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[WTD] Led Zep vinyl, best pressings (I-IV, HOTH)

JTC

JTC

PFM Villager...
It's time I updated my battered copies. Interested in the better pressings, either mint or close-to-mint originals or perhaps the posher re-releases (eg. Classic). No rush on this, just putting feelers out there...

I already also have this stuff on CD but as I'm going through a vinyl resurgence I figured let's do this the proper way :)
 
Hope you have deep pockets mate :)

I just went with the recent remasters from the last round, they’re really decent, have been well mastered and play nicely. But I get the allure as I’m still on the lookout for a clean “kind of blue” mono copy!
 
shrink said:
Hope you have deep pockets mate :)

I just went with the recent remasters from the last round, they’re really decent, have been well mastered and play nicely. But I get the allure as I’m still on the lookout for a clean “kind of blue” mono copy!
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What year are these remasters, i have a few gaps and the originals are out of my price.
 
If you really want to do it original UK ‘red plum’ Atlantic issues or the Classic Records audiophile reissues are the way to go. The exception being II where the first US Atlantic (RL cut) is apparently the best. None are cheap, especially if you want turquoise cover print on the first one!
 
The problem with Led Zep is more bad recordings than bad pressings. I’ve yet to hear a good recording of any of their great songs. Stairway is really bad, unfortunately. But what a great, seminal work of art. Pity that.
 
chartz said:
The problem with Led Zep is more bad recordings than bad pressings. I’ve yet to hear a good recording of any of their great songs. Stairway is really bad, unfortunately. But what a great, seminal work of art. Pity that.
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I really enjoy the latest remasters, I find the current rendition of STH to be pretty damn fine :)
 
chartz said:
The problem with Led Zep is more bad recordings than bad pressings. I’ve yet to hear a good recording of any of their great songs. Stairway is really bad, unfortunately.
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They got worse with every record IMO. LZ I is very good, alive and punchy, II not bad at all, III getting a bit flat and IV a muddy dynamic-free dirge. After that it was just cocaine-fuelled excess of little interest. I’m (clearly, given the last sentence!) no Led Zep fan, but I do quite like the first two which have far more of a ‘60s sound and approach to my ears.

As a record dealer I have heard most of it though and if I was a real fan I’d pay out for good copies of I, II and III (UK or US originals, or Classic Records) and be happy with ‘70s K-Series Atlantic reissues for the rest.

PS To my ears the ‘sleepers’ are the early US pressings. I’ve never had the valuable II pass through, but I have had I and III and both sound really nice and punchy and beat a UK K Series. Nice tip-on sleeves too. I’ve not looked at the market recently, but when found these seldom cost any more than a UK K Series or German Alsdorf reissue. I had a US copy of I before swapping it out for a Classic Records copy (my only LZ record). I think they confused some dealers as US originals never had the red plum label, so they assumed they were later reissues. Discogs has likely plugged this error now though!
 
Useful info Tony, I’ve got them all from I to ITTOD and must dig them out to see which pressings they actually are, all bought in the 80s and pre-dating the remastered carousel. I agree with your summary of how they sound. I bought Coda in the 90s IIRC.
 
Fergus said:
If you can find one this is a good mono release of KoB.

www.discogs.com

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2013 Vinyl release of "Kind Of Blue" on Discogs.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com

Apologies for this off topic post!
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The issue with this is, it’s unclear whether it was cut on a mono machine or simply a mono recording cut on a stereo machine.

Less ambiguity around old copies!

Again, sorry for going off topic JTC
 
Norman records have them all at reasonable prices and I think they’re the 2014 edition.

I know original pressings are supposed to be best but I’m done with knackered old scratched second hand records at ££ prices.
 
shrink said:
The issue with this is, it’s unclear whether it was cut on a mono machine or simply a mono recording cut on a stereo machine.
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Either way it's a mixdown from stereo - the original mono tapes are gone according to the Analog Planet article linked to in the Discogs entry.

Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" Monophonic Reissue From Sony/Legacy: An Analog Planet Exclusive!

Over the past few Record Store Days Sony/Legacy has slowly been rolling out on 180g vinyl much of the Miles Davis catalog, mastered from original analog tapes. This coming Record Store Day, November 29th, the label will release on vinyl Miles and Monk at Newport, Jazz Track and Kind of Blue. At...
www.analogplanet.com www.analogplanet.com
 
paulfromcamden said:
Either way it's a mixdown from stereo - the original mono tapes are gone according to the Analog Planet article linked to in the Discogs entry.

Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" Monophonic Reissue From Sony/Legacy: An Analog Planet Exclusive!

Over the past few Record Store Days Sony/Legacy has slowly been rolling out on 180g vinyl much of the Miles Davis catalog, mastered from original analog tapes. This coming Record Store Day, November 29th, the label will release on vinyl Miles and Monk at Newport, Jazz Track and Kind of Blue. At...
www.analogplanet.com www.analogplanet.com
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Interesting. Thanks

Hope you find your LedZeps JTC.
 
Recently bought a first UK press of HOTH which looked perfect, but turned out to sound like a bag of rice crispies. I have a gorgeous LZ II and III, but HOTH and PG are plagued by their card inners and difficult to find in good playing condition.
 
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