Audio Video News

Just got the press release 10 minutes ago. Reprinted in full below. -Ken Richardson

LED ZEPPELIN TO RELEASE DIGITAL CATALOG

The Legendary Band's Original Albums Available for the First Time at All Online Music Retailers November 13

LOS ANGELES - Led Zeppelin's catalog is among the most enduring bodies of musical composition to come out of the 20th century - and now it's coming to the 21st. As one of digital music's final holdouts, the band's illustrious catalog is one of the most highly anticipated digital releases to date. Beginning November 13, the band's original albums will be available for full-album or a la carte download from all online music retailers.

The albums being made available include Led Zeppelin (1969), Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), the untitled fourth album (1971), Houses of the Holy (1973), Physical Graffiti (1975), Presence (1976), The Song Remains the Same (1976; recently remixed and remastered for reissue on November 20), In Through the Out Door (1979), Coda (1982), How the West Was Won (2003), and Mothership (available November 13). Featuring such indelible anthems as "Communication Breakdown," "Whole Lotta Love," "Immigrant Song," "Stairway to Heaven," "D'yer Mak'er," and "Kashmir," these releases, together with various retrospective collections, have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide.

"We are pleased that the complete Led Zeppelin catalog will now be available digitally," said Jimmy Page. "The addition of the digital option will better enable fans to obtain our music in whichever manner that they prefer."

[Editor's Note to Mr. Page: Some of us fans would still prefer to hear the complete Led Zeppelin catalog in high-resolution surround sound. Next year, perhaps? -KR]

"The Led Zeppelin catalog is a highly anticipated and essential addition to the world's leading digital music services," said Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group. "In their 12 years together, Zeppelin created one of the most powerful, influential, and timeless bodies of work in the history of modern music. They not only enjoyed enormous commercial success, but their ground-breaking musical innovation transformed the cultural landscape. We have been planning for this landmark day for a long time, and we look forward to expanding Led Zeppelin's presence across a full array of digital platforms."

Over 25 years after disbanding, Led Zeppelin continues to inspire generations of fans. The September 12 announcement that the band would reunite for a one-off concert in honor of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun created unprecedented demand, as an estimated 80,000 fans a minute attempted to access the concert's official Web site to register. More than a million fans attempted to apply for one of the 10,000 tickets available in a random drawing for the band's first concert in over 19 years at London's O2 Arena on November 26.

Announced earlier this year, Atlantic Records/Rhino Entertainment will release on November 13 Mothership, a 24-track, two-CD comprehensive collection that spans their 12-year career. All eight of the band's classic studio albums are represented, with the tracks being personally selected by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones.

Originally released in 1976, The Song Remains the Same soundtrack album of the concert film features songs from the band's three-night stint at Madison Square Garden in July 1973. On November 20, The Song Remains the Same soundtrack gets the deluxe reissue treatment, with the band members overseeing the remixing and remastering of the original release. The new version of the soundtrack includes six songs that were not on the original release, plus new liner notes by Academy Award-winning director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous).

Led Zeppelin was formed in 1968 from the ashes of the Yardbirds. Guitarist Jimmy Page brought in Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones and toured as the New Yardbirds. In 1969, their self-titled debut was released and is regarded as one of the most important rock records ever made. Led Zeppelin went on to become the colossal rock icons that we know today, setting new records along the way for fan attendance at their gigs and record sales.

Universally recognized as one of the most successful, innovative, powerful, and influential bands in modern music, Led Zeppelin continues to be honored for their pivotal place in music history. In 1995 they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and were awarded with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm in 2006.