let's talk about our pressing of ALVEAR (Led Zep, AC / DC, CCR, Young ... and others ...)

Have you or Esteban heard the 1982 Sonic pressing? Apparently no STRAWBERRY stamps in the wax.

But there's one reason I want one

 

Hi @dee,

Because of the matrix side A which has a diamond?

Christophe

 

Yes, but no!

 

I have never heard that pressing.
But according to my experience with Sonic, Iberofon, and Polydor spanish pressings (all around early 80’s), I suggest you to find the Polydor’s. Usually they sound really impressive.
Look for “Polygram” in the labels, and A*1/B*1 matrix combination.

 

I 'hear' you on that, thank you Esteban, but do I 'see' you on that

 

I volume matched these as you suggested. Thanks for posting this. I find the Spanish vs the best UK and US pressings to be the most helpful in these sample comparisons.

Here is my general take:

Upon first listen the UK is of course eq'd differently or perhaps the Spanish is a copytape. The UK has more top end and clarity but also the vocal has some sibilance (my A5/B5 does not have that sibilance so it may come down to cartridge differences. I dont know, only a guess)

Sibilance aside, My focus is on three things that I can pick out distinctly from this as we know rather rough recording (lets face it Zeppelin just is not always mixed very well).

I focused on 1) Plants vocals 2)the bass and 3)the guitar

(Bonzos drums are a bit of a mess on this song to separate out)

Plants vocals simply sound more resonant and have more character on the UK compared to the duller Spanish pressing. Listen to Plant's opening line before he goes to his higher register and it becomes more difficult to pick his vocal out from the other instruments. What sounds better to me is apparent especially on the vibrato trails. Clarity and trail off is simply clearer and more dimensional on the UK than the Spanish pressing.

00:44-00:52 for the bass:

Listen to the snap of the bass on the UK. Very defined with each not much more rhythmic and present. It sounds like a bass with some midrange action going on there. If you have heard live John Paul then you know this is more correct than the Spanish pressing. The Spanish pressing does have more bottom end but at the cost of definition. I dont know if this is due to it being a copytape or eq. This, IMO, is why it is important to have the same stampers for non-UK pressings. For example, I have an Portuguese A1/B1 of HOTH that uses the UK stampers. Its definitely by sample comparisons like the UK first pressing HOTH. So, IMO, this is an important aspect.

..and finally 01:09- 01:15 guitar-

Again with the vibrato trail offs Pages little wiggle riffs there are just much more defined and present on the UK than the Spanish pressing. That pluck is there. And that is partly due to the midrange. But perhaps original tape vs copy tape. I suspect mastering eq differences more so. But at least if you have the same matrices one can say its as close to the UK as possible. Again, with these Spanish pressings one does not have that advantage.

Overall I find the UK more clear, better midrange, more dimensionality than the duller and less defined bottom ended Spanish pressing.

Having said all of the above, I dont hear the Spanish pressing as bad. Its a decent sounding version. Just somewhat dull. And perhaps for those who want the bottom end more defined and dont mind the cost of the clarity and dimensionality more so, this may be more desirable.

Not my cup of tea for one though.

Thanks again for providing the clips. Very much appreciated and would enjoy a UK/US and Spanish comparison of other Zeppelin lps if you get the chance!

Would you be willing to put up samples for Zeppelin I?

Maybe Led Zeppelin I - US George Piros Monarch (CC) or the UK or both against the Spanish Zeppelin I?

 

Hi Esteban,

I agree with that.
Most of the Spanish pressings with the *A*1/*B*1 matrix endings sound great overall, and some are outstanding, including all of Jimi Hendrix's stereo albums, some Rolling Stones (Between the buttons), Led Zeppelin l and Presence, Joe Cocker (with a little help from my friends)...etc...

Christophe

 

Many thanks for share with us your impressions.
But to my ears I can't hear the significant differences that you hear.
The bass line on 0:44 t0 1:00 sound almost identical to me, as the guitar on 1:15.
The main difference for me is on the details. The UK pressings reveals more details than the spanish, which is expected, as the UK is the closer copy to the master.
But in the other hand I feel the UK could be a bit ear bleeder, while the spanish has a softer tone, and the highs less shrill. It’s a very lively and powerful mastering; nothing as dull to me.
My english isn't n very good, so I can't explain myself better. But overall, I think these two copies are the best that I have heard, over the US, french, and german copies.
I will try to upload samples of another song these days.
Kind regards

 

Hello dear @mpayan

Thank you for your interest in our thread. I share part of your analysis as well as part of that of my comrade @multirock.
I will develop my point of view as soon as possible. A little patience.

If you are interested in different masterings of Led Zeppelin l, can I post several samples?

Christophe

 

Hi Christophe, that would be most welcomed!

If you are able I would love to hear Led Zeppelin I samples of these 3:

Led Zeppelin I - US George Piros Monarch (CC) Broadway labels

Led Zeppelin best UK plum pressing

and..

The best sounding Spanish Alvear
pressing of Led Zeppelin I.

Thank you kindly!

 

Hi!

Ok!
I don't own the UK pressing but I can post these files:

Piros 1973/1974 Monarch,

Piros 1977 Monarch

Dennis King,

ALVEAR (A9/B6),

Cofasa (abridged version!)

First Spanish pressing (A2/B2 stamped)

First Italian pressing

...

Christophe

 

That would be awesome thanks!

 

Hi dear @mpayan

As promised here are some samples ( Side One) of various pressings of Led Zeppelin's debut album.

George Piros CC 1973/1974 Monarch :

LED ZEPPELIN l side A ( US pressing PIROS 1974 MO).wav - Shared with pCloud

George Piros reissue 1977 Monarch:

LED ZEPPELIN I Side One ( US pressing 1977 George Piros Monarch).wav - Shared with pCloud

Christophe

 

The following...

First Canadian pressing Red labels :

LED ZEPPELIN I Side A ( canadian pressing 2eme numérisation).wav - Shared with pCloud

Dennis King ( Reissue, probably 1977/1980):

LED ZEPPELIN I side A ( DK mastering).wav - Shared with pCloud

 

...and to finish, a little trip to Spain!

First pressing A2/B2:

LED ZEPPELIN I side A( spanish pressing A2 B2 new copy).wav - Shared with pCloud

Marta ALVEAR ( A9/B6, reissue 1976):

LED ZEPPELIN I side A ( spanish pressing A9 B6).wav - Shared with pCloud

Reissue 1982 WEA/Cofasa :

LED ZEPPELIN I Cara A (spanish reissue WEA 1982).wav - Shared with pCloud

 

To succinctly summarize these various masterings, the Piros 1973/1974 Monarch pressing is probably the most thunderous, but listening to it can be a little tiring.
Piros' 1977 recut retains most of the power of his early work but adds more musicality. The texture of the two masterings is rather smooth, probably due to the use of a filter.
The first Canadian pressing has probably the least "emphatic, most intimate listen. Lots of density in the drums. Sounds almost like an old blues record!
The Dennis King mastering is probably one of the most underrated pressings on the forum! With its fantastic kick and its very warm, subtly "grainy" texture, here is the true equivalent of the mythical Led Zep ll RL!
The first Spanish pressing is a classic here in Europe. Balanced, detailed and refined, it is today somewhat eclipsed by the recent discovery of Marta ALVEAR's masterings.
With a very organic approach, the ALVEAR masterings sound very "live", totally "In your face" and with a wide and very deep soundstage (compare with headphones the drum roll oscillating from right to left in the middle of the song " You shook me").
Finally, the discovery of the WEA pressing with the "short version" of "How many more times" is splendid. The mastering is cut the loudest. Powerful, crystalline with a good balance between natural texture (highs and superb cymbals) and an almost audiophile approach, this pressing raises many questions; where does this tape come from?! I listened to other pressings of Led Zep's debut album (John Davis, Italian, German...) and none had the "abbreviated" version of "How many more times"!?! But it is alluded to this short version at the beginning of the release of the album since some records had labels with the duration of the title totally erroneous. Had the group considered releasing this title in its short version? Then at the last moment, perhaps for technical reasons, to release the full version of the album? Which means that this tape may have been sleeping in a drawer and then mysteriously reappeared in 1982?! The freshness of this tape is amazing!

Enjoy !

Christophe

Christophe

 

Hey Christophe, looking at Spain 1st pressing and the Alvear reissue of the debut. You say the Alvear sounds better than the 1st press? The deadwax looks very large on both sides of the Alvear reissue. Must be cut quiet?

 

At the request of many members, the B-side of the Spanish reissue which contains the short version of "How many more times"!?
Where does this tape come from?!

Google Drive: Sign-in

Enjoy !

Christophe

 

Hi @Neilson77

In my opinion I think that the width of the dead wax should not be trusted. A popular belief is that the narrower the wax, the more it would optimize the work of the engineer! In fact, I think it would be quite the opposite! For the simple and good reason that it is first of all the sound volume inscribed on the tape (which will be used for the mastering work) which will considerably condition the work of the engineer. The louder the volume at the base, the more attitude the engineer will have to "sculpt" the sound. At least that's my feeling.
Now it would be necessary to analyze different matrices from the same cutting session and see if this influences the final result?

Christophe

 

The discogs.com reviews for the Spain 1st pressing are excellent. Some are saying it sounds "spectacular" and better than a UK plum 1st pressing. Surely the Alvear isn't even better?

 

Hi @Neilson77

I looked at the reviews on Discogs regarding the Spanish pressings of Led Zeppelin l. Indeed many favorable opinions for the first two pressings (A1/B1 and A2/B2 stamped) and the many reissues of 1976 (ALVEAR cuts). Unfortunately most reviews do not mention the matrix! Too Bad! Possible that some buyers are confusing various pressings!?

For the sake of accuracy, I compared my records: A2/B2 stamped Versus ALVEAR A9/B6. The ALVEAR cut is 1.6 decibels louder. So I readjusted the sound level of the first Spanish pressing for a rigorous comparison.
At the same volume, the ALVEAR mastering has a little more density in the kick, a little more air and depth. So an increase in power and spatial dynamics. But it's subtle because the first Spanish pressing is already fantastic!
It's probably the band's best mixed album I think. The very airy production is sublimated by the two Spanish masterings, but it is Marta's mastering that best restores its freshness and spontaneity in my humble opinion. Huge soundstage too!
Personally it's my favorite mastering of the first album. At least among those I listened to (a dozen).
The other contender could be the Spanish pressing WEA ©1982. A bit more 'audiophile' oriented in sound stage presentation, it just misses the top spot on my personal podium, just handicapped by the abbreviated version of 'How many more times'. My third, as you know, is the Dennis King mastering. It lacks the organic sensuality of the first two, but its fantastic kick and warm texture makes it a distant cousin of the legendary Led Zep ll RL! ;-)

Christophe

 

Thanks for the reply Christophe. I will get back to you about my matrix numbers. I have a Spanish 1969 2nd pressing and 1976 Alvear reissue on order. They haven't arrived yet. Will post my thoughts on them when they arrive. They both were not cheap that's for sure. I blame you Christophe for increasing the awareness and price of Alvear masterings on discogs.com haha! It's clear many people are now purchasing and i've no doubt many of the buyers are audiophile members of this forum

 

Sorry I plead guilty!

But should I remain silent while many young people want to experience the magic of vinyl records?!
I try to discover valid and less expensive alternatives. I think for the moment I have been very lucky and as much to benefit others. After actually I am aware that is reflected in prices. Unfortunately I can't do anything about it!


Christophe

 

If you have recovered a Led Zep l ALVEAR A8/B8............I commit suicide!

Christophe

 

You are doing a good service to all us audiophile fans of quality vinyl music! Also very kind of you to send me an Alvear copy of Highway to Hell. I won't forget that!