I have both the 1990 cd and 6 disc vinyl set, the latter only being played 2 to 3 times. I think I will do a comparison of all my Zep issues from the originals up to the last lot of reissued albums! What a project. Great vid TJR!!!!
You can make up a pretty good album worth of songs from the 2014/ 2015 Led Zeppelin CD remaster bonus discs. I thought they were worth getting to get the original albums in their original jackets on CD. I also gave away my two previous Led Zeppelin 1990/ 1993 box sets. But, I kept the 1990 CD box set box and booklet.
I have this and it has CDs and an excellent large booklet with essays and photos. So I’m keeping it. I also have the reissue 2 CDs set and it sounds great! Definitely brighter than the original CDs. The Coda 3 CD Set is fantastic! That one’s a keeper. The inner light demos. And extra material. I agree with you.
I forgot to mention, there was a limited edition 3 CD boxed set called Retro Active that came out in 2001 mastered by David Collins. It's basically a more brick walled mastering with different EQ. It was some kind of promotional release.
Great video! Thanks for making it, this is soooo my life, I own the first CD editions, the 1990 ones and all the 2014/2015. I’m with you, I find them similar, Zeppelin always sounded good. I just have them for my collection. As for the 1990 sets, I own the 2CD, the 3LP and the 4CD box set, I never play them, I just like having them in my collection. I really like the 2CD set called Remasters, that’s my favorite compilation ever. I love the Coda 3CD set from 2015, mandatory release in my opinion. I own the CD box set from 1993, the one you skipped for obvious reasons. I never thought about it missing the live album.
The 2008 Japanese boxed set was just the 1994 remasters with the playback levels brought up and slightly EQ'd. After the 1990 & 93 boxed sets were released, they released all the albums remastered in 1994 also done by George Marino. The '94 remasters were just had the levels boosted and songs had earlier fade outs. I still have some of the 80's CDs and all the 1994 releases. I used to have the 1990 boxed set on cassette and bought the 2nd two CD boxed set when it came out. I sold those years ago.
@@DetroitRockCitizen Yes. With the exception of that rare limited edition 3 CD boxed set Retro Active that came out in 2001. Mastered by David Collins. Pretty much a brick walled version of Marinos remasters.
@@barrydobrin1135 no, the Collins is a completely different sounding mastering. I've compared them all back to back and it's apples to oranges as far as sound. The 1990, 1994, 2008 Japanese, and Mothership releases are all the same mastering with different levels of EQ and compression.
@@gibsonfan159 Oh yeah, I know. It's still pretty brick walled but I also heard the difference in the mastering compared to the George Marino's. The Collins remasters sound more open in the mid range and a little bit more bottom end. Wish I still had the Collins remasters.
I just came across a minty 1990 box set on vinyl at my record store. It really does sound amazing. Yes, the vinyl set is pretty valuable at between $4-600.
I have the original box sets and enjoyed hearing the songs out of context/sequence, they sounded fresh to me. I'm not a huge Zep fan (The Who is my favorite rock band) but I do like about half their material, especially the acoustic numbers. I did download the bonus tracks from the special editions, put the best ones to disc. I have no desire to re-buy any more of their reissues.
That was Houses Of The Holly Plant was talking about the piece of paper that whole album artword for the CD was destroyed the inside gatefold was missing and the title Houses Of The Holly was printed one the front right side cover to replace the slip over LP title . Remember when IV came out people stopped compairng Led Zeppelin To Black Sabbath .
Stairway To Heaven has a little noise on the CD when the song starts getting heavy after Whispering Wind that you will not hear on your vintage IV LP or 2014 LP .
I find that the Japanese CD sets in general have much better separation of instruments than the standard US/UK mixes. I am not sure how they achieve this. Anyone know? You can especially hear this with the Doors, ABBA. I believe this instrument separation is what adds to that “bright” sound because it sounds cleaner.
Your like me I got that 1990 box set a long time ago the poster that came with it I had it on my wall I moved and i think I threw it out. The cds got lost I’m missing maybe one. So now looking at it I want a complete one lol. I’m really late getting the Led Zeppelin Super Deluxe Editions. I have 2 so far the packaging is beautiful. It comes with the lp and cd and download card. Something the Beatles should have done with their box sets.I love the mini Lps box set. I want to get that as well. To me the best sound of Zeppelin is Vinyl. What do you think about Jimmy Page remixing the Zeppeling catalog? Take care!
Remixing it? .......Hmmmm? I didn’t think too much of the recent remasters (I didn’t feel hey added much), but if JP thinks he can give us an improved listening experience by remixing it, I am willing to listen with open ears.
@@TJRtheOriginal Physical Graffiti is a good album but I don’t really like the sound.Kashmir lacks bass, Custard Pie as well. They have to bring up the drums and bass. If the Beatles music was remixed I think Led Zeppelin’s music can be as well.
My copy is either not the same as yours, or you've made a mistake/overlooked something. On my copy, the thing you're describing as a 4-way photographic insert is not separate. It's the central pages of the booklet that open up to four pages. Check for staple holes in the centre pages!
I have the original Led Zeppelin Box set from 1990 on CD. I purchased it when it first came out and I'm thinking I purchased it from Cats Records, which is no longer around.
I'm all Right with the Remasters of Each zep albums The box sets dont intrust me like that but I'd say buy them anyway because there collection's I like the printing on both Box sets if your Zeppelin yes get them.
Hey TJR talk about the deaths of Jimmy Buffett Gary Wright Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell and the release of the 30th anniversary edition of Green Day’s Dookie on physical media sometime in the future
I have the original CDs, the 90 and 93 boxes which were done with George Marino, the Complete Studio Box from 93. In addition I have the individual Japanese releases that came out in 97 when the BBC Sessions CD appeared; also later Japanese releases of Song Remains the Same and How the West Was Won. Finally, I have the 2015 CD versions with the bonus discs. What I don't have is the mini album box set. I have to call BS on saying the original CDs sounded bad. They were mostly done by Barry Diament who also did the original AC/DCs and the second batch of Bob Marley's among other things. Actually the best sounding version of Houses of the Holy is the first CD version. The only difference between the 1990 remasters and the next box is a slight level shift (i.e. a raise in volume) I have a feeling that is what you're hearing with the mini-LP box. There was no remaster so there isn't going to be much difference. If I can make a recommendation regarding the 2015s I would say the debut is an automatic purchase. The concert on the bonus disc is absolutely fierce. Another excellent video by the way.
Thanks. I can’t really remember the original CD releases (I think that all I had prior were my LPs). I understand that those original CDs are now really sought after BTW.
@@TJRtheOriginalOut of all the remasters, I prefer the original 80's releases of I, II, IV Houses and Physical Graffiti. The 2015 remasters of Zepp III and Presence IMHO sound the best out of all the remasters and original 80's stuff.
I have the original purple orange label vinyl, the 1990 remasters box, the complete studio recordings, the definitive collection box and the 2014 remasters. To be honest the purple orange label vinyl version I own are French original copies in excellent quality and they sound the best. On CD the Complete Recordings and Remasters box are the 1990 Page Marino remasters and to me these are the best representations of Zep on vinyl. Great detail, nuance with a heavy punch and low end but in a good way and not too prominent. The Japanese ones in the definitive collection are great but miss the fine natural punxhy sound and gentle low end of the Page Marino 1990 remasters. Worst are, both on vinyl and CD, the absolutely horrendous sounding 2014 remasters that lack any detail and are just one big wall of sound and are mainly LOUD. The problem of one master used to sound “good” on all formats. So Lp original purple orange label vinyl and CD The Complete Studio Recording, @TJR
Well constructed video TJR ,the Zeppelin output quality wise is crazy and vast not an easy task to obtain the best pressings , but here,s the thing ,I have all the these box sets on cd and re issues on vinil , but i have to say for me my version of the cd Mothership released in 2007 is pretty stunning and is my go to choice in compelations ,take care
Correct, the original CD’s were done without Jimmy Page and were just flat digital transfers. Even the sleeve within the jewel cases admitted that they were rubbish due to “the limits of the source material”. Jimmy Pages remasters were used on all the sets you shown. If you’re hearing is improving then I want whatever your ears are on because that just doesn’t happen. Quite the opposite, hearing is usually the first thing in the human body to start deteriorating. It’s more likely that hi-fi upgrades have given you this illusion. Our entire hearing mechanism is miraculous in itself. But there is a flaw in the system, receptors for different frequencies die causing neighbouring receptors to fire erroneous signals to the brain. The brain being clever filters these back out and this is what we call tinnitus. There are various apps available to test your hearing. If your Zep IV is a first UK or US pressing and you have a high end system then I guarantee it will sound better
No offense but if you couldn't hear a difference in these releases then you either have bad headphones or bad ears lol. But it's a fun critique video anyway.
The first CDs did sound bad, as you say. That was common until about 1994. For instance I have one CD copied from vinyl and another from a cassette! Horrors in both cases. I got this box set, but I didn't like it because the songs are not in the order to which I am accustomed.
The Diament remasters sound great to me and I'm not alone. Of course YMMV but I'm willing to bet if you haven't heard them in awhile you might change your mind.
@@DetroitRockCitizen The newest ones I have are the 2014 two-CD packages with the inverse color on the back side, but I don't see anything about who was the engineer. Are these the Diament ones?
I think you forgot to mention the George Marino remasters. These were awful!. I got the "japanese" box set (the US version is manufactured in the US so the obis and inserts are merely a copy, even the bags are different and very fragile with a very strong glue that makes it a nightmare to open). The japanese box set from Japan is a bit more pricey than the US one now. I compared them with the later remasters and the differences were small but were there. Perhaps more bass level on the later remasters. Im recovering my Zep vinyl collection too but I intend to buy the new ones because I prefer to have a shiny new album than a used one.
I had this set on CD in the early 90s as an intro to the band. Loved it! Sold it in the 90s and recently repurchased on vinyl. Sounds great!
I have all Led Zeppelin CD albums - first reissued without remastering - sounds great without dynamic range compression
I have both the 1990 cd and 6 disc vinyl set, the latter only being played 2 to 3 times.
I think I will do a comparison of all my Zep issues from the originals up to the last lot of reissued albums! What a project.
Great vid TJR!!!!
How does the 1990 vinyl set sound? I have the same box set still in the shrink wrap.
You can make up a pretty good album worth of songs from the 2014/ 2015 Led Zeppelin CD remaster bonus discs. I thought they were worth getting to get the original albums in their original jackets on CD. I also gave away my two previous Led Zeppelin 1990/ 1993 box sets. But, I kept the 1990 CD box set box and booklet.
Agree you have to have them . 👍👍
I have this and it has CDs and an excellent large booklet with essays and photos. So I’m keeping it. I also have the reissue 2 CDs set and it sounds great! Definitely brighter than the original CDs.
The Coda 3 CD Set is fantastic! That one’s a keeper. The inner light demos. And extra material. I agree with you.
I had the box set for years but gave it to my brother when I got all the albums when they got reissued. Now I want to buy it again 😅
I forgot to mention, there was a limited edition 3 CD boxed set called Retro Active that came out in 2001 mastered by David Collins. It's basically a more brick walled mastering with different EQ. It was some kind of promotional release.
Great video! Thanks for making it, this is soooo my life, I own the first CD editions, the 1990 ones and all the 2014/2015. I’m with you, I find them similar, Zeppelin always sounded good. I just have them for my collection. As for the 1990 sets, I own the 2CD, the 3LP and the 4CD box set, I never play them, I just like having them in my collection. I really like the 2CD set called Remasters, that’s my favorite compilation ever. I love the Coda 3CD set from 2015, mandatory release in my opinion. I own the CD box set from 1993, the one you skipped for obvious reasons. I never thought about it missing the live album.
The 2008 Japanese boxed set was just the 1994 remasters with the playback levels brought up and slightly EQ'd. After the 1990 & 93 boxed sets were released, they released all the albums remastered in 1994 also done by George Marino. The '94 remasters were just had the levels boosted and songs had earlier fade outs. I still have some of the 80's CDs and all the 1994 releases. I used to have the 1990 boxed set on cassette and bought the 2nd two CD boxed set when it came out. I sold those years ago.
Anything between the Diaments (joe Sidore did IV) and the 2015s are the same remaster with level shifts. Those were done by George Marino
@@DetroitRockCitizen Yes. With the exception of that rare limited edition 3 CD boxed set Retro Active that came out in 2001. Mastered by David Collins. Pretty much a brick walled version of Marinos remasters.
@@barrydobrin1135 no, the Collins is a completely different sounding mastering. I've compared them all back to back and it's apples to oranges as far as sound. The 1990, 1994, 2008 Japanese, and Mothership releases are all the same mastering with different levels of EQ and compression.
@@gibsonfan159 Oh yeah, I know. It's still pretty brick walled but I also heard the difference in the mastering compared to the George Marino's. The Collins remasters sound more open in the mid range and a little bit more bottom end. Wish I still had the Collins remasters.
I just came across a minty 1990 box set on vinyl at my record store. It really does sound amazing. Yes, the vinyl set is pretty valuable at between $4-600.
I would love to get one of those. But I’m afraid it’s a little too rich for my blood.
@@TJRtheOriginal Same, but this kinda fell into my lap as it were.
I have this both on album and cd it's a great collection of Zeppelin music
We sure love our Led Zep CD's!!
I have the original box sets and enjoyed hearing the songs out of context/sequence, they sounded fresh to me. I'm not a huge Zep fan (The Who is my favorite rock band) but I do like about half their material, especially the acoustic numbers. I did download the bonus tracks from the special editions, put the best ones to disc. I have no desire to re-buy any more of their reissues.
Yes, I recall "no quarter" sounded so fresh
That was Houses Of The Holly Plant was talking about the piece of paper that whole album artword for the CD was destroyed the inside gatefold was missing and the title Houses Of The Holly was printed one the front right side cover to replace the slip over LP title . Remember when IV came out people stopped compairng Led Zeppelin To Black Sabbath .
Stairway To Heaven has a little noise on the CD when the song starts getting heavy after Whispering Wind that you will not hear on your vintage IV LP or 2014 LP .
Stairway is one of their worst engineered tracks and has distortion and clipping in several places as well as volume dips.
@@gibsonfan159 Agree for some reason you do not hear that on the new 2014 LP release I was shocked to find it was not there .
I have this box set and a triple vinyl set.
I find that the Japanese CD sets in general have much better separation of instruments than the standard US/UK mixes. I am not sure how they achieve this. Anyone know? You can especially hear this with the Doors, ABBA. I believe this instrument separation is what adds to that “bright” sound because it sounds cleaner.
Your like me I got that 1990 box set a long time ago the poster that came with it I had it on my wall I moved and i think I threw it out. The cds got lost I’m missing maybe one. So now looking at it I want a complete one lol. I’m really late getting the Led Zeppelin Super Deluxe Editions. I have 2 so far the packaging is beautiful. It comes with the lp and cd and download card. Something the Beatles should have done with their box sets.I love the mini Lps box set. I want to get that as well. To me the best sound of Zeppelin is Vinyl. What do you think about Jimmy Page remixing the Zeppeling catalog? Take care!
Remixing it? .......Hmmmm?
I didn’t think too much of the recent remasters (I didn’t feel hey added much), but if JP thinks he can give us an improved listening experience by remixing it, I am willing to listen with open ears.
@@TJRtheOriginal Physical Graffiti is a good album but I don’t really like the sound.Kashmir lacks bass, Custard Pie as well. They have to bring up the drums and bass. If the Beatles music was remixed I think Led Zeppelin’s music can be as well.
My copy is either not the same as yours, or you've made a mistake/overlooked something. On my copy, the thing you're describing as a 4-way photographic insert is not separate. It's the central pages of the booklet that open up to four pages. Check for staple holes in the centre pages!
I have the original Led Zeppelin Box set from 1990 on CD. I purchased it when it first came out and I'm thinking I purchased it from Cats Records, which is no longer around.
I'm all Right with the Remasters of Each zep albums The box sets dont intrust me like that but I'd say buy them anyway because there collection's I like the printing on both Box sets if your Zeppelin yes get them.
Hey TJR talk about the deaths of Jimmy Buffett Gary Wright Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell and the release of the 30th anniversary edition of Green Day’s Dookie on physical media sometime in the future
I have the original CDs, the 90 and 93 boxes which were done with George Marino, the Complete Studio Box from 93. In addition I have the individual Japanese releases that came out in 97 when the BBC Sessions CD appeared; also later Japanese releases of Song Remains the Same and How the West Was Won. Finally, I have the 2015 CD versions with the bonus discs. What I don't have is the mini album box set.
I have to call BS on saying the original CDs sounded bad. They were mostly done by Barry Diament who also did the original AC/DCs and the second batch of Bob Marley's among other things. Actually the best sounding version of Houses of the Holy is the first CD version. The only difference between the 1990 remasters and the next box is a slight level shift (i.e. a raise in volume) I have a feeling that is what you're hearing with the mini-LP box. There was no remaster so there isn't going to be much difference.
If I can make a recommendation regarding the 2015s I would say the debut is an automatic purchase. The concert on the bonus disc is absolutely fierce. Another excellent video by the way.
Thanks. I can’t really remember the original CD releases (I think that all I had prior were my LPs). I understand that those original CDs are now really sought after BTW.
@@TJRtheOriginalOut of all the remasters, I prefer the original 80's releases of I, II, IV Houses and Physical Graffiti. The 2015 remasters of Zepp III and Presence IMHO sound the best out of all the remasters and original 80's stuff.
@@TJRtheOriginal My first Zeppelin CDs were the Complete Studio box, Other than my children it's the best thing my ex wife ever gave me.
I have the original purple orange label vinyl, the 1990 remasters box, the complete studio recordings, the definitive collection box and the 2014 remasters.
To be honest the purple orange label vinyl version I own are French original copies in excellent quality and they sound the best.
On CD the Complete Recordings and Remasters box are the 1990 Page Marino remasters and to me these are the best representations of Zep on vinyl. Great detail, nuance with a heavy punch and low end but in a good way and not too prominent.
The Japanese ones in the definitive collection are great but miss the fine natural punxhy sound and gentle low end of the Page Marino 1990 remasters.
Worst are, both on vinyl and CD, the absolutely horrendous sounding 2014 remasters that lack any detail and are just one big wall of sound and are mainly LOUD. The problem of one master used to sound “good” on all formats.
So Lp original purple orange label vinyl and CD The Complete Studio Recording, @TJR
I have a Columbia house cd of this box set in near mint condition
14:22- here
17:36'-- finally!
Well constructed video TJR ,the Zeppelin output quality wise is crazy and vast not an easy task to obtain the best pressings , but here,s the thing ,I have all the these box sets on cd and re issues on vinil , but i have to say for me my version of the cd Mothership released in 2007 is pretty stunning and is my go to choice in compelations ,take care
always think When the Levee Breaks is a good song to test tho.......
Correct, the original CD’s were done without Jimmy Page and were just flat digital transfers. Even the sleeve within the jewel cases admitted that they were rubbish due to “the limits of the source material”. Jimmy Pages remasters were used on all the sets you shown.
If you’re hearing is improving then I want whatever your ears are on because that just doesn’t happen. Quite the opposite, hearing is usually the first thing in the human body to start deteriorating. It’s more likely that hi-fi upgrades have given you this illusion.
Our entire hearing
mechanism is miraculous in itself. But there is a flaw in the system, receptors for different frequencies die causing neighbouring receptors to fire erroneous signals to the brain. The brain being clever filters these back out and this is what we call tinnitus.
There are various apps available to test your hearing.
If your Zep IV is a first UK or US pressing and you have a high end system then I guarantee it will sound better
No offense but if you couldn't hear a difference in these releases then you either have bad headphones or bad ears lol. But it's a fun critique video anyway.
The first CDs did sound bad, as you say. That was common until about 1994. For instance I have one CD copied from vinyl and another from a cassette! Horrors in both cases.
I got this box set, but I didn't like it because the songs are not in the order to which I am accustomed.
The Diament remasters sound great to me and I'm not alone. Of course YMMV but I'm willing to bet if you haven't heard them in awhile you might change your mind.
@@DetroitRockCitizen What are the "Diament" remasters? I got the remastered CDs that came out a few years ago.
Barry Diament is the engineer who made the original Zeppelin digital remasters (Joe Sidore did 4). He did the original AC/DC/s as well.
@@DetroitRockCitizen The newest ones I have are the 2014 two-CD packages with the inverse color on the back side, but I don't see anything about who was the engineer. Are these the Diament ones?
@@judmcc no Page worked with an engineer named John Davis on those. Diament worked those 80s CDs you don't seem to like.
I think you forgot to mention the George Marino remasters. These were awful!.
I got the "japanese" box set (the US version is manufactured in the US so the obis and inserts are merely a copy, even the bags are different and very fragile with a very strong glue that makes it a nightmare to open). The japanese box set from Japan is a bit more pricey than the US one now.
I compared them with the later remasters and the differences were small but were there. Perhaps more bass level on the later remasters.
Im recovering my Zep vinyl collection too but I intend to buy the new ones because I prefer to have a shiny new album than a used one.
IMHO Zeppelin has never had any bad Digital Remasters.