Led Zeppelin The Song Remains The Same With Six New Songs on HD-DVD & Blu-Ray

[Old Quad Guy]

http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2007/07/2709.cfm

Led Zeppelin Reissuing The Song Remains The Same With Six New Songs
Friday July 27, 2007 @ 05:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Led Zeppelin

Both oldtime Led Zeppelin fans and those who are looking for a comprehensive introduction to the British rock legends have something to look forward to in November.

Atlantic/Rhino will release a two-disc, 24-song best-of titled Mothership on Nov. 13, followed by a deluxe reissue of The Song Remains The Same film and its accompanying soundtrack a week later.

The songs on Mothership were chosen by surviving Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. The compilation features songs from all eight of their studio albums and new liner notes by rock writer David Fricke. It will be released in four separate versions: a standard package featuring two CDs; a deluxe edition featuring the two discs and a 90-minute DVD of live performance footage culled from the Led Zeppelin DVD; a limited-edition collector's edition featuring the same three discs, only in fancier packaging; and a four-LP version on audiophile-quality vinyl that comes with collectible memorabilia.

A lot of pot smoke billowed through movie theatres when The Song Remains The Same, a concert film featuring songs from Zeppelin's three-night stint at New York City's Madison Square Garden, was released in 1976. In addition to the movie's 14 songs, Warner Home Video's new DVD features newly remixed and remastered sound, 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and has more than 40 minutes of bonus material, including never-before-released performance footage of "Over The Hills And Far Away" and "Celebration Day." There are also performances of "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Ocean," a 1976 BBC interview with Plant and former Zep manager Peter Grant, TV footage and a radio show featuring Academy Award-winning director and former rock journalist Cameron Crowe.

The DVD will be released in three versions: deluxe edition; deluxe edition HD DVD and Blu-ray; and the limited collector's edition, a two-disc set that includes a vintage T-shirt with the original album artwork, the soundtrack CD, lobby cards, reproductions of invitations to the film's premiere, a tour schedule and other collectibles.

Plant, Page and Jones oversaw the remixing and remastering of the soundtrack, which includes six songs that weren't on the original release: "Black Dog," "Over The Hills And Far Away," "Misty Mountain Hop," "Since I've Been Loving You," "The Ocean" and "Heartbreaker." It also features new liner notes by Crowe.

Here are the songs on Mothership:

Disc one:

* "Good Times Bad Times"
* "Communication Breakdown"
* "Dazed And Confused"
* "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"
* "Whole Lotta Love"
* "Ramble On"
* "Heartbreaker"
* "Immigrant Song"
* "Since I've Been Loving You"
* "Rock And Roll"
* "Black Dog"
* "When The Levee Breaks"
* "Stairway To Heaven"

Disc two:

* "Song Remains The Same"
* "Over The Hills And Far Away"
* "D'Yer Maker"
* "No Quarter"
* "Trampled Under Foot"
* "Houses Of The Holy"
* "Kashmir"
* "Nobody's Fault But Mine"
* "Achilles Last Stand"
* "In The Evening"
* "All My Love"

Here are the tracks on The Song Remains The Same:

Disc one:

* "Rock And Roll"
* "Celebration Day"
* "Black Dog"
* "Over The Hills"
* "Misty Mountain Hop"
* "Since I've Been Loving You"
* "No Quarter"
* "The Song Remains The Same"
* "Rain Song"
* "The Ocean"

Disc two:

* "Dazed And Confused"
* "Stairway To Heaven"
* "Moby Dick"
* "Heartbreaker"
* "Whole Lotta Love"

 

[Old Quad Guy]

We'll have to wait and see what the final audio on these HD Discs contain, but if it only has a regular Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, then Led Zep has blown it again IMO. I still own the original VHS, Betamax and DVD versions, and those sound more like stereo, certainly Not the great discrete aggressive surround sound mix I remember hearing in 1976 at the theater. I remember in the theatrical version with the proper speaker set-up Jimmy Page's guitar feedback bouncing back and forth throughout the front and rear speakers along with Robert Plant's vocals on "Dazed And Confused." Totally awesome. That original theatrical mix is one of the "holy grail" Quad/surround mixes from the 1970's and it looks like we're never going to be able to hear it again.

http://ledzeppelin.com/

 

[TRAINMAN92]

I Think You Your High It Was Stereo With The Rear Channels Reverse But I Wish It Your So In 5.1

 

[Old Quad Guy]

I Think You Your High It Was Stereo With The Rear Channels Reverse But I Wish It Your So In 5.1

Sorry, can't do that no more. In California it was ok (mandatory) to smoke while watching this movie in the theater back in the day, 1976. The worst that would happen if yer smoke got out of hand was a "cool it man" from the usher. And that was only because I lived in the suburbs.

Perhaps my amps with Dolby didn't decode ether formats properly. If anyone HAS decoded the original mix with any of the formats please post what amp/decoding method used.

I'm still going to buy this release on HD-DVD hoping I can score a player for under $200 this Christmas.

 

[EMB]

If there isn't discrete 5.1 for this one, it'll be a shame, since Jimmy Page must have control of the multitracks(very possible that most, if not all, of the Zep material have MC's from which to remix).

But it should be noted that this album wasn't Zep at their very best in concert; that can be heard elsewhere. It's an interesting mess of a film, but some of the performances sound listless and lazy(until Bonzo kicks it into hi-gear, anyway)...and I don't remember it looking visually impressive, even at the theater I saw it in back in '76 or so. But we can always hope for better, eh?

ED

 

[Chris Gerhard]

Music releases are welcomed of course, but this one probably won't be very exciting. The performances, audio and video quality makes that impossible. The first HD DVD and Blu-ray release from Led Zeppelin should be a compilation of the best studio recordings mixed for surround sound by the best audio engineers and released with some concert highlights. The two disc DVD set I have, just named "Led Zeppelin" if I recall, has some concert footage with poor video quality but good audio quality. Use lossless PCM or Dolby TrueHD in 5.1 and offer some reference quality material for rock fans to see and hear. Then release everything available over the next few years if either format attains a market that makes releasing titles worthwhile. This great group isn't managing their material well. Led Zeppelin could have helped DVD-A/SACD with some quality releases and now could help these two floundering infant formats. If history is any indication, this one release won't do well and a second effort won't follow.

Chris

 

[atrocity]

I still own the original VHS, Betamax and DVD versions, and those sound more like stereo, certainly Not the great discrete aggressive surround sound mix I remember hearing in 1976 at the theater. I remember in the theatrical version with the proper speaker set-up Jimmy Page's guitar feedback bouncing back and forth throughout the front and rear speakers along with Robert Plant's vocals on "Dazed And Confused."

I don't know if there were matrixed Dolby Stereo prints, but there were definitely discrete 4-track (L-C-R-S) magnetic prints. I never bought the original DVD simply because I was irked that it only had a matrixed 2.0 soundtrack when it should have been discrete 4.0. I hope it was just laziness on Warners' part and not an indication that the discrete mix has been lost.

If they can produce a genuine 5.1 version, that would be nice, but it would also be great to have the original 4.0 just so we can all re-live our mis-spent youth more accurately!

 

[Old Quad Guy]

I don't know if there were matrixed Dolby Stereo prints, but there were definitely discrete 4-track (L-C-R-S) magnetic prints. I never bought the original DVD simply because I was irked that it only had a matrixed 2.0 soundtrack when it should have been discrete 4.0. I hope it was just laziness on Warners' part and not an indication that the discrete mix has been lost.

If they can produce a genuine 5.1 version, that would be nice, but it would also be great to have the original 4.0 just so we can all re-live our mis-spent youth more accurately!

Now multi-channel sound is the norm in movie theaters and taken for granted generally, but back in the late 1970's surround was just starting to be added to all theaters in baby steps. Most still had mono or stereo, unless they had a special movie.

I saw this movie many times as we had a Century 21 half-dome theater that played this movie for a long run. This theater was ahead of it's time and put real money into it's speakers. I'm real curious about the discrete soundtrack and how the sound was set-up. I don't know if the theater had it's sound system properly set-up, but it sure sounded right and cool as all hell. My theater had behind the screen Left, Center, Right. Then on the half-dome's ceiling there was a four speakers Quadraphonic set-up. I remember the Jimmy Page feedback and other music moving discretely between all the speakers. The Quad speakers on the ceiling did outrageous Ls to RF and LF to Rs. Also LF + RF to Ls + Rs and many more effects containing the music to make the experience real and full musically. Other times the music didn't move, but you could hear separate sound from each speaker. No 5.1 mix has ever matched what I heard because there we're at least 7 speakers in this huge 500 seat theater. I'm real curious about the discrete soundtrack and how the sound was set-up was and what was actually on the magnetic print. It was not matrix at my theater, at least I don't think so. I'm also wondering if any survivable prints exist. Damn, that was a once in a lifetime experience. @: :sun

 

[Odys]

Unfortunately, both hi-def formats will have only Dolby 5.1, no lossless surround. I've got the HD-DVD on pre-order. I must've seen this at least 20 times in the theater when I was in high school. My friend worked as an usher and we used to smoke with the projectionist up in the booth. We watched Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones even more times.

Here are the Zep disc specs from the Warners website:

http://whv.warnerbros.com/WHVPORTAL/Portal/product.jsp?OID=22984

 

[atrocity]

Now multi-channel sound is the norm in movie theaters and taken for granted generally, but back in the late 1970's surround was just starting to added to all theaters in baby steps. Most still had mono or stereo, unless they had a special movie.

Stereo sound of various types started showing up with increasing frequency around 1953. 4-track (L-C-R-S) sound was originally an official part of the CinemaScope standard (i.e., your theater was not equipped for CinemaScope unless you installed the sound equipment along with the wide screen), though that was dropped after a while. Todd-AO was 6-track (L-LC-C-RC-R-S) from the beginning and never gave it up.

You're right that it wasn't exactly standard in the 1970s, but it wasn't *too* rare, either. Quite a few larger theaters were equipped for it and prestige films tended to use it.

I'm real curious about the discrete soundtrack and how the sound was set-up. I don't know if the theater had it's sound system properly set-up, but it sure sounded right and cool as all hell.

The only print I ever inspected with my own eyes was a 35mm 4-track magnetic print that consisted of Left, Center, Right and mono Surround tracks. If 70mm blowups were made, the potential existed for two more channels, which normally would have been placed behind the screen to either side of the center channel.

It's usually claimed that "Superman" was the first 70mm release with stereo surrounds, but it's Dolby making that claim...I don't know if any hypothetical 70mm prints of "The Song Remains the Same" would have been Dolby encoded or not. If Dolby had no interest in the 70mm prints of that title, they may not know anything about it.

It's possible that a quad mix (two behind the screen + stereo surround) was exhibited, but that would be unusual. I've seen promotional materials for "Ladies and Gentlemen...The Rolling Stones" and "Yessongs" claiming "quadraphonic" sound, but I'm not sure if the term was used properly. Having said that, I once saw "Yessongs" projected from a 4-track print with a lot of distortion in the surround track. The projectionist said it was possible the print was recorded in a true quadraphonic manner, but the surround speakers in the theater couldn't handle the full range and volume implied by that...the speaker layout also would have been wrong, with one of the two surround channels actually appearing behind the screen.

It was not matrix at my theater, at least I don't think so.

Odds are that it wasn't. At the time of that film's first run matrixed Dolby Stereo was just getting underway and discrete 4-track 35mm (or discrete 6-track 70mm) was still the standard.

I'm also wondering if any survivable prints exist.

Magnetic soundtracks were/are very delicate, very difficult to make and, sadly, in very little demand after Dolby's method won. Quite a few prints were destroyed, though I don't know if "The Song Remains the Same" was one of them. The fact that the DVD is not discrete doesn't bode well, though.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

Apparently this title was pulled for some reason, so maybe it will be a collector's item. Amazon shows the re-release to be December 31, 2010 which must just be their date for unknown release.

http://www.amazon.com/Led-Zeppelin-...=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1198835686&sr=8-3

Chris

 

[PossumPete]

It was pulled just before release and about the time the Zep "reunited". Lots of speculation about whether or not Page liked the audio or if they were going to add footage from their last concert (or link with it in a separate release). Some people did get theirs on Blu-Ray. Much like other pulled releases, some retailers didn't get the memo and shipped anyway.

Where do these discs go? Blu-Ray heaven?

 

[Odys]

I couldn't find any copies locally on the day it was supposed to be released and found out about it being pulled. Still never found out why. I ordered a copy in HD DVD from amazon uk. I heard a few online retailers were still shipping in the US, but I wanted to be sure I got it. It came a couple of days ago, but I haven't had time to pop it in yet. Hopefully this weekend. It wound up costing me about $38 to import, but well worth it for me.

 

[tlake6659]

I managed to get two copies of this title on Blu-ray. I wanted to make sure I would get it so I ordered from two separate retailers.

I only had the original DVD, and the blu-ray is a huge step up in both video and audio quality. It comes with a Dolby True HD track that while front heavy really gives great atmosphere. In fact when cranked, I really felt like I was at MSG when these shows were filmed.

If someone wants my extra sealed copy, I would be willing to sell it for $40.00 shipped in the US.

PM me if interested.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

HD-DVD Amazon UK buying info:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Led-Zeppelin-Song-Remains-Same/dp/B000WGUPTS

There are not as many HD-DVD versions of this title out, but they're still here on Ebay:

http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=1

There are many copies of the Blu-Ray on Ebay, some almost as low as retail:

http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=1&fgtp=

It seems many more Blu-Ray copies got out than the HD-DVD version. I heard it was only a production issue, but we don't have a definite word out there why it was pulled or what happened.

From Amzon:
"Production Delay: Due to production and shipment delays from the studio impacting all retailers, this title was not available to ship by the original street date. We are working with the studio to get this product in stock as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience."

Over at the official LZ board a lot of fans have noticed a couple of minutes missing on many songs. Different music flown into the mix than what was in the original movie and now the music / video does not match in places. A lot of fans we’re led to believe that the additional songs would be in a new cut of the film. IMO the mix is more like a Stereo mix with some reverb in the rears, with a few exceptions. And when they’re back stage instead of sound filling the room from both front speakers as in the original movie mix, it now only comes from the center speaker giving your room a “drive-in theater speaker” home experience. I'm not happy with it, but it is what is. Better to just enjoy it.

I’ve been waiting 31 years buying every version including Hi-Fi Beta and Not getting the original cut of the film with the original Quadraphonic mix (4.0). I don’t think we’ll ever be able to hear that original mix again at this point.

 

[BananaSlug]

****OLD THREAD ALERT****

...but it seems like a good place to post.

So I just got a blu-ray player and am looking at things to buy. Can anyone confirm what finally happened regarding the blu-ray? Does the current version still have the 6 extra tracks (Amazon mixes info from the DVD and the blu-ray in their product description making it confusing)? It looks like (from google searches) that there is an audio drop out on Moby Dick that hasn't been fixed. And lastly, anyone figure out what was pulled from the aborted original blu-ray release? Thanks.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

I only have the HD-DVD, which plays fine. But it's only $10.49 at Amazon for the BR as of this night:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=19TK019K23DZV8VRVC2B

The first BR addition (perhaps they fixed it, not sure):

http://www.amazon.com/Led-Zeppelin-Song-Remains-Blu-ray/dp/B000UR9TPK

 

[BananaSlug]

Thanks Jim. I'm starting to think that the extras are only on the 2 disc DVD version, so I guess I'll wait and see for now. I'm really enjoying DVD (2003) again after 7+ years of collecting dust. It would be nice if Jimmy expanded it and put it out on blu-ray - though I'm not holding my breath.

 

[hwkn]

The Blu ray has 4 of the 6 extra tracks[Celebration Day,Over The Hills And Far Away,Misty Mountain Hop and The Ocean].

 

[BananaSlug]

Thanks!!! Maybe I was reading it wrong the whole time and the 6 extra tracks are only on the remastered cd? Anyways... will have to put this in the next order. I ordered the Jeff Beck and It Might Get Loud blu-rays today, so I should wait a few days before spending more money.