Led Zeppelin reissues

So, last night I hung out til midnight at Zia Records so I could get the new reissues of the first three Led Zeppelin albums. I wanted the vinyl versions, but they're quite a bit more expensive, and I don't even have a record player anyway, so I got the CDs. I'm not an audiophile by any means, and don't know that I'll really be able to tell the difference between these, and the previous remasters, but they have a lot of previously unavailable bonus material. Led Zeppelin has a concert from Paris, about two weeks before Led Zeppelin II was released, and II and III have a bunch of studio outtakes, backing tracks, and other cool stuff that really give you an idea of the process to create these masterpieces.

My favorite has always been the untitled fourth album. That was the first I heard from them, and "Stairway to Heaven" and "When the Levee Breaks" will always hold special places in my heart. One day I was watching That Metal Show, and the guests were all saying that Led Zeppelin II was their favorite. At the time, I didn't get it. It's taken me tip now to realize I never really delved into it, gave them the attention they deserved. I had the Led Zeppelin box set from the '90s, and had picked up copies of the catalog here and there, but those were such massive collections, that I was kind of overwhelmed. Four discs of Zep, in a different, non-chronological order. That's a lot.

Today, though... "Whole Lotta Love" comes on my iPhone and holy crap, it was amazing. That riff. That groove. I stood there, imagining that it was the first thing I ever heard from them, and was freaking out. This was even after I had just finished listening to the bonus disc from the first album, which has live versions of a couple of songs from II. 

I'm having difficulty describing how I'm feeling from all of this. It's like I'm in love with music again. Not that I wasn't, but this is definitely like music is my brand new super-hot girlfriend.

I really hope music is your brand new super-hot significant other today.

Love and blessings,

Brad

Leave a comment