LED ZEPPELIN II 2, 1969 UK PLUM ATLANTIC A2/B2 LEMON SONG 1st PRESS

	£		113
	$		150

Hello, my name is Nick (aka cornerstonevinyl). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection it is my pleasure to offer an exceptional barely-played example of the second studio album by LED ZEPPELIN simply titled "LED ZEPPELIN II", Catalogue Number 588 198. This is an ORIGINAL 1969 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the PLUM & ORANGE ATLANTIC RECORD LABEL, with a LIGHT BROWN E. J. DAY & CO. MATT-FINISH GATEFOLD SLEEVE. Complete with the original plain white poly-lined inner sleeve. [The Side One record label credits “THE LEMON SONG”. The matrix numbers are the earliest 588198 Av2 and 588198 Bv2 (where v = upside-down triangle)].

The sleeve is in VG+ condition (strictly graded) with just moderate storage wear to the edges and a faint record outline on the back cover. There are no rips, splits, writing or any other significant defects. Overall it’s a very well preserved example of this notoriously wear-prone sleeve.        

The record is in EX+ condition. It’s a solid 150g pressing with a thick, square-cut rim edge. Visually both sides display only a few faint sleeve-removal type surface marks under bright light. The plum & orange Atlantic labels are like new with only a few very faint spindle traces just visible if angled against the light. There is no wear to the spindle hole which still retains some small flashes of plastic inside it. I can confirm that the record has only received a few careful plays on top quality hifi. To fully appreciate the magnificence of Led Zeppelin II it is essential to listen to an Av2/Bv2 1st pressing. All subsequent re-issues (including the plum & orange Killing Floor labelled 2nd pressings) are feeble by comparison. This is not just seller’s rhetoric – there is a world of difference in the audio playback. The Av2/Bv2 pressings are much more powerful with phenomenal bass and reverb. (I have just finished listening to this Lemon Song credited record and a pristine Killing Floor pressing back to back and the difference in sound quality between them is massive). Both sides of this barely-played record play EX+/MINT- throughout with no discernable deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. It really is a very clean-playing copy which provides a truly compelling listening experience. You simply will not find a significantly better-playing 1st press copy of this essential blues rock album – I guarantee it!

Overall this is a superb barely-played A2/B2 copy of Zeppelin’s iconic second album which will grace any record collection.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £10.95

Worldwide - £14.80