LED ZEPPELIN II Scarce UK 69 Killing Floor Plum EX++ LP

	£		132
	$		175

Artist or Band: LED ZEPPELIN

Album Title: Led Zeppelin II

Producer: Jimmy Page.

Executive Producer: Peter Grant.

Engineer(s): Eddie Kramer, George Chkiantz; Andrew Johns, Chris Huston.

Label/Format: Atlantic – orange and maroon (‘plum’) format. This second pressed example has ‘Killing Floor’ on the labels that replaced ‘The Lemon Song’ for legal reasons. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both in beautiful clean conditions. Strong, rich and vibrant colour and clearly hardly handled or likely played, reitterated by fantastic clean sound. Even the hole rims are pristine and unchipped or even discoloured, the fit remains very tight on my LP12 spindle. Spindle marks are very light indeed and those few present only really show with angled viewing under light. The matt surfaces dont even show any finger mark traces, these classic ‘plums’ rarely get seen better than this.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Whole Lotta Love; What Is and What Should Never Be; Killing Floor (The Lemon Song); Thank You.

Side 2: Heartbreaker; Livin’ Lovin’ Maid (Shes just a Woman); Ramble On; Moby Dick; Bring It On Home.

Cat Number: 588198.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 142 grams. .

Country of Manufacture: England.

Original Year of Release: 1969. Although this is not a very first pressing it’s a very strong copy and plays with near perfect sound. Heavier pressed than most all others I have had including the very first made, this is the earliest ‘Killing Floor’ copy I have seen and it sounds absolutely stunning.

Rarity: Over time, I have found finding ‘Killing Floor’ copies harder to find than ‘Lemon Song’ copies and that is the honest truth. This is not really a rare album and that is being honest, it simply sold in vast amounts but like Beatles and Stones albums, it is really difficult to find top copies. The vinyl is so often played into submission, heavily marked, scratched and with noisy, poor and distorted sound – all common traits of a well played copy on less than sympathetic equipment. When any Plum example shows with a record in this type of condition, that plays practically perfectly, it does become much rarer. This record has breathtaking sound, it could be argued fractionally less rich as the very first pressing but only the most sensitive listener on the mega-fi systems would notice any major discernible difference. What is certain, any plum copy will blow away the orange and green pressings that followed in 1971 and beyond. Also remember the cover, it’s one of the most impossible to find with no wear, even modestly worn examples are scarce and this one is very nice indeed, not perfect but one of the best of the correct mid-browns I have yet seen. This unsympathetic colour simply wears and rubs almost by looking at it. Highly intolerant of handling or abuse, this rubs and ringwears so easily and is rarely seen without it. Also there are three distinct differences in the covers related to the pressings. The very first has a very pale brown cover, the second, as per this, has a mid brown finish. The later ones, with the K- Kinney number has an intense deep brown cover. Beware of substitutions, this slightly darker mid-brown cover here is correct and original for this copy. I consider a plum LZ II in this type of condition very scarce.

Matrix Nos: 588198 A6 420 1 1 / 588198 B4 1 1 1 1

Musicians: Robert Plant – Jimmy Page – John Paul Jones – John Bonham.

Album Information: For many the greatest rock album of all time - a monumental classic, without doubt, ‘Whole Lotta Love’ remains the definitive heavy rock anthem ever made. The album justifiably charted at Number 1 in the UK and US. After the raw brilliance of the heavy blues rock of their debut, ‘II’ expands the horizons still further. Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham rarely ever sounded better than on this massive issue. All rock fans and collectors will know this album well already – it’s content is legendary and it simply refuses to age or its ‘classic’ status dimish. This is one of the ‘Most Wanted’ albums ever issued, and so it should be. This is the very first pressed ‘second issue’ and ultimate original version with the ‘Killing Floor’ song title replacing ‘The Lemon Song’ due to legal reasons (the song remains the same, of course) although the cover bizarrely still carried the original song title which seems to make little sense. Of course the track is still exactly the same for playing. This is a fantastic record and it sounds marvellous with amazing audio reproduction and this played at volume on a very revealing system. Can you imagine the reaction if any band made an album of this quality and stature these days? - it’s hardly likely is it? - no wonder music connoisseurs still choose to listen to music from the golden era where quality musicians and song-writing has never been matched or surpassed.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High++. ‘Perfect’ examples are nigh-on impossible to find these days.

Cover Condition and Details: EX+ and in context of how wear-prone it is, very arguably better and I feel justifies an extra (+). With the only sigificant wear on the bottom front edge, this is an exceptional cover. A gatefold format, the second printing mid-brown type and still never tolerant of over-handling, bad storage or any abuse. Never laminated (unfortunately) attractiveness and longevity was very limited unless kept in ‘cottonwool’. Printed by E. J. Day and Co London. Please study the pictures, decide for yourself what this is like compared to most seen, my pictures do not lie, there are no digital clean ups ever used on any of my graphics – what you see is what you get. Sometimes my camera flash can actually over-emphasise any mild surface blemishes.

Cover Front: A lovely rich, mid-brown colour that retains its colour superbly. Few marks or blemishes and devoid of any significant creasing – just a couple of fine surface ones near the right edge that barely even show. Clean and very attractive with hardly any traces of rubbing and no ring or sticker marks marks - both traits this cover suffers regularly. Without doubt one of the very best fronts on the groundbreaking album I have seen for some considerable time, the lack of grubbiness and marks will be immediately apparent and all makes for a refreshing change. This front is way above average and looks great to view, not one to be hidden away, it does this classic cover near full justice.

Cover Back: Even harder to find in decent condition due to severe ringwear problems – this is one of the very best I have seen regardless of its shade. A very few very light surface creases again show little and the lack of rubbing is little short of remarkable. Both sides have no fading, again another peril this cover suffers if exposed too long to light. The colour is uniform and consistent with no patchiness. Note the lack of ringwear, a near impossible ask especially with one of the heaviest pressings made inside all these years. Even front end of the white Zeppelin is still white with minimal traces of discolour or darkening. Put up against many examples, this back will blow most away, I have seen some real shockers around over time.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Superb with little to fault at all – that famous huge Zeppelin rarely looked better. Any marks or blemishes are few and tiny and barely worthy of mention.

Top Edges: Very light patchy rubbing only, more traces than rubbing as such, both will prove very difficult to find with less.

Bottom Edges: The back edge has only very light patchy rubbing. The front has moderate(-) rubbing in the central half and then back to light for the two left and right quarters (if you see what I mean?). The central rub wear is the only really noteworthy blemish on what is an outstanding ‘difficult’ cover. Minus this, I would have certainly graded EX++ or possibly even higher. These ‘resting’ edges are obviously most prone to friction rubs in storage and few examples with ever avoid some rubbing here.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp, practically unworn. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: A really strong spine too and that is unusual as well, again one of the best seen. Very solid, clean, quite thick and straight, any compression to this is neglible. Folded very square and both the right edges meet together perfectly flush and parallel too. Showing hardly any wear, ageing or discolour, practically all ink intact with no rubbing or damage. All the delicate text full intact and present, bold, clear and totally uneroded or worn. With so many eroded and threadbare, what a refreshing change to see a LZ II spine looking like this.

Corners: The odd small tip rub to the vulnerable spine pair but the right pairs look fantastic and even tip rubs have been pretty much avoided. All retain very fine shape and strong definition and given their vulnerability, all are quite exceptional.

Cover Summary: A classic cover in very fine condition overall. It could be argued even better than EX+ but the near unavoidable bottom edge rub made EX+ accurate. But this is a ‘LZII’ EX+ and they truly don’t get seen like this too often. Importantly, it still looks fantastic to the eye, one that can be looked at and enjoyed and not hidden away. With a near immaculate, top quality playing and clean record inside, this makes for a very fine set and most collectors will enjoy this. It even includes its original inner coded 1070 and this too is in fine condition with just some mild age-toning but little creased and the lining fully intact.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: I feel this is undergraded at EX++, it does have a couple of very light surface marks on side two but mere superificial paper rub traces that have no effect on sound whatsoever. Look hard to even see them. Regardless of which pressing it is, it’s one so often played into submission – a very popular album by any title’s standard. This is beautifully clean, and retains an intense black finish with with a lovely shine and is heavily pressed at something over average weight for this title. Complex, well patterned grooves, telling vinyl ‘readers’ it has the most incredible potential sound quality and thunderous dynamics – and boy it certainly does. Any ‘Plum’ example of this landmark recording in such conditions is the exceptional rather than the rule. Early Plum copies of this one infrequently show up clearly so little played or looking better.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality: This excellent copy plays up too, and even exceeds its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault at all. As stated it has amazing sound quality with little unwanted. This is not an easy recording, it’s like a roller coaster ride in volume and quiet passages. This has immensely powerful clean sound and is totally devoid of groove-wear distortion. ‘Thank You’, easily the most difficult song on the album, plays beautifully and must rank as the very best play-back I have yet heard from a plum copy. So prone to distortion and crackle, not here and the fade-in and out at the end is ultra quiet and has nothing unwanted – few will match this. The intro to ‘Bring it on Home’ often causes problems too, but again plays superbly. Overall sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound and has little surface sound. A complex album with some monumental sound, all remained focused and sharp. The grooves are pristine clean and this record is a gateway into the recording studio itself. Few copies will match or outperform this earliest ‘Killing Floor’ pressing significantly I feel sure. I feel certain this record has been played lightly and carefully handled with lovely clean playing surfaces and stored within a non-smokers environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better overall and is strongly recommended.

The Zeppelin Hi-Fi Experience: This proves beyond any doubt, not that there was much doubt anyway, that an original vinyl record will blow away any other format (and I am rather partial those those wonderful Japanese card format CDs these days). The sound on this album is simply awesome and I use the word in its true context because this simply takes the breath away. If anybody has not heard a plum pressed Led Zeppelin II they have not really heard it at all. This will shake the foundations (and damn near did), the inherent power, scale, drama, dynamics, detail and stereo imagery are phenomenal and give that rare tingle factor only the truly great recordings ever can. Listen to that massive ‘slam’ on ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and the channel to channel guitar pyrotechnics, this is hi-fi nirvana. It was fascinating watching my Ittok arm and Ortofon tracking this complex record. The drum parts on ‘Moby Dick’ have such realism the kit could have almost been in the room. Complete silence is almost unrealistic for any vintage copy of this demanding title – but this copy has little to fault, if absolute silence is demanded best stick to the silver disc format, but you will miss out on a sound experience of a lifetime. The colossal low frequency on ‘Whole Lotta Love’ will test any amp and speakers to the limit and the sound can simply saturate on even mid-priced systems. I remembering hearing this album back in the 70s at an exhibition in London through a pair of Linn Isobarik speakers using a Naim six-pack active amp set up with a Linn LP 12 front-end deck (well at least I still have that part). This left an impression of sheer awe, that took the breath away. The sounds embedded into the early ‘Plum’ grooves are amazing and will never be replicated or beaten by any other later pressing or format. Now I am again a LP12 owner, I really turned up the volume again and let this go – I can never resist this on a worthy copy (and this is more than just worthy). This will sort out the real hi-fi systems, because many systems simply fall apart trying to control the sound on this one. A worthy amp and speaker system is almost mandatory to control the bass dynamics on this album - tin boxes will surrender almost immediately. Do not play this record on a less than worthy turntable. With my amps running hot, the bass thunders and growls, the drums and cymbals crash and zing, the guitars splinter into a frenzy and Plants vocals rarely ever sounded more sublime than on this wonderous record - yes I rather like this album, who wouldn’t?

End Piece: The word ‘essential’ and ‘classic’ are both overused (I too am guilty sometimes when offering a beautiful condition piece for a favourite title), but I make no apology for using them for this groundbreaking (and earth-shattering) album. Timeless vintage blues-rock the likes that will never be equalled. Now the reunion concert has come and gone, remind yourself what the boys sounded like back in 1969. If they sounded half as good as this monumental album, it would have been be a good night. This is a high grading above excellent all round copy and its one I can strongly recommend to all, don’t lose this one.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.