Audio Mixers: Eddie Kramer; Keith Harwood; Andy Johns.

Audio Remasterer: John C.F. Davis.

Liner Note Author: David Fricke.

Recording information: A&R Studios, New York, NY (10/1968-12/1978); Island Studios, London, England (10/1968-12/1978); Juggy Sound Studio, New York, NY (10/1968-12/1978); Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany (10/1968-12/1978); Olympic Studios, London, England (10/1968-12/1978); Polar Studios, Stockholm, Sweden (10/1968-12/1978); Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio, Headley Grange, Hampshire, (10/1968-12/1978); The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Headley Grange, Hamps (10/1968-12/1978).

Photographers: Dick Barnatt; Carl Dunn; Bob Bruen; Baron Wolman; Ian Dickson; Chris Walter; Neal Preston; Laurens Van Houten; Neil Zlozower; Peter Simon.

Upon the release of MOTHERSHIP in 2007, almost three decades after their demise, Led Zeppelin arguably stood as the only other band in rock history to merit space with the Beatles in the greatest-of-all-time debate. While the latter practically invented the how-to guide for composing and recording modern pop, Zeppelin taught the machinery how to rock with a seismic bravado that decades latter still rattles foundations. In the post-Zeppelin era, rock became a synonym for a heaviness intended to both inspire awe and knock you flat with its weight.

The first six Led Zeppelin records contain nary a less-than-stellar track and define perfection as a canon; yet adequately compiling bits and pieces of this remarkable run has always eluded the band. Though this collection is no substitute for the first six records, MOTHERSHIP succeeds as a greatest hits retrospective on two levels: one, as an introduction for neophytes who want all the band's signature songs, and two, as a sound upgrade for completists. (In fact, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones themselves are all given production credit on these blistering remasters.) While many extraordinary gems--"Going to California," "Battle Of Evermore," and "Your Time Is Gonna Come," among them--are left out, no reasonable Zep head can argue with the cuts that are included, from "Communication Breakdown" and "Black Dog" to "Dancing Days," "Kashmir," and "Achilles' Last Stand." In the end, MOTHERSHIP works as a stirring lecture in Zeppelin 101.

(Note: The deluxe edition includes a live DVD of collected performances that stands with HOW THE WEST WAS WON as proof that the quartet could destroy a stage just as handily as they could a reel of tape.)

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