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Post by rom on Apr 12, 2017 21:20:30 GMT -5
I didn't see a thread for this, so thought I would create one - I'm sure there are some Led Zeppelin fans on this forum  As a teen, I used to be a huge fan of LZ back in the late '80's (was too young to really get into them in their heyday back in the '70's). I used to have all of their albums on cassette - but for whatever reason never bought any of the CD's back in the day. The cassettes (and my cassette player) are obviously long gone these days, and so last Spring I bought most of their remastered CD's. Wow! The sound quality on these is amazing - it's almost like hearing these albums for the first time. Kudos to Jimmy Page & co. for taking the time to put these together. I got the single CD in some cases; in others I got the double-CD set. The packaging is stellar here as well. I like how the CD's packaging/artwork tries to replicate the original vinyl albums as much as possible - i.e., having the original artwork, etc. Especially cool are: - The fold-out showing the "Stairway to Heaven" poster in IV w/the old man holding the lantern. - The psychedelic kaleidoscope effect on the cover of III re: the little wheel you can turn on the side. - The several insert(s) that you can take out of the Physical Graffiti album sleeve. - The fold-out artwork in the Houses of the Holy album. - The brown paper bag "sleeve" w/In Through the Out Door. I definitely feel that Presence is probably their most underrated album. Extremely solid rock songs like Achilles Last Stand, For Your Life, Nobody's Fault but mine, Candy Store Rock, Hots on for Nowhere, etc. are all amazing, with some fantastic drum work. Unfortunately, this album has never really gotten a lot (if any) radio play. Though IV is my favorite album, Physical Graffiti is a close second. Great double album with amazing tracks, including of course Custard Pie, Trampled under foot, Night Flight, Down by the Seaside, Houses of the Holy, In the Light, and the truly sublime Kashmir. It's worth noting that the actual Houses of the Holy song wasn't on the album of the same name, but instead was on PG. IIRC, Led Zep wanted to put the song on the HOTH album, but there were time/space limitations. Houses of the Holy is an album that has a very memorable & bizarre cover, some fantastic songs, and at least one weak song (The Crunge). I recently ordered the 3-CD deluxe version of Coda (2015 remastered); this is the only CD remaster I don't have yet. I wasn't too impressed when I first heard this on cassette years ago since it's basically a collection of B-sides, but the additional 2 CD's in this newer set sold it for me - especially the inclusion of Travelling Riverside Blues (which previously was only available one the LZ boxed set from around 1990 (now long OOP) ). I've always wanted to have a physical copy of this song, and never got the '90 boxed set. |
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Post by rom on Apr 12, 2017 21:23:58 GMT -5
To add to my last post, it's interesting that, obviously, Led Zep were big fans of the JRR Tolkien Lord of the Rings novel trilogy. There are some obvious & not so obvious references to the novels in their songs: everything2.com/title/References+to+Tolkien+in+Led+Zeppelin+songsGoing along with this, it's interesting that the LOTR novels experienced a resurgence of popularity during the hippie era of the late '60's - '70's. This was unusual, since the original The Hobbit novel was published in 1937 - and, the LOTR novels came out between 1954-1955. And, as far as I know, JRR Tolkien had no connection to the hippies or the '60's/'70's counter-culture; he was a WW I veteran & later author/college professor, and died aged 81 in 1973. However, for various reasons hippies latched onto these novels. Here's another interesting article about this LOTR/Hippie connection. Note the mention of the Led Zep lyrics: www.bbc.com/culture/story/20141120-the-hobbits-and-the-hippies |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2017 21:37:49 GMT -5
My three older brothers were big Led Zeppelin fans back in the 70's and the 80's and pretty sure that they keep tabs on this development and I will pass this information to them on Friday; I'll be seeing one of them for lunch that day. I was a fan of Led Zeppelin myself in the late 80's in terms of enjoying the music that they made in the 70's. I will pass this on to them.  |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 12, 2017 21:57:37 GMT -5
I will say that they usually only stole from the best.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Post by Confessor on Apr 13, 2017 4:40:43 GMT -5
I like Led Zeppelin a fair bit and some of my closest friends are massive fans of the band, meaning that I have gotten to hear most of their albums over the years. For me though, the double CD Remasters compilation album is pretty much all the Led Zep I need to own. That said, I do also have the Song Remains the Same live album on cassette tape and the Page and Plant No Quarter - Unledded live album from the mid-90s on CD.
Led Zeppelin are about as close as I can comfortably get to heavy metal -- not that they are heavy metal, of course, but they pioneered enough of that genre's tropes that their music can and certainly is enjoyed by many heavy metal fans. To be honest, that kind of overblown, '70s, stadium blues rock really isn't my cup of tea, but, for me, what made Zep special is the British folk influence that ran through their music. I love the killer riffs, the mythological lyrics, and the pounding drums, of course, but it's Page and Plant's love of folk music that saves the band from being just another s**t "c**k rock" band IMO.
As for the recent remasters, I have no idea what they sound like, but I know that prior to their release, many Zep audiophile fans rated the very first CD releases from the late '80s as still being the best, sonically.
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Post by Warmonger on Apr 13, 2017 5:40:26 GMT -5
Greatest band ever if you ask me
Maybe the greatest collection of musicians in rock history.
Plant is one of the Top 3 frontmen, Page one of the Top 2-3 guitarists, Bonham the undisputed greatest rock drummer in history, and JPJ is probably one of the Top 10 bass players in rock history.
I can listen to Physical Graffiti without skipping a single track.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 13, 2017 7:47:27 GMT -5
How many times have I bought the Led Zeppelin Library?
I bought each vinyl album as they came out
I bought each CD as they were released
I bought the 2 Box Set compilations that Jimmy Page supervised the remastering. (It sounds great but I wished they kept the original song sequences)
I see no reason personally to buy another collection
Saw them once in concert at Madison Sq Garden in the mid 1970's
One of my unforgettable music listening moments was listening to Whole Lotta Love for the first time in a car with a great stereo system and the sounds bouncing left-to-right, volume on "11", 2AM, with the windows rolled up and fogged up from the inside for some reason or another
Their 2nd album remains my favorite with Physical Graffiti a close 2nd. And yes, The Crunge is one of the worst songs any of my favorite bands every made
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 8:29:10 GMT -5
How many times have I bought the Led Zeppelin Library? I bought each vinyl album as they came out I bought each CD as they were released I bought the 2 Box Set compilations that Jimmy Page supervised the remastering. (It sounds great but I wished they kept the original song sequences) I see no reason personally to buy another collection I was just gonna say.. how many times are they going to remaster and re-release? I too have multiple copies of most all of the albums edit: "they" being the record companies. . . I get this is likely a money thing, and the band isn't too involved in it. |
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Post by rom on Apr 13, 2017 15:15:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback/posts, everyone.
I can't speak for the sound quality of previous CD releases of the LZ albums (prior to these 2014-2015 remasters) since I don't have any of the previous CD's. I like these most recent remasters, however, not only due to the great sound, but also the extra disks & the fact that they put a lot of effort into making the packaging similar to the '70's vinyl packaging (I think, since I never actually had any of these albums on vinyl).
I do somewhat regret not getting the voluminous 1990 LZ boxed CD set. That would have been nice, since it included all of the albums on CD & at least one extra track, Travelling Riverside Blues. However, these newer remasters trump even that '90 release - if only due to all the extras.
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Post by Phil Maurice on Apr 13, 2017 19:00:06 GMT -5
Big Zep fan here from way back. Have every album on vinyl and bought the initial re-masters in the 90s, as well as the DVD from what, 2007? In the late 80s, I began collecting bootlegs, first on vinyl and later on CD. Some were studio outtakes, unfinished tracks, etc. What I was most interested in was the live performances. It's here that Zeppelin really shines, covering artists as diverse as John Lee Hooker, Ben E. King, Spirit, Elvis, and Garnet Mimms. They crafted a catalog of numbers you could "really stretch out in" as Page put it, with tracks like Dazed and Confused, Whole Lotta Love and No Quarter expanding to 15, 20 minutes and beyond. On the nights when they were firing on all four engines (and there were many), the results were exhilarating. It's estimated that the band gave nearly 1600 concerts over their 12 year existence. Many were never recorded (or attempts to record them were thwarted by the band's thuggish management). I have examples of around 180. Some of the highest quality bootlegs originate from material stolen from Jimmy Page's home vault some time in the 80s ( Jennings Farm Blues, for example), a delicious bite of poetic justice that I'm certain Slam_Bradley and others would appreciate. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 20:50:34 GMT -5
Big Zep fan here from way back. Have every album on vinyl and bought the initial re-masters in the 90s, as well as the DVD from what, 2007? In the late 80s, I began collecting bootlegs, first on vinyl and later on CD. Some were studio outtakes, unfinished tracks, etc. What I was most interested in was the live performances. It's here that Zeppelin really shines, covering artists as diverse as John Lee Hooker, Ben E. King, Spirit, Elvis, and Garnet Mimms. They crafted a catalog of numbers you could "really stretch out in" as Page put it, with tracks like Dazed and Confused, Whole Lotta Love and No Quarter expanding to 15, 20 minutes and beyond. On the nights when they were firing on all four engines (and there were many), the results were exhilarating. It's estimated that the band gave nearly 1600 concerts over their 12 year existence. Many were never recorded (or attempts to record them were thwarted by the band's thuggish management). I have examples of around 180. Some of the highest quality bootlegs originate from material stolen from Jimmy Page's home vault some time in the 80s ( Jennings Farm Blues, for example), a delicious bite of poetic justice that I'm certain Slam_Bradley and others would appreciate. I love the programme for the private show they did for you in '69. Zeppelin at Phil Maurice is legendary...too bad Bill Graham couldn't spell your name right and did the phonetic thing.   -M |
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Post by Phil Maurice on Apr 13, 2017 21:06:58 GMT -5
I love the programme for the private show they did for you in '69. Zeppelin at Phil Maurice is legendary...too bad Bill Graham couldn't spell your name right and did the phonetic thing. Very funny  . On January 9, 1969, Zeppelin played the Fillmore West in San Francisco for the first time, having just arrived in this country the day after Christmas, '68. They were third-billed to Taj Mahal and Country Joe and the Fish. By the time they reached New York on January 31 at the Fillmore East (no relation), they were headliners. No mean feat. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 21:14:04 GMT -5
On January 9, 1969, Zeppelin played the Fillmore West in San Francisco for the first time, having just arrived in this country the day after Christmas, '68. so they were going to California.... ducks, hides, watches out for flying fruit...-M |
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Post by Phil Maurice on Apr 13, 2017 21:31:05 GMT -5
so they were going to California.... Honestly, I don't know why I bother  . |
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Post by berkley on Apr 14, 2017 1:26:31 GMT -5
I grew up listening to their music so I'm a pretty big fan to this day. But I had an erratic knowledge of their stuff, as was common back in those days, when you couldn't afford to buy every single record of all your favourite bands.
Led Zeppelin I:
their first album was one of my first albums too, though I bought it a few years after it came out, so I got to know this one pretty well. I remember my favourite song was Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - I really liked the combination of acoustic and electric guitar, it really made the electric parts stand out strongly. I love the organ intro to You're Time is Gonna Come, and the way it interplays with the vocals and other instruments throughout the song. No bad tracks on this record.
Led Zeppelin II:
I taped off this one from a neighbourhood friend's vinyl album onto a cassette tape- remember when this was a thing? It was many years before I heard it on anything other than my cheap little cassette recorder/player. favourite song then and now, Thank You.
Led Zeppelin III:
we had this one too, so it was another favourite. I always thought production wasn't that great on the heavier or harder tracks on the first side, like the Immigrant Song and Out on the Tiles, though they are great songs. I always preferred side 2, with the folky, acoustic tunes like Tangerine and That's the Way, and the more high energy tracks, Gallows Pole and Bron-Y-Aur and all that - I still think the combination of traditional music with Plant's screaming sounds really weird, and I mean that in a good way. Tough to pick a favourite from this one, but as a kid it was That's the Way
Led Zeppelin IV:
we didn't have this album for a long time. I bought it from that same neighbour a few years later when we were both in our early 20s and he was selling off a lot of his records. So even though I was a big Zeppelin fan, it was years before I ever heard their most famous song, Stairway to Heaven (we didn't have FM radio for a long time either). I think the production on this album is a bit muddy, but it only really hurts what I consider the three weakest tracks, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, and When the Levee Breaks. Favourite song: Battle of Evermore
Houses of the Holy:
Maybe my favourite Zeppelin album, though one of the least consistent, and again, a bit of a weird production sound, a bit tinny at times. No really bad songs, but to my ears there's a huge disparity between the lesser tracks and the ones I like best, those best being The Song Remains the Same and the Rain Song, with Over the Hills and Far Away not far behind. I think the guitar solo in The Ocean is one of Page's best and I must beg to differ with Ish and Rom: I like The Crunge as a James Brown parody/tribute. But favourite song, and probably my pick as the band's greatest achievement, the afore-mentioned Song Remains the Same + The Rain Song (they kind of run together and I've always thought of them as a single two-part epic).
Physical Graffiti:
this is another of their very successful albums I read about but didn't get to actually hear until many years later - in fact, not until I bought it on cd in the 90s - but I now think it's one of their very best. Fantastic production or sound quality on this one, IMO for the first time since I & II. Too many outstanding tracks to list them all - this is one of the most consistently top-quality double albums I can think of, no filler whatsoever - so I'll just say my favourite track, and vying for first place as my favourite Zeppelin song, period, is Ten Years Gone, which I think is an absolute masterpiece.
Presence:
Haven't listened to this one enough to have a strong opinion of it. Favourite track: Achilles Last Stand.
In Through the Out Door:
haven't listened to it a lot and in fact have never even owned a copy, on vinyl or cd. What I heard on the radio (we had FM in Nfld by the time this one came out) never grabbed me - except for Hot Dog, a nice throw-away rockabilly tribute.
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