LED ZEPPELIN – II LP – EXC/VG+ UK 1970 KILLING FLOOR ON LABEL

Led Zeppelin – II
(Atlantic Records  1970  588198)
Matrix No’s: A5/B4 – UK Pressing
Plum Atlantic Labels – “Killing Floor”  & “Livin’ Lovin’ Maid” on labels – songwriting credits to Baldwin instead of Jones

EJ Day Gatefold Sleeve in Very Good+ condition
– wear to edges/corners – pinholes and marks in top right corners on front and top left on back – 2 inch split on bottom edge from opening

Vinyl in Excellent/Very Good+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl which do give pops/crackles but sound quality is Excellent overall)

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band’s heavy, guitar-driven sound has led them to be cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal, though their unique style drew from a wide variety of influences, including blues, psychedelia, and folk music.

After changing their name from the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that afforded them considerable artistic freedom. Although the group was initially unpopular with critics, they achieved significant commercial success with albums such as Led Zeppelin (1969), Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), Led Zeppelin IV (1971), Houses of the Holy (1973), and Physical Graffiti (1975). Their fourth album, which features the song “Stairway to Heaven”, is among the most popular and influential works in rock music, and it helped to secure the group’s popularity.

Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin’s music, particularly early in their career, while Plant generally supplied the lyrics. Jones’ keyboard-based compositions later became central to the group’s catalogue, which featured increasing experimentation. The latter half of their career saw a series of record-breaking tours that earned the group a reputation for excess and debauchery. Although they remained commercially and critically successful, their output and touring schedule were limited during the late 1970s, and the group disbanded following Bonham’s death from alcohol-related asphyxia in 1980. In the decades that followed, the surviving members sporadically collaborated and participated in one-off Led Zeppelin reunions. The most successful of these was the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London, with Jason Bonham taking his late father’s place behind the drums.

Led Zeppelin are widely considered one of the most successful, innovative, and influential rock groups in history. They are one of the best-selling music artists in the history of audio recording; various sources estimate the group’s record sales at 200 to 300 million units worldwide. With RIAA-certified sales of 111.5 million units, they are the second-best-selling band in the US. Each of their nine studio albums placed in the top 10 of the Billboard album chart and six reached the number-one spot. They achieved eight consecutive UK number-one albums. Rolling Stone magazine described them as “the heaviest band of all time”, “the biggest band of the Seventies”, and “unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history”. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum’s biography of the band states that they were “as influential” during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.

Led Zeppelin II is the second studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 by Atlantic Records. It was recorded from January to August 1969 while the band toured North America and the United Kingdom; its production is credited entirely to songwriter and lead guitarist Jimmy Page. Led Zeppelin II is the band’s first album recorded with audio engineer Eddie Kramer, whose techniques appreciably influenced their later work.

Led Zeppelin II developed their debut album‘s lyrical themes, surpassing it in acclaim and influence. Incorporating elements of blues and folk music, it displays the band’s evolving musical style—a guitar-driven, riff-based, blues-derived sound—and is considered their heaviest album.

The album sold well at release, becoming Led Zeppelin’s first number one in the UK and the U.S.A. In 1970, art director David Juniper was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. On 15 November 1999, Led Zeppelin II was certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA. Writers and music critics have regularly cited it in polls of the greatest and most influential rock albums.

Track listing

Personnel

Led Zeppelin

• John Bonham – drums, timpani, backing vocals
• John Paul Jones – bass guitar, organ, backing vocals
• Jimmy Page – electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals, theremin on “Whole Lotta Love”
• Robert Plant – lead vocals, harmonica

Production

• Barry Diament – engineering (original Compact Disc)
• George Chkiantz – engineer on “Whole Lotta Love” and “What Is and What Should Never Be”
• Peter Grant – executive producer
• Chris Huston – engineering on “The Lemon Song” and “Moby Dick”
• Andy Johns – engineering on “Thank You”
• Eddie Kramer – engineering, mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering, engineering