They probably won't take it down--you just can't monetize it. I'm glad that the audiophile's audiophile is now posting from his collection. Very cool, sir! And a happy new year to you.
There’s absolutely no contest that the aural effect of vinyl is far superior to that of any digital CD. On this RL version especially and when the L to R panning occurs just before Bonham’s machine gun snare riff grounds everything, the effect is just awesome. Zeppelin did in fact catch lightning in a bottle with their very formation. It was the perfect band, at the perfect time. Thank you for posting this. It really does sound incredible...
I've owned a few copies, mostly beaters. My current copy is pretty clean. They all sounded massive. No overhype whatsoever. Definitely better than the 8-track I first heard the album on!
The hype, and prices, around this version are completely deserved. Side 1 especially is without parallel in the Rock Era canon on vinyl. It sounds better, more immediate, than any lp I have ever heard. 3k cds, 7k lps and singles. This crushes everything. The bass and drums are Hammer of the Gods thunderously deep. Spend $200 and get yourself a copy. It's worth it.
I remember purchasing my RL SS copy from Ebay. I put it on and remembering the intro of this being so powerful that I had to really kick the bass down from my Sony TA-1150 it was that powerful... the best listening experience I ever had.
My goodness... I heard differences immediately. Better stereo imaging, cleaner reverb tails, details in the attack of the bass guitar I've never heard before... thank you for posting this!
I love how this sounds! Nice, punchy bass and stereo effects. After seeing the video interview with Bob Ludwig talking about this, I've been wanting to hear the "RL" mastered LP. Awesome - thanks!
Wow! Not sure if I am just hearing what I want to hear but this sounds just as great as I'd hoped it to. ... Congratulations on finding such a clean copy - sets you back hundreds these days while G/VG copies are a dime a dozen.
I have the reissue, sad to say even on a you tube video this one blows mine away. off to e bay looking for my own rl stamped copy. REALLY dig your vids keep them coming
Very nice. Though I was starting to feel a dizzy there for a bit with the stereo passing from left to right on my headphones. It was like being spun round. An intended effect I suppose. The degree of dynamic range between my vinyl records can be huge sometimes. Some bands sound as though they're in the room, others as though they're down the hall, in the bedroom, in my closed sock drawer.
Wow is that a nice clean copy. Mine is about a VG but it still smokes all other pressings including GP & Page's in a comparison I did. And no pressing can correct the distortion on the multitrack as can be clearly heard on the first drum downbeat on "Lemon Song".
This makes me so sad. I'm sure that sounds AMAZING in person, but I'm hearing it on UA-cam off of my computer. Granted...I have an Aune T1 tube DAC and AKG K702 headphones so it sounds better than average. But still... Huge fan Michael - added your "Vinyl World After All" dvd to my very first record player order a little over a year ago. My collection grows and my ears continue to figure out what "good" really sounds like. My first vinyl rig: Music Hall mmf 2.2 + ProJect acrylic platter + ProJect speed control + Cambridge Audio 551p pre-amp. Really need to upgrade the cartridge soon. Cheers!
Ooh. A real treat for the new year. Hot off the press, just posted yesterday, January 1. Please read the description below by Michael Fremer, the wonderful analog editor at Stereophile magazine. Even on youtube, the unique power of this pressing comes through on Fremer's state of the art playback system. Every Zep and metal fan should hear this because the opportunity doesn't come up often to hear just how powerful this song can sound. . And to all punks out there---do yourselves a favor and take a trip back to 1969 and prepare to have your minds blown. "The legendary "RL" mastered "Whole Lotta Love". When "Led Zeppelin II" was first released, legendary mastering engineer Robert Ludwig cut the lacquers using the master tape. The story goes that Atlantic founder Ahmet Ertegun gave a copy to his brother Nesuhi to give to his daughter. Her "kiddie" phonograph couldn't track the record, which had been cut with full dynamic range and bass response (the notion that vinyl can't do wide dynamic range or deep bass is a bunch of hooey). The label panicked, and recalled the record, which was re-cut with less bass and lesser dynamics, which is the version most people bought. However, some "RL" mastered originals got into distribution and are "out there". Copies now go for between a few hundred and up to $1000 depending upon condition. You can tell if you have one if you see a tiny RL etched into the lead out groove area. This copy is hardly "mint" but it's good enough! By the way, the distortion you hear is tape saturation, not a playback deficiency. Please compare this vinyl transcription to the recent Jimmy Page supervised mastering on vinyl or on high resolution digital download. There is no comparison."
I have a lot of MasterDisk albums with RL on them and they are the BEST! He has the magic touch as can be heard in AC/DC's Back In Black! I keep a spreadsheet of my album collection and log each Lp's mastering studio and mastering engineer. Bob Ludwig's RL outnumber the rest by far in my collection. My copy of Led Zeppelin II is from a later pressing, but still sounds good.
Wish I could find a good RL copy for reasonable money. I heard some things on this version I’ve never heard before. I’m going to have to give my copy a fresh listen.
Amazing! I have just purchased a one sided RL from ebay VG plus apparently. Looking forward to it. I have great memories of my father playing this lp to death over the Christmas holidays back in 69 while my Mother was playing her new Let it Bleed and Abbey Road. 69 certainly was the greatest year ever for music. Hey Michael are you aware of any mint double sided RL copies of this around? I have heard the latest Page remaster & I was right when I assumed he would screw it up, he sure did. Could he not have access to this mix and have released it? The overloaded bass & tubelike sound is ecstasy & reminds me of Johnny Winters "Second Winter" & The James Gang's "Yer Album", both from 69 as well.
German pressing? I have one of those with the RL in the dead wax on side 1. Vg+, and it sounds great. I actually think side 2 sounds pretty darn good as well.
I understand people who don't want to deal with the imperfections of vinyl like cliks, pops, surface noise etc.But when they say that vinyl is garbage they just make themselves look ignorant.Vinyl is a far superior format than anything else by having the ability to sound richer by capturing every little nuance of music.I have that famous B.Diament disc and my later (not even first) Japanese vinyl pressing kills it easily and my cd player (Cambridge Audio 500 SE have an 24/192 dac inside) is much better than my turntable (Sherwood that has an Ortofon 2M Red installed).So enjoy music on whatever format you like but don't be funny by saying that vinyl is garbage.There's and will be no better way to listen the analog era music.Zeppelin digital??? C'mon!
The recording sounds the way recordings do from that period of time and there was no better technology so if you have it on vinyl then all good but if you have it on CD then your just getting an accurate representation of the recording assuming it's mastered without lots of compression to make it louder.
Why in the hell don’t they repress this masterful RL mastered recording? Is the original Master Analog tape wore out? People would buy this version in a heartbeat if they repressed this version at a reasonable price.
I love all the comments from people saying how bad it sounds even though they're probably listening to this digitally compressed recording through shitty 20$ computer speakers.
I was lucky to score the LP at the nearby Treehouse Records for $10. What a steal! And it's the best version of LZII by far, fat low end, large and spacious, and no distortion in the loudest moments. If Jimmy Page did nothing more than offer a digitized needle drop as the CD and Digital versions of this albums, we would all be very happy.
I’ve had three copies of LZ 2 for a while, a late 70’s reissue, a mid 80’s reissue, and the 2014 180g JP reissue, but last week I bought several hundred records from a neighbor for about 50¢ each and low and behold, a VG+ RL “hot mix”. My god, the others can go to my store bins, this thing sounds HUGE!
I was fortunate enough to find a RL version of this album on eBay. It sounds better than this great sounding version Mikey gave us here. It's one of the albums In my meager collection ( a few hundred) I'm proudest of. If you are a serious Zeppelin fan, I suggest you find this album.
Got to love vinyl and when it's being played even for the first time it sounds much better than hearing it on CD disk and that is because vinyl has the crisp sounds to it and holds more value than any CD disk no matter what anyone says.
Hello Michael!! Love your posts and articles. Would it be safe to say that (even at astronomical prices) buying a "sealed" copy of this album would be a waste of time (and money) as there is no guarantee of obtaining the actual "hot RL" version??? Provided that's what you're seeking of course.
I've come across a few of these pressings over the years a d they all were scratched and noisy. Too bad they couldn't recreate this pressings. If they could, it would sell like hotcakes.
It was not intentional originally but it difficult to get rid of the secondary track and eventually Jimmy Page said it could stand and they'd issue it as it was. There are more technical explanations from the engineer. I saw a video on youtube about it a while ago.
My question is, Ok I assume Robert Cut one lacquer, How many stampers came from that? and is a PR, or Mo pressing better than the Columbia house pressing? I am sure they are, which pressing plant pressed the best version? I saw , on ebay, a promo RL, Pr pressing just go for over $1,000.00 but theres one up there for $59.00 with no pressing plant listed on the label
I still remember where I was when I first heard the orgasm passage to WLL, Bussing tables in a gulf coast restaurant! Who says time travel is impossible, keep it coolie baby!
To anyone who thinks this is the ducks nuts version BarakaPDub did a shootout between this the M.f.s.l , a Japanese copy, the recent reissue and another which I can't remember but put your best headphones on and go have a listen. To my ears the RL and the recent reissue were so close that I couldn't tell them apart, and due to the fact that the reissue will be quieter and the cost of a clean RL is ridiculous (if one even exists) the reissue is more than great. I realise that most will laugh at that comment and say the RL blows the reissue away but go listen for yourself and if you can, leave your bias at the door. Come back here and comment
I hear a difference, i ranked the RL on top, but it's not a big enough one to justify the dollors I'd need to spend to get a clean RL pressing. If all things we're equal and I could choose between a new RL copy and the reissue at the same price I'd get the RL. To me the reissue is good enough and at the price it's fantastic, I prefer it to both the Japanese and mfsl and of course that other awful pressing. Thanks for letting us that will never get our hands on the holy grail get a taste of it.
Agreed there is no comparison with the recent Jimmy Page re-masters (sorry Jimmy - but what the heck did you do !?). This is how it should sound - will the rest of us ever get this quality in a re-issue on some format or other ?
+Michael Fremer Actually, my MP4 of the CD is also much deeper, punchier, more well-defined than this, so I'd call that a fair enough test. I have not heard the recent mastering, but the first CD is the best copy I've heard of it. Subsequent CD releases peak-limited it too much.
Agreed. When that box came out I hit the roof. Fortunately I still have the Diamant CDs, though his Zep I CD has azimuth problems, as did the subsequent box, which led me to believe they just re-used the 1630 from Barry's. If anyone has a new "Good Times Bad Times," put it in mono and tell me how it sounds....but I digress ;-)
+The Giant CK There's no doubt that Barry Diament was given the Bob Ludwig mastered tape to use for that first CD version of Zeppelin II. No other version comes close to sounding so similar.
Wonderful sound! and Jimmy just committed suicide with his poor remasters editions...the best he did was the memorabilia books in the special editions...Having said that, I would add, in that gear probably Jimmy's remasters would sound wonderful as well...
How much added distortion does a record need before people stop claiming it sounds good? The top end of this is really splattered from wear, or IGD, or is it simply the limitations of the format? No matter, there's lots of distortion there that isn't on the original tape.
+Michael Fremer .that's what I can't figure out. Anytime something is posted online about analog recordings, the comments of hate start rolling in from digital heads.Personally if there is something I don't like or don't care about I just don't bother with it.
+Michael Fremer I can refer you to Grammy Award winning recording engineers, such as +Jamie Tate, who would disagree with you. Nevertheless, if there's distortion on an LP that isn't on a corresponding CD, the distortion is necessarily *not* on the master tape. CD doesn't magically erase distortion. It would be great if it did though!
+Michael Fremer excuse my ignorance, but does this RL cut exist as a single tape and not a mix down from several? Does that mean we could possibly get an MQA version of it? Guess it would need still need LZ to let it out.
I remember my brother having an original in 69 when it came out and go so used to the record skipping during Jimmy Pages solo , He bought it when it first came out, I now find my self checking out the dead wax on every record i look at
I have been into vinyl from the first day i bought a 45rpm in the 60's early 60's, just gettin back into it, and so many questions i had then are being answered by Mr Fremer, nothing like the sound of vinyl
I still wind my record player up it only plays 78s and they are as heavy as dinner plates luckily I still have box of needles to play my old favourites and if there is a power failure my record player keeps on working ohhhh thank god for technology :)
Why can you hear the guitar start before the cough? It sounds like tape bleed. You can hear the 1st 5 guitar chords, then the cough, then those same chords play 'officially' starting the track. Why?
They just aren't making 28,000 dollar tonearms like they used to.Sad really.Well it's Sunday so at least we can pray for the miracle of Panasonic Platinum. As it was in the beginning it will be in the Hi End.Amen.Prince the 150 lb Rottweiler has approved this message.
I bought the Jimmy page compilation big mistake sounded like crap played it once. Even through my Joule Electra OTLs Asthetix IO and Sound labs A1PXs it sounded like shit.
Dumb question but... Bob Ludwig is still alive and working. Is the original lacquer destroyed? Can't they make new mothers and stampers from it? Or, couldn't Bob re-cut it using the same notes from the original cut or at best, HE could try to replicate that "hot" sound? And make this album available once more for the masses and right that wrong? Or are we forever doomed to be satisfied with shit digitization "supervised by Jimmy Page" who is DEAF!?!?
They probably won't take it down--you just can't monetize it. I'm glad that the audiophile's audiophile is now posting from his collection. Very cool, sir! And a happy new year to you.
There’s absolutely no contest that the aural effect of vinyl is far superior to that of any digital CD. On this RL version especially and when the L to R panning occurs just before Bonham’s machine gun snare riff grounds everything, the effect is just awesome. Zeppelin did in fact catch lightning in a bottle with their very formation. It was the perfect band, at the perfect time. Thank you for posting this. It really does sound incredible...
I've owned a few copies, mostly beaters. My current copy is pretty clean. They all sounded massive. No overhype whatsoever. Definitely better than the 8-track I first heard the album on!
The hype, and prices, around this version are completely deserved.
Side 1 especially is without parallel in the Rock Era canon on vinyl.
It sounds better, more immediate, than any lp I have ever heard.
3k cds, 7k lps and singles.
This crushes everything.
The bass and drums are Hammer of the Gods thunderously deep.
Spend $200 and get yourself a copy.
It's worth it.
Does it come complete with the crackles like I’m hearing in this one?
Bob Ludwig has been one of my heroes since I was around 16 and realized how many of my favorite records had his name stamped on them.
Lucky enough to have been given a copy of this amazing record (Monarch Pressing). The mix is so wonderful.
I remember purchasing my RL SS copy from Ebay. I put it on and remembering the intro of this being so powerful that I had to really kick the bass down from my Sony TA-1150 it was that powerful... the best listening experience I ever had.
My goodness... I heard differences immediately. Better stereo imaging, cleaner reverb tails, details in the attack of the bass guitar I've never heard before... thank you for posting this!
I love how this sounds! Nice, punchy bass and stereo effects. After seeing the video interview with Bob Ludwig talking about this, I've been wanting to hear the "RL" mastered LP. Awesome - thanks!
Wow! Not sure if I am just hearing what I want to hear but this sounds just as great as I'd hoped it to. ... Congratulations on finding such a clean copy - sets you back hundreds these days while G/VG copies are a dime a dozen.
I just played this on my car stereo and even with UA-cam’s compression it still melted my face off.
I have the reissue, sad to say even on a you tube video this one blows mine away. off to e bay looking for my own rl stamped copy. REALLY dig your vids keep them coming
Very nice. Though I was starting to feel a dizzy there for a bit with the stereo passing from left to right on my headphones. It was like being spun round. An intended effect I suppose.
The degree of dynamic range between my vinyl records can be huge sometimes. Some bands sound as though they're in the room, others as though they're down the hall, in the bedroom, in my closed sock drawer.
try smoking to heighten jimmy Page
I just got one of these. Now when I listen to my copy of the club release from '69 I'm shocked that's what we've all been used to.
best ive heard this song....Really!
+Dead Weight I agree. My head nearly exploded at 3:14.
Wow is that a nice clean copy. Mine is about a VG but it still smokes all other pressings including GP & Page's in a comparison I did. And no pressing can correct the distortion on the multitrack as can be clearly heard on the first drum downbeat on "Lemon Song".
This makes me so sad. I'm sure that sounds AMAZING in person, but I'm hearing it on UA-cam off of my computer. Granted...I have an Aune T1 tube DAC and AKG K702 headphones so it sounds better than average. But still...
Huge fan Michael - added your "Vinyl World After All" dvd to my very first record player order a little over a year ago. My collection grows and my ears continue to figure out what "good" really sounds like.
My first vinyl rig: Music Hall mmf 2.2 + ProJect acrylic platter + ProJect speed control + Cambridge Audio 551p pre-amp. Really need to upgrade the cartridge soon. Cheers!
Listening to this on my Sonos Arc set up with sub and rears....sounds great, and gives a nice idea about what it would sound like. Thanks!
WOW! This kicks ass! Even via UA-cam (at 720p, mind you) this pressing is a much better romp through the big system.
Ooh. A real treat for the new year. Hot off the press, just posted yesterday, January 1. Please read the description below by Michael Fremer, the wonderful analog editor at Stereophile magazine. Even on youtube, the unique power of this pressing comes through on Fremer's state of the art playback system. Every Zep and metal fan should hear this because the opportunity doesn't come up often to hear just how powerful this song can sound. . And to all punks out there---do yourselves a favor and take a trip back to 1969 and prepare to have your minds blown.
"The legendary "RL" mastered "Whole Lotta Love". When "Led Zeppelin II" was first released, legendary mastering engineer Robert Ludwig cut the lacquers using the master tape. The story goes that Atlantic founder Ahmet Ertegun gave a copy to his brother Nesuhi to give to his daughter. Her "kiddie" phonograph couldn't track the record, which had been cut with full dynamic range and bass response (the notion that vinyl can't do wide dynamic range or deep bass is a bunch of hooey). The label panicked, and recalled the record, which was re-cut with less bass and lesser dynamics, which is the version most people bought. However, some "RL" mastered originals got into distribution and are "out there". Copies now go for between a few hundred and up to $1000 depending upon condition. You can tell if you have one if you see a tiny RL etched into the lead out groove area. This copy is hardly "mint" but it's good enough! By the way, the distortion you hear is tape saturation, not a playback deficiency. Please compare this vinyl transcription to the recent Jimmy Page supervised mastering on vinyl or on high resolution digital download. There is no comparison."
One of my most prized albums. Bob does it right....
The RL pressing as I fondly remember it. I had one... sold it recently to help pay off a loan.
I have a lot of MasterDisk albums with RL on them and they are the BEST! He has the magic touch as can be heard in AC/DC's Back In Black! I keep a spreadsheet of my album collection and log each Lp's mastering studio and mastering engineer. Bob Ludwig's RL outnumber the rest by far in my collection. My copy of Led Zeppelin II is from a later pressing, but still sounds good.
Wish I could find a good RL copy for reasonable money. I heard some things on this version I’ve never heard before. I’m going to have to give my copy a fresh listen.
Got given a Monarch pressing of this yesterday. Sounds soooo good!
Amazing! I have just purchased a one sided RL from ebay VG plus apparently. Looking forward to it. I have great memories of my father playing this lp to death over the Christmas holidays back in 69 while my Mother was playing her new Let it Bleed and Abbey Road. 69 certainly was the greatest year ever for music. Hey Michael are you aware of any mint double sided RL copies of this around? I have heard the latest Page remaster & I was right when I assumed he would screw it up, he sure did. Could he not have access to this mix and have released it? The overloaded bass & tubelike sound is ecstasy & reminds me of Johnny Winters "Second Winter" & The James Gang's "Yer Album", both from 69 as well.
German pressing? I have one of those with the RL in the dead wax on side 1. Vg+, and it sounds great. I actually think side 2 sounds pretty darn good as well.
Awesome pre echos around 4:10
I understand people who don't want to deal with the imperfections of vinyl like cliks, pops, surface noise etc.But when they say that vinyl is garbage they just make themselves look ignorant.Vinyl is a far superior format than anything else by having the ability to sound richer by capturing every little nuance of music.I have that famous B.Diament disc and my later (not even first) Japanese vinyl pressing kills it easily and my cd player (Cambridge Audio 500 SE have an 24/192 dac inside) is much better than my turntable (Sherwood that has an Ortofon 2M Red installed).So enjoy music on whatever format you like but don't be funny by saying that vinyl is garbage.There's and will be no better way to listen the analog era music.Zeppelin digital??? C'mon!
The recording sounds the way recordings do from that period of time and there was no better technology so if you have it on vinyl then all good but if you have it on CD then your just getting an accurate representation of the recording assuming it's mastered without lots of compression to make it louder.
Reel to reel tape copied directly off the master is way better than 45 rpm all analog master recording. But I just don’t like spending $700 a reel.
sherwood TTs are garbage
Why in the hell don’t they repress this masterful RL mastered recording? Is the original Master Analog tape wore out? People would buy this version in a heartbeat if they repressed this version at a reasonable price.
Jimmy…. You’re up! It would make a great release!
I love all the comments from people saying how bad it sounds even though they're probably listening to this digitally compressed recording through shitty 20$ computer speakers.
I'm actually listening on my laptop through the aux of a early '80s Panasonic boom box lol.
Amazing
I was lucky to score the LP at the nearby Treehouse Records for $10. What a steal! And it's the best version of LZII by far, fat low end, large and spacious, and no distortion in the loudest moments. If Jimmy Page did nothing more than offer a digitized needle drop as the CD and Digital versions of this albums, we would all be very happy.
Great Sound…😃
I think everyone's copy in the world is at best a VG in condition lol
Wow, gut wrenching dynamics!
Listen for the “pre-echo” of Plant starting at 4:12. Did Page put that in the mix intentionally or is that some vestige of the analog studio process?
Who needs a record collection when we have Mikey...............:)
sounds great on my advents and tube amp
I’ve had three copies of LZ 2 for a while, a late 70’s reissue, a mid 80’s reissue, and the 2014 180g JP reissue, but last week I bought several hundred records from a neighbor for about 50¢ each and low and behold, a VG+ RL “hot mix”. My god, the others can go to my store bins, this thing sounds HUGE!
Oh it's hot! Excellent! Can't get better than this i guess :)
I have very lovingly cleaned my copy to where it plays +VG to NM track by track. It is shockingly good!
Outstanding
Loved it!! 😎👍
Awesome!!!!
I was fortunate enough to find a RL version of this album on eBay. It sounds better than this great sounding version Mikey gave us here. It's one of the albums In my meager collection ( a few hundred) I'm proudest of. If you are a serious Zeppelin fan, I suggest you find this album.
I have just found one, almost silent vinyl … Presswell …
Got to love vinyl and when it's being played even for the first time it sounds much better than hearing it on CD disk and that is because vinyl has the crisp sounds to it and holds more value than any CD disk no matter what anyone says.
Hello Michael!!
Love your posts and articles.
Would it be safe to say that (even at astronomical prices) buying a "sealed" copy of this album would be a waste of time (and money) as there is no guarantee of obtaining the actual "hot RL" version??? Provided that's what you're seeking of course.
How does 1992 japanese vinyl sounds? I'm looking for GP copy because original RL cut is too expensive
Put the Volume ALL THE WAY UPP !!!!!!!
Would RL plate copies have made it to Canada? Red label Atlantics from that era are excellent.
UA-cam rule #1: Never read the comments.
Do u have a Kiss collection?
Keep the awesome videos coming and ignore the imbeciles!
Jonathan Blackhall
The video doesn't do this record justice. You really need to be in the room to feel the low end.
I've come across a few of these pressings over the years a d they all were scratched and noisy. Too bad they couldn't recreate this pressings. If they could, it would sell like hotcakes.
Just wondering if there is much difference between the first US pressing seen here, and the first UK pressing?
Has anyone ever found out why the band allowed or wanted the echo or secondary/sub vocals on the track?
It was not intentional originally but it difficult to get rid of the secondary track and eventually Jimmy Page said it could stand and they'd issue it as it was. There are more technical explanations from the engineer. I saw a video on youtube about it a while ago.
My question is, Ok I assume Robert Cut one lacquer, How many stampers came from that? and is a PR, or Mo pressing better than the Columbia house pressing? I am sure they are, which pressing plant pressed the best version? I saw , on ebay, a promo RL, Pr pressing just go for over $1,000.00 but theres one up there for $59.00 with no pressing plant listed on the label
Have there ever been any counterfeits sold? thats my fear with ebay
Interesting
I still remember where I was when I first heard the orgasm passage to WLL, Bussing tables in a gulf coast restaurant! Who says time travel is impossible, keep it coolie baby!
To anyone who thinks this is the ducks nuts version BarakaPDub did a shootout between this the M.f.s.l , a Japanese copy, the recent reissue and another which I can't remember but put your best headphones on and go have a listen. To my ears the RL and the recent reissue were so close that I couldn't tell them apart, and due to the fact that the reissue will be quieter and the cost of a clean RL is ridiculous (if one even exists) the reissue is more than great.
I realise that most will laugh at that comment and say the RL blows the reissue away but go listen for yourself and if you can, leave your bias at the door.
Come back here and comment
I hear a difference, i ranked the RL on top, but it's not a big enough one to justify the dollors I'd need to spend to get a clean RL pressing.
If all things we're equal and I could choose between a new RL copy and the reissue at the same price I'd get the RL.
To me the reissue is good enough and at the price it's fantastic, I prefer it to both the Japanese and mfsl and of course that other awful pressing.
Thanks for letting us that will never get our hands on the holy grail get a taste of it.
I've listened to both the RL and the new edition on my equipment and they do sound different. The RL is louder and deeper than the new edition.
A needledrop of this is a nice place holder until you can get the real deal too. ;)
Back to hear this classic the way it should be heard 11/17/2016.....
Agreed there is no comparison with the recent Jimmy Page re-masters (sorry Jimmy - but what the heck did you do !?). This is how it should sound - will the rest of us ever get this quality in a re-issue on some format or other ?
There's a grounding hum that starts as the tonearm is descending, but before the needle makes contact.
Just compared this to my CD (first release) of Zep II. Bottom end on the CD is much deeper, punchier, and more well-defined (yes, on the same system).
+Michael Fremer Generally accepted by whom, Mikey? The Barry Diament mastering sounds fine to me, AND IT'S MASTERED FROM LUDWIG'S EQ TAPE.
+Michael Fremer Actually, my MP4 of the CD is also much deeper, punchier, more well-defined than this, so I'd call that a fair enough test. I have not heard the recent mastering, but the first CD is the best copy I've heard of it. Subsequent CD releases peak-limited it too much.
+Michael Fremer Not the box. The first Atlantic CD. Page and George Marino mastered the box, which sounds like shit.
Agreed. When that box came out I hit the roof. Fortunately I still have the Diamant CDs, though his Zep I CD has azimuth problems, as did the subsequent box, which led me to believe they just re-used the 1630 from Barry's. If anyone has a new "Good Times Bad Times," put it in mono and tell me how it sounds....but I digress ;-)
+The Giant CK There's no doubt that Barry Diament was given the Bob Ludwig mastered tape to use for that first CD version of Zeppelin II. No other version comes close to sounding so similar.
Wonderful sound! and Jimmy just committed suicide with his poor remasters editions...the best he did was the memorabilia books in the special editions...Having said that, I would add, in that gear probably Jimmy's remasters would sound wonderful as well...
goody goody gumdrops! lurve!!
so the Cobra is gone for good?
I'm learning a lot from you. I have original Infinity QLS speakers and the RS-1b's.
Brought a smile to my face.
The first pressing (Bob Ludwig) was not recalled. There are too many trashed copies out there for that to be true.
How much added distortion does a record need before people stop claiming it sounds good? The top end of this is really splattered from wear, or IGD, or is it simply the limitations of the format? No matter, there's lots of distortion there that isn't on the original tape.
+Michael Fremer .that's what I can't figure out. Anytime something is posted online about analog recordings, the comments of hate start rolling in from digital heads.Personally if there is something I don't like or don't care about I just don't bother with it.
+Michael Fremer I can refer you to Grammy Award winning recording engineers, such as +Jamie Tate, who would disagree with you.
Nevertheless, if there's distortion on an LP that isn't on a corresponding CD, the distortion is necessarily *not* on the master tape. CD doesn't magically erase distortion. It would be great if it did though!
+Michael Fremer excuse my ignorance, but does this RL cut exist as a single tape and not a mix down from several? Does that mean we could possibly get an MQA version of it? Guess it would need still need LZ to let it out.
How many original RL Cuts got out? I know mine is not an RL cut it says AT
even thru the internet this video has a big sound
I remember my brother having an original in 69 when it came out and go so used to the record skipping during Jimmy Pages solo , He bought it when it first came out, I now find my self checking out the dead wax on every record i look at
I have been into vinyl from the first day i bought a 45rpm in the 60's early 60's, just gettin back into it, and so many questions i had then are being answered by Mr Fremer, nothing like the sound of vinyl
cool
I still wind my record player up it only plays 78s and they are as heavy as dinner plates luckily I still have box of needles to play my old favourites and if there is a power failure my record player keeps on working ohhhh thank god for technology :)
Isn't 'Whole Lotta Love' the first track on side one of 'Led Zeppelin II' ?
yup, opens the album up. then it goes to what is and what should never be (a favorite of mine)
Because of the lighting and the platter being wider than the record, the arm looks further into the record.
what stereo player are you using?
Nice. That isn't your reference turntable though, is it?
Hi Paul!.. Mike's Continuum Caliburn with his new SAT arm I believe.
such a wonderful piece!
Why can you hear the guitar start before the cough? It sounds like tape bleed. You can hear the 1st 5 guitar chords, then the cough, then those same chords play 'officially' starting the track. Why?
They just aren't making 28,000 dollar tonearms like they used to.Sad really.Well it's Sunday so at least we can pray for the miracle of Panasonic Platinum. As it was in the beginning it will be in the Hi End.Amen.Prince the 150 lb Rottweiler has approved this message.
I bought the Jimmy page compilation big mistake sounded like crap played it once. Even through my Joule Electra OTLs Asthetix IO and Sound labs A1PXs it sounded like shit.
Dumb question but... Bob Ludwig is still alive and working. Is the original lacquer destroyed? Can't they make new mothers and stampers from it? Or, couldn't Bob re-cut it using the same notes from the original cut or at best, HE could try to replicate that "hot" sound? And make this album available once more for the masses and right that wrong? Or are we forever doomed to be satisfied with shit digitization "supervised by Jimmy Page" who is DEAF!?!?
dang, almost as good as Spotify.
Spotify is fresh, pure crap for the masses.
i much prefer the original mastering on the british pressings
Sounds no different to my original pressing..
amazing