LED ZEPPELIN II ORIGINAL UK PLUM RED PRESSING ACID PSYCH PROG BLUES HARD ROCK

$

43

Original UK pressing on the red/plum Atlantic label. The gatefold sleeve and the record are in very good condition.

Led Zeppelin II is the second album released by English rock band Led Zeppelin in 1969. Here they further developed ideas established on their debut album, creating a work which became even more widely acclaimed and arguably more influential!!!

The album was recorded during a hectic and much-traveled period of the band's career from January through August 1969, when they completed four European and three American concert tours. Each song was separately recorded, mixed and produced at various studios in the UK and the U.S. The finished tracks reflect the raw, evolving sound of the band and their innovations as live performers.
 
It has been suggested that Led Zeppelin II largely writes the blueprint for 1970s hard rock. Blues-derived songs like "Whole Lotta Love", "Heartbreaker", "The Lemon Song" and "Bring It on Home" are now standards of the genre, where the guitar-based riff (rather than vocal chorus or verses) defines the song and provides the key hook. Such arrangements and emphases were at the time atypical in popular music. As such, the album is generally considered to be very influential on the development of rock music, being an early forerunner of heavy metal, and inspiring a host of other rock bands including Van Halen and Guns N' Roses!!

Led Zeppelin II also experimented with other musical styles and approaches, as on the alternately soft-and-loud "What Is and What Should Never Be" and "Ramble On" (which featured Page's acoustic guitar), or the pop-influenced ballad "Thank You". With its mysterious atmospherics, "Ramble On" helped develop hard rock's association with fantasy themes, which had partly derived from the psychedelic rock of two to three years before, but also from lyricist Robert Plants personal interest in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien. This direction would later culminate on Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album (and countless subsequent groups would later carry the influence to further extremes). Conversely, the instrumental "Moby Dick" features an extended drum solo by John Bonham, which would later be extended to a half-hour or more in live Led Zeppelin concert performances!.

Jimmy Page's contribution to this album was significant, as his electric guitar solo on the song "Heartbreaker" was emulated by many younger rock guitarists, and exemplifies the group's intense musical attack. Page's innovative recording and drum miking effects on tracks such as "Ramble On" and "Whole Lotta Love" also demonstrated his considerable skill, resourcefulness and originality as a producer. This was the first Led Zeppelin album to feature Page playing a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, the guitar he helped make famous!!!

Side one
"Whole Lotta Love" (John Bonham, Willie Dixon, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) – 5:34
"What Is and What Should Never Be" (Page, Plant) – 4:45
"The Lemon Song" (Howlin' Wolf, Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) – 6:19
"Thank You" (Page, Plant) – 4:50

Side two
"Heartbreaker" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) – 4:14
"Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" (Page, Plant) – 2:39
"Ramble On" (Page, Plant) – 4:24
"Moby Dick" (Bonham, Jones, Page) (instrumental) – 4:22
"Bring It on Home" (Page, Plant) – 4:20
 
The matrix
side 1. 588198 A 2 (Earliest possible for this pressing)
side2.  588198 B 2 (Earliest possible for this pressing)

NOTE! Postage indicated in the auction is not the actual postage as ebay doesn't allow a higher postage then 4 US$ in this category. Postage for this item is 13 US$ to most countries within Europe and 26 US$ for the rest of the world. This is up to 2kg, so you can add up to 6 more LP's for the same postage. Postage for 7 LP´s is the same as for 1 LP, so buy more to save on postage!

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POSTAGE COSTS FOR THE BUYER:
Postage for 1 LP is the same as for 7 LP's (<2kg), so please order more LP's to save on shipping!
1-7 LP's priority mail:

EUR1: 13 US$
EUR2: 15 US$
EUR3: 17 US$
Rest of the world: 26 US$

EUR1:
Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Spain, UK, Sweden

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Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic

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