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Tuesday, September 07 2010 |
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| Led Zepplin - Mothership |
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Led Zepplin – Mothership
Reviewed by: Jason Walker
All I can say after listening to the newly re-mastered set of Led Zeppelin tunes on Mothership is that finally Atlantic got it done correctly. That is, in my opinion. The remaining members of the group picked the songs that went on this double disk set. Some might say that this is an unnecessary situation. These songs for the most part were already on a "best of" series of two disks that were later packed as one release titled Early Days/ Later Days. Surely the reason for buying these at the time was the terrible space suit pictures of the band young and old right? No, actually it was the never before seen footage of the band on the CD extra side of things, the later being a clip of “Kashmir” studio take with Earls Court ‘75 footage synced up. Well, all that being said, good riddance to those awful releases. I really felt that the artwork did a disservice to the mystique of the mighty Led Zeppelin. You went from seeing the amazing work of "Hipgnosis " like the Presence cover and Physical Graffiti to our rock icons in line for a Buzz Aldren biopic cameo.
Now what we receive are 24 of Led Zeppelin's best at least in the opinion of the band. The artwork is improved as well with a red and black almost warlike poster feel showing what looks similar to "The Song Remains The Same" theater cover, much better. Is there compression used? YES! Are some of the quieter parts louder? YES! Is this a bad thing? I do not think so at all. For those who want the original feel and loudness, go purchase the LPs from a used record store. These days we have bigger, louder and cleaner systems that demand more out of what is put in them. From the first track "Good Times, Bad Times" it is VERY evident that the tracks sound different than the re-mastering of 1990. The first two chords are coronary causing. You can feel and hear all of Bonham's bass drum triplets. You can also hear the reverb after the blasts and its decay. You can hear the slight slap-back on Robert's voice. “Dazed and confused” sounds superb, John Paul Jones bass has never been as clear and defined. Lets cut to some other tracks that really pop from the peak limiting. “When The Levee Breaks” sounds MASSIVE, rock drums had never sounded like that before and are still being borrowed from this song. “The Song Remains The Same” is one of Pages examples of the "guitar army" in action and let me tell you, I can hear EVERY part played. On songs like “Babe I'm Gonna Leave You” Plant's voice can be heard in a clarity that allows the urgency to show through a bit more. You can now listen to Page's nervous breathing during the intro as well! Some will say they do not like the fact that the dynamic range has been compressed a bit, that the difference between a soft acoustic guitar and the shock of when the drums enter on a track like "Babe..." is compromised. Yes, this is true. However, there is so much more sparkle and many more little things that you will notice. I noticed the better definition in the drums and bass on every track of Mothership for sure. I think this was a smart move on their part to introduce the new 12 to 21 year olds to what I think is the best rock band in history and with the best fidelity possible without a remix. If you pick up the deluxe package it also includes the theater version of the Led Zeppelin DVD, which is a great taste of the band for newbies to hear and see these 4 geniuses at work. It will also probably make some go out and buy the actual live DVD, which is a MUST have. Overall, this is a great introduction to Zep's music featuring most of their well-known songs. Now if we could just get Jimmy to start on that 5.1 mix of Led Zeppelin 4. With Led Zeppelin the possibilities are still endless. See you at the 02!
Track Listing:
Disc: 1
1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Communication Breakdown
3. Dazed and Confused
4. Babe I m Gonna Leave You
5. Whole Lotta Love
6. Ramble On
7. Heartbreaker
8. Immigrant Song
9. Since I’ve Been Loving You
10. Rock and Roll
11. Black Dog
12. When The Levee Breaks
13. Stairway To Heaven
Disc: 2
1. Song Remains The Same
2. Over The Hills And Far Away
3. D Yer Maker
4. No Quarter
5. Trampled Under Foot
6. Houses Of The Holy
7. Kashmir
8. Nobody s Fault But Mine
9. Achilles Last Stand
10. In The Evening
11. All My Love
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