Led Zeppelin II SD 8236, Stereo, 1st Monarch Pressing, RL Hot Mix, US, 1969

$

500

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• Artist: Led Zeppelin

• Title: Led Zeppelin II

• Label: Atlantic

• Catalog number: SD 8236

• Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold, RL Hot Mix

• Year: 1969

• Country: US

• Edition: US First Pressing (Monarch Pressing, Robert Ludwig Mastering)

• Genre: Hard Rock / Blues Rock

Led Zeppelin II is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on October 22, 1969, by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at various locations in both the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. The album's production was entirely credited to the band's guitarist and songwriter, Jimmy Page, and it was the first Led Zeppelin album to utilize the studio talents of legendary engineer Eddie Kramer.

The album exhibited a massive development in the band's blues-derived sound, establishing a heavy, guitar-riff-driven style that became a defining blueprint for hard rock and heavy metal. It was a monumental commercial success, dethroning The Beatles' Abbey Road to reach number one on the charts in both the US and the UK. It features some of the band's most iconic and enduring tracks, including "Whole Lotta Love," "Heartbreaker," "The Lemon Song," and "Ramble On."

• This copy represents the absolute holy grail for Led Zeppelin vinyl enthusiasts: an authentic, 1969 US first pressing featuring the legendary "RL" (Robert Ludwig) "Hot Mix" on both sides.

  When the album was initially prepared for release, Atlantic Records hired mastering engineer Robert Ludwig at Sterling Sound. Ludwig cut the audio with an incredibly high dynamic range and a thunderous, uncompressed bass response. However, when early copies were distributed, executives found that the intense low frequencies caused the needle to skip on the cheap, low-end record players common at the time. Atlantic immediately pulled the RL pressings from production and ordered a quieter, heavily compressed remaster to replace them.

  Consequently, original "Hot Mix" copies are rare, highly valuable, and universally praised by audiophiles as the finest, punchiest sonic presentation of this masterpiece. Furthermore, this specific copy was pressed at the Monarch Record Mfg. Co. plant in Los Angeles (indicated by the -MO label suffix and deadwax delta symbols), a facility revered by collectors for producing some of the highest-quality vinyl pressings of the era.

• Labels: Green and red Atlantic labels with the original "1841 Broadway, New York, N.Y." address at the bottom. Suffix -MO on the label matrix indicates a Monarch pressing. Front cover features an authentic "Gold Record Award" sticker.

• Side 1 Matrix (Runout): ST-A-691671-I LW AT RL SS (along with Monarch delta/plating marks)

• Side 2 Matrix (Runout): ST-A-691672-MO - CC △13933-X LW AT RL SS

• Key Deadwax Identifiers:

  • RL = Hand-etched signature of mastering specialist Robert Ludwig.

  • SS = Sterling Sound studio stamp.

  • AT = Atlantic Records mastering indicator.

  • LW = Longwear Plating indicator.

  • △ (Delta) & MR (in circle) = Custom plating numbering specific to Monarch Record Mfg. Co.