LED ZEPPELIN III 3 PLUM/RED UK press So Mote .. Do What 3 EX vinyl

	£		99
	$		131

LED ZEPPELIN III

ATLANTIC

240-1002  - UK 1970

UK 1st press

 with "SO MOTE IT BE" and "DO WHAT THOU WILT" etched into the run-out grooves indicating the very earliest press of this vinyl!!

Led Zeppelin III is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded between January and July 1970 and released on 5 October 1970 by Atlantic Records. Composed largely at a remote cottage in Wales known as Bron-Yr-Aur, this work represented a maturing of the band's music towards a greater emphasis on folk and acoustic sounds. This surprised many fans and critics, and upon its release the album received rather indifferent reviews.

Although it is not one of the highest sellers in Zeppelin's catalogue, Led Zeppelin III is now generally praised, and acknowledged as representing an important milestone in the band's history. Although acoustic songs are featured on Led Zeppelin III's predecessors, it is this album which is widely acknowledged for showing that Led Zeppelin was more than just a conventional rock band and that they could branch out into wider musical territory.

 This album has as I understand it quite a few label variants. There is one with a continuous cat. number with etched "So Mote .. etc." But also one without. There is the hyphenated label like this one with and without the etchings. Apparently the ones with the etchings in the dead wax are the earliest cuts and for that reason the rarest ones around. These are normally also heavier and have higher groove walls ans as such a higher quality audio ensues.

Many of the songs featured on the album were conceived in mid-1970 at Bron-Yr-Aur, an 18th century cottage in Gwynedd, Wales, on a hilltop overlooking the Dyfi Valley, three miles north of the market town Machynlleth. There, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant spent some time after an exhausting concert tour of North America to play and compose new music. This remote setting had no running water or electric power, which encouraged a slight change of musical direction for the band towards an emphasis on acoustic arrangements.[1][2] As Page later explained:

After the intense touring that had been taking place through the first two albums, working almost 24 hours a day, basically, we managed to stop and have a proper break, a couple of months as opposed to a couple of weeks. We decided to go off and rent a cottage to provide a contrast to motel rooms. Obviously, it had quite an effect on the material that was written... It was the tranquility of the place that set the tone of the album. Obviously, we weren't crashing away at 100 watt Marshall stacks. Having played acoustic and being interested in classical guitar, anyway, being in a cottage without electricity, it was acoustic guitar time... After all the heavy, intense vibe of touring which is reflected in the raw energy of the second album, it was just a totally different feeling.[3]

Plant has expressed similar recollections:

[Bron-Yr-Aur] was a fantastic place in the middle of nowhere with no facilities at all-and it was a fantastic test of what we could do in that environment. Because by that time we'd become obsessed with change, and the great thing was that we were also able to create a pastoral side of Led Zep. Jimmy was listening to Davey Graham and Bert Jansch and was experimenting with different tunings, and I loved John Fahey. So it was a very natural place for us to go to.[4]

The album contains two songs which became key components of the band's live concert performances for many years: "Immigrant Song" and "Since I've Been Loving You". The first of these, written by Page and Plant, is about the Viking invasions of England and was inspired by the band's recent live performance in Iceland. "Since I've Been Loving You" is a classic, original blues in the key of C minor featuring heartfelt interplay by all four group members. It would become a live performance staple for the band, replacing "I Can't Quit You Baby" from the first album as the band's slow blues showcase.

Jimmy Page has said that the negative press given to the third album affected him so much that he did not give press interviews for 18 months after its release, and that was also one of the reasons why the band's subsequent untitled album contained no written information on it at all. However, in more recent years, he has commented on the negative press reaction in somewhat more diplomatic terms:

With hindsight, I can see how if somebody got Led Zeppelin III, which was so different from what we'd done before, and they only had a short time to review it on the record player in the office, then they missed the content. They were in a rush and they were looking for the new "Whole Lotta Love" and not actually listening to what was there. It was too fresh for them and they didn't get the plot. So, in retrospect, it doesn't surprise me that the diversity and breadth of what we were doing was overlooked or under-appreciated at the time.[14]

Led Zeppelin III's original vinyl edition was packaged in a gatefold sleeve with an innovative cover, designed by Zacron, a multi-media artist whom Page had met in 1963 whilst Zacron was a student at Kingston College of Art. He had recently resigned a lectureship at Leeds Polytechnic to found Zacron Studios, and in 1970 Page contacted him and asked him to design the third album's cover.

The cover and interior gatefold art consisted of a surreal collection of seemingly random images on a white background, many of them connected thematically with flight or aviation (as in "Zeppelin"). Behind the front cover was a rotatable laminated card disc, or volvelles, covered with more images, including photos of the band members, which showed through holes in the cover. Moving an image into place behind one hole would usually bring one or two others into place behind other holes.  In France this album was released with a different album cover, simply showing a photo of the four band members.

        Vinyl: EX. I have played this in full> There are NO jumps, NO clicks and NO sticks!!! Under a strong light a few very wispy hairlines but these cannot be heard on replay.  The audio is stunning all the way and this album sounds fantastic. The vinyl has a beautiful glossy sheen. Hard to find these days but even harder to find without damage!!! This will please most Zep collectors!

 Gatefold Sleeve: VG+. Fully laminated. No stickers, NO writing, NO smudges. Lovely looking gatefold. This is the sleeve as it was issued in most cases with the export cat. number to the front and "Made in Germany" to the back. There was a shortage of printed UK sleeves and the majority were paired with this sleeve which is identical otherwise. Some light yellowing to the front top left (see pic). The wheel has come off the centre pin and does not rotate as such, but this can be put right if you're handy. For that reason Very Good +.

Labels: EX. Minor spindle marks.

Inner: EX.

This is a unique investment opportunity!!! Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible so late in the day esp. in this formidable condition.

Important :International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 41.00.  Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

There is one paragraph (referencing Dave Arbus etc.) in the description that obviously does not belong in the description. It was erroneously copied into this auction.