Mothership [180 Gram Vinyl]

by Led Zeppelin

Overview

Led Zeppelin's reunion for an Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert in November 2007 (pushed back a couple of weeks due to a finger injury Jimmy Page sustained during rehearsals) seemed like a spur of the moment thing -- but how spontaneous could it have been if it just happened to coincide with the release of an expanded The Song Remains the Same on both CD and DVD, the debut of their catalog as digital downloads, and the new two-disc compilation Mothership as a sampler of the whole shebang? Considering this full-scale, multi-prong assault -- which also included a new album by Robert Plant, after all -- it was probably not all that spontaneous. Such a precise attack suits this most mythic of classic rock groups, who always benefited from an enormous sense of scale. Weighing in at two discs and 24 tracks, Mothership has a sense of scale that the previous round of compilations -- the two-part Early Days & Latter Days, delivered in 1999 and 2000 respectively -- lacked, not just because it pushes these two phases together but because it is heavy on the heavy epics, emphasizing Zeppelin's sheer sonic ballast over either their lighter or more idiosyncratic moments. This effects the second disc more than the first, as the band started out heavy and expanded outward, and while it would have been nice if "Fool in the Rain" represented In Through the Out Door instead of "In the Evening," this is a minor quibble as Mothership hits the obvious high points without seeming perfunctory. And that, along with Page's new remastering, is the real selling point behind Mothership: as a compilation it is both gripping listening and a good introduction to this very album-oriented band, which is what makes it a welcome addition to their catalog. [The deluxe edition of Mothership contains a DVD with highlights from their eponymous live DVD -- it's a nice bonus but really, you'd be better off getting the full set.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/20/2015
Label:	Atlantic / Rhino
UPC:	0081227954109
Rank:	13481

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Communication Breakdown
3. Dazed and Confused
4. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
5. Whole Lotta Love
6. Ramble On
7. Heartbreaker
8. Immigrant Song

Disc 2

9. Since I've Been Loving You
10. Rock and Roll
11. Black Dog
12. When the Levee Breaks
13. Stairway to Heaven
14. The Rain Song

Disc 3

15. Over the Hills and Far Away
16. D'yer Mak'er
17. No Quarter
18. Trampled Under Foot
19. Houses of the Holy
20. Kashmir

Disc 4

21. Nobody's Fault But Mine
22. Achilles Last Stand
23. In the Evening
24. All My Love

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Led Zeppelin   Primary Artist
Ian Stewart   Piano
Jimmy Page   Guitar,Theremin,Vocals (Background)
John Bonham   Drums,Vocals (Background)
John Paul Jones   Organ,Piano,Clavinet,Keyboards,Guitar (Bass),Piano (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Robert Plant   Vocals,Harmonica

Technical Credits

Bernard Besman   Composer
Keith Harwood   Mixing,Engineer
Jimmy Page   Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Group Member
Jake Holmes   Inspiration
James Albert Bethea   Composer
Led Zeppelin   Composer
Eddie Kramer   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Ben E. King   Composer
Doc Pomus   Composer
Gene Pitney   Composer
John Bonham   Composer,Group Member
John Paul Jones   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Recording,Group Member
Memphis Minnie   Composer
Bukka White   Composer
Anne Bredon   Composer
Mort Shuman   Composer
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup   Composer
George Chkiantz   Engineer
Andy Johns   Mixing,Engineer
David Fricke   Liner Notes
James Oden   Composer
John Lee Hooker   Composer
Leif Mases   Engineer
Robert Plant   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Ron Nevison   Engineer
Glyn Johns   Engineer
Willie Dixon   Composer
John Davis   Engineer,Remastering Engineer,Remastering
Shepard Fairey   Design,Art Direction
Ross Halfin   Photo Research
Dave Brolan   Photo Research