original release date of LZ on CD?

[Trufan]

Anyone know what year the FIRST editions of LZ on CD came out? Thanks!

[juxtiphi]

ICBW but I think the first Zeppelin album issued on cd was the fourth album. I bought it before I even had a cd player

[sam_webmaster]

LZ IV, about 1983 I think.

[tmtomh]

LZ IV, about 1983 I think.

Yes, the first Zep CD was indeed IV, and the first issues were Japan-made CDs, for the Japanese and European markets, which came out in 1983. These are rare, red-faced "target" CDs (not like the later West German produced targets with teal faces, or like the later US-produced silver CDs with red outer rings). The first issue of Zep IV that most folks would be familiar with, though - the West German teal-faced targets made for the U.S. market - came out in '84.

Houses of the Holy came out next, in '85 - the only other target CD of Zep ever released. Then all the others, in the familiar style of silver CD with red and black ring around the edge, came out between '86 and '87. And at that time the IV and Houses CDs switched away from the target design to this same standard design.

[Strider]

Yes, the first Japan-made CDs, for the Japanese and European markets, came out in '83. These are rare red-faced "target" CDs (not like the later West German produced targets with teal faces, or like the later US-produced silver CDs with red outer rings). The first issue of Zep IV that most folks would be familiar with, though - the West German teal-faced targets made for the U.S. market - came out in '84.

Houses of the Holy came out next, in '85 - the only other target CD of Zep ever released. Then all the others came out between '86 and '87.

Good answer...sounds right to me. Weirdly predictable how IV came out before the others.

[Trufan]

Damn, tmtomh, your knowledge of LZ CD trivia is IMPRESSIVE! The reason for my original query is that I own a CD version of "Physical Graffiti" that is obviously one of the ORIGINAL releases (U.S. with the red outer ring). I looked all over the package for a release year, but nada. So, you mean to tell me my copy possibly dates back to '86-'87? Thanks!

[juxtiphi]

I have the teal face and the box it came in.

[SteveAJones]

The first issue of Zep IV that most folks would be familiar with, though - the West German teal-faced targets made for the U.S. market - came out in '84.

Yes, I still remember hearing Led Zeppelin on compact disc for the first time in 1984 very well. It was Led Zeppelin IV.

[kingzoso]

It seems that the question has been answered.

I remember having (at that time) a superb Fisher Sound System (receiver, double cassette player, turntable, cd player, speakers and a nice wood cabinet with glass coverings) in or around 1984/85. I was just a young teenager at the time. I cannot recall what My very first cds were, but I do remember that "LZ IV" and "Houses of the Holy" were soon in my small but growing collection.

(From what I can recall, I had:

Yngwie Malmsteen's "Rising Force"

Ronnie James DIO's "the Last In Line"

Ratt's "Out of the Cellar"

Dokken's "Tooth and Nail"

and a few others that I cannot recall at this very moment).

[sixpense]

Bought my Toshiba CD Player in late 1983 and there were very few cds available at that time. I definitely bought those early LZ cds probably late 1983 early 84. The Beatles first run of cds wasn't till 1987.

[nollid566]

I bought the first album on CD in 1988 when I purchased my first CD player. It was only a cheap player and I couldn't wait to get home to hear it. Well, what a disappointment! It sounded horrible and I took the CD back and asked for an exchange because there was this distortion on How Many More Times about two minutes in. I played it for the young, bewildered sales assistant at the store who had no idea what I was on about but she reluctantly swapped for another copy. Guess what? Same problem on the CD. Obviously this was cleaned up in the first remasters but really no care was taken in the first place. The Doors suffered the same fate when their catalog first went onto CD.