Upcoming Led Zeppelin reissues

headrott

Ok, no sleeves found on either disc. :sad: Slight scratches found on both discs. Assuming I did get a better one, I would not like to see a "bad" one. I wonder if they will let me exchange it for another? I also wonder how many I would have to go through to not get a scratched disc? I tried to take a picture of the disc, but my crappy iphone camera couldn't get a good photo. I did take some of the "case" and also how the discs are stored in the "case". I really wish this was a digipak, or had sleeves. What a disappointment on that aspect!

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to listen to the CD. It'll have to wait until tomorrow, as I have had neighbors complain when I play it too loudly at night.

I'll give you a call in a little bit Jesse. Are you gonna be up for a while (I know, stupid question!)?

F1nut

That is disappointing.

Yep

BlueFox

I haven't opened mine yet since I am going to return them to Amazon and then download the high-res files from HD Tracks. However, I have lots of CDs like that where it just sits in the cardboard and haven't had any issues. Of course, I only take it out once to copy it to the music server. I can see where playing it multiple times would be prone to scuffing trying to get it out, and back in.

gudnoyez

Two things you can do one is put the cd in a slim jewel case and store it next to the sleeves or if you turn the sleeve upside down so that the playing surface is facing up pry sleeve from both sides with your thumb and fore finger then gently slide out the playing surface won't get scuffed up put back in the sleeve the same way.

Neil Young started this cardboard sleeve crap then there was the David Gilmour on an Island with that crappy rubber stopper in the middle that you couldn't press the cd back on to it once you got it off, cardboard sleeves gimmicky holders damn them just give us a frikken normal jewel case. Oh yeah then there is those digi pack cases where you can barley pry the cd off the holder arrrrgh.

BlueFox

gudnoyez wrote: »

.... cardboard sleeves gimmicky holders damn them just give us a frikken normal jewel case.

No, no, no!!! A thousand times NO!!! I HATE those plastic POS jewel cases, and love the cardboard holders. The cardboard case makes the CD like a miniature album, but without the deficiencies of vinyl. Just add a sleeve. I have CDs that are in cardboard, and the CD is in a 'paper' sleeve. This isn't the very flimsy sleeve such as used by the SHM SACDs, but a bit more rigid. Not quite cardboard, but stronger than regular paper.

anton.chigurh

B & N had a 3 for 2 deal and I got all 3 basic standard vinyl lps shipped <$50. I've only listened 1 couldn't be happier. LZ on clean flat heavy vinyl...wow. I'm not sayin these are the holy grail (unfortunately I can't compare it to any previous pressings...only other copy I have of this is a cd from the mini lp box set a few yrs ago), but for a guy like me with nuthin... it's a no brainer. Clean original copies of LZ don't grow on trees and these sound great to these ears on my humble rig.

nspindel

Ok, these are eff'ing amazing. Did the 24-bit downloads, and I'm blown away. Just superb. Listened to them through the iPeng iPhone app for my Squeezebox setup, which transcodes on the fly to 16-bit mp3. Listened to that through headphones and through the car stereo. Thought they sounded really good, but now I've finally got the opportunity to listen to them at full resolution through the SDA's. Everything is just so much better than the previous versions of the cd's. So far I've listened to I and the first half of II, and every song just shines through perfectly. I have the vinyl on the way as well.

BlueFox

Good to hear. I am returning my CDs to amazon, and buying the downloads.

nspindel

One thing I notice, and I must go back and listen to the prior versions and check for it, is the sweet sweet sound of tape hiss. It's right there in any quiet passages, loud and clear. I suspect in the masters from the 90's, there was a lot more focus on "cleaning up" the tapes, at the expense of things like the sustain of a cymbal, the attack of a snare drum, and the harmonics of an acoustic guitar. So then efforts were probably made to boost some of that back in, all resulting in sound that was very muddy and lacking detail. Such is not the case in this round. And I'm not sure if the 16-bit cd's are able to carry the fade-outs as well as the 24-bit. There is so much going on in the really quiet fades, and it's all here in the 24-bit version. I wonder if it's there in the cd version or if the dynamic range limitations prevent it. Dunno. But I've been listening to Zeppelin on cd through SDA's for as long as there's been Zeppelin on cd. Nothing has come close to this.

headrott

I did some comparisons between masterings and came to, in my opinion, an excellent conclusion. Let me first say that I don't own ANY of the remastered albums (with the exception of the mini-lp's of Houses of the Holy and In Through the Outdoor (mostly for the covers)). So, I cannot comment on the sound of the shm-mini LP cds's or any of the remsters put out in the past, with the exception of the first two boxed sets that came out containing all the songs (and some unreleased stuff). These were the first remasters don by Jimmy Page and George Marino in 1990 and 1992? (not 100% on the second 2 CD set release year). Long story short (too late ) is that I prefer the sound of the Barry Diament masters (especially from a frequecy and tone perspective) over any of the remasters that have come out of the albums. I liked the remastered box sets that came out (4CD, 2CD) because the clarity, detail and resolution were improved dramatically over the orginal (Barry Diament) masters. I did not like the box sets from a frequency and tone point of view. In my opinion, they sound tinny as the upper midrange and high end are exaggerated too much.

That said, I first listened to the first mastering (Barry Diament) of Led Zeppelin III, which included the first 3 tracks: Immigrant Song, Friends, and Celebration Day. My thoughs on listening to this CD were it sounds great from a frequency point of view. The lows are good, the midrange is geat and the highs are sparkley, but nowhere near bright. IMO, they are perfect! There is a definate "veil" put over the music when you listen however. Transparency, detail, clarity and resolution all suffer when you listen to this CD.

I then listened to the newly re-mastered Led Zeppelin III including the same first 3 tracks: Immigrant Song, Friends, Celebration Day. As soon as Immigrant Song started I knew this was going to be good! The tone of the CD is excellent as the frequencies are nicely done. The lows are good, the mids are excellent and the highs are sparkley without being bright. The detail, clarity, and resolution were much better than the original master (Japanese) CD of III. As I continued to listen, I began to realise that this mastering sounds very much like the Barry Diament master, excpet with higher resolution, detail, and clarity. I continued and listened to the entire CD of III it sounded so good! I will add that that on Since I've Been Loving You Bonham's bass drum peddle is much much easier to hear on the remaster than the original CD. By the end of the CD I had come to conclusion that this was the same digital master that Barry Diament made, but re-mastered (digitally) through newer, higher resolution equipment. this, IMO is a very good thing! No messed up spaces between songs, not (re)mastered to loud, bright, or tinny.

I then decided to compare this remastered CD to the remastered Since I've been Loving You from the 1990 4CD box set. As I listned to this version, I really noticed how tinny it sounds compared to the new remaster. I do like the detail, image seperation, and clarity on this version however. It is very very slightly better than the new remaster, but not worth the how thin and tinny it sounds, IMO.

I then moved on to Led Zeppelin I and listened to Good Times Bad Times from the remastered CD. I did not bother listening to the original master LZ I as I already knew it's the same master (from the analog tape) but with better resolution, clarity and detail. Again, this is a great sounding CD! Highly recommended.

After listening to Good Times Bad Times (from the remastered CD) I then pulled out the first CD of the 2 CD box set (from 1992?) and listened to Good Times Bad Times on there. Again, it sounds thin, tinny and too bright compared to the new remaster. Again, the detail, instrument seperation, clarity, and resolution were slightly better however. Again, not worth the thin, tiny, bright sound however.

Bottom line, Jesse stated that some of the Steve Hoffman forum preferred the Barry Diament masteres over these. In my opinion, these ARE the Barry Diament masters but digitally re-mastered with higher resolution equipment. I think these are the best sounding masters put out of the first 3 Zeppelin albums. The only downside is that there are no protective sleeves that the CD's come in. In the next albums put out, they should definately rectify this! Other than this problem, you want these CD! Buy them!

F1nut

Nice review Greg, thanks.

I didn't get a chence to call MD today.

headrott

F1nut wrote: »

Nice review Greg, thanks.

I didn't get a chence to call MD today.

Rick88 wrote: »

+1, great review!! :loneranger:

I purchased all 3 Deluxe Edition CD sets yesterday at BB, and cannot wait to play them on Saturday night (with a few cold ones). I plan to get the single LP's as well, but I went with the CD's to start because I wanted the bonus material and they are much cheaper than the Deluxe Edition vinyl. I had $10 in rewards certificates, so the 3 sets cost me a total of $37.77...

Thanks guys for the compliments. Let us know what you think of them after you listen Rick.

Jesse, I am definately interested in finding out what MD says about the situation of selling the Deluxe Editions.

BlueFox

I just finished downloading LZ I Deluxe, and the CD only tracks of II and III in 96/24 FLAC. I can't wait to listen to them tomorrow night, and as Rick says, with a few cold ones. Other forums are also giving high marks to these remasters, especially the 96/24 high-res tracks. Interestingly, the vinyl is cut from the 96/24 files, and it is also getting good reviews.

These are the first files I have downloaded since Napster was shut down, and they are the first files I have paid for. Hopefully, other artists will catch a clue and start providing their new releases as high-res downloads.

chumlie

Zep III. Awesome on CD. Best I've heard.

anton.chigurh

My vinyl Zep III came today with a Zoso looking "Z" etched into tracks 3 and 4. Audible... albeit faint. Back it goes, but I might have to drag my feet a bit and "test" it this weekend since nobody has stock.

F1nut

headrott wrote: »

Jesse, I am definately interested in finding out what MD says about the situation of selling the Deluxe Editions.

They do not expect sleeves with the repress.....bummer.

BlueFox

nspindel wrote: »

Ok, these are eff'ing amazing. Did the 24-bit downloads, and I'm blown away. Just superb.

Yes. I absolutely, freaking, fracking agree. I am doing my first evaluation pass now on the downloads, and am just sitting here astounded. I downloaded LZ I Deluxe, and the CD versions of II and III. For the initial evaluation I made a playlist of songs I like from all three albums, put it on random shuffle, and enjoyed the music. It is amazingly good. No noise, wide dynamic range, excellent stereo separation, clear vocals, and anything/everything else that is positive. This is how recorded music should sound. Good job, Mr. Page.

headrott

F1nut wrote: »

They do not expect sleeves with the repress.....bummer.

Damn it! Thanks for checking, anyway.

Jesse, someone on the Steve Hoffman forum mentioned they bought the Japanese imports of the first 3 albums on deluxe edition CD's. I asked if they came with sleeves (I am virtually positive they would) but haven't checked for a response yet. If they have sleeves on the Japnese versions, I will be buying them and the rest of the albums when they come out. Anyway, another option for better condition CD's may be out there. I will check the SH site and see if there is a response.

headrott

Confirmed Jesse! The Japanese imports of the first 3 CD's come with sleeves for the CD's! I know my next music purchases.

F1nut

The Japanese imports of the first 3 CD's come with sleeves for the CD's! I know my next music purchases.

Excellent, glad I didn't place an order with MD when I called. Where are you getting them, HVM?

headrott

Not HMV, but CDJapan (with the 300 points I have) it comes to $99.15 total.

dkg999

My CD's arrived in great shape. No visible marks on the CD surface.

BlueFox

All I listened to last night was the three LZ albums I downloaded. They are just amazing in how they sound.

dkg999

Hmmm, they sound pretty good to me! The blacks are blacker, the highs are higher, the mids are ........ well middier. In all seriousness they have a nice digital clarity and presence. However they won't replace my vinyl of the same albums.

BlueFox

headrott wrote: »

Not HMV, but CDJapan (with the 300 points I have) it comes to $99.15 total.

LOL. Wouldn't it be less expensive to buy the CDs from Amazon, and add an order of sleeves for $4.21?

http://www.amazon.com/100-Paper-Sleeves-Window-Flap/dp/B0019X20R8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402197885&sr=8-1&keywords=cd+sleeves+paper

gudnoyez

So these are that good perhaps I should get at least one of them and compare them to my vinyl copies or other cd' s I already own I own several copies of all Zeppelin the only one I don't own is In Through The Out Door since my old cassette of that got misplaced years ago, I never really cared for that one. Have they did Physical Graffiti yet? I might start there as its my favorite from Pagey and the boys.

BlueFox

Only the first three have been released so far.

BlueFox

Rick88 wrote: »

I hope nobody minds, but due to the importance of these new remasters to so many folks, I decided to post my pics/thoughts on the CDs.

Not at all. These releases are setting a standard for others to strive for. To repost what I said on another forum.

It is nice to be reading, and on multiple forums, people praising the release of well recorded music in all forms; high-res files, CDs, and vinyl.

Last night I downloaded all three LZ remasters from HD Tracks, and this was my first purchase from them. I hope these releases set download and sales records. Maybe other artists and labels will then catch a clue, and realize quality matters and sells. Hopefully, this will set a standard and other artists will strive to offer even better high-res files.

headrott

BlueFox wrote: »

LOL. Wouldn't it be less expensive to buy the CDs from Amazon, and add an order of sleeves for $4.21?

http://www.amazon.com/100-Paper-Sleeves-Window-Flap/dp/B0019X20R8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402197885&sr=8-1&keywords=cd+sleeves+paper

I already own the sleeves. Unfortunately, so far 3 of the4 CD's I have looked at (I have yet to open LZ II) have scratches already on them after opening them from being brand new. I am not buying the Japanese imports for the sleeves, but the non-scratched discs that are already in the sleeves.

headrott

Rick88 wrote: »

Friends, here's as brief of a review of the 2014 Led Zeppelin remasters as I can give after my first listen of them: Buy them now, you will not be disappointed in the sound quality... Led Zeppelin fans rejoice, it's about time... Now, when will the next 3 albums be released??

I understand it will the the next two. The untitled fourth album and Houses Of The Holy due out in October. These do sound great! I still stick by the fact they sound very much like (identical??) to the Barry Diament masters, but with much higher resolution, detal, and clarity. Phenominal!