LED ZEPPELIN II 2 1969 UK LP red/plum Atlantic 588198 early A2/B5 LEMON SONG VG+

	£		49
	$		65

LED ZEPPELIN - LED ZEPPELIN II

A highly presentable and overall impressive condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1969 UK early 2nd press rock classic, on the coveted UK red/plum Atlantic record label, STEREO, 588198

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  588 198 A//2  with stampers "5 1  4 4" at 11 o'clock

Side 2   588 198 B//5 with stampers "1 1   6 6" at 9.30 o'clock

Specific identifiers (not necessarily exhaustive) of this being a nearly 2nd pressing are :

1. Subsequent pressings have A3 listed as "Killing Floor" rather than "Lemon Song" and credited to "Burnett"

2. The unlaminated gatefold outer sleeve is in a light brown colour, later pressings are dark brown

3. The phrase on B2 "She's A Woman" later becomes "She's Just A Woman"

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and nicely weighted vinyl is very good plus (VG+). Both sides have retained an impressive jet black lacquered sheen and in normal daylight show no obvious sign of wear and tear. Under a very bright light, and with close scrutiny, it is possible to detect some wispy hairlines and just a few very light and small scuff marks on each side but these are all non-"feelable" and appear to be surface only and non-intrusive in terms of both appearance and sound quality (excellent throughout). Impressive, and hard to believe that this record is a 51 year old antiquity!

The labels are excellent (EX). Gorgeous condition labels with the coveted red and plum/maroon rich colouring still perfectly intact, as is the black text and black Atlantic logo. Under a bright light I can make out a few small spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label. But apart from that, perfect! 

The iconic non-laminated E.J. Day gatefold sleeve is very good (VG).  Such an iconic sleeve, but so fragile and prone to wear and tear and becoming hard to come across a UK early pressing in excellent condition or better. No creasing and nothing nasty on this sleeve, and no unwanted writing or doodles or tears or rips, and still retaining most of the richness of it's original colouring and retaining nice clarity and definition, but there are nevertheless a number of blemishes : the top and bottom edges have mild scuffing along most of each edge, each corner does have some rubbing, all edges are firm (including the spine) but there are x3 mild crease marks on the spine along with some light "nicks" and mild abrasions (all spine text remains legible), there is a glitch at the top right corner of the front side where a sticker has been removed, there are further light marks and nicks along with some mild ring wear on the reverse side, and there is some occasional scuffing on the reverse side opening edge  - the opening edges themselves remain firm with no fraying. The inside of the gatefold is in excellent shape, with all art work, colours, and text nicely intact. In summary not perfect or even excellent, but definitely a solid very good and certainly very presentable. "Very good" then - no better, but certainly no worse.

Finally, the quality of the audio is overall excellent (EX). Impressive tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. No skips, jumps, repeats, or obvious clicks (actually I noticed only x2 very mild clicks towards the end of "Thank You"), and just some light background crackle at the beginning and the end of each side and during a couple of the quieter moments (there are hardly any!), but all of this is minor, non-intrusive and does little to diminish the overall excellent stereo sound quality with every track still (51 years on!) making for a great listen. What a truly great LP this was and still is.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. WHOLE LOTTA LOVE

2. WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE

3. THE LEMON SONG

4. THANK YOU

Side 2 :

1.HEART BREAKER

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

3. RAMBLE ON

4. MOBY DICK

5. BRING IT ON HOME

Comes with plain white inner sleeve with the original "PATENT APPLIED FOR" and "MADE IN ENGLAND" text, with no tears, splits or rips - just a little mild creasing towards the corners - and remaining 100% functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a nice overall condition and highly presentable copy (the highlights being the condition of the vinyl and quality of the stereo audio reproduction) of this increasingly rare and sought after 1969 UK coveted "red and plum"/Lemon Song 2nd press Led Zeppelin rock classic - a worthy addition to any 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 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 64 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 £5, Royal Mail signed for; continental Europe £10 and Rest of the World £14, 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