More of the Music of Led Zeppelin
Letters and Commentaries for Led Zeppelin III
A classic example of live and learn.
In 2008 we simply had not done our homework well enough. I had been an audiophile for at least 33 years by then, and a professional audiophile record dealer for 21, but we still hadn’t cracked the code for Zep III.
Sure, by 2008 we had auditioned plenty of the pressings that we thought were the most likely to sound good: the original and later domestic pressings, the early and later British LPs, some early and later German pressings, maybe a Japanese import or two. In other words, the usual suspects.
We already knew the Classic Records Heavy Vinyl was unbelievably bad; no need to put that in a shootout. It earned an “F” right out of the gate for its bright and harsh sound.
The result? We were roughly in the same position as most serious record collecting audiophiles, if not actually in a better one: who do you know that has played at least ten different pressing Led Zeppelin III, or any other album for that matter?
We had auditioned a number pressings of the album and thought we knew enough about the sound to pick a winner. We thought the best original British Plum and Orange label pressings had the goods that no other copies could or would have. (Years later we would get hold of another one, clean it up and put it in a shootout.)
But of course, like most audiophiles who judge records with an insufficiently large sample size, we turned out to be quite mistaken.
Logic hadn’t worked. None of the originals would end up winning another shootout once we’d discovered the right reissues.
But in 2008, we hadn’t stumbled upon the best pressings because we hadn’t put enough effort into the only approach that actually works.
What approach is that? It’s trial and error. Trial and error would eventually put us on the path to success. We had simply not conducted enough trials and made enough errors by 2008 to find out what we know now.
We hadn’t made the breakthrough we needed to make in order to know just how good the album could sound.
Can you blame us? The pressings that have been winning shootouts for years are from the wrong country (not the UK) and the wrong era (not the original).
We reproduce below the commentary for the 2008 listing that gets it wrong.
The best British originals are good records, but none of them would win a shootout these days up against the superior import pressings we discovered around 2015 or so.
It is INCREDIBLY difficult to find knockout copies of Zep III — of the dozen-plus copies we auditioned, this British Import Plum & Orange pressing was the only one with two superb sides, with an AGAIG A+++ side two and a side one that’s just half a step behind at A++ – A+++.
[AGAIG is short for As Good As It Gets, which, obviously, it was not. But it was at the time as far as we were concerned. Like I said, we had a lot to learn.]
Folks, when I tell you that it is no mean feat to find a decent copy of this album, I am not joking around.
Side one here is STUNNING. It’s really full-bodied with substantial weight to the bottom end. The bass is tight, punchy, and easier to follow than on any other copy we’ve heard. Just listen to John Paul Jones tearing it up during Immigrant Song — on most copies he’s just a deep rumble, but here you can appreciate the notes he is playing. It really kicks up the excitement factor of one of the hardest-rockin’ songs these guys ever did.
The overall sound is unbelievably lively — we’ve never heard a copy that rocked so hard! It’s just a bit on the bright side at times, but that little bit of extra top end seems to give this copy the ENERGY and PRESENCE that were missing from almost every other pressing we played. Drop the needle on Since I’ve Been Loving You and turn it up loud. Zep will be right there between your speakers, and your jaw will be on the floor!
Side two is EVEN MORE AMAZING — in fact, it’s OUT OF THIS WORLD! You are not going to believe how lively and dynamic it is. Drop the needle on Tangerine for a taste of rich, sweet, Master Tape Sound. The acoustic guitars are lush and delicate, the bass is deep and well-defined, and the vocals are completely natural and free from any bad mastering or phony EQ.
I don’t think you could find a better side two no matter what you do. The bottom end is meaty and punchy, the highs are silky sweet, and the midrange is Right On The Money. We rate side two A+++ — it’s As Good As It Gets.
One Tough Ticket
Having played scores of copies of this record over the years, I can tell you that finding really good side ones is five times harder than finding side twos with excellent sound. The material on side one tends to be more aggressive, and I’m sure it has given more than its share of headaches to many mastering engineers over the years.
Want to find your own top quality copy?
Consider taking our moderately helpful advice concerning the pressings that tend to win our shootouts.
Led Zeppelin III is also one of those albums with one set of very special stampers that consistently win shootouts.
Further Reading
- Improving your critical listening skills
- My stereo (and thoughts on equipment)
- Important lessons we learned from record experiments
