In advance of Led Zeppelin’s 50th Anniversary celebration that’s slated to commence this September, the band will whet fans’ appetites with their first-ever release for Record Store Day on April 21, 2018. This LZ RSD-exclusive 7-inch single will feature two previously unheard studio mixes, both handpicked and produced by Zep maestro Jimmy Page: the “Sunset Sound Mix” of “Rock And Roll” b/w the “Olympic Studios Mix” of “Friends.”
The previously unreleased version of “Rock And Roll” provides an additional peek into the fabled “Sunset Sound Mixes” of Led Zeppelin IV. Only two previous “Sunset Sound Mixes” have been released, the first being the version of “When The Levee Breaks” on the original 1971 album, and the second the “Stairway To Heaven” mix that debuted on IV‘s 2014 deluxe edition.
Meanwhile, the previously unheard “Olympic Studios Mix” of “Friends” is a stripped-down version without the orchestration of the final mix, offering a true fly-on-the-wall feel from the band’s recording sessions for 1970’s Led Zeppelin III at Headley Grange.
Additionally, as previously reported here on HRAC, Led Zeppelin will release a newly remastered version of their classic live album How The West Was Won in multiple formats on March 23, including the first-ever vinyl and Blu-ray Audio editions (with the Blu-ray containing a hi-res 5.1 surround sound mix as done by Page and Kevin Shirley). This collection captures performances from Led Zeppelin’s legendary concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena on June 25 and 27, 1972. Melded together and sequenced to replicate a single concert from beginning to end, the 3CD and 4LP collections capture the almighty Zep at the height of their formidable powers.
Find a participating Record Store Day store at www.recordstoreday.com.