LED ZEPPELIN II 1969 UK LP RED&PLUM Atlantic, glossy vinyl/impressive audio, VG+

	£		43
	$		57

LED ZEPPELIN - LED ZEPPELIN II

An increasingly rare and sought after original early UK pressing of this 1969 Led Zeppelin 2 classic LP on the ATLANTIC label, 588198

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1 588198 A//6 420 with stampers "1 1" and "1 8" at 8 o'clock 

Side 2  588198 B//4 with stampers "1 4 8" at 8.30 o'clock 

The appearance of the vinyl is excellent. The vinyl has retained a beautiful jet black sheen on each side - gorgeous! In normal daylight there are just a couple of barely visible light scuffs and wispy hairlines; under a bright light and when tilted at the right angle a few more wispy hairlines come into view and I detected one very small scratch towards the end of the final track of side 1 which results in some mild (but noticeable) clicking. Apart from that solitary very small scratch there appears to be nothing below the surface and certainly nothing "feelable" (including the small scratch in question).

The labels are excellent+. Near perfect in fact, apart from just a couple of very, very light spindle trails on each side adjacent to the centre hole - again, you need to look hard to spot them.

Note that the side 1 label lists the third track as "KILLING FLOOR" but on the outer sleeve the track is listed as "THE LEMON SONG".

The non-laminated Gothic Print outer gatefold sleeve is very good.  Such an iconic sleeve, and this one has retained it's wonderful rich colour vibrancy and high definition. There are no hand written names or doodles, and no nasty creases, rips or tears. However, the top and bottom edges contain noticeable scuffing and on the bottom edges this scuffing is along the entire edge. Having said that the edges, and spine, remain firm with no obvious creasing at all and although there are some small and occasional "nicks" along the spine all writing remains legible. Similarly each corner remains a well defined right angle but there is noticeable scuffing/rubbing on each corner. The opening edges remain firm with virtually no fraying at all. The reverse side contains a couple of minor "nicks" but apart from that the colouring and imagery on the reverse side and front side (especially) remains as iconically impressive as ever. And the same is true for the inside centrefold - brilliant!

Finally, the quality of the audio is very good+. In fact, for the vast majority of this album the audio quality is excellent or better with great tone and clarity even at higher volume and on the higher frequencies. There is just one small scratch on "THANK YOU" resulting in a number of mild clicks (I counted 20 in total) and a little background interference - not severe, but noticeable nonetheless. And there is just a little, occasional and mild background static/crackle - this really is minor and only noticeable at the beginning and end of each side, during the interludes and some of the quieter moments (there are not many). In summary, not perfect but still a great listen throughout.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. WHOLE LOTTA LOVE

2. WHAT IS WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE

3. KILLING FLOOR (note that this track is listed as THE LEMON SONG on the outer sleeve)

4. THANK YOU

Side 2 :

1. HEARTBREAKER

2. LIVIN' LOVIN' MAID (SHE'S JUST A WOMAN)

3. RAMBLE ON

4. MOBY DICK

5. BRING IT ON HOME

Comes with original poly-lined "PLASTIC BAGS CAN BE DANGEROUS" inner sleeve which has no splits or tears but does suffer from some mild age discolouration and, a little fraying around the centre die-cut, and some mild creasing at two of the corners - but still fully functional even after all these years. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a solid VG copy of this rare and sought after 1969 UK early red & maroon pressing rock classic - a "must" for any serious rock vinyl collection and only continuing 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 48 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 63 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 cardboard mailer along with at least two 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 Royal Mail 1st class for UK £3.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for, for continental Europe £11 and Rest of the World £15. 

 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