Led Zeppelin’s ‘How the West Was Won’ to Be Reissued
Led Zeppelin's 2003 live album How the West Was Won is getting remastered for its 15th anniversary this year – and it's coming in a variety of new formats, including vinyl for the first time.
The remastered set will be available on March 23, and fans have several options to choose from: remastered audio on three CDs; remastered audio on four vinyl LPs; DTS-HD Master Audio Surround and stereo mixes on Blu-ray; streaming and digital download; and a Super Deluxe box that includes three CDs and four vinyl LPs, a DVD of the album in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, a high-def download card, a memorabilia-stuffed book featuring previously unpublished concert photos of the band and a print of the original album cover.
How the West Was Won features live performances from Led Zeppelin's June 25 and 27, 1972, shows at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena. The three CDs were put together to replicate a Zeppelin show from the era, and featured a 25-minute version of "Dazed and Confused," as well as the band's famous "Whole Lotta Love" medley that included classic rock 'n' roll songs from the '50s and often ran for more than 20 minutes.
The band also unveiled some new songs from Houses of the Holy, which wouldn't be released until the following year, at these shows.
Late last year, Jimmy Page said there are some new things in store for 2018 to mark Zeppelin's 50th anniversary. “There’ll be Led Zeppelin product coming out, for sure, that people haven’t heard, because I’m working on that," he said. "Next year will be the 50th year, so there’s all manner of surprises coming out.” An illustrated book about the band was previously scheduled for release later this year.
Page has already remastered the band's entire studio catalog – including 1982's leftovers collection Coda – for a series of expanded reissues that concluded in 2015. Each featured bonus discs that gathered outtakes, alternate versions and other previously unreleased music. An expanded edition of The Complete BBC Sessions followed in 2016. The new remastered How the West Was Won was also supervised by Page.