Led Zeppelin is a boxed set by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was the first compilation of songs by the band (not counting Coda, which some sources list as a studio album) and the selection and remastering of the tracks were supervised by Jimmy Page. Atlantic Records released it on 23 October 1990 in the United States and on 29 October in the United Kingdom on several formats: four compact discs, six vinyl records, or four cassette tapes. A 36-page booklet was also included with the release.
Debuting at number 40 on the Billboard 200, the box set was described by Los Angeles Times journalist Dennis Hunt as "one of the most expensive albums ever to reach the Top 40", noting its retail price of $65 on CD and $55 on cassette.
Background This set contains two previously unreleased tracks and one new mix. "Travelling Riverside Blues" was recorded on 23 June 1969 at the BBC Maida Vale Studio. "White Summer/Black Mountain Side" was recorded at the Playhouse Theatre, London on 27 June 1969. The "Moby Dick/Bonzo's Montreux" mix took place at the Atlantic Synclavier Suite in New York, in May 1990. It also includes the band's only non-album B-side, "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" of the 1970 single "Immigrant Song", previously unavailable on compact disc.
The set was released the same month as Remasters, a two-disc set containing selections from this one, plus a remastered version of "Good Times Bad Times." To differentiate between the two sets, in some markets the larger set is listed under the title The Complete Collection. To further the confusion, in both cases this is different from The Complete Studio Recordings box set released three years later, which includes all nine of the band's studio albums on ten discs, with the three extra tracks appended to Coda, along with the 1969 recording "Baby Come On Home", first released on the two-disc Led Zeppelin Boxed Set 2. The "Moby Dick/Bonzo's Montreux" mix is also included in the promotional interview album Profiled (1990). Also three years after this release, the remaining Led Zeppelin tracks not appearing on this box set were issued on Led Zeppelin Boxed Set 2.
Track listing All tracks produced by Jimmy Page except for "Travelling Riverside Blues" produced by John Walters and "White Summer/Black Mountain Side" produced by Jeff Griffin.
Personnel
John Bonham – drums, percussion, backing vocals John Paul Jones – bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals Jimmy Page – guitars, backing vocals, production, digital remastering Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica Sandy Denny – vocals on "The Battle of Evermore" Ian Stewart – piano on "Rock and Roll" Yves Beauvais – producer Bruce Buchanan – engineering Peter Grant – executive producer Jeff Griffin – producer Chris Houston – engineering John Mahoney – Programming and engineering on "Moby Dick"/"Bonzo's Montreux" George Marino – remastering and digital remastering Tony Wilson – engineering on "Travelling Riverside Blues" and "White Summer" Bob Alford – photography Richard Creamer – photography Cameron Crowe – liner notes Jim Cummins – photography Chris Dreja – photography Robert Ellis – photography Larry Fremantle – design Neil Jones – photography John Kubick – digital transfers Kurt Loder – liner notes Janet Macoska – photography Richard "Hutch" Hutchison – design co-ordinator Jennifer Moore – photography and imaging Terry O'Neil – photography Robert Palmer – liner notes Barry Plummer – photography Neal Preston – photography Michael Putland – photography Rhonda Schoen – digital editing and transfers Peter Simon – photography Pennie Smith – photography Jay Thompson – photography Chris Walter – photography Bob Gruen – photography Chris Wroe – photography and imaging Neil Zlozower – photography
Charts +1990 weekly chart performance for Led Zeppelin Boxed Set Chart (1990) PeakpositionJapanese Albums (Oricon) 17
+2011 weekly chart performance for Led Zeppelin Boxed Set Chart (2011) Peakposition
Certifications
Release history +Release formats for Led Zeppelin Boxed Set Region Date Label Format Catalog #United StatesOctober 1990Atlantic Records6LP (33 rpm)82144-14 Compact disc82144-24 Cassette82144-4United Kingdom4 Compact disc7567-82144-2FranceGermanyJapanAMCY-170/3Germany1990East West Records7567-80566-2
See also List of best-selling albums in the United States
Notes
References