REMASTERS

For those among us who don't know LED ZEPPELIN (possibly anyone who was born in the eighty's or ninety's or those who were somewhere on another planet in the seventy's) I would recommend to start with this wonderful 2 disc compilation.

Normally I'm not found of compilation discs as it always seems like some commercial excuse to issue another album of a long forgotten band. In this case I think it is quite different. Since not all LED ZEP's work is great I welcomed this compilation 2 disc set with open arms.

All the "right stuff" is present on this two disc setter; from up-tempo hard rock songs like COMMUNICATION BRAKEDOWN, WHOLE LOTTA LOVE, BLACK DOG and KASHMIR to the very delicate BABE I'M GONNA LEAVE YOU and the epic, and often chosen as number one in the TOP 100 or even TOP 500 of all times, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN.

I'm not going to review track by track as that would probably take me forever and it would probably get pretty boring to read. Just let me say that all 26 songs present on this 2 disc set are worth it and some are true classic rock songs. Good then, good now, and probably still good in twenty years from now!

5 stars all the way!

A few days ago I added this 2-CD compilation to Prog Archives because it is such a comprehensive one, the perfect meeting with the amazing sound of Led Zeppelin. Travelling through Remasters you will discover that this 'progressive powerhouse' was more than a straight rock and roll and blues playing four piece band (excellent rock in Communcation breakdown, Immigrant Song and Black Dog and very compelling blues in Since I've Been Loving You, what a great guitar build up and moving organ work). In fact Led Zeppelin turned out to be a very eclectic rock band by blending several styles like blues, rock, folk and symphonic. And they had an adventurous mind, just listen to Dazed And Confused (Jimmy Page plays the guitar with a violin stick), Whole Lotta Love (exciting sound experiments), Rain Song (fragile guitar and wonderful violin-Mellotron), Trampled Underfoot (very swinging with omnipresent clavinet work) and in D'Yer Maker we even hear a reggae sound! But Led Zeppelin also composed songs that are more or less progressive rock like the 24-carat symphonic rock song Stairway To Heaven ('the Firth Of Fifth of the Heavy Prog'), No Quarter (great shifting moods and wonderful piano play), Kashmir (exciting Far-Eastern atmosphere, very compelling orchestrations and lots of dynamics) and In The Evening (tasteful keyboards and fiery guitar). If you are willing to discover Led Zeppelin, this 2-CD compilation is a perfect starter!

Remasters is a great addition to your Led Zeppelin collection ( that is if you already don't have it) There again for those who arrived on the scene in the 80's/90's and do not enjoy the whole Led Zeppelin archives will find this double CD set to be a perfect introduction to the band.All the major great compositions are there plus material up until In Through The Out Door. If you have this CD you will not need to get that album as this contains the best of the album. Great production and a well selected and compiled set of tracks makes this CD set a very enjoyable listen.

All 8 studio albums are represented in this double disc remastered edition, authorised by Jimmy Page. Selection of songs is fairly representative of Zeppelin's career although far from being "the best of". If you are a Led Zeppelin neophyte, this compilation is good to introduce you to the sound and diverse music styles they played. If you are a collector, you will find nothing new in this release, only a recycling of old material. If you are a Zepp die-hard fan, you will probably want to have this in your collection simply because it bears the name LED ZEPPELIN.

THE BEST COMPILATION

This is a fantastic collection of Led Zep songs. Although some of their great songs are ignored ("How Many More Times", "What Is And Shall Never Be", "Gallows Pole", "Bron-Y- Aur") and only one average is featured ("Misty Mountain Hop"), this compilation can hardly be criticized. Maybe a three CD set would have allowed to be almost exhaustive, I guess that it might come out one day (maybe for their forty years, in 2008) ?

This was the first Led Zep CD I bought in 1997, before I reconstructed my whole Led Zep discography on CD. It was a good way to listen again to these songs that have grown with me in the early seventies.

If you would like to discover the best songs of this legendary band, I could not recommend a better choice than this double CD. You will avoid lots of useless tracks featured on their four CD box set, and will not miss any of their legendary ones.

If you are looking carefully, you'll be able to get this double CD for as little as 10 ? . I do not usually rate a compilation with five stars, but really this one is exceptional. A great introduction to a great band. This is a stairway to heaven...

Five stars.

This box set compilation will do good for two groups of people: Those who are new with Led Zeppelin music, wanting know what the band's music is like, and those who have already owned each individual album. Why? For the newbie, this boxset comprises songs that are representative of the whole career of Led Zeppelin. While for those who already known Led Zeppelin, this is a good representation of the band's journey in "the best of" style plus the fact that this is a remaster series - there must be improvement in sonic quality.

For newbie, of course it is suggested that after having owned this CD and willing to further explore individual album, you should start with "Physical Graffiti" which I think it represents the best album of Led Zeppelin (my view). They should continue the collection with Led Zeppelin IV, II, III, Houses of The Holy and Presence.

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Well, since I'm not sure if I will review all their albums (I have them on vinyl, not as disk) I thought it might be a good idea to review the Remasters, the only disk I do have. I'm not a true LZ-fan. I like them and I respect them highly but I'm too amibivalent about them to be called a real fan. And because of that I will do a starreview for each song. It will appear that I don't really like every song by these masters of rock. CD1 1. Communication Breakdown: 3 stars 2. Babe I'm gonna leave you: 4 stars 3. Good times bad times: 2,75 stars 4. Dazed and confused: 3,5 stars 5. Whole lotta love: 3,25 stars 6. Heartbreaker: 3,75 stars 7. Ramble on: 4 stars 8. Immigrant song: 4,25 stars 9. Celebration day: 3 stars 10. Since I've been loving you: 4,75 stars 11. Black dog: 3,75 stars 12. Rock 'n roll: 4,25 stars 13. Battle of evermore: 3 stars 14. Misty mountain hop: 2,75 stars 15. Stairway to heaven: 4 stars

CD 2 1. Song remains the same: 3,25 stars 2. Rain Song 4,25 stars 3. D'yer Mak'er: 2 stars 4. No quarter: 4,5 stars 5. Houses of the holy: 3 stars 6. Kashmir: 3,5 stars 7. Trampled Underfoot: 2,75 stars 8. Nobody's fault but mine: 3,25 stars 9. Achilles last stand: 4,25 stars 10. All my love: 2 stars 11. In the evening: 3 stars.

Average if I counted correctly: 3,45 stars. Special remarks: Since I've been loving you is the most passionate song they've ever done and maybe one of the most passionate in music history. Page is fenominal on this one. Achilles last stand contains the best guitar solo ever by the same mr. Page. It's somewhere in the middle of the song and as a guitar solo wizard I know what I'm talking about. If anyone knows a better solo, please tell me. I would get very curious. No Quarter is probably the most gloomy song ever. Goodness me, you would get depressed instantly if you would be a bit unstable. But great performance to express that in a song. Very special.

So I think these are indications that we are dealing with a unique and unbelievable band here. Lucky for them most people recognize this (20.000.000 requests for tickets !). Because of this greatness I still give it 4 stars.

Led Zeppelin is one of greatest, classic group of rock history. They have plenty of strong albums, so it's not easy just to make collection of limited space, which will be representative enough.

This collection is. I think all LZ fans or just any rock fans, who's interested in greatest rock groups and best rock music ever have LZ original albums. But for those, who are new, or heard the name, but never listened for their music ( sounds a bit strange, but I think there are young generation, who still never listened LZ), this is absolutely perfect and representative collection. The sound quality is improved, and you have here in fact all their strongest songs from almost all possible albums.

Recommended as well for those who decided to have just one CD in their collection, representin the great music of the great band.

Wonderful compilation!

Now that I've been reading some Led Zeppelin reviews on the front page, I remember that I wanted to review this ages ago, so now here I am. Several years ago I found myself enjoying a cool night in my father's house, when suddenly my uncle told me "put this CD", yes, it was Led Zeppelin´s Remasters, and I immediately said, "of course". The fact is that I didn't know that compilation existed before and then realized how good it was. I remember, my Led Zep night was wonderful thanks to this double CD set.

Don't have anything to say about this band that you already don't know, so now I will only focus in this great Remasters album. As I said, it is a double album; that contains songs from all their studio albums so you will find their most representative tracks. With a total of 26 songs, you can enjoy all the Led Zep career passages here, and have more than two hours of pure rock. All is a matter of taste, so this album will please any Led Zep follower because you will find songs you love, no matter if there are a couple you don't like. But another thing, is that this compilation could be great for the band newcomers, so here you can enjoy your radio hits such as "Black Dog", "Rock and Roll", and "Stairway to Heaven", but also, enjoy other great songs that may not be that commercial, such as "Since I've Been Loving You", "Achilles Last Stand" or "Trampled Underfoot".

An excellent compilation for both, those who already know and like the band, and for those who want to know them better. Four stars.

Enjoy it!

Pretty much identical to the more recent 'Mothership', but with less to offer.

In 1992, or whenever this was released, it would have been a wonderful compilation for fans old and new, with much-improved sounding songs and an acute sense of nostalgia for those who had momentarily forgotten about this mammoth rock band. Of course, more compilations have since followed and most are very similar, if not with slightly improved/altered sound. Nevertheless, as the first, most available Led Zep collection, this was obviously the significant one. It even points out the fact that the tracks have been remastered in it's cryptic title, 'Remasters'.

What else can I say? Any real fan (or even a casual one) would get the whole Zeppelin discography, given its small size. But if for whatever reason you would want a 20 year-old compilation as opposed to a more available and recent one, then there are no major flaws. In context, it was probably a very good move, and a nice fresh-sounding, much needed cd. Now, it isn't, but it remains a rather definitive collection of classics and lesser- known gems.

I have had this for years and forgot to review it but as I have been getting back to the great Led Zeppelin back catalogue this month the time has come. This is undoubtedly the best LZ compilation because it is a genuine record of all their best material. It is pointless to go through every song in detail and try to convince you that this is indispensable. All ZepHeads know them, and they are a part of rock history, and rock wouldn't be the same without them.

Disc 1 begins with a bang on Communication Breakdown, then moves to smooth emotional blues on Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. Good Times Bad Times is the barnstormer from the debut, then the comp moves to LZ2 with the powerhouse Page brilliance on Dazed And Confused. Whole Lotta Love is indispensable pomp rock complete with killer riff and equally venomous vocals from Plant with the iconic backswept echo.

Heartbreaker grooves along and then the light shades of acoustic on Ramble On, revved up in the chorus. My all time fave is next with Immigrant Song, sheer brilliance captured in a miserly 2.23 running time. Celebration Day follows, a barnstormer, then blues finesse on Since I've Been Loving You, Page absolutely glorious with soulful string bends and hammer ons.

Then we get to the Zoso album and there are 5 to chew on here; quintessential Black Dog, with awesome riffing and odd signature, Rock 'n' Roll, sheer unadulterated muscle rock, Battle Of Evermore, thematic Tolkienesque acoustics, and the psych acid head fuel of Misty Mountain Hop. It all leads to the over played, over hyped Stairway To Heaven, that has lost its sheen after too many listens, though of course is a masterpiece.

Disc 2 opens with the riffy heavy Song Remains The Same, followed by Rain Song, reggae infested D'yer Mak'er, and the chilling haunting No Quarter. Houses Of The Holy is a good choice next and the wonderful prog string tones of Kashmir, that has become its own institution, simply genius songwriting.

Trampled Underfoot is replete with hammering riffs, and then the grinding power of Nobody's Fault But Mine, that is blistering rock at its finest. This is followed by arguably the proggiest song of the Zeps and the reason to hear 'Presence', Achilles Last Stand; brilliant tempo shifts and colossal guitar work are on show throughout. Things settle down with the ballad All My Love, and then ends with the standout track on the last album In The Evening.

Overall, this is the best of the remaster compilations that came hurtling at us during the resurgence of interest in Led Zeppelin; it features every song that made them the titanic gods of rock. There are omissions as usual but one only has to look at the track list jammed onto these 2 CDs to realise why they are one of the most influential bands on heavy metal and indeed indispensable to the rock industry itself. The CD packaging is photos of the group as no words are necessary really. 5 stars are warranted for these one of a kind legends at their best.