Vinyl: Led Zeppelin II 2 PLUM PRESS UK Original A6 B4 EX+ Great Condition Killing Floor

BID WITH TOTAL CONFIDENCE . YOUR SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED: COMPLETE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF NOT TOTALLY SATISFIED SERVICE YOU CAN TRUST, QUALITY ASSURED. I HAVE A 100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK RATING AND A 100% TRACK RECORD OF OFFERING GREAT PRODUCTS, SERVICE, COMMUNICATION AND DELIVERY – GUARANTEED!!

LED ZEPPELIN II

This is an great Original PLUM UK pressing of the classic second album from Led Zeppelin, from my own personal collection. With the rare 'KILLING FLOOR' label.

Great Playing Record! Great Cover. Original PLUM PRESS Labels. Great Sound!!

CAT NO:....

Atlantic 588 198

LABEL PRESS DETAILS:

Stereo. First released released 1969.

ATLANTIC, MADE IN GT BRITAIN. Red Plum labels, this rare pressing comes with With the rare 'KILLING FLOOR' Credit, instead of the standard 'Lemon Song' Credit.

MATRIX NOs. ON RUN-OUT GROOVE

side 1 - A 6

side 2 - B 4

MOTHER STAMPERS:

Side 1. '' 1 1 6 ''

Side 2. '' 1 1 1 3 '' ( very early stamps )

TRACK LISTING…

SIDE 2 ; HEARTBREAKER....LIVIN LOVIN MAID ....RAMBLE ON.....MOBY DICK.....BRING IT ON HOME

'Following the staggering reunion triumph at the O2, which I was lucky enough to be at, with interest in Led Zeppelin greater than ever, with the site for the Ahmettribute.com tribute concert receiving an unbelievable 120 million hits, with 25 million people apparently registering for a Zeppelin ticket, its as good a time as any to invest in an original copy early press of this classic Zep album.

Led Zeppelin II is the second studio album by the Led Zeppelin, released in October 1969 on Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. Production was entirely credited to lead guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page, while it also served as Led Zeppelin's first album to utilise the recording techniques of engineer Eddie Kramer. Led Zeppelin II furthered the lyrical themes established on their debut album, creating a work that became more widely acclaimed and influential than its predecessor. With elements of blues and folk music, it also exhibits the band's evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar and riff-based sound. Upon release, Led Zeppelin II earned considerable sales and was Led Zeppelin's first album to reach No. 1 in the UK and the US. In 1970, art director David Juniper was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package for the album. On 15 November 1999, it was certified 12x Platinum by the RIAA for sales in excess of 12 million copies. Following its initial reception, it has been recognised by writers and music critics as one of the greatest and most influential rock albums ever recorded. Led Zeppelin II was conceived during a hectic and much-travelled period of Led Zeppelin's career from January through August 1969, when they completed four European and three American concert tours. Each song was separately recorded, mixed and produced at various studios in the UK and North America. The album was written on tour, during periods of a couple of hours in between concerts, a studio was booked and the recording process begun, resulting in a sound with spontaneity and urgency through necessity. Bassist John Paul Jones recalled that "We were touring a lot. Jimmy [Page]'s riffs were coming fast and furious. A lot of them came from onstage especially during the long improvised section of 'Dazed and Confused'. We'd remember the good stuff and dart into a studio along the way." Led Zeppelin II also features experimentation with other musical styles and approaches, as on the alternately soft-and-loud "What Is and What Should Never Be" and "Ramble On" (which featured Page's acoustic guitar), or the ballad "Thank You". With its mysterious atmospherics, "Ramble On" helped develop hard rock's association with fantasy themes, which had been partly derived from the psychedelic rock genre of two to three years before, but also from Plant's personal interest in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien. This musical direction would later culminate on Led Zeppelin IV (and countless subsequent groups would later carry the influence to further extremes). Conversely, the instrumental "Moby Dick" features an extended drum solo by John Bonham, which would be extended further during Led Zeppelin concert performances sometimes for as long as half an hour. Page's contribution to this album was significant, as his electric guitar solo on the song "Heartbreaker" was emulated by many younger rock guitarists, and exemplifies the group's intense musical attack. Led Zeppelin II is the band's first album to feature Page playing a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, the electric guitar he helped popularise. His innovative recording and drum miking effects on tracks such as "Ramble On" and "Whole Lotta Love" also demonstrated his considerable skill, resourcefulness and originality as a producer. The album sleeve design was from a poster by David Juniper, who was simply told by the band to come up with an idea that was "interesting". His design was based on a photograph of the Jasta 11 Division of the German Air Force during WWI, the famed Flying Circus led by Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. After the picture was tinted, the faces of the four members of the band were airbrushed on from a 1969 publicity photograph, as well as the faces of band manager Peter Grant and tour manager Richard Cole. The woman in the picture is Glynis Johns, the mother from Mary Poppins. The album was released on 22 October 1969 on Atlantic Records, with advance orders of 400,000 copies. The advertising campaign was built around the slogan 'Led Zeppelin II Now Flying'. Commercially, Led Zeppelin II was the band's first album to hit No. 1 in the US, knocking The Beatles' Abbey Road (1969) twice from the top spot, where it remained for seven weeks. As such, the album is generally considered to be hugely influential on the development of rock music, being an early forerunner of heavy metal, and inspiring a host of other rock bands including Aerosmith, Van Halen and Guns N' Roses. Since its initial critical reception, Led Zeppelin II has been acknowledged by many critics and music writers as one of the most influential albums of rock music of all time, and has earned several accolades from music publications, frequently placed at or near the top of "best album" lists.

ALBUM PLAYED FOR AUDIO GRADING:

Yes – brilliant! Top AUDIO sound quality throughout!

This great record plays up to the high visual grading and beyond. It plays with Incredibly Powerful and clear sound, with no grove wear or blurring of the sound separation; incredibly rare on an original Plum pressing!

Great audio with minimal interference to distract form the overly enjoyment of this great record and only light surface or static noise between the tracks.

Strong, undistorted sound free of any loud pops or clicks. Channels are clean and unstressed.

This is a great PLUM press of Zep II. The music jumps out, with definition and clarity, particularly on the percussion instruments, and vocals which come through with tremendous power. Its the same with the bass guitar and drums, whilst the guitars come through crisp and clear.

Great Clear Audio, this album plays with minimal background noise or static. While this record does have some marks it really plays with superb audio . I will give a detailed account below:

Starting off with the classic 'Whole Lotta Love', it sounds amazing with bright clear audio. Continuing the very high standard 'What is a What Should Never Be' also plays superbly. Some very light background static in places, but nothing obtrusive. 'Killing Floor' sounds superb, with really bright sound, even in the quietest of sections. No pops or clicks and certainly not a hit of distortion. 'Thank You' a real test for Zep II sounds great, super clear sound. there are five light tics near the start, but I would not say that they interfere with the enjoyment of this great track. A great first side, with no loud pops or clicks, no distortion at all.

Side two begins with 'Heartbreaker', and it plays brilliantly, only very light and occasional static to be found. No pops clicks or even light tics. 'Livin Lovin Maid' a complex heavily layer track, and all the layering here is heard really clear. It take us to 'ramble On' which sounds superb, and this is such hard track to find with even half way decent audio. It just plays superbly with no loud pops, no clicks, no hissing, some very minor static. Incredible reverberation with Plant's vocals clearly moving across the channels, and effect that is often lost. The classic 'Moby Dick' again sound great, even on the very quiet section in the middle there is nominal surface sound and a couple of very light near in audible tics. 'bring It On Home' also sounds great, with no pops or clicks and just some light static during the intro.

This is a great audio performance, hardly any static, (that is found on all vinyls, even unplayed examples) anywhere on this record, and needless to say, NO distortion, NO sticks or jumps what so ever. NO loud pop or click. The whole album plays with amazing power and clarity.

This is a very rare clear example and a pleasure to listen too. A few minor sound blemishes as stated but the overall audio is extremely bright loud and clear.

A great all round example of this great vinyl. This really is a staggering early stereo mix, unlike the re-issues which lack the impact. Grades at EXCELLENT to EXCELLENT PLUS.

THE RECORD – VISUAL GRADING

This is a superb piece of glossy vinyl, and a really thick pressing. Deep clear grooves that can only be found on the original pressings, this vinyl does have some marks but has been over played, its still a lovely piece and sounds sensational.

NO serious scratches but there are a few faint hairlines, a couple of scuffs and handling marks. Not pristine but still a lovely piece, and no serious marks that cause continuous interference to the sound quality.

I'm going to grade this strictly at EXCELLENT Minus.

THE COVER

These thin Un Laminated Zep II card covers are notoriously prone to damage, with serious ring wear and destruction to the edges. It must be one of the most prone to wear of ANY of the original classic covers from the 1960's and 70's, possibly the most prone to wear. The Spines are nearly always flattened, worn and un readable. Not this one! This is a very nice cover in Excellent all round condition.

The Inner Gatefold is clean and just has a couple of light

rubs. There is virtually no scuffing to the corners, and minimal rubbing along the edges, and by Bomber cover standards, its largely unmarked. The edges have not lost their colour, which is highly unusually. The opening edges are very square and totally un frayed. The white areas are very white, with very few blemishes and just a couple of tiny creases on the back.

The back cover is nice and clean, with minimal ring wear, which is virtually un heard of for these delicate covers.

There is one or two light spine creases, but nothing very serious. The Spine shows minimal wear, but does have a small rub, which I have clearly illustrated in the images below.

A great example of this ultra delicate cover!!! Conservatively graded at EXCELLENT.

THE LABELS - NEAR MINT CONDITION

Both labels are in great condition and carry the Warner Brothers / Jewel Music Publishing credit. Famous PLUM labels are Superb, with no marks or writing, and no discernible spindle wear. Some light spindle traces can be found, and they are very light!

Great all round deep coloured examples, wonderful!

THE INNER

Excellent condition, original plain white paper inner. NO tears , NO wear at the top. Just some light discolouration as these original inners always have and some light creasing.

The vinyl will of course come with a replacement poly lined inner to protect the original.

RARITY

A PLUM PRESS in this type of condition is scarce. The vinyl is so often played so much, heavily marked, scratched, with noisy, poor and distorted sound. Any EARLY UK PRESS examples with a record in this type of condition, that plays practically great, is very rare. This is a great press with the rare 'Killing Floor' credit.

The cover is almost impossible to find without serious wear, even modestly worn examples are scarce and this one is one of the better examples. Finding a great cover like this, with an original piece of vinyl, fantastic!.

PLUM pressings are infinitely more rare than the later orange and green labels, but finding copies that sound great is a real challenge. Usually they sound very poor, the mastering is patchy, and of course, they were so often heavily played on old fashioned, destructive equipment, or worse, past around at parties.

THIS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO OWN AN EXTREMELY RARE PIECE OF MUSICAL HISTORY, WITH A WONDERFUL RICH CLEAR SOUND THAT IS NOW SERIOUSLY HARD TO FIND.