Led Zeppelin II LP RL Robert Ludwig master

$

26

Offered here is a very rare copy of Led Zeppelin II. This is the legendary "RL" master by Robert Ludwig, copies of which caused the needle to jump off the vinyl when played on a 1960's hi-fi turntable 40 years ago. The RL master has a tremendous clarity and an amazing bass response. It is the holy grail of Zep releases. This is an original LP from 1969. It is a heavier grade of vinyl sort of like today's 180 gram releases.

1969 ATLANTIC Records SD 8236 STEREO ORIGINAL

ROBERT (BOB) LUDWIG
[RL] in dead wax on both side ONE
and side TWO

***[one of the most incredible sounding mixes ever]***

'HOT STAMPER'
GATE FOLD version : Record Condition (vinyls): VG ( has surface marks & audible noise. No skips. Good lacquer. Clean labels.) As needed, all LP's are professionally cleaned using a Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine). Cover Condition: VG+ ( very little surface & edge wear. no ring wear & no seam splits. Has no stickers. No writing.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buyer must include $4 for Media Mail (up to 3 albums) OR $8 for Priority shipping and handling using a sturdy cardboard LP mailer. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail; will quote an overseas rate. ------------------------------------------------ All records are graded using the Goldmine Price Guide criteria:------------------------------------------ MINT: Absolutely perfect in every way. Certainly never been played, possibly even still sealed. Any defect from the factory pressing, such as bubbles or pits in the vinyl are not acceptable, even if they do not cause any problem when played. Records often were packaged by hand and the simple placing of the record into a paper sleeve caused minor scuffs. For this reason, it is impossible to call a sealed record mint, thus any sealed record that is sold, should be sold only with the guarantee that it is assumed to be un-played. Sealed records have sold for more than the high end of price guides. Many collectors shy away from sealed records. _______________________________________________________NEAR MINT: (NM or M-) A nearly perfect record. Many dealers won't give a grade higher than this implying (perhaps correctly) that no record is ever truly perfect. The near mint record should show no obvious signs of wear. Sometimes dealers use M- (Mint Minus) grade. NM and or M- are defined as being almost mint. This grade should be, for the most part, the most widely used grade for records that appear virtually flawless. Virtually flawless records are not perfect. A very minor scuff and very little else can appear on the vinyl. This will most likely have occurred during packaging, or removing the record from the inner sleeve but had been handled with extreme care. It should play without any noise over the flaw. The flaw should be very hard to see. If a scuff covers more than a few tracks yet can be seen, it will not be NM, however it may come very close. Use strong judgment when evaluating the vinyls condition. NEAR MINT COVERS: The cover should look as close to perfect with only minor signs of wear and or age. Minor impressions to the cover (due to the outer edge of the vinyl resting inside) may be acceptable, however the artwork should be as close to perfect as can be. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling. An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects. No cut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like. Basically, an LP in near mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap. _____________________________________________EXCELLENT or EX or VG++: This is truly NOT a Goldmine defined grade, however it is becoming more and more mainstream among collectors and sellers. It is also a very conservative grade for those who don't want to grade NM, for fear they may over grade the record and cover(in which case it is acceptable yet should not command the highest price based on NM value). Only NM records or better are considered collectable and WILL command top dollar. Anything less, the prices drop dramatically. However, many very rare (collectable) items can command very close to NM value, simply because NM copies may not even exist.  An excellent (EX or VG++) condition for vinyl will allow minor scuffs which are visible but only slightly. The wear should be minimal and of course should play without noticeable surface noise! Any scratches that can be felt with your fingernail can NOT be called scuffs. Scuffs lay on top of the grooves. If any break in the grooves are felt, they ARE scratches. And most often, they will be heard when played (soft clicks or even loud pops). Once again, no scratches can make this grade! EX COVER: Artwork should still be as close to perfect as can be. Some impression to the cover (minor outer ring wear) but no ink. Some slight creases to the corners, but not wrinkled and obtrusive to the eye. The corners can show white (where the artwork pasted slick was) meaning, slight wear. No seam splits or writing on the cover or taped repairs can make this grade.  ________________________________________VERY GOOD PLUS: (VG+) A VG+ vinyl will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. Some people will call a less than NM record VG+ and skip the EX grade. It commands only approx. 50% of the value (for most records). VG+ VINYL: will show wear, surface scuffs,(or spiral scuffs that came from turn table platters or jukeboxes for 45 singles) and some very light scratches. Surface scuffs are caused from blunt (not sharp) objects. Often the minor scuffs are caused from inner sleeves. The vinyl should still have a great luster, but the flaws will be noticeable to the naked eye. Sometimes holding the record up to a very bright light, you will see many tiny lines across the surface. If the flaws don't cause any surface noise, the vinyl can make the VG+ grade. Most (but not all) VG+ records should still play like a NM record. But because the vinyl has more than 15% (yet less than 30%) wear to the surface, it can make this grade. Remember, the record still should look as though it was handled with extreme care. Sometimes people find records that have no scuffs that are visible, yet a careless needle scratch causes a break in the grooves. Play the record. If there are any obtrusive clicks or pops, which cause the the song to be less than enjoyable, it is not VG+! Scratches are not acceptable to a serious collector in any way. If you call a record 95% NM but note the record as having 1 track with a bad scratch, many will only consider it as VG (explained next). You should seldom call a record "A Strong VG, plays mostly VG+". It does not explain the overall condition well enough. Use this very cautiously when grading. In general, if not for a couple things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. All but the most mint-crazy collectors will find a Very Good Plus record highly acceptable. VG+ COVERS: Now that we defined the EX grade, a few extra flaws will make a cover grade as VG+. Will have a virtually clean cover, but may have small writing on it. (Magic marker in big letters will not cut it. They are an eye sore, so be weary of over grading). The artwork should look clean with slightly more aging. The back of the cover usually gives away the age of the cover. Flat white paper will be somewhat yellow yet no stains or mildew from water damage. Some minor wear to the seams or spine, but no tears or holes popping through. The corners will be slightly dog eared yet no crackly bends, defacing the artwork. In essence, a VG+ cover should have no more than 3 of the flaws mentioned. If all apply, it is less than VG+. (see next grade below) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VERY GOOD: (VG) Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be quite evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, only two or three of them. Many would point out that the Very Good grade does not mean very good at all. At least not in the visual sense. A Very Good (VG) record will appear well played but still have some luster. The vinyl may be faded, slightly grayish, yet appears to have been handled as carefully as it could have been helped. Records that get continuous playing time will start to deteriorate. More and more surface scuffs and scratches, and audible sound defects WILL be heard. They should not overpower the dynamics of the music. With VG records, the surface noise will be minor crackle or a slight hiss, but should only be heard in between tracks or in low musical passages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- An Amazon.com essential recording. Riff rock had been what Jimmy Page's former band, the Yardbirds, were all about, and on Led Zeppelin's second album, released, like its predecessor, in 1969, the inventive guitarist demonstrated that he'd indeed learned his lessons well. Witness "Whole Lotta Love," a woozy epic based on one simple, head-banging-friendly guitar riff. Or the mock-dramatic "Heartbreaker," propelled by far more intricate but similarly effective note squashing. Between Page's sonic wizardry, John Bonham beating his drums into submission ("Moby Dick"), and the juice running down Robert Plant's leg ("The Lemon Song"), Led Zeppelin here just about succeeded in raising rock & roll excess to an art form. --Billy Altman. . Led Zeppelin II is an album of Jimmy Page riffs so huge, and John Paul Jones/John Bonham rhythms so deep, that the heavy metal genre this classic helped create has tried for decades to catch up, mostly without success. And no wonder: since II catches the band before they'd headed too far into their ridiculous medieval fancies, this might be as good as Zep would ever be. Regardless, the thunderous "Whole Lotta Love," a Top 5 hit, and "Bring It on Home" are very nearly as fierce and twisted as British white blues would ever get. --David Cantwell.  Recorded quickly during Led Zeppelin's first American tours, Led Zeppelin II provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed it. Since the group could only enter the studio for brief amounts of time, most of the songs that compose II are reworked blues and rock & roll standards that the band was performing on-stage at the time. Not only did the short amount of time result in a lack of original material, it made the sound more direct. Jimmy Page still provided layers of guitar overdubs, but the overall sound of the album is heavy and hard, brutal and direct. "Whole Lotta Love," "The Lemon Song," and "Bring It on Home" are all based on classic blues songs -- only, the riffs are simpler and louder and each song has an extended section for instrumental solos. Of the remaining six songs, two sport light acoustic touches ("Thank You," "Ramble On"), but the other four are straight-ahead heavy rock that follows the formula of the revamped blues songs. While Led Zeppelin II doesn't have the eclecticism of the group's debut, it's arguably more influential. After all, nearly every one of the hundreds of Zeppelin imitators used this record, with its lack of dynamics and its pummeling riffs, as a blueprint.

All Music Guide

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