LED ZEPPELIN II - RARER UK LATE ATLANTIC PLUM 71 EX+ LP

	£		114
	$		151

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe (including Russia) £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

PLEASE NOTE: Overseas packets that go through the customs system, can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to process and deliver, this IS normal. For Russia, this can take even longer and is out of my control, so please be patient.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: LED ZEPPELIN

Album Title: Led Zeppelin II

Producer: Jimmy Page.

Executive Producer: Peter Grant.

Label/Format: Atlantic – orange and maroon (‘plum’) format. This one of the final pressings on this label that included the revised song title ‘Killing Floor’ instead of ‘The Lemon Song’, before being changed to the new orange and green format. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions & Overview: Both retain strong, rich and vibrant colour and freshness with light spindle marks on side one, more moderate on two – but all are fine and only really seen under angled light.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Whole Lotta Love; What Is and What Should Never Be; Killing Floor; 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.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 122 grams. A good around average weight for this album.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Original Year of Release: October 1969. The original inner sleeve of this copy has a date-code of 0471 (April 1971), so quite a late Plum pressing.

Rarity: Led Zeppelin II albums are not that hard to find, let’s be honest. But finding clean examples that offer high quality sound, very fine looks and a lesser-worn cover are a different matter. I use the term ‘lesser-worn’ for the clear reason of finding near mint covers is massively difficult. One of rock’s most unforgiving sleeves and seldom seen even a fine excellent. The records were so often played to destruction – and why not? – since issue, it has retained it’s classic status and is one of rock’s most popular albums. So not too difficult to find very average or poor condition copies, but better examples has always proved more challenging.

Matrix Nos: 588198 A//6 420 1 1 2 5 & 588198 B//4 1 4 2 3 (other digits unclear)

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

Album Information: For many the greatest rock album of all time - a monumental and evergreen classic. Without any 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 it’s ‘classic’ status diminish. This is one of the ‘Most Wanted’ albums ever issued, and so it should be. This copy has the ‘Killing Floor’ song on the label changed from ‘The Lemon Song’ for legal reasons – the song plays exactly the same of course. Also worthy of mention is the cover: the first issues had a paler brown cover than later ones. The Killing Floor plum pressings had a darker, usually more mid-brown sleeve. This one quite dark and one of the darkest I have seen with the original 588198 catalogue number. The inner sleeve with it’s date code of 0471 means this is one is a late Plum pressing making it a quite rare example. It’s condition is very nice too, all details below.

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

Cover Condition and Details: EXCELLENT: and in context of how wear-prone it is, arguably better with the main faces in very fine condition. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt smooth surfaces. This the very late darker brown colour brown, these I personally think are rarer as fewer were actually made. Printed and made in England by E. J. Day.

Cover Front: A very impressive front that will never be easy to find much better. Still very clean, fresh with the only rubbing of any note on the corner tips. Barely any creasing and the quite intense dark brown colour unfaded and the white areas still just that – white, with barely any hint of the usual grubbiness seen on so many. One of the most satisfyiingly clean front on this cover I have seen for some time. And worthy of mention for the specialist Led Zeppelin collector, this is considerably darker than the first printings and even most of the mid-brown originals I have seen.

Cover Back: Even harder to find in decent condition often due to severe ring wear issues – large solid areas of dark colour always wear badly and are seldom seen so devoid of major wear. Immediately apparent again is the lack of rubbing with the deep brown unrubbed or ring worn – again the white Zeppelin front looking clean and devoid or grubbiness. Smallish tip rubs again and a few gentle surface marks near the bottom edge that only shows under angled light – these fine, faint and few. A tiny rub trace near the logo near the bottom (but look hard). The lack of creasing is again unusual, but most welcome and when opened to full extent, this spread looks fantastic.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Barely any real wear at all and again very attractive. A trace of crinkle near the top to the left of the fold, but it shows little and again this spread looks impressively clean and devoid of wear.

Top Edges: Very light and patchy rubbing and a very slight, gentle wave on the front to the left, this only really apparent viewed end-on. The right tips have rubbed.

Bottom Edges: A fraction more rubbing than above and moderate rubbing to the right ends. Given these are the storage edges, few will have a great deal less.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and impressively sharp, practically unworn and crisp with barely any thickening and any burr traces tiny and bordering on minuscule. The record enters on the back edge, the front being sealed – both guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression, a very slight tilt to left being critical. This one being a little wider than some I have seen, so a gentle central crease has naturally formed simply from opening. But this looks very impressive with barely any wear at all up to the tips that have small rubs. Ultra clean, fresh and unfaded with all the text perfect, present and unworn. Almost incredibly, both the folds retain fully ink coverage without even a chip or barely a crease. These are seldom seen quite like this.

Corners: Moderate tip rubs with fine to very fine shape retained. Dark covers will emphasise tip rubbing more of course.

Cover Summary: A classic cover in very fine condition overall – I think my grading after even closer inspection is over-cautious and a (+) is merited. Edge and corner rubbing is immensely hard to avoid, but with the main areas looking almost exceptionally attractive, it should please many, if not most collectors. This very deeply coloured brown ‘Day’ original is an interesting variant and sets a high standard.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): and in exceptional condition. A Polydor-style lined inner that is date-coded 0471 (April, 1971) as seen in my close up picture (the 04 a little faint). Barely a crease to be seen and two window circles that look practically as made. The lining ultra clear and even crinkle-free, that is seldom seen. All edges unsplit with no repairs. This historically important inner matches the era of issue of this late Plum copy. I have seen few of these inners in better condition and within a whisker of a Mint(-) grading.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): an very fine example that is very clean and retains an intense black finish with a fine shine and solidly pressed. Complex, well patterned grooves, telling vinyl ‘readers’ it has the most intense sound quality and varied volume. In places wide and jagged which indicates thunderous dynamics – and it certainly has. Any ‘Plum’ example of this landmark recording in such conditions is the exceptional rather than the rule. Any surface marks are few, fine and faint as seen critically under angled light. Possibly played a few times, but it appears with utmost care, reitterated by impressive clean sound. With so many Plum pressings seen trashed or at least heavily played, this one has only very low mileage.

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 snippets 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality: This late Plum example plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. As stated it has amazing sound quality and this is not an easy recording. A roller coaster ride in volume and quiet passages. This has immensely powerful and mostly very clean sound and is totally devoid of groove-wear, distortion or pressing noises. ‘Thank You’, easily the most difficult song on the album, plays well. So prone to distortion and heavy crackle, sometimes scratched as well due to premature lifting of the arm as the music faded away – only to return again. This has avoided scratching and any surface sound is light and gentle on this difficult area. Just enough to politely remind it is a 42-year-old record being played and not a clinically clean digital version. The intro to ‘Bring it on Home’ often causes problems too, but again plays very well indeed. Overall sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. A complex album with some monumental sound, all remained focused and sharp. The grooves are very clean and this record is a gateway into the recording studio itself. Few copies will outperform this copy significantly I feel sure. I feel certain this record has been played carefully and relatively lightly from the one-owner-from-new copy. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and merits strong recommendation.

The Zeppelin II Hi-Fi Experience: This proves beyond any doubt, not that there was any doubt anyway, that an original vinyl record will blow away any other format. The sound on this album is simply awesome and I use the word in it’s 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 is captable of shaking the foundations, 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 is always 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 clinical silence is demanded, 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 remember 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 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 easily measures up). 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 - lesser ones will surrender almost immediately. Do not play this record on a less than worthy turntable. With 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. After the reunion, now 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. Okay, the cover has a little corner wear, most have (at the very least) but is still a real looker. And the record is also very fine. This is a quality record, a little later Plum issue, and amongst the last pressed. Do not 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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. 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. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand+ based on over 8,000+ items sold in over 10 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16 (£17 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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 necessarily 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’.