LED ZEPPELIN II A1 / B1 (Red/Plum Label 2nd pressing)

This iconic debut LP is the first pressing after the 'Turquoise' one and is in wonderful condition.  This tends to be known as a second pressing as it has the Warner Bros publishing credit on the red/plum labels.

Identical to the one housed in the Turquoise lettered cover it is fully laminated with orange lettering and has the grey/silver band along the bottom edge.  It is 'Printed and Made by MacNeill Press Ltd, London SE1 and also has the 'Uptight an' Outasight' info on the back of the cover.

Side One // 588171 (2nd 8 crossed out , replaced with etched 8) A // 1 1 2 1 1

Side Two // 588171 (2nd 8 crossed out , replaced with etched 8) B // 1 1 3 4 4

The audio on Side One is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections)

'Your Time is Gonna Come' and 'I Can't Quit You Baby' on S2 are Ex- the rest is Ex+

The laminated cover is Ex

The labels are Mint-

The 'Plastic Bags..' poly-lined inner is Ex

Visual grading

This is without doubt the cleanest A1/B1 pressing I have ever seen.  For a vinyl approaching 50 years of age to have such a stunning glossy sheen like this is very rare.  There is only one little mark on 'Dazed and Confused' but this has no affect on the audio whatsoever and under a bright light I cannot detect any obvious hairlines and there are certainly no scratches.  There is only a minimal amount of spindle wear (slightly more on S2) so it has obviously not been played a great deal, so rare for this debut LP and that is definitely borne out by the fantastic visual quality.  There is even a little vinyl flaking on the Side Two spindle hole and this is what you find on new vinyl that has only seen a turntable a couple of times!  It is not often you find this record in such immaculate condition, an absolute stunner!

Play grading  

With hardly any lead in static you are hoping that 'Good Times Bad Times' is going to play as well as you suspect it will and I am happy to report the audio does not disappoint!  The strength and power is second to none and there are no clicks, pops or crackle at all.   The is minimum number of dust ticks, the sonic quality is quite simply the best I have heard on an A1/B1 pressing.  The acoustic intro to 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You' plays with sublime quality.  I heard one dull click and very light intermittent static but you expect a little interference (if you can it that) on a vinyl of this age.  There are a few louder static sounds towards the end but don't let this detract you from what is another track with high quality audio.  The louder sections have no distortion which is a rarity and pays testament to how infrequently it has been played and to how well it has been cared for down the decades.  The bluesy 'You Shook Me' has immaculate audio and displays a clarity and depth you so rarely hear on A1/B1 pressings today.  The bass comes to the fore superbly and there is nothing intrusive on this classic track whatsoever.  At worst there are a few dust ticks but your ears have to be close to the speakers to hear them!  Audio does not get better than this!!  The bass intro into 'Dazed and Confused' is absolutely stunning.  The track continues with mind-blowing quality.  There is a little quiet static in the instrumental middle section but again it does not intrude on what is breathtakingly superb audio.  The louder sections again play with no distortion.  I just do not have enough superlatives for this track, well for the whole side really!

'Your Time is Gonna Come' has some light crackle and 3/4 pops in the first minute or so and this is the only interference of any note on this classic album thus far.  Thereafter it plays extremely clearly with only a couple of further clicks.  Yes the clarity is still there but it doesn't have the stunning quality of Side One.  Normal service is resumed on 'Black Mountain Side' which plays with wonderful audio once more with only a hint of barely audible static in a couple of places.  What follows is a superb version of 'Communication Breakdown'.  With no interference it really 'rocks out' and has no distortion, a fabulous listen.  For some reason despite this side being as 'clean' as Side One 'I Can't Quit You Baby' does have some background crackle in the quieter sections although it is largely non-intrusive.  The play back is still of an excellent standard and the clarity is still there but the audio isn't as 'high end' as previously heard.  'How Many More Times' ends the LP with great sound and only minor background interference.  There is a little static and perhaps the slightest of distortion but is still one of the best versions I have heard in a long time.  There are no loud pops or jumps and again the lead guitar and bass really shine here not forgetting Bonham's drums of course.  The second half in particular is stunning and plays with a real dynamic sound.  A fantastic ending to an iconic album.

Cover

The laminated 'MacNeill' cover has stood the test of time very well and is in overall excellent condition.  It is extremely clean and the only real area of wear is a small 1cm split on the silver strip leading to the opening edge.  Aside from that the edges and spine are in superb shape with no shelf wear and the opening edge itself is very clean with barely any handling wear.  The laminate on both sides has no splits or lifting, it only has 3/4 faint creases on the front cover.  The back cover also remains in wonderful condition with no obvious wear.  In summary this iconic cover is in excellent shape and there wouldn't be many around that would better it.

Poly-lined inner sleeve

The 'Plastic Bags Can Be Dangerous' sleeve has no splits or tears and only some light creasing and faint age related marking.  It has the Patent nos 800513 &  973939 and 1/1270 printed on the sleeve.  This refers to the release date so I am not entirely sure if this is the original sleeve as of course this album was released in the UK in March '69 but they were often printed in advance so very well may be..

Labels

They are both in lovely condition with no writing and only a small amount of spindle wear as previously stated.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

Side One // 588171 (2nd 8 crossed out , replaced with etched 8) A // 1 1 2 1 1

Side Two // 588171 (2nd 8 crossed out , replaced with etched 8) B // 1 1 3 4 4

Any questions please feel free to ask

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