Classic Album Discussion - Houses of the Holy

[The Knize]

I have the following CD pressings: original, Remasters and Japan. to my ear (maybe in my head and from reading), but play the Japan pressings the most, if not exclusively when I am not spinning the vinyl.

here is a nice discussion on the Original VS Remastered and Here, based on some of those posts, the remasters are flawed with channel swaps, tape hiss etc.

Those are fascinating links. I had forgotten that Jimmy Page was supposed in charge of the "remastering," but you knows what that really means. I doubt that he spent the time on the remasters he spent on the original vinyl versions. Apparently, the thinking was that the original CDs, not the original vinyl, would benefit from remastering. I assume there is no argument that the original vinyl versions were the best??!!

Is there something about the Japan CDs that distinguish them from the American CDs other than overall manufacturing quality? Did they have different masters?

Fascinating stuff! I have not paid all that much attention to remasters versus original. The Beatles remasters seem worthy to me. You could here a lot going on before, now you can hear more things distinctly, or at least I can. The bass work is much clearer, and convinces me, where I was not convinced previously so much, that Paul is (or was) one heck of a bass player. The Stones remasters did not catch my attention much one way or the other. Exile sounded better to me--the original mix seemed outright muddy--but did not seem all that much different. I'm a big Stones fan, but Exile is far from my favorite Stones album. For the Motown remasters, at least you can now hear James Jamerson, which is a very worthy result. Very fun stuff!

 

[highplainsdrifter]

There is only 1 way to play Zeppelin, but I'l forgive you this time...just don't let it happen again.

My LZ collection is not complete yet, but it's getting there. LZ vinyl is not easy to come by (original) for a decent price and condition locally.

Zeppelin in any format is good, but Vinyl will always win in my house.

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same as Hot Dog...not a good song, but a fun one to listen to. I used to hate songs like Hot Dog, Crunge and a few others, but now I take them for what they are...the band having fun and doing what they want.

Side 1, Track 3 is my favorite, followed by Side 2, Track 3.

Yeah I actually have their first 5 LPs on vinyl, but my car is small and there's not enough room on the dash for a turntable .

 

[oc_in_fw]

Yeah I actually have their first 5 LPs on vinyl, but my car is small and there's not enough room on the dash for a turntable .

Get with the program and install an 8 track

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

Many don't like their nod to country- Hot Dog. It is kind of a fun song, though.

This is where Zep III shines.

 

[brucered]

Those are fascinating links. I had forgotten that Jimmy Page was supposed in charge of the "remastering," but you knows what that really means. I doubt that he spent the time on the remasters he spent on the original vinyl versions. Apparently, the thinking was that the original CDs, not the original vinyl, would benefit from remastering. I assume there is no argument that the original vinyl versions were the best??!!

Is there something about the Japan CDs that distinguish them from the American CDs other than overall manufacturing quality? Did they have different masters?

Fascinating stuff! I have not paid all that much attention to remasters versus original. The Beatles remasters seem worthy to me. You could here a lot going on before, now you can hear more things distinctly, or at least I can. The bass work is much clearer, and convinces me, where I was not convinced previously so much, that Paul is (or was) one heck of a bass player. The Stones remasters did not catch my attention much one way or the other. Exile sounded better to me--the original mix seemed outright muddy--but did not seem all that much different. I'm a big Stones fan, but Exile is far from my favorite Stones album. For the Motown remasters, at least you can now hear James Jamerson, which is a very worthy result. Very fun stuff!

Not sure I can pick up on all the differences and quality over other copies, but I have never heard a bad recording from the Japanese pressings (Who, Zeppelin, Dylan, Springsteen etc). In fact, I just finished listening to House of the Holy and III and was again amazed and how clean and crisp they sound.

 

[cb91710]

Great review. Great album. I am a pretty big Zep fan. I do not know how I would rank this one against Physical Graffitti. I might argue that the latter was the apex, but this one is close. Big drop after PG.

Agreed.

Achilles Last Stand was the only thing off of Presence that I would consider worthy of loading on the iPod.
PG? Sides 1 and 2 were epic. Side 3 was good. I rarely listened to 4.

In Through the Out Door? Big "meh"
I actually liked Hot Dog. Carouselambra was just a little too close to disco for my taste.
The three "hits" got so much airplay that I was sick of them.
Felt bad about my feelings of the album after we lost Bonham and I've since warmed up to them, but I'd agree that this album was not their best work.
Coda? Like the last two John Lennon albums, there is generally a reason why "previously unreleased tracks" were unreleased.
There are of course some exceptions, in the days of wax, there was often simply no room for all of the "good" material, but not enough to release a double album.... but in most cases, it's because it's simply not worthy of release, or it is too similar to other works (which was the case with a number of the Lennon songs, not unlike a Sousa march, you can take a segment of one piece and transplant it seamlessly into another).

Their peak was definitely either (or both) Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti.

 

[The Knize]

Agreed.

Achilles Last Stand was the only thing off of Presence that I would consider worthy of loading on the iPod.
PG? Sides 1 and 2 were epic. Side 3 was good. I rarely listened to 4.

In Through the Out Door? Big "meh"
I actually liked Hot Dog. Carouselambra was just a little too close to disco for my taste.
The three "hits" got so much airplay that I was sick of them.
Felt bad about my feelings of the album after we lost Bonham and I've since warmed up to them, but I'd agree that this album was not their best work.
Coda? Like the last two John Lennon albums, there is generally a reason why "previously unreleased tracks" were unreleased.
There are of course some exceptions, in the days of wax, there was often simply no room for all of the "good" material, but not enough to release a double album.... but in most cases, it's because it's simply not worthy of release, or it is too similar to other works (which was the case with a number of the Lennon songs, not unlike a Sousa march, you can take a segment of one piece and transplant it seamlessly into another).

Their peak was definitely either (or both) Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti.

I agree with all, except I like Wanton Song on side 4 of PG!

I think Led Zeppelin really lost steam before they lost Bonham. I do not know what happens to groups. Few make it as far as Zep did, pof course. I really cannot see that Page or Plant did anything of the quality of Zep, after that, alone or together.

 

[cb91710]

All that said, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news about John Henry Bonham leaving us.

I was in the Senior Quad at high school.
Darrell Mansfield was playing (my school would bring in a band to perform at lunch on Thursdays when weather was good, Darrell was doing a secular rock set, most at my school did not know him as a Christian artist).

Halfway through, someone ran to the stage, Darrell broke the set, shared the news, and they finished off the hour doing Zep covers.


I remember very little of Darrell, only knew that he was a friend of Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill, but I will always remember that he was the man who told me that John Henry Bonham had passed away.