Freshly repackaged in a variety of different formats, Led Zeppelin’s monumental ‘IV’ and it’s strange, experimental follow-up ‘houses of the Holy’ have finally hit the shelves. Widely praised for the remarkable clarity with which they presented their subject matter the Led Zeppelin I-III remasters set a new standard for what could be expected from modern day remasters mainly as a result of the hands-on approach employed by guitar maestro Jimmy Page. Whilst the relative merits of the bonus discs have been argued back and forth, ‘IV’ and ‘Houses…’ have not wavered from the format with both albums containing what is essentially an alternate version patched together from different mixes, rough drafts and demos. Arguably a treasure trove for completists only, the bonus discs sadly offer neither live material (although if it’s live you want you should probably look no further than the expansive triple live disc ‘how the West was won’ and the double helping of BBC sessions released some years back) nor long-lost B sides / omitted album cuts although t must be noted that this is not mean-spirited behaviour on behalf of a band whose expediency meant that pretty much everything recorded was used. Further points in favour of the reissues are that you can buy the albums unadorned if that is your wont and, moreover, the two disc editions are kept at a low price whilst still including everything. The super-deluxe sets justify their price, not with bonus tracks, but with lavish packaging, multi-format versions (LP, CD and DL) and a hard back book meaning that all of the music is available to all those who want it and not just those prepared to fork out the best part of £100 (take note Pink Floyd!).
With ‘IV’ in particular so feted that any further discussion of its artistic merits would be entirely superfluous, the real question fans will want answering is whether the remastering lives up to the hype. The answer is a resounding yes. Whilst the newfound clarity is not as instantly apparent as on ‘I’, certain tracks benefit considerably when directly compared with the 1990s versions, most notably ‘four sticks’ which no longer sounds as if it was recorded in a cardboard box. Similarly the gentle acoustic rush of ‘going to California’ sounds as if it were recorded yesterday with Robert Plant’s sharp intake of breath directly audible over Plant’s beautifully picked melody. The real test, of course, is to pump up ‘when the Levee breaks’ and let John Bonham’s legendary drum beat surround you. Whilst you’d imagine little could ever improve that performance, there is a deeper bottom end than on the previous version, whilst the cymbals crack with newfound precision. In short, ‘IV’ offers little that is revelatory, but still successfully tightens up the sound to offer a beautifully engaging sonic experience that fans will surely appreciate, particularly on a good stereo or through headphones (for those for whom detail is everything, the details of the review stereo are posted below for reference).
Arguably ‘Houses of the holy’ benefits more from the remastering because almost without exception every track sounds stronger than before. Whilst I have rarely opted for the album over the years, usually picking out the first four discs for listening pleasure, there are still plenty of classics on board (not least the epic ‘no quarter’ and the mighty ‘song remains the same’) and this remaster allowed me to listen with fresh ears. Listening to the likes of ‘the ocean’ on this version made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and, like ‘I’, this remaster just seems to have bought the sound to life. The result is astonishing and truly like listening to these songs for the first time.
Being of a magpie like nature I love collecting bonus discs and rare mixes of my favourite bands and so, whilst I am happy to accept that there are those for whom these discs will have little value, I have enjoyed each and every one of the companion discs so far. Mastered to a pristine standard, listeners will find some tracks more revelatory than others. On ‘IV’, ‘black dog’ apparently deviated little from the ‘basic track’ although the backing vocals are bought into sharper relief whilst a more top heavy mix of ‘rock and roll’ gains a frenetic, almost punkish urgency that makes the blood surge. Similarly alternate mixes of ‘the battle of Evermore’ (guitar and mandolin from Headly grange) and ‘stairway to heaven’ add interesting back story to the finished tracks, the former track in particular really benefitting from being presented in instrumental form. Is it essential listening? Probably not, but for a few extra pounds the discs are well worth the outlay and you also benefit from the extra packaging, with each special release coming in a beautiful six panel digi-pack with expanded artwork and rare photos. ‘Houses…’offers similar insight with the highlight being a rough, no vocal mix of ‘no quarter’ which emphasizes that song’s remarkable instrumental activity, and a piano-free mix of ‘the rain song’.
Overall the Led Zeppelin remaster campaign offers a fine chance for listeners to experience these classic albums in the best possible sound. Available in multiple formats this is a fine chance to replace worn vinyl or battered discs, and there is certainly no question that the remasters improve significantly over the previous versions. Whilst it is arguable that ‘IV’ benefits the least from this process, the companion discs offer plenty for fans to dig their teeth into although I can’t help but wish someone had put forward the idea of a high-def surround mix – the thought of ‘when the levee breaks’ echoing around my head is tantalising to say the least. There is no question that record labels have been milking catalogue releases for years with super deluxe editions just being another way of fleecing fans, but the care and attention to detail here (along with the fact that you can get your hands on the music in so many different ways) suggests this project truly was a labour of love for Jimmy Page and there is no question that his involvement has been to the benefit of the overall sound and quality of these new sets. Perhaps not entirely essential, these are still damned good remasters that show just how good Led Zeppelin truly were and if these discs help in any way to bring a new audience to the band (or remind lapsed believers of their merits) then it is hard to fault them.
The technical bit:
Amplifier: Pioneer A-20 (set to direct)
CD player: Pioneer PD-10 (with Pure Audio on)
Speakers: Dali Zensor 1
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