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Is this Normal? Zeppelin IV LP sounds horrible

I picked up a copy of Zeppelin IV, one of my favorites. I decided to get an LP copy. I am sad to say that this pressing is honestly one of the worse recordings I have ever heard! Zeppelin stuff is never that "clean" but this is a damn shame. The record is "Near Mint" to "Mint" condition, and I am being conservative. I am curious if anyone has had experience with this pressing, and if someone could direct me to a more "ear friendly" pressing of this timeless classic. { And Yes, I already own the CD }.

Here are the details:
*Altantic.
*green, white stripe, and red label
*KSD-19129
*1971
*DIST WEA Canada
*Published by Superhype Music Inc ASCAP
*ST-A-712286
*the inscription on side B says
11/29/79 KSD19129 B#5 XD
*the inscription on side A says
KSD19129 A#4

So lets hear it, vinyl experts.
dfelkai
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
U think iv sounds bad try 1 its a hot muddy mess classics reissues are nice but bass shy mothership comp sounds great 4 lp set
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
IV was not mastered well to begin with and I agree the Classic version is the best I've heard so far, which still leaves much to be desired.

It's a matter of the music meaning more than the sonics.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
This is not an original Atlantic pressing; it is a reissue from 1977.

The original was released in 1971 as catalog number SD-7208.

I have both and neither is particularly noteworthy regarding sonics but the reissue is certainly the weaker of the two. It sounds muffled and compressed.

The best of the original Zep albums sonically speaking is Houses of the Holy.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
visually mint or near mint means just that. sonics on old records are subject to their enviroment over time. My open copies sounds fine.
casey33
260 posts
 
I recently bought a copy of Houses of The Holy with a SMAS prefix.That would be a Capitol Record Club issue.On the back it's printed "sold under license from Atlantic Recording Corporation". The front cover is stickered with the Band name and title,plus track listing.I also of course have original atlantic pressing of this LP.A friend brought over "Mothership" on vinyl.Which struck me as clean,yet a bit lifeless.The Record club issue is much cleaner sounding then the original press.My friend was amazed that even he,a non audiophile,could clearly perceive the sonic differences.So getting back to Zep IV.I have The original (poor sonics} RCA record club{even worse} and just purchased a Capitol Record Club on eBay which sounds somewhere between the other two a bit closer to the Atlantic.I have I,II and IV on pre-recorded reel to reel.II is vastly better on reel,as is IV so I wonder why most vinyl on this is poor.LZ I ,i have not gotten around to playing on reel.These are to me only sonic curiousities,as I am no fan of the band.Odd that a band so popular would be so poorly represented sonically.Any comments on quality of their singles?Somewhere I think I have two of them,but God only knows where they are.
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