Yes, but I think the comment made earlier was referring to the OFFICIAL releases of HTWWW and TSRTS which was not mastered very well for CD the first time it was done, which unfortunately was also true for other official studio releases. I think the point there was about what LZ sounded like on vinyl vs. the current CD's, which are better than the earlier CD's but don't always sound better than the old vinyls.
Part of the problem is also that poor audio compresses even more purely than good or great audio. This is the same with any digital files, pictures, video etc. The more you have noise and artifacts, the poorer the compression methods work. If you turn an audience recording with a lot of tape noise into an MP3 you'll not only kill a lot of the sound that was still left there, but you'll also create all kinds of new irritating problems with it, especially for folks that use headphones.
I prefer to listen to crappy old boots with the home theatre setup and proper volume, but my wife and kids do not always appreciate it! :-o Do we need LZ in our living room? Yes!
This should have been a poll, yes and I hate these sort of "which is better" questions, you know what opinions are like. But if I'd have to vote my vote would go for HTWWW.
But don't get me wrong, I love TSRTS and I love listening to any audience recording of LZ. Too bad I never saw them live, but then they played in Scandinavia already before I was born.
But I am really thankful that they are releasing the official material, anything they let out, I'll go and buy and enjoy! (I even bought a full HD TV for TSRTS and need to get it on BlueRay or HD-DVD soon!!!)
The only thing I don't like about HTWWW is the cutting of pieces here and there. Sure it's their right to do so, and I know that artists have a bad habbit of always hearing/seeing their own mistakes, which are sometimes miniscule, but for them probably very disturbing.
I quite often have to pick the Heartbrake Hotel boot, just to get in the right mood for WLL and to hear (IMHO) a great version of Slow Down, that for some reason was edited out. (Just before "I didn't say I was a millionere...") Okay, they do sound lost for a while in the end of it (they probably REALLY didn't know what they should play right then) But that and other small mistakes and naive comments were what they were, right then and there, and my got, the best rock'n'roll I ever have heard, so it sure would be great if shows like Long Beach and LA 1972 would come out as they were, unedited. Mixed yes, but please unedited...
Sorry, that's just the way I feel. I think they did great job, but still lost some moments in there.
Like the way Plant says "Good ee-vening!" and the dedicates WLL to- LA, also IMO the way it really started there (at LA) sounds so much better with a bit of feedback and Jimmy and Bonzo stretching out a bit before they hit it! You get the anticipation which is missing from the official release!
Cheers!
PS. Wasn't "Bouree" also edited out of the BBC and other versions of Hearbreaker? Why? Surely not a copyright/publishing issue! ;-)