LED ZEPPELIN II A2/B2 1st PRESS Red/Plum WRECK Credit SUPERB AUDIO NM-/MINT-
£
647
$
857
£ 647
Sold For
Sep 19, 2021
Sold Date
Sep 9, 2021
Start Date
34
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
Led Zeppelin II A2 / B2 1st press w/Wreck credit
This genuine first 'Wreck' press on the red/plum label is a superb example of an album that has been very well preserved over the last 50+ years. The sonic quality on both sides is exemplary and the vast majority is of Near Mint / Mint standard and yes I have played both sides in full! The clarity, depth and power of the audio is exceptional and this is without doubt one of the finest red/plum pressing I have had listening to and.... it has the rare and collectable 'Wreck' credit on S2!
The vinyl is also visually in great condition with only a relatively small number of faint hairlines. It has retained its original 'look' so well and has clearly not been overplayed.
The light brown cover (with the green tinge on some of the edges) is in very good condition with no major shelf wear. It is actually a very impressive example overall and as can be seen the front and back covers are very clean indeed. Only the original A2/B2 pressings were the ones issued with this light brown cover. The original inner is also in excellent condition.
As this is a first press it has the highly collectable 'Wreck' credit on the S2 label along with 'She's A Woman' not 'She's Just A Woman' as per later pressings. It also has of course 'The Lemon Song' credit on S1 as opposed to 'Killing Floor'. The publishing credit can be seen as 'Copyright Control' which was soon replaced with 'Warner Bros' on subsequent versions and last not but not least it has the A2/B2 matrix.
With international shipping (including Europe now) I will declare a lower amount so as to decrease/avoid any Customs' fees.
588198 A ? 2 1 5 9
588198 B ? 2 1 1 9
The audio on S1 is Near Mint (T1 Mint- / T2 Near Mint+)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T1 intro Near Mint-)
The light brown cover is a strong VG+
The original 'plastic bags...' inner is Ex
The labels are Near Mint-
Visual grading
This vinyl is in lovely condition and still has a very impressive glossy sheen with no marks or scratches. There are no marks or scratches and all I can detect are a few faint hairlines on each side of which only a couple on S1 are a little more obvious, they are however still very small. There is not too much spindle wear, just a little more on S2, and it is clear this vinyl has not been overplayed. There is no groove wear at all. The run out grooves are super clean and the red/plum labels are visually stunning and have lost none of their original colour.
Play grading
The opening riff on the classic 'Whole Lotta Love' plays with great precision from the very first groove and the same applies to Plant's first vocal. There is no 'background' at all and it continues to play with a clarity and depth that belies its age. The 'psychedelic' section provides further evidence of a vinyl so well preserved down the years with no ticks, clicks or pops and no static either which makes a change! The 'sound' of each note is so clean and precise and it is obvious this vinyl has not been overplayed. Page's solo that signals the end of this instrumental is faultless as is the next vocal. The very quiet 'Way down inside...' section has only a very small number of inconsequential dust ticks but is as close to perfect as could be. The remainder is of the same standard and the fade out has no interference either. This is a superb start to this rare album and I am confident in grading it as Mint- as it could hardly play any better!
The quiet intro on 'What Is And What Should Never Be' is near perfect with only a handful of barely audible dust ticks. Indeed some would say perfect as you would expect to find dust ticks on a 50+ year old vinyl anyway! But like I say you barely notice them. The first 'chorus' is flawless and for once there is no static distortion which you often find on this track. Alternating between loud and quiet this track plays with stunning clarity and Page's mid solo is a prime example of that - the playback is incredible! There are a couple of very gentle ticks on the next vocal but you could easily miss them they are so quiet and the remainder does not disappoint. There is no interference and the long fade out also plays perfectly. I think this falls somewhere between Near Mint and Mint- so I think Near Mint+ is a fair reflection of the audio. Whatever the grade it is a stunning version!
'The Lemon Song' often plays with static distortion on the intro, especially on the Wreck pressings, but that is certainly not the case here. It is as 'clean' as the day when it was first released back in '69! Plant's opening vocal is equally as impressive and Page's first solo is 'as new'. Jones's frenetic bass adds so much to the 'sound' and has lost none of its original deep quality over the intervening years. The following slower paced bass section is close to perfect with only one light click. The clarity here deserves another mention as there is just no underlying static whatsoever, the playback really is so 'clean'. The 'high octane' finish is so strong and overall Near Mint is fair. Yes there is one light click but the remaining 99% plays with great accuracy!
As any Led Zepp collector will know 'Thank You' is often beset by sound issues but this is one of the finest versions I have heard in a long time. The intro has no static distortion and the first quiet vocal has a clarity that is second to none, it is stunning! It continues to impress - there is no distortion on the more up tempo sections and the quieter sections also play with wonderful precision. There are no ticks, clicks or pops and the super quiet 'If the sun refused to shine...' passage is another fine example of the clarity on offer here. Jeez it is good! The audio is so clean and precise and plays with barely any static. The fade out/in/out section is stunning and has only 3/4 very light ticks, not clicks I hasten to add! This is without doubt one of the finest versions of this track that I have ever heard on any red/plum press let alone a first Wreck press! Once again I believe a Near Mint grade is deserved here.
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The classic opening riff on 'Heart Breaker' could not play any better - superb power, depth and clarity - and Plant's first vocal is just as good. It continues with play with great sonic quality and I only detected a couple of very minor ticks. The depth and warmth of the music really stand out here and I cannot adequately put into words just how superb the audio is! The 'high octane' section just prior to Page's stand alone solo is so dynamic and 'as new' describes it perfectly. The 'quiet' solo then plays with sublime clarity and whilst there are a couple of clicks during the next powerful section it does not really affect the listening experience - this is still a fantastic 'high end' version which plays with near perfect precision from start to finish. The vast majority is Mint but I will grade as Near Mint- due to the aforementioned interference albeit minor.
'Livin' Lovin' Wreck' is 'as new' from the first groove to the last and the sonic quality is out of this world! In true Led Zepp style this is an album packed with classic riffs and nowhere across the entire album is the audio any more impressive. The clarity and definition of the audio is equal to that of a recently pressed 'high quality' vinyl I cannot pay it any higher compliment. This is Mint no minus is required!
The acoustic intro on 'Ramble On' has to be heard to be believed! There is no 'background', not even a solitary dust tick, and this is carried on into the first vocal section. Every note is so clean and precise and the first 'chorus' is also faultless. This is another exceptional track which has lost none of its original quality over the decades. The clarity here is sensational and you do forget this record is 52 years old this year! The long fade out also plays with superb precision and Mint is again fully justified. What a version!
The opening section on 'Moby Dick' is 'as new' and the power and depth of the audio cannot be underestimated. Bonham's classic solo is often affected by interference and yet this has to one of the 'cleanest' versions I have ever heard. One light static tick at the beginning but aside from that the clarity is impeccable. A couple of dust ticks also but quite honestly this is a STUNNING version in every way. Every note is so enhanced, drawn out and expanded you could say, and that is only because the vinyl is so clean. In other words there is no 'muddiness' to the sound and to the end it plays with genuine 'high end' quality. Mint-
The bass/harmonica intro on 'Bring It On Home' is 'as new' with no underlying static and the opening vocal is close to that with only a handful of non-intrusive light ticks. A stunning start for sure. As the volume increases you are immediately struck by the total lack of distortion. This final track is often plagued by said distortion but you can turn this one up to full blast without having to turn it down right away! This is a genuine rarity for this track and demonstrates once more just how well it has been looked after. This entire section is so powerful and dynamic and the closing 'quiet' section also plays with sublime clarity. I do not wish to repeat myself but this is up there with the best I have heard and I repeat this is a Wreck first press! I am tempted to grade as Mint but will say Mint- just to be cautious!
In summary this first pressing plays to a superb standard with barely any interference and certainly nothing that is intrusive. The clarity, depth and power of the audio is so impressive and this is undoubtedly one of the finest red/plum pressings I have ever sold. It's a real bonus that it has rare and very collectable 'Wreck' credit! There is some spindle wear but certainly not an excessive amount so it is clear it has only very well cared for and only played on 'high end' equipment down the years thus retaining its original sonic quality. Every note plays with such precision and the definition of the audio is stunning. It would be very difficult to find a better 'Wreck' first press and I am sure any collector would be as equally as impressed by the audio as I am.
The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve
The original light brown cover is in very good condition with no major wear and is certainly a lot better than many I have seen! It has some of the 'green tinge' on the spine and edges that you often find with this first pressing and is still very strong and robust like it hasn't been handled very much, there are no bends or creases. The edges do have some rubbing but not an excessive amount and the spine has only minor wear and remains 100% legible for once. The corners do not have much wear, just a little more on the bottom right corner of the front cover and the opening edge is in superb order with hardly any handling wear. The front cover is very clean with no obvious marking and has only light fading near the spine and some very faint 'white' scrape lines which are only minor. The light brown back cover is also very impressive with only a couple of small faint marks but overall it has remained in superb shape. Hopefully the photos do it justice! The inside of the gatefold is immaculate with no marking and only very minimal creasing by the inner spine. A very creditable first press cover with only superficial wear in my opinion.
The original 'Plastic Bags...' poly-lined inner has no side splits or tears but does have some creasing and a little age related fading on the edges. It is date coded 109 in one corner which refers to the release date of October '69.
Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable // B & W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine
588198 A ? 2 1 5 9
588198 B ? 2 1 1 9
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
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Postage & Packaging
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I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!
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