I made no changes from the original pressings. These were uploaded straight from the source files. Once enough people vote I'll reveal which ones are which.

Included are Heartbreaker audio samples from six different masterings of the second album. Put on your good headphones and vote on which one sounds the best to your ears. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KxK42ZkPkNMbQ_q4UDoe9EK-RR8MC52g The track number correlates with the poll choice. Once there's a significant amount of votes for this poll I'll do another one with The Lemon Song with the choices switched, to see if the results are similar.

Mothership VS Latter Days. Latter Days TSRTS- LUFS level- 11.49 Dynamic Range- 11 overall, 11.0 left/10.3 right, rms- 12.6 left/11.9 right. Not sure why the original Early Days/Latter Days compilation was renamed and re-released as Mothership, but the former is clearly a better option sonically.

Here's a comparison between the Mothership release and 2008 Japanese Box Set release of TSRTS. The EQ levels are virtually identical, but here's an important difference not shown on the graph- Mothership TSRTS- LUFS level 7.77 Dynamic Range- 7 overall, 7.5 left/6.7 right, rms- 8.9 left/8.2 right. 2008 box set TSRTS- LUFS level 10.09 Dynamic Range- 9 overall, 9.8 left/8.9 right, rms- 11.2 left/10.4 right. Here's a snapshot of the spectograms of the two tracks, Mothership on the bottom- The Mothership compilation shows the absolute height of the loudness wars, compressed to the absolute max and unnecessarily loud. This is the original CD release of Mothership and I've not tested any new versions, but my advice is to avoid this one at all costs as it's the worst audio of the band's material I've seen yet.

Agreed. His session success obviously came from how well and quickly he could put songs down in the studio, not how precisely he played everything. Just as live, he rarely played the same chord the same way twice in the studio, which is what made Zep such a dynamic band.

I'm sure whatever I have is available on YouTube. I may be wrong about ITTOD.

I have some ITTOD guitar tracks, but they're not as sloppy as the II tracks.

Yeah, II mostly and a few others.

Jimmy was a sloppy player, and not just live. I have a ton of isolated tracks from his studio multitracks and I was fairly surprised at how poorly he played some chords and phrases, which are obviously masked in the final mixdown. But, that discussion is for a different thread.

Thanks. Glad to see people enjoy the "warts and all" side of the band. 1980 wasn't terrible but you can almost tell that the guys were getting burnt out playing the same songs for 12 years. All in all I'd almost put 1980 on par with 1975 as far as performances go.

Pics?

Here are the comparisons between the fourth album using Rock And Roll. The CD I received of the Sidore master has a very noticeable amount of noise on each recording, almost as if it was transferred straight from a dusty vinyl.

Nitpicking Page 6/30/1980 Frankfurt (Frankfurt Special- EVSD) Another dry soundboard from Empress Valley, but it's not as overbearing as others. Featuring Atlantic Records President Phil Carson playing bass on "Money". Train Kept A Rollin- Some introductory licks and we're off. Plant sounds decent off the bat. Solo- A shearing tone and some pretty solid phrasing. Outro solo- Good. A nice start. "A". NFBM- Excellent start. Harmonica- Plant gets a good routine in. 3:01, minor bass flub. Solo- Top notch phrasing and fairly articulate playing. One of the most solid solos I've heard for this in a long while. "A+". Black Dog- Page's riffing is very choppy but he stays in the groove. Solo- Very good start. 4:08, some straining. Overall not bad but loose in places. "B+". In The Evening- Synths up front in the mix. Solo- Another excellent routine by Page for this track. There's a little bit of delay coming through which really accents it. 5:34, Jones misses the transition, most likely because Bonham does a big fill on the second bar and he mistook it for the fourth bar. Can't get a job as choirmaster doing that stuff, Jonesy. A good finish but that flub really brings it down. "B". The Rain Song- Sounds a little rushed and unnatural. Rock section- synths crowd the mix but not bad. Just not a good flow on this one. "B". Hot Dog- Page knocks down the intro with an ear-splitting tone. Solo- Some hybrid picking at 1:57. 2:08, Jones' piano clashes with the phrases Page is playing here and steps on an otherwise good solo. Solid second half. "B+". All My Love- Sounding good on the start. Jones knocks down his solo. Page's isn't terrible, but boy is it lacking. A pretty standard run-through. "B+". Trampled Underfoot- Good, driving tempo. Clavinet solo- Jones nails it. Solo- Some steady licks to start, then Page explodes at 3:38. 4:00-4:14, yes sir. Outro solo- Page is in the zone. Good phrasing combined with pure energy. Plant has to calm the nearly rioting audience afterwards. "A+". SIBLY- Page's intro is a tad sticky. Plant sounds excellent. Solo- Fairly sticky throughout and doesn't quite match up to some other ones from this tour. The harsh tone doesn't help. 6:18-6:30, a very good finish however. A strong second half with some nice interplay from Bonzo. "B+". Achilles- 0:55, Jones drops out for a few. First solo- Page gets a steady stream of notes going, melancholy and a little sticky-fingered. Overall well played. Second solo- 7:07, a lightning fingered run. Third solo- Fairly good but nothing impressive. This version is solid as a rock with all four staying in their lanes and sounding good. Page lacks the "umph" he had from the last show, but he keeps it together nonetheless. A very solid "B+". WS/BMS- Good start. 5:25, just like the Belgium show Page breaks and scolds the crowd for being too loud. The usual strained chords and some uninspired speedy runs on BMS. "B". Kashmir- 0:58, someone lets the air out of Jonesy's synths. 6:21, Jones with the sticky fingers. All in all not bad, but those synths being loud in the mix don't leave a good impression. "B+". Stairway- The tail end of Kashmir has Page saying to the audience "Think you might be able to keep quiet for this one?" Everything sounding good for the first half, with Plant singing inspired. Solo- Some rough articulation on the start. 6:53, not sounding good. 7:16, a decent run. 8:25, struggling a little. 8:41 is a nice run but sticky again soon afterwards. 8:54, the staccato chords are played well. 9:44, off the tracks. A little sticky on the last flurry of notes. Plant nails the climax. "B", though it's really only the solo that brings it down. Rock And Roll- Good energy and Plant's vocals are powerful. 1:50, Bonham ups the tempo. Solo- Very unique phrasing on the start and played quite well. A unique ending phrase as well. A solid "A". Money (Featuring Phil Carson on bass)- Good stomping tempo. Solo- Page goes full wah and puts down some aggressive licks, then makes room for an excellent piano solo by Jones. An excellent one-off here with a very rare guest spot. "A". WLL- Strong start. The funk/freakout routine is done well. Solo- Not bad, just a little sticky. Medley- Plant sounds really good tonight. Boogie Chillen is played well with some decent noodling from Page. 10:52, Plant sings the "Frankfurt Special" but the others hesitate to get on board. They return to the main riff and Page nails the outro for a superb finish. "A". Final Assessment- I was prepared for the best show of the year judging by the first three tracks but the performance dipped a bit afterwards. It's extremely rare to get a chance to place blame on Jones instead of Page, but I think this night grants the opportunity. The synth playing was quite messy and he seemed to be distracted for some of the material. The All My Love and Stairway solos were really the only lowlights for Page. Plant sounded spectacular from start to finish. NFBM was the highlight along with another impressive Trampled.

Remastered remasters, shoes, hot wheels, and an overpriced photo book and you're still not happy? Oh, and let's not forget that alt version of Rock And Roll on vinyl. Ungrateful I tell ya! 🤣

Whoops! Remaster.

Nitpicking Page 6/29/1980 Zurich (Blitzkrieg Over Zurich- EVSD) This version is apparently a matrix with good balance and sound. Train Kept A Rollin- Solid kickoff with Plant sounding a little scratchy. Solo- good wah drenched solo. Outro solo is played fairly well except for the sloppy final licks. "B+". NFBM- The usual thunderous start. Harmonica- 2:18, the lowest harmonica note I've ever heard. Not bad. Solo- 3:33, Page fails to launch properly but manages to get back on track. 3:39, a nice run. 3:56, a unique, country sounding lick that works great. 4:10, some sticky icky. 4:46, Bonham isn't sure when Page wants to end it. Despite the botched intro and ending, it's an intriguing solo. 5:24, Plant sounding rough. I've heard worse. "B". Black Dog- Page plays loosely, but stays on point. Solo- Gets going smoothly out of the gate. 4:02-4:15, a forced sounding set of licks. 4:30, slight chord flub. Very energetic, better than a lot of 75 versions. "B+". In The Evening- The verses kick off with almost no bass in the mix. Plant sounding enthusiastic here. Solo- Page nails down some speedy and well played phrases. Maybe the best solo I've heard for this. The slow section sounds a little off key. The latter half features a good wah soaked solo and simplistic drum fills by Bonham. Finishes strong. Gotta go "A" despite the out of key synth. The Rain Song- 1:46, synths off key. Rock section- the drums and keyboard drown everything else, but sounds good. Outro is played very nicely. Not a bad performance but something doesn't gel right with it. "B+". Hot Dog- Intro played perfectly and Jones' honky-tonk sounds good. Solo- Sticky start. He tries a different set of phrases that don't sound great. Long gone are the impressive hybrid licks from 1979, now replaced with a series of repeated bends. A good finish for a decent version. "B+" despite the sticky solo. All My Love- Starts off extremely slow and the guitar almost non-existent in the mix. I'd wager the tape is running slow as Plant sounds deeper than normal. Jones nails his synth solo. Page once again sounds completely unprepared for his solo and barely holds it together. 4:40, bad synth notes. A lethargic version. "B". Trampled Underfoot- At least the tempo is right. 1:42, a mix up between Page and Jones. Plant seems to be forgetting the lyrics as well. Jones gets an excellent solo in. Guitar solo- Page comes in lightheartedly with a chickin pickin type of phrasing. 4:04, a very cool descending phrase. The wah comes alive for the last part with an awkward finish. A decent solo. Plant just doesn't sound like he wants to sing this. Page goes maximum wah for the outro as Jones and Bonham churn out a seriously funky freight train rhythm. The outro overshadows the first three quarters, but it's too little too late. A half hearted sounding version. "B". SIBLY- 0:08, a blazing little run. The sound quality is simply amazing now. Page shows great patience on the intro, phrasing everything nicely and not overdoing it. 3:37, Plant belts one out with full confidence. He's singing with compassion. Solo- Again, showing patience and focus as he doesn't force anything, playing elegantly yet passionately. No timestamps are needed as the whole thing is superb. I bragged on the Vienna version as one of the better ones I've heard, but this is honestly right there with it. "A+". Achilles- Intro lacks some confidence, but gets off okay. This one goes so smoothly it's almost over relaxed. First solo- 3:52, these little trills with the delay sound great. 4:51, slight flub, perfection other than that. Second solo- Slight stickiness but not bad. Third solo- Played well. One thing missing from this otherwise excellent version- Bonham. He's basically a drum machine on this and is lacking those big energetic fills throughout. But I can't detract much because of that. "A+". WS/BMS- For the first time in a long time Page starts this routine off without almost no awkward or forced phrases and puts the pieces together very similair to a 1970 performance. 6:58, a flurry of articulate notes. 8:34-8:38, the only flawed playing in the whole thing. A stunning rendition of a track that's been a struggle for Page since the early days. "A+". Kashmir- 2:18, it's hard to tell what happens here but it sounds like Jones' synths stop functioning. Page and Bonham hit the turnaround at 2:55, but are soon confused again at 3:08 as Jones is still working out his technical problems. 4:24, back to normal. This was very close to being a "Tempe" level disaster. Audio jumps to an audience source at 6:36. 7:23-7:25, some synth flubs. "C+". (Plant afterwards; "If anyone is bootlegging that you'll have to scratch that one.."). Stairway- 1:18-1:28, there's something very unique about this phrase in particular, you can hear the audience singing along and also Jones hitting the bass pedals which I don't think he usually does here.. 2:15, minor chord flub. Solo- pretty much perfection until 7:47 when the slow part kicks in. Oddly this is usually where Page hammers down some of his most fluid licks, but he struggles to get a good flow here. Back on track for the rest of it, an overall excellent solo. Not overdone and solid throughout. 10:34, a flub by Jones as he doesn't transition the bass notes properly after the four bars. Not a perfect version but has a certain intriguing quality about it, with a very solid solo. "B+". Rock And Roll- Kicks off with an absurdly fast tempo. Solo- somehow Page hangs on for a solid run. No rock and roll here, this is almost punk rock. Excellent finish by Bonham. "A" for the most frenetic version I've heard. Heartbreaker- Nice stomping groove and guitar crunch. Solo- The rockabilly routine is fluid though low in the mix. 5:30, some slight stickiness but par for the course. 6:24-6:33, the most sinister chords I've heard by Page. 6:38, Page is a little loose on the chords for this transition. 7:40, some strange sounding phrases that somehow fit. The second half of the solo is fairly solid and could easily match a 73 show. 9:28, Bonham absolutely nails a triplet here to send the track into the outro. Not perfect, but I'll go "A" for 1980. Final assessment- Plant takes a while to warm up, the synths are either out of key or not functioning for several songs, Page was hit and miss as usual, Bonham was just there and not attempting to show off. That being said it's still a good show overall, you just have to look past the flaws. Highlights are an excellent three song run with SIBLY, Achilles, and White Summer. Unfortunately the flow gets thwarted as Kashmir falls apart early on. The encores are notable as well. Stairway was very close to being spectacular but has a few too many flaws.

Yeah, a bunch. Search for Black Beauty, Bootledz, or LongLiveLedZeppelin.

Bless you sir. Fingers crossed!

I gotta say I'm not a big fan of Davis' mix for the second album. I think his attempt to spread the instruments out and create a larger soundstage backfires a little. The acoustic tone on Ramble On just isn't as thick and present as the Marino version. The electric guitar in general just don't have a good tone. He did reach a good compromise with the RL mix though, making the cymbals a lit more noticeable. But overall I think the Marino version just sounds better. I've yet to listen to the original Diament release but will compare that one when I get it.

You think I wouldn't if I could?

The 94 Marino mix is the way to go for this one in my opinion. It's a bit flatter and more compressed, but it's just got a more natural and warmer feel for the overall sound. The only exception is the intro for OTHAFA which sounds much too flat in the midrange. The Diament is great for the drums but lacks the warmth this album needs.

Well, it's good to reaffirm the verdict every so often considering how terrible this site's search function is.

I know the Pontiac pics have been discussed thoroughly and are rife with speculation, but what exactly is going on with the overhead screen in these shots? First, that screen looks much smaller than the other pictures of the overhead screen and it's at a strange angle for the audience. Second, both angles on the screen are from an overhead shot, seemingly directly above Bonham's kit. This angle wasn't used on the Seattle footage (that I can remember). What would be the purpose of such a strange angle? And for a bonus conspiracy- I've noticed a discrepancy in how Jimmy and Robert's hair looks in different photos of this show. Was there a possibility of pics being taken during a sound check?

I've learned to appreciate it more over the years. It's actually quite a fascinating song that fits well with the hard rock/folk crossover that the third and fourth albums are based upon. I just wish Plant had ventured into some more poetic lyrics instead of the standard "Oh baby" stuff.

Welcome to the forum! I didn't think I was too harsh on the solo but I'll definitely give this another listen.