Led Zeppelin II [Deluxe Edition]

I am writing this review for the person who already has an earlier version particularly the 1994 George Marino remaster as there is a lot of rubbish written about Led Zeppelin remasters.Firstly lets deal with the myth that the 2014 remasters weren't from the analogue tapes - "the new remasters were created from 192 kHz/24 bit digital transfers of the original analogue tapes. The catalogue is being remastered now to take advantage of the significant advances in mastering technology that have occurred since 1991".Secondly I have in my possession a 1969 purple label vinyl copy of II as well as the 1994 George Marino remaster.I play my vinyl on a refurbished Linn Sondek LP12 with a Hana SH cartridge, and my CD source is a Marantz SACD 30N through an upgraded Ming Da valve amp Naim cabling into floorstanding Triangle speakers - so my system is geared to a warm detailed sound.Bluntly nothing sounds as good as my 1969 vinyl copy .......until perhaps this recent remaster - the major difference is that the original vinyl has a warm fat powerful sound with enormous bottom end - I am used to JPJ`s bass being fat and thick with great presence and power and the drums should kick out of the speakers but never make you wince. Listening to the Marino 1994 master it is precise and tight but one could also argue a little tinny and harsh in the upper registers at high volume (what other volume should Zep be listened to?) and the bass lacks the bottom end fatness.The 2014 master is the nearest I have heard to my original vinyl - it is EQ`d at a higher volume than 1994 but it has much more lower register so the drums kick out more powerfully and the bass is much more noticeable (a good thing for me!!) but crucially at high volume Plants vocals still sound sweet and the cymbals do not make me wince. Some people have commented that the 2014 master is woolly compared to the precision of 1994 - I think it comes down to preference and also your HIFI system.To summarise there is a noticeable difference between the remasters and it is up to your preferences as to which to get - in my view the 2014 is a big improvement BECAUSE it sounds like my vinyl copy that I am used to and prefer!Now to the Companion disc - I will be blunt, they are in my view a complete and utter waste of time and money and I will never listen to them again - three backing tracks without vocals (what is the point?) and three rough mixes with vocals that in every instance are substantially interior to the final version and add nothing. For completists who may be interested you get Whole Lotta love with no guitar solo and slightly different lyrics ie no "inches of love" being given by Plant!I will probably be getting all the new remasters now and not for the extras but for the audio improvements. Incidentally III extras are more interesting (see my review on that).

Super album

great album

As most people know, there's no bigger fan of Led Zeppelin than Jimmy Page himself. So for the third time he's spun the original tapes for another Remastering project (1990 was the first for the 4 CD/6 LP Box, then '93/'94 for the individual album releases and Complete Box Set).So is it worth it? The answer is a resounding YES!. Pitched somewhere between the previous re-issues and the Mothership compilation in terms of volume (slightly louder than the former but not the all-out sonic assault of the latter), the most noticeable thing about these new Remasters is the increased bottom-end that gives Bonhams' bass drum even more thump and allows the unsung hero John Paul Jones to really shine. Its not just a case of turning the bass up, there is a real warmth and new depth to the sound that shows real care was taken by Jimmy Page to bring a new dimension to the albums we know so well.Of particular note is the restored fade-out to 'Ramble On'. Previous Remasters cut at least ten seconds from the end of the song and although this release is still a little bit shorter than the original vinyl its good to have a more complete version. Elsewhere, across the three re-issues some songs are slightly longer than earlier CD versions but again not quite as long as when they first appeared.Of course, the music is exceptional so I don't feel the need to comment on too many individual songs. Suffice to say, the quality of these albums puts 99% of modern music to shame. It doesn't matter how many times you've heard 'Whole Lotta Love'. As soon as its finished you want to put it on again, something that can't be said of a lot of music nowadays.The bonus discs are a mixed bag to be honest. There are some great alternate/rough mixes of things like 'Immigrant Song' 'Whole Lotta Love' and a fantastic first version of 'Since I've Been Loving You' but the unreleased tracks are nothing special. The important thing, however, is the albums themselves and they are still magnificent. Roll on the rest of the catalogue.Update; For those who are interested I have recently purchased bootleg CD's of the first four Zep albums, transferred from original vinyl LP's by the infamous Dr.Ebbetts. The quality of the first two is extremely good, and being from original releases some songs have noticeably longer fade-outs as I alluded to earlier. In particular on 'Communication Breakdown' and 'Ramble On' you can hear far more towards the end. III and IV aren't bad either.Of course, we'd all like to own the Robert Ludwig vinyl pressing of 'Led Zep II', which was issued in the States and then hastily withdrawn. I've not heard it but apparently it's the one to get, mastered so hot and loud that some record player needles couldn't handle it and jumped about as a result. There are some out there but for obvious reasons they command very high prices. If you can't get your hands on one of those then an early original UK pressing will do just fine. I can't comment on first pressings but I do own an original second pressing (Matrix No; A2/B2) and a later one (Matrix No; A6/B4)and the difference in sound is very noticeable. The earlier pressing is an amazingly loud cut, the main riff to 'Whole Lotta Love' for example, simply roars out of the speakers and will take your breath away.On the later pressing the opening riff is far more understated and gradually builds (much like all subsequent CD mixes), but it lacks the sheer out and out power of the second pressing. Find a nice copy and you will not be disappointed.