The band will add eight previously unreleased recordings that they made for the BBC between 1969 and 1971, including three songs many thought to be lost forever.
The tracks are enough to add a third disc to the previously two-disc collection, which was originally released in 1997. Songs that will be on the third disc include two versions of Communication Breakdown, and performances of What Is and What Should Never Be, Dazed and Confused, I Can’t Quit You Baby, and You Shook Me. The latter three are part of a master tape that was once thought to have been erased.
The Complete BBC Sessions will be for sale as a three CD set, a five disc, 180-gram vinyl edition, and digitally.There will also be a super-deluxe edition with both the vinyl and CD sets, as well as a 48-page book with photos and details of the recording sessions.
For longtime fans of the legendary British blues-rock band, the newly unearthed material will likely come as a welcome addition to their collection of bootlegs and rarities, especially considering how iconic the original BBC Sessions recordings have become relative to the band’s larger catalog of hit albums.
In addition to the new songs, the entire old 24-song collection has been entirely remastered since the 1997 version by guitarist Jimmy Page and engineer John Davis, so fans who own the old one still might have an interest in hearing the newly revitalized version.
The new collection will hit stores on September 16.
