The Led Zeppelin reissue campaign got off to a remarkable start in June as deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, and Led Zeppelin III debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The albums achieved similar international success with debuts near the top of the charts in more than a dozen territories, including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
The band has now prepared the reissues of Led Zeppelin IV (the third best-selling album in U.S. history) and Houses Of The Holy. As with the previous deluxe editions, both albums have been newly remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page and are accompanied by a second disc of companion audio comprised entirely of unreleased music related to that album.
Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy will each be available October 28th from Atlantic/Swan Song in the following formats:
Single CD – Remastered album packaged in a gatefold card wallet.
Deluxe Edition (2CD) – Remastered album, plus a second disc of unreleased companion audio.
Single LP – Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl, packaged in a sleeve that replicates the LP’s first pressing in exacting detail.
Deluxe Edition Vinyl (2LP) – Remastered album and unreleased companion audio on 180-gram vinyl.
Digital Download – Remastered album and companion audio will both be available.
Super Deluxe Boxed Set – This collection includes:
Remastered album on CD in vinyl replica sleeve.
Companion audio on CD in card wallet featuring new alternate cover art.
Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve replicating first pressing.
Companion audio on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve with new alternate cover art.
High-def audio download card of all content at 96kHz/24 bit.
Hard bound, 80 page book filled with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia.
High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.
The second round of reissues begins with one of the most artistically influential and commercially successful albums in the history of music, Led Zeppelin IV . Released in November 1971, the album-which is officially untitled-defined the sound of rock music for a generation with ubiquitous anthems such as Stairway To Heaven, Rock And Roll, Black Dog, and When The Levee Breaks. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, has been certified 23x platinum by the RIAA.
The Led Zeppelin IV deluxe edition includes unreleased versions of every song heard on the original album including alternate mixes of Misty Mountain Hop and Four Sticks, mixes of The Battle Of Evermore and Going To California heavy with guitar and mandolin, and the fabled, alternate version Stairway To Heaven, mixed at the Sunset Sound Studio in Los Angeles which lets fans hear one of the most revered songs of all time as they have never heard it before.
Led Zeppelin topped the charts again in 1973 with Houses Of The Holy , which features legendary tracks such as The Song Remains The Same and No Quarter while also showcasing the continuing evolution of the band’s signature sound with the reggae-tinged D’yer Mak’er and the funk jam The Crunge. The album has been certified diamond by the RIAA for sales of over 11 million copies.
The seven unreleased tracks on the companion audio disc include rough and working mixes for The Ocean and Dancing Days that reveal a deeper look inside the recording sessions of these classic songs. Other standout recordings include the guitar mix backing track for Over The Hills And Far Away and a version of The Rain Song without piano.
In 1968, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant formed Led Zeppelin, one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, having sold more than 300 million albums worldwide. The band rose from the ashes of The Yardbirds, when Page brought in Plant, Bonham and Jones to tour as The New Yardbirds. In 1969, Led Zeppelin released its self-titled debut. It marked the beginning of a 12-year reign, during which the group was widely considered to be the biggest and most innovative rock band in the world.
Led Zeppelin continues to be honored for its pivotal role in music history. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and a year later was awarded with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. Founding members Jones, Page and Plant – along with Jason Bonham, the son of John Bonham – took the stage at London’s O2 Arena in 2007 to headline a tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun, a dear friend and Atlantic Records’ founder. The band was honored for its lifetime contribution to American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. In January of 2014, the band won their first ever Grammy award as Celebration Day, which captured their live performance at the Ertegun tribute concert, was named Best Rock Album.
Led Zeppelin IV Track Listing:
1. Black Dog
2. Rock And Roll
3. The Battle of Evermore
4. Stairway To Heaven
5. Misty Mountain Hop
6. Four Sticks
7. Going To California
8. When The Levee Breaks
Companion Audio Disc:
1. Black Dog – Basic Track With Guitar Overdubs
2. Rock And Roll – Alternate Mix
3. The Battle Of Evermore – Mandolin/Guitar Mix From Headley Grange
4. Stairway To Heaven – Sunset Sound Mix
5. Misty Mountain Hop – Alternate Mix
6. Four Sticks – Alternate Mix
7. Going To California – Mandolin/Guitar Mix
Houses of the Holy Track Listing:
1. The Song Remains The Same
2. The Rain Song
3. Over The Hills And Far Away
4. The Crunge
5. Dancing Days
6. D’yer Mak’er
7. No Quarter
8. The Ocean
Companion Audio Disc:
1. The Song Remains The Same – Guitar Overdub Reference Mix
2. The Rain Song- Mix Minus Piano
3. Over The Hills And Far Away – Guitar Mix Backing Track
4. The Crunge – Rough Mix – Keys Up
5. Dancing Days – Rough Mix With Vocal
6. No Quarter – Rough Mix With JPJ Keyboard Overdubs – No Vocal
7. The Ocean – Working Mix
8. When The Levee Breaks – Alternate UK Mix
8 Responses
Houses of the Holy is my favorite Led Zeppelin album of all time. I have it on vinyl and cd. It still gets regular play in my house. The Song Remains The Same is epic, The Rain Song is one of the most beautiful songs of all time and No Quarter is a trippy masterpiece. But I like listening to the original version. I don’t think I need to buy the same album again just to hear some bonus material, that I admit does seem interesting, when I will go back to just listening to the original album.
I also saw them in ’77. Still the best concert that I ever saw!
Better in ’77 than ’75. Page was just too loud and spaced out in early ’75, better in ’77. Elvis in ’76 was the best show I’ve ever seen…..just seeing the legend walk onstage pointing at the crowd grabbing his guitar to thunderous roar did it. Springsteen said the same thing. “He was in the building and that was enough”.