Tell me about it. Have had 3 different releases of the album, all have been thrown out for different reasons. Its the last I need some sort of good pressing of too.
I can't think of a time when I heard a bad pressing of Presence. Although, I do think there are certain pressings that sound better than others. I do remember listening to a friends UK, and one side sounded much clearer (less muddy) than the other.
I'd been eyeing this early Led Zeppelin II non-RL stamped-matrix CTH pressing because of the jacket. It's gorgeous; the colors are still vibrant, the spine is nice, and the gatefold is perfect. No damage and no name written on the cover. It has the correct inner and there's no Gold Record sticker. It's a perfect replacement for the horrid stinky jacket that my flea market RL came in. So I busted out Heartbreaker on the CTH. Bloated and congested, with oddly reverby drums, the record had what sounded to me like compression at certain spots. It also sounded grainy like it was a generation or two away from the master compared to... the RL! Heartbreaker on RL kicks it's ass all day long, holy smokes! Man that CTH is no bueno. Sure it sounds ok, but then when you hear the real deal you're done. One song and that was it.
I have a Piros version of HOTH and I hear more bottom end than even my RL. I've been considering the Classic -- what about it makes it "lesser"?
I think its mastered a little brighter. Some dont like that, and I agree so far that the HOTH Classic is one of the worst in their reissue lineup. Better than any random 70s foreign copy Ive tried though.
I found two really nice sounding Zep lps this weekend at a little record show in Clearwater. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III Side A: ST-A-702005-EE MO (MR) △̶ 15193 AT (1)One Mastercraft PR, -Do What Thou Wilt- Side B: ST-A-702006-FF MO,(MR), △̶ 15193-X, (2) two, Mastercraft PR, -So Mote Be It- AT △̶ w/ original sleeve, Broadway labels, MO Cool, a Monarch first pressing of Led Zeppelin III. This is one of the better copies of this album that I've heard, it may be the best US pressing I've listened to. Very musical and I feel like I heard some textures that I haven't heard before. Good top end and bass. I need to figure out if it's better than the Presswell I have from this period, which is an A stamper on both sides. Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy Side-A: ST-A-732783-DD ex (MR) Δ17787 (5) AT Sterling RL PR Side-B: ST-A-732784-EE ex (MR) Δ17787-X (5) AT Sterling RL PR Rockefeller (W) label, MO I have one of these with Broadway labels and it's going to be hard to tell the difference. This is a really nice pressing even though it's later. It sounds great. I probably didn't need either one of these, but they are fine records. I'm glad to have them in my collection, for now...
Looks like you got a couple of good ones Showtime....... I also have a couple of early III's that I like. One is a Presswell and the other is an CTH. The earlier the better with that album. I have read somewhere??? (Probably on this forum) that the mid 70's Rockefeller RL's are preferred by some over the earlier RL's of Houses. I don't remember the reasoning behind this info. Let us know how it compares with an earlier RL.
I like the George Piros and the RL (US) better than the Classic........I would agree that it is the worst of the Classic Reissues, and the worst of the Davis reissues.
We've discussed the ups and downs of US LZIIIs before Doc. This is a really good one, if a bit noisier than I'd hoped for and expected based on visual inspection. Regarding the comparison between the '75 Monarch RL WB Houses compared to the '73 Monarch RL Broadway Houses ... Man. I tried. I listened to the beginning of TSRTS on both, then the whole song. Then The Crunge on both and the intro back and forth a few times. I thought at first that the Broadway had more bass punch but after a few swaps I couldn't tell if I really heard that or not. I suck at comparisons unless one version really blows. I know when something stinks or when it's awesome but this is two shades of awesome. If I can find any differences I'll chime in again. Maybe we can say that Monarch did a good job of keeping it real after two years of pressing the same mastering. The only difference between the two is the '75 is -DD -EE, and the '73 is -DD -DD. Between 1975 pressings still being awesome, and the Piros cut coming out probably in '77, Houses was a consistently good sounding album in the US in the 70s. It seems like you could go to any record store at any time between 1973 and at least 1978 at grab a nice copy, unlike many other Led Zeppelin records. Presence and ITTOD were very consistent too, I've found.
Man oh man.......you really got me spending some time with Houses Of The Holy. I 100% agree with you about the quality that was available on vinyl during those sweet 70's......perhaps it's one of the reasons the album has become so popular, and a favorite among many Zep Heads. There seems to be a resurgence with this album the last few years, and good sound sure never hurt an album's cause. For me, Houses is the best sounding of all the original Barry Diament mastered cd's of Led Zeppelin's digital catalog. I am not a big fan of the Classic Records reissue or the recent John Davis cut. In fact, I traded the Classic several years ago and I'll spin the Davis ever so often for kicks. Last night I pulled what I consider my best two sounding vinyl pressings of Houses........ My RL is any early one like yours. Side 1 has a single B stamper Side 2 has a single C stamper Broadway label pressed at Presswell My George Piros cut. 1977 reissue Both sides have a J stamper and at/gp Rock label pressed at Specialty I listened to both 2 times through with a mixture of speakers and headphones (Grado). I got to give the edge to my Piros. It's cut a little louder than the RL, and it has more punch.....more vibrant might be the right descriptor. Don't get me wrong, the RL sounds fantastic, and I'm a huge fan of what Mr. Ludwig did with two of Led Zeppelin's albums. But I'm also a fan of George Piros and I love his choices on Houses. I'm going to keep my eye out for another RL of Houses and see if there is one out there that sounds better than my current one, and perhaps rivals my Piros.
I also got to spend some time with my somewhat recent Physical Graffiti purchase (I posted about it on September 2nd) .....oh my sweet lands, the sound on this one will make your knees buckle. By far, this pressing is the best I've heard. I thought I would post some info for my fellow Zep Head brothas and sistas Side 1 st- ss- 753309- BB- EX AT mo FT Side 2 st- ss- 753310- BB AT mo FT Side 3 st- ss- 753311- CC AT mo FT Side 4 st- ss- 753312- CC- EX AT mo FT Pressed at Monarch
Listend and compared my Zep II Classic today with my old Canadian, heres my Discogs review: This is one of the Classic Records Releases on the Led Zeppelin catalog that Ive needed to investigate most sounwise. To compare I have my old Canadian 77 reissue thats been decent for me. At first it should be pointed out what might be the main difference between this Classic and not only my Canadian but probably most other releases, which is the EQ. Classic Zeppelin have been criticized as too bright and sibilant by others and this might be the first time I somewhat agree with that notion. Playing through there are a couple of songs that strike you as particularly sharp, namely Heartbreaker and the followup. The drums especially take to them a characteristic thats just not all that pleasant, like a glass bottle breaking in a thousand pieces. But on the rest of the album this is not as big of a problem and Moby Dick sounds more present and crisp than maybe any other version. The Canadian on the other hand shows the other end of the spectrum where too low EQ might really muddle performances. There is bass, but its loose and sloppy. Our Classic on the other hand is very bass shy. At first it might seem that we have 2 problems here, a sharpness to the sound and lack of bass, but I really think its just 1 problem derived from the other. More bass and low end in general would balance out the spectrum and create a more enjoyable listen, sort of like what was done on Zep III. Certainly it would be possible too with how much more deadwax is on the Classic than my Canadian, especially on side A. On a more positive note the presence and drive this release has is most impressive. Stereo imaging which is good for all the Classic Zeppelins is great here too and makes the soundstage realistic. Vocals and drums especially feel very real and in the room when not too sharp. My Canadian really looses out in this regard and I will say that switching records when the Classic was on could be hard with how engaged you are in the music on that one. However, where the Classic takes another small step back by default is the tape hiss. Its never really intrusive to my listening but it is there more so than perhaps any other release. Sadly the quiet vinyl wont matter too much here, but that only goes for the 180 gram version and not the likely more noisy overall 200 gram ones. In the end I feel like Im not completely done with my Led Zeppelin II search like I hoped to be. If we could retain the same clarity, drive, presence and realism in a less bass shy package I might have found my ideal copy. The MoFi might be the way to look with their smooth and reverb filled sound. Or the holy grail of Zeppelin, the RL cut which might be more dry, but very bass filled. The UK first and George Piros cut might be valid contenders too, and Ill give my thoughts if I ever get any of them. If you however like high end more so than bottom end and you want a crisp and realistic sound, this might be for you. Equipment Used: Rega RP1 with Nagaoka MP-200 Cartridge Cyrus 2 Amplifier System Fidelity SF-3050 Tower Speakers Custom made HQ Speaker Cables Canadian reissue compared with: Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
Interesting. Nice review. I have never really thought Zep was about the bass ..I key in on the realism/impact of the drums...along with clarity and presence of the presentation.
I have the all analog AMJY Japanese pressing of Led Zeppelin II. It sounds really good to me. I’ve also had the Classic, which I didn’t like all that much as it sounds like it has treble boost....ironically what I would expect the Japanese to have.
Good work on your review. I think our trailers are parked near or at the same campsite in regards to your assessment of the Classic LZ II. I did a comparison with my 200 gram Classic and one of my George Piros pressings, and wrote about my findings on this thread. I also noticed some sibilance and tape hiss with the Classic, and a little too bright and bass shy for my taste. In fact, Several of the LZ Classic reissues remind me of some of mastering choices found with Japanese vinyl. The Classic Coda (200 gram) for instance misses the mark. There are very different eq choices with this pressing from an original, and it doesn't have the power and oomph as an original. The LZ III Classic gets dogged pretty regularly on this forum, but I don't think it's as near as bad as its reputation. For me it's a fun listen.......I actually like some of the brightness which brings out some of the detail. All this to say........I think the LZ II Classic is a good representation of the album, but there are better options available. All in my opinion of course.
If only I could try all the notable ones to figure out whats best for me right away. Wouldnt have to spend as much.
Do you have an RL? If not get one ASAP. Even a beat up VG copy will give you a good sense for the sound and is still enjoyable. The music cuts through any noise.
The classics of Led Zeppelin 1, 3,4 and even Houses of the Holy sound pretty damn great in my opinion.
I have empathy for any seeking out Zep now. Gone are the days when pricing was cheap and you could experiment for little cash. As far as the Classic's go, they are priced too high for a curiosity purchase and at best probably go no higher than 3rd tier on the ultimate list. And the RL II is just too crayzee priced now....unless you can deal with a rough copy.
Not Led Zep 1, the classic is arguably only second to an original UK pressing. Considering how much an original UK is, I know what one I would go for...
