Remastered Studio Albums Worthwhile?

[RobOz]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum. I've recently renewed my interest in Led Zeppelin largely due to my discovery of How the West was Won (and the other live albums - I own all 3 commercial live albums now). I had a question as a result. Are the remastered studio albums worth investing money in? Also - do they contain expanded liner notes?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

-Rob

PS - I really have been out to lunch. HTWWW has been out 5 years and I didn't know about it! I just thought it was another compilation album

PPS - on that note, why does the band keep releasing silly compilation albums like Mothership and Early/Latter Days? Live material is far more desirable!! Ok, I know it's for $$$ and they can market this stuff to new fans, but sheesh, I'd kill for another live album comparable to HTWWW or BBC Sessions!

[Mountain Hopper]

If you don't own any of the albums, then yes I would recommend the remastered box set. It has a nice booklet and some extra tracks that are not on any of the studio albums alone. You may also want to pick up the remastered TSRTS on cd or dvd. I'm also assuming the third concert cd you are referring to is the BBC sessions.

[RobOz]

If you don't own any of the albums, then yes I would recommend the remastered box set. It has a nice booklet and some extra tracks that are not on any of the studio albums alone. You may also want to pick up the remastered TSRTS on cd or dvd. I'm also assuming the third concert cd you are referring to is the BBC sessions.

Thanks for responding. I should point out that I own the following Zeppelin material on CD:

1) LZ I

2) LZ II

3) ZOSO/ LZ IV

4) Houses of the Holy

5) In Through the Out Door

6) The remastered box set from 1990

7) How the West Was Won

8) The Song Remains the Same (2007 version - older version is a bit hard to find now)

9) BBC Sessions

I purchased the studio albums (CDs) in the late '80s/early '90s so my question was more about whether the new remastered versions of the albums are worth getting. Although I own the boxed set, I'm considering LZ III and PG for completeness purposes. And possibly Presence, as I hear it is under-rated. But would it be worth it for me to purchase, say, Houses of the Holy? Is the sound noticeably improved or do you get lyrics or some album background in the liner notes? (As I discovered in the remasters of Tommy and Who's Next by The Who).

Purchased the 3 live albums in the past 2 weeks and am enjoying them.

Thanks!

[kashmiran]

If you don't own any of the albums, then yes I would recommend the remastered box set. It has a nice booklet and some extra tracks that are not on any of the studio albums alone. You may also want to pick up the remastered TSRTS on cd or dvd. I'm also assuming the third concert cd you are referring to is the BBC sessions.

I didn't really find it worthwhile. The original CDs better preserve the sound of the vinyl. Which is a good thing for me. The only loss if you don't get it is an extended edition of Coda which has 4 extra tracks off the Box Set but if you already have the Box Set then it doesn't matter. Might I suggest investing in an old TSRTS copy? They're all over eBay, so if you want one badly enough, they're not hard to find.

[adamusic123s]

If I were you, I would go old - school and get the records. All of the very original sounds are on there, and I personally just like records better than the "copies". I am also not a huge fan of greatest hits albums, so if I were you I would just buy the records one by one. There are plenty of good songs that are "hidden" in their original records that you never hear on the radio or anything. By the way, Kashmiran, I don't think Kashmir is Led Zeppelin's best song at all. It doesn't sound like them, if you ask me - too keyboardy. I like their earlier albums much better. My favorite songs are "Good Times Bad Times", "Dazed And Confused", "The Lemon Song", "Black Dog", "Misty Mountain Hop", "The Rain Song", "The Song Remains The Same", "Moby Dick", "We're Gonna Groove", "How Many More Times", "Bring It On Home", "The Rover", and "Nobody's Fault But Mine".

[adamusic123s]

I forgot to say what Led Zep. Material I own:

Led Zeppelin I

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin III

Zoso

Houses Of The Holy

Physical Graffiti

Presence

Coda

The Song Remains The Same (The DVD, which I highly recommend buying, it is there best performance)

How The West Was Won

Mothership

[Footsteps of Dawn]

If I were you, I would go old - school and get the records. All of the very original sounds are on there, and I personally just like records better than the "copies". I am also not a huge fan of greatest hits albums, so if I were you I would just buy the records one by one. There are plenty of good songs that are "hidden" in their original records that you never hear on the radio or anything. By the way, Kashmiran, I don't think Kashmir is Led Zeppelin's best song at all. It doesn't sound like them, if you ask me - too keyboardy. I like their earlier albums much better. My favorite songs are "Good Times Bad Times", "Dazed And Confused", "The Lemon Song", "Black Dog", "Misty Mountain Hop", "The Rain Song", "The Song Remains The Same", "Moby Dick", "We're Gonna Groove", "How Many More Times", "Bring It On Home", "The Rover", and "Nobody's Fault But Mine".

I agree about getting the records, except for III. I don't know if it's just me or what, but in my opinion the vinyl sounds like shite. If you do go the vinyl direction, at least get the III CD and compare them.

[DragonOfDarkness]

I agree about getting the records, except for III. I don't know if it's just me or what, but in my opinion the vinyl sounds like shite.

Have you heard the 200gram version of III...? I think it kicks ass over any previous versions. A much fuller sound.

[Footsteps of Dawn]

Have you heard the 200gram version of III...? I think it kicks ass over any previous versions. A much fuller sound.

Nope, just the old original release. I'll definitely have to check that out, thanks. I'm not really overjoyed with the CD, either (but I do like it better than the vinyl), so it'll be nice to hear a great-sounding version for a change.