Starting with the 4-cd box set from 1990, it seems every Led Zeppelin "remastered" release (Box Set 2, individual album remasters from the 90's, and the more recent Japan import "remasters" of the individual albums) all state 'remastered by Jimmy Page & George Marino at Sterling Sound'. Does anyone have a definitive answer if any of the individual album 'remastered' releases are in fact in any way upgraded in sound quality from the Box Set (1990) and Box Set 2 (1993) which as far as I can tell were the first "remastered" cd releases of the Led Zeppelin catalogue? I'd love to know I've got the best remastered sound available, but it seems there may have been no real upgrading since the 90/93 box sets. Thanks for any help any of you remaster junkies out there can provide!

To the best of my knowledge, your beliefs are correct.

The Page/Marino masters from the early '90s are just fine. They hold up well sonically and don't need to be upgraded.

I don't have the answer to your question, but I did read something somewhere recently with Jimmy Page saying there might be some new Zeppelin releases soon, in addition to the album he's working on. (Google Jimmy Page news, you might find the article). I'm hoping for that Deluxe Zeppelin IV release with bonus tracks that I remember reading about a year or three ago. Actually it'd be nice if they just started with the first album and work their way through to Coda.

Check out this link from my home town newspaper:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/un ... uitar_riff

I'm pretty sure that the publisher's promo box set, a limited edition issued by WB in 2000, was exclusively remastered. I know some of the tracks sound really "hot." I'll check the details when I get home tonight.

I'd like to see 5.1 mixes of the Zeppelin catalog done. In fact, I wouldn't mind it if the same layout and presentation of the Zeppelin catalog is done along very similar lines to the recent Doors Perception box. And yes, it does appear that Page has a few things in the works.

Thanks for some of the quick responses. For those of you interested in digging deeper - see some of the reviews posted on Amazon for the 2003 "remastered" imports of the individual Led Zepp cd's. (First released in Japan, then re-released for Europe market). There appears to be some heated debate going on about this very question!

Steve...
I have the Japanese re-releases, and to my ear they sound the same as the 1990 Page/Marino remasters.
I'm not aware of any "heated debate" but...if you can provide a related link or two to where you read the discussion, I'd be interested in reading it.
Thanks.

Steve

Here you go. Interesting reading even if there's nothing to it!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/discussionboard/discussion.html/ref=cm_rdp_st_rd/002-5975284-4162424?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00005J8J7&store=yourstore&cdThread=Tx225SQJTRLP3TY&reviewID=R26W61NP71XXN5&displayType=ReviewDetail
Be sure to read the Review Comment.

Also, http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A4XWUCKUBOL7J/ref=cm_pdp_reviews_see_all/002-5975284-4162424?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview
Scroll to the bottom of the page for his reviews of IV and Houses of the Holy remasters.

The remasters from the 90s are just fine-shame Atlantic did little as usual to enhance the pacakaging-it took me forever to figure out that these were the remasters, just like the Bad Company and original Genesis ones, both of which I avoided.
But, the Zep ones were handled with total class and Jimmy and George really did a nice job. I just listened to Houses Of The Holy today in fact!

OK, the credits for the promo box read: "Digitally mastered by Dave Collins for Marcussen Mastering, Hollywood, California." The actual date is 2001.

As stated before, some of the tracks definitely sound hotter than the 90s CD.

Interesting... how many discs in the set? Is it just a sampling or more like the 'Complete Studio Recordings'?

It's a 3-CD set, small cardboard box with somewhat elaborate packaging. 40 songs, more or less a "best-of." Issued by Warner/Chappell, numbered limited edition of 2500. The one oddity is that it excises the white-noise intro to "Immigrant Song."

I've been trying to find a good photo on the net but no luck.

http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalo ... m=rss-link

has pictures and a track listing.

Steve...

I read the 2-3 posts claiming these are remastered.
With all due respect, I didn't find this to be heated debate... or necessarily a convincing argument one way or another... just some unconvincing opinions. There also isn't much discussion here with only 3 posts.

Still... I will sit down soon and conduct a conscious A/B comparison of my Japanese mini-LP versions with the boxset 1990 remasters done by Jimmy Page and George Marino and see for myself if there's any huge difference in the sound. I really don't know... but I was thrilled to buy them anyway - the packaging is great and it's nice to have the the original sequence of tracks from each album.
I liked the boxset, and I like the mini-LP versions... but in all honesty... I didn't notice an overwhelming difference (if any) when playing them.

If anyone else here has these mini-LP versions and feels the sound is overwhelmingly improved, please post your opinions.

Thanks...
Steve

I have the "Song Remains The Same" Japanese mini-LP, but I have always been under the impression that this album was NOT remastered by Page back in '90-'93?

Yea, you're right, I guess by "heated debate", I should've really said just one guy getting a little "hot under the collar" that anyone would question his opinion. I'll be interested in your take on some a/bing with the old box set.




good point - since it seems only the studio recordings were remastered back then, wonder when they got around to doing SRTS?

What about The Complete Studio Recordings? I assume that uses the same remastering as the two box sets.