guess what, LPs are the hot thing now; they are keeping used record stores alive, and boy are they gouging for Vinyl.  People will give you CDs for a wink.  I traded in a few CDs and DVDs the other day and there was an acre of boxes full of LPs, for them to go through.  At least 10 people in there going through Vinyl...3 going through CDs.

What does this mean? It means they see the trend and are already putting out cheap crap...this is a perfect storm for them, because they know what people will pay for LPs, people who have killer Turntable sources.

Did you ever think in 2015 that Vinyl will start to be commoditized again? 

People with large Vinyl collections are sitting on a gold mine right now.

Have you actually been to a rock concert Kevin?  I used to go a few times a month many years ago - I was only in the audience and it was usually two days before my ears stopped ringing.  I would be absolutely amazed if Page's hearing was not impaired to a significant degree.

I had a vinyl copy of PG a few years back and could not get very far listening to it. I think it ended up at Oxfam. Not that keen on the tunes on it and the SQ was BA. The only indispensable Led Zep albums for me are 1 and 2. They are true quality, consistently from start to finish.

Funnily enough I have! I went to my first gig (Pink Floyd at the Empire Pool, Wembley) when I was 14 (I'm 52 now), and have been to about 3,000 shows (not all of them rock admittedly) in total since. Some of them - Swans, Sunn 0))), My Bloody Valentine, Throbbing Gristle, Einsturzende Neubauten, Sonic Youth, Big Black, Motorhead etc - have been  incredibly loud; I've never had ringing ears after any of them, except, rather oddly, after a Prince gig in 1988.

Different strokes for different folks maybe? 

I saw Motorhead supported by Girls School many years ago, my ears were ringing after that one!

I have also been to quite a lot of rock concerts over the years, and strangely enough (and thankfully) only one concert resulted in my ears 'ringing'. Surprisingly, this was a Jeff Beck concert in Edinburgh back in the late 80s. It was excruciatingly loud, despite the fact that he was performing as part of a trio on that occasion - just JB's guitar, bass and drums.

Thankfully, his concerts are a little more civilized these days, and whenever I listen to his LPs or CDs I can set the volume to a reasonable (but still loud) level.