After endless speculation fueled by former guitarist Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin and Atlantic/Swan Song today announced the first wave in a new reissue campaign from one of the world's most acclaimed rock bands.
Starting on June 3, with the first three Led Zeppelin albums from 1969-1970 - all self-titled, with Roman numerals appended to each "sequel" - Page has overseen remastered and expanded versions of each of the band's albums, all featuring a disc's worth of unreleased vault content, including studio outtakes, alternate mixes, live cuts and a few entirely unheard songs. In a statement, Page called these bonus discs "a portal to the time of the recording of Led Zeppelin."
Each album will be available in multiple formats:
- 1CD remaster in gatefold card wallet
- 2CD Deluxe Edition
- 1LP remaster on 180-gram vinyl with packaging "that replicates the LP's first pressing in exacting detail (For example, III will feature the original wheel and die cut holes.)"
- 2LP Deluxe Edition (3LP for the first album) featuring the same contents of the 2CD Deluxe Editions
- Super Deluxe Box Sets featuring the Deluxe Edition contents on CD and LP, a 96kHz/24-bit audio download card (the live tracks on the first album will be in 48kHz/24-bit audio), 70+ hardback book with liner notes and photos, a high-quality print of the original album cover (the first 30,000 of each album will be numbered) and, in the Led Zeppelin box, a replica of the band's original press kit
Without any further ado, head on past the jump to check out full track lists and place your orders!
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD/3LP Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Disc 1: Original album (released as Atlantic 588171 (U.K.)/SD-8216 (U.S.), 1969)
- Good Times Bad Times
- Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
- You Shook Me
- Dazed and Confused
- Your Time is Gonna Come
- Black Mountain Side
- Communication Breakdown
- I Can't Quit You Baby
- How Many More Times
Disc 2: Live @ The Olympia, Paris - 10/10/1969 (previously unreleased)
- Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown
- I Can't Quit You Baby
- Heartbreaker
- Dazed and Confused
- White Summer/Black Mountain Side
- You Shook Me
- Moby Dick
- How Many More Times
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD/2LP Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Disc 1: Original album (released as Atlantic 588198 (U.K.)/SD-8236, 1969)
- Whole Lotta Love
- What Is and What Should Never Be
- The Lemon Song
- Thank You
- Heartbreaker
- Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)
- Ramble On
- Moby Dick
Disc 2: Companion audio disc (previously unreleased)
- Whole Lotta Love (Alternate Mix)
- What Is and What Should Never Be (Alternate Mix)
- Thank You (Backing Track)
- Heartbreaker (Alternate Mix)
- Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) (Backing Track)
- Ramble On (Alternate Mix)
- Moby Dick (Alternate Mix)
- La La (previously unreleased song)
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD/2LP Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Disc 1: Original album (released as Atlantic 2401002 (U.K.)/SD-7201 (U.S.), 1970)
- Immigrant Song
- Friends
- Celebration Day
- Since I've Been Loving You
- Out on the Tiles
- Gallows Pole
- Tangerine
- That's the Way
- Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
- Hats Off to (Roy) Harper
Disc 2: Companion audio disc (previously unreleased)
- Immigrant Song (Outtake)
- Friends (Outtake)
- Celebration Day (Outtake)
- Since I've Been Loving You (Outtake)
- Bathroom Sound (Instrumental Version of "Out on the Tiles")
- Gallows Pole (Outtake)
- That's the Way (Outtake)
- Jennings Farm Blues (Instrumental Version of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp")
- Keys to the Highway/Trouble in Mind
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Bad news; no hi rez bluray or dvd-a and no 5.1 mix
Good news: as much as I'd like to have the book, I'm not paying for the vinyl that I can't play, and a hi-rez download just doesn't cut it (for a few extra dollars why couldn't they have just put it on a bluray?).
So instead of having to shell out $1300 (9 studio albums x $135) and probably more asssuming Physical Graffiti is more expensive being a double album, it's down to about $200 (9 x $21) for the 2 disc cds. I just saved $1100 (sorry Jimmy).
I have the reaction as Bill B.
I was looking forward to posisbly getting BD versions of each album, but there's no way I'm paying a fortune for extra swag and a download file.
At this point, I'm just going to wait for the inevitable boxed set with all the 2CD versions in it. I already own all of the albums anyway, so I can wait.
What a missed opportunity.
Remasters should be done solely for better sound quality & the possibility of bonus songs, however; unfortunately a lot of bands/artists do it as a cash grab. I'm aware that the other pertinent reasons is that every 7 years, or was it 14 years, the copyrights for bands expire! So in order to retain rights to "their" own songs & albums musicians are literally forced to do re-releases of their back catalog, otherwise; they lose the publishing rights to songs that they, and not the record companies, wrote!
That's why we see so many re-releases (almost always marketed as Remasters/Box Sets) year after year.
As for the Led Zeppelin deluxe Remasters; I've mostly read that the sound quality is supposed to be very good to amazing.
The downside, as explained, in this forum, is that the bonus songs on these 2nd CDs are often not compelling or convincing. I mean do I really need out takes of songs? That sounds so similar to bonus demo tracks; these were never really meant for official releases.
Except for Led Zeppelin I with the Live 2nd CD, the others don't feel convincing.
And don't get me started on unreleased Zeppelin songs. The whole thing smells like a serious cash grab. As some pointed out: there is a substantial amount of unreleased songs, but of course Page isn't releasing them all at once, since then the Zeppelin crew would never make more cash by releasing them in the future, advertised again also as newly Remastered unreleased songs!
Ultimately, we the fans get fleeced because they (record company & Led Zeppelin) know that we want all the songs by our favorite bands with the best possible sound quality !
So WHY on earth did they not include "Hey Hey What Can I Do" on the Led Zeppelin III bonus disc?? Rhino has done the same thing with the rare Eagles B-side "Get You In The Mood" every time they've done an Eagles comp. Must not be any record collectors working there anymore.
Maybe "Hey Hey What Can I Do" will be on the Coda set? It should be on III, though.
Im not so sure CODA is even included. There were only 9 Studio albums, and then Coda was released as an after thought...
From Ledzeppelin.com
"With the June 3 release of deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, and Led Zeppelin III, the band will launch an extensive reissue program of all nine of its studio albums in chronological order, each remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page."
Coda is album #9, so it should be included.
there are just 9 studio albums if you don't count "The Song Remains the Same". It's very possible that "The Song Remains the Same" won't be "deluxed" this time as it was rereleased some time ago.
Sad sack that I am, I have already pre-ordered these.
What really, truly irritates me though is that to get the high resolution I have to buy a box full of crap I do not want.
Probably just going to stick to original vinly or deluxe vinyl, have to see...
I'm so in for all the 2-CD sets, although I greedily wish the bonus discs were a little more fleshed out. Knowing that II and III's bonus discs fit on a single slab of vinyl each is a little disappointing, especially with the absence of "Hey Hey What Can I Do."
Also, just a quick pedantic note that you're missing "Bring It On Home" from the original II tracklist above.
I have actually just done a little wee.
Have to say I’m really disappointed with these track listings. Not even 10 tracks per bonus CD? No outtakes from the first album? None?! And no Baby Come on Home? I know they exist because I’ve heard cool outtakes of Babe I’m Gonna Leave, Baby Come on Home and You Shook Me on bootlegs. I also agree that Hey Hey should be on the III bonus disc. Only thing I can think of is they’re saving these for Coda, but they should be with the albums they were recorded during. They’re giving us alternate mixes and backing tracks? Seriously, who cares? I guess I was hoping the bonus stuff would be more behind the scenes stuff ala, Beatles anthology. If they don’t want to release session takes for the first two albums, or there isn’t enough material, or Page doesn’t think it’s flattering, then why even bother with bonus discs? About the only thing interesting about this is the outtakes from III and the high res (flac?) I just hope they haven’t compressed them to hell like just about every remaster in recent memory.
I just stumbled across this thread looking to commiserate with others as disappointed as I am in the new reissues, specifically IV and HOTH. I can't agree with you more. What the hell is Page thinking? Coda was outtakes to begin with. Don't re-release Coda with all these tracks. RELEASE THEM WITH THE ALBUM THEY WERE RECORDED FOR! And as we all know, there is more in the vaults and a lot more interesting stuff than "Black Dog rough mix with overdubbed guitars" which sounds almost exactly like the released version. I was really looking forward to the middle period releases, but now it just looks like a big cash grab, and it's even more annoying that this is what has been "taking up Page's time" instead of him releasing new material for the first time in 15 years with another singer(s).
Fuck yeah! I'm psyched, thrilled, and ready and willing! Hooo!!!
I'm not into the swag but the CD sets have me drooling anyway. Fingers crossed the mastering is well done...the old Diaments are good but not first generation.
This is largely designed to retain copyright protection for the artists a bit longer, particularly with regards to EU copyright law, right? Didn't Bob Dylan/the Beatles just do the same for some of their work? http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/new-beatles-release-appears-copyright-term-debate-descends-into-farce/053119
Are the vinyl edition cut from analog mastered tapes?
There is a rumor that Apple will begin offering hi-res downloads in June and that the Zep catalogue will be featured. What to do?
Well can i say, after having the original vinyl all those years ago, and the 1990's 4 cd box set and a number of best of's, and including remasters not that long ago, "How Many More Times", i must admit i am with you Bill 5.1 surround sound bluray to me would have been the ultimate, but this will be around 3rd or 4th time
i will have bought them, in the end from what Jimmy has suggested the sound quality should be amazing?