Led Zeppelin II 2 1969 UK ORIG.PLUM/RED 588198 A2/B2 LEMON SONG GREAT AUDIO EX

	£		124
	$		164

LED ZEPPELIN - LED ZEPPELIN II 2

A lovely copy of this increasingly rare and highly sought after 1969 UK 1st press Led Zep rock classic, with earliest A2, B2 vinyl matrix numbers on the coveted red & plum Atlantic record label, STEREO, 588 198

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1   588 198 A 2  with stampers "1   9 9" at 3.30 o'clock  or could be "1  5 9" - difficult to make out 2nd digit

Side 2    588 198 B 2  with stampers "1     1  14" at 12.30 o'clock 

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and nicely weighted vinyl is excellent (EX). It is difficult to believe that this vinyl is a 51 year old antiquity - each side gleams, with a gorgeous jet black sheen and in normal daylight comes across as completely unmarked. It is only with close scrutiny under a very bright light that a few small and wispiest of wispy hairlines come into few along with a couple of equally light paper scuffs - hardly detectable, even under a bright light. Nothing feelable, nothing below the surface, and all very trivial and superficial. I should add though that there is a non-obvious (in other words you need to listen out for it) single groove skip about a quarter of the way through "Whole Lotta Love". Annoyingly, and extremely frustratingly, I have been unable to detect the reason for this, even with closest scrutiny under a magnifying glass under a halogen light. I would normally expect to find a concentric scratch but there is nothing! I therefore assume that this minor glitch is down to a speck of dust caught in the grooves resulting from years and years of storage, and for which a proper clean may rectify. For this reason I would grade the condition of the vinyl as side 2 a little better than excellent and side 1 a little below excellent...hence "excellent" overall.

The labels are excellent (EX). Gorgeous condition labels with black text upon the smooth red/plum/white background and, of course, the iconic Atlantic logo, all in tip-top condition. The only blemishes (each very minor) are a few small and extremely faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label, and on the side 1 label a small area of what looks like some plum coloured ink run on the right side of the label where the white strip borders the plum colour area - very minor, and quite possibly resulting from a manufacturing glitch, and if anything adds a little charm and uniqueness to the label itself. Note the 1st press "THE LEMON SONG" text on the side 1 label - this was changed on later pressings to "KILLING FLOOR".

The condition of the non-laminated outer sleeve is excellent (EX). I should say from the outset that these 1st pressing sleeves are renowned for their fragility and it is now becoming very difficult to come across copies in such excellent condition as this. All edges, including the spine, remain firm with some sporadic light scuffing only - a little more prevalent on the bottom edges but still light. Each corner remains a nicely defined right angle with minimal rubbing, all spine text is perfectly intact, the opening edges remain firm with no feathering apart from a some minor intermittent fraying towards the top of the front side edge (very minor), and there is no obvious creasing at all. There is a single 1cm light surface crease adjacent and perpendicular to the spine 9cm up from the bottom of the spine which does impinge upon the spine ever so slightly. But apart from these minor blemishes the condition is great. All colours, photos, artwork, and text remain rich, vibrant and clearly defined, and the inside of the gatefold is difficult to fault in any way - very, very impressive. Note the light brown colouring which is associated with 1st pressings - later pressings had dark brown.

The quality of the audio is excellent. Great tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. No repeats, sticks or obvious clicks, and barely any crackle or interference - just the hint of some very mild background crackle at the very beginning and end of each side, but this is not-intrusive at all and virtually negligible. Note the aforementioned single groove skip on "Whole Lotta Love" - for the life of me I have been unable to identify any fault in the vinyl - it must be a speck of dust. Every track on this wonderful, timeless LP makes for great listening, and these 1st pressings have so much more power and "raunchiness" than later pressings/re-issues, which somehow seem diluted. What a superb album this is!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. WHOLE LOTTA LOVE

2. WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE

3. THE LEMON SONG - later copies/reissues had "KILLING FLOOR" on both the label and the g/fold

4. THANK YOU

Side 2 :

1. HEART BREAKER

2. LIVIN' LOVIN' MAN (SHE'S A WOMAN)   - later copies/reissues had "SHE'S JUST A WOMAN" on both the label and the g/fold

3. RAMBLE ON

4. MOBY DICK

5. BRING IT ON HOME

Comes with original and excellent condition poly-lined "PLASTIC BAGS CAN BE DANGEROUS" inner sleeve with "British Patent..." and "MADE IN ENGLAND" text and dated as "/48  /119" - no rips or tears and just a little mild creasing towards the corners and some very mild discolouration towards the top edge, and of course remaining fully functional. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve for shipping purposes in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly excellent condition and eminently presentable copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1969 UK 1st press Led Zeppelin rock classic - the whole LP remains a tremendous listen....timeless, in fact. A "must" for any serious rock vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £4.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; 

Continental Europe £11, and Rest of the World £15 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler