LED ZEPPELIN II 1969 UK very early pressing on plum & red Atlantic, 588198

	£		40
	$		53

LED ZEPPELIN II

Rare and sought after 1969 UK early pressing rock classic in all round excellent condition, on the coveted Atlantic red & plum label, 588198

 Matrix Numbers :

  Side 1 588198  A//6  420 1 1  Side 2   588198 B//4 1 1  1 3 

The appearance of the vinyl is excellent, bright and shiny and with a gorgeous gleam in normal light. Once held under a bright light, and even then it has to be at the right  angle, there are a few paper scuffs and very wispy, very thin hairlines that come into evidence. But all of this is cosmetic and surface only, and in normal daylight this record comes across as a "gleamer"!

Each label is excellent+. All writing remains perfectly defined, as do the colours with no fading whatsoever. There are just a couple of very, very faint and very very short spindle traces adjacent to the centre hole on each side. 

The iconic outer gatefold sleeve is very good. There is scuffing and rubbing on both the top and bottom edges and again on the corners. The spine is a little flattened though all writing remains perfectly legible. And on the reverse side a little mild ring wear is in evidence. The inside of the gatefold, however, is still in great shape with no blemishes at all (it still makes me shiver when I open up the gatefold of this album, it's so iconic and brings back so many happy childhood memories). 

And finally there is the quality of the audio, which is mostly excellent, at times simply stunning and at times slightly less than excellent! Beautiful tone with great clarity. I played this record in it's entirety on my Pioneer PL-X99 turntable with an almost new diamond stylus and the reproduction was brilliant. So, so, so much better than a CD!! Not quite perfect, however...there is some mild background crackle in places, just audible during some of the quieter moments and at the beginning of each side (side 1 beginning more so). Nothing here to detract from the overall amazing audio quality. Note that the majority of the "quieter moments" are accompanied by no crackle at all..I'm just being a little conservative in my overall assessment of the audio quality. Just listen to "The Lemon Song" or "Heartbreaker" to be completely blown away.

The tracks are :

Side A :

1. WHOLE LOTTA LOVE

2. WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE

3. THE LEMON SONG ( on the label it's "KILLING FLOOR")

4. THANK YOU

Side B :

1. HEARTBREAKER

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

3. RAMBLE ON

4. MOBY DICK

5. BRING IT ON HOME

Comes with original Atlantic poly-lined inner, with no splits or tears and still fully functional.

In summary, an excellent early pressing of this groundbreaking rock classic with super audio.

 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 listings for more 50's, 60's and 70's classic vinyl.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 45 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 over the years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boots, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I never intended selling any of my records but now I am retired and a combination of space requirements (caused partly by duplication) and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell many of my much loved gems. 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 removing the record from the outer sleeve in order to prevent sleeve damage in transit. I do NOT profiteer from postage costs. I DO take great care in minimising all risk thereby ensuring, as far as possible, that your purchase reaches it's destination in exactly the same condition as when I post it. For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for : UK £4.50, continental Europe £9, and Rest of the World £14. I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. Good luck with your bidding. Richard

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: The record 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

Description: 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

Description: 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

Description: 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, discoloration, etc.

Fair 

Description: 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 will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor

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

Bad

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