Rare?? Led Zeppelin II vinyl.

Hmmm ... I think mine looks like that. Not home now to check. What would be inscribed near the lead-out that would be of significance?
 
Look for the "RL" initials. That would indicate the early Bob Ludwig-mastered version that was recalled for being too "hot."
 
Not common, but uncommon. I've had a 5-6 with the purple lettering. $25.00 is a good price.
 
Well, this one IS a Robert Ludwig mastered copy. That's the good news. The bad news is it's not in ex/nm playing condition as advertised. It's more like fair-/unplayable. Small scratches and other marks abound. However, the tracks that will play sound OMG! good. If you've never heard this mastering, you've basically no idea how much more impact, heavenly (and I mean heavenly) 3D bass, punch, studio echo, zip, liveliness this album has over any subsequent release on vinyl or CD. And yes, it's freakin, loud. It's rediculous. Working out a deal with the seller to arrive at a happy conclusion of sale so that's nice of him. I recently read, I think by Michael Fremer himeself upon hearing a good copy of this version of LZII that if this music is important to you then spend whatever they're asking for one in great shape and just be done with it. I AGREEE 10000%.
 
Have you tried cleaning it? You may also be encountering the reason the RL cut was recalled - it's so "hot" that it had a habit of blasting styli right out of the grooves.
 
I lost out yesterday on an RL pressing. It went for $61. It was appealing since the seller offered a 2 week guarantee. Oh well
 
Have you tried cleaning it? You may also be encountering the reason the RL cut was recalled - it's so "hot" that it had a habit of blasting styli right out of the grooves.

Yeah, I scrubbed it twice and cleaned on my Nitti Gritty machine. It's just got myriad light scuffs and some rough areas in general. I can play "Heartbreaker" Living Loving Maid "Moby Dick" and "Bring It On Home" good enough to put on CD but everything else either has skips or bad pops and crackles. I like it though! Just posted this on Steve Hoffmans forum:

Just scored my second ever RL/SS mastered first version of LZII. The bad news is it's in only partially playable condition. Whole Lotta love has at least five good skips. Most of side two is playable however. Words escape me.... But basically 35yrs of listening to all the post RL versions, and cds have not prepared me for the ONSLAUGHT of simply, utterly amazing sound, punch, depth, 3D bass etc that the RL mastered copy presents. My MFSL version sounds nothing like this, my post 1977 albums, which sound fine btw, sound puny and helpless in comparison. I feel sad for them now! The RL is such a bully, brawler and a menace to society in general. My goodness, yes I will pay whatever for a mint/near mint copy or two if I have to!!
 
Wow , I dig this site . always learning something new everyday. Just went through my copies of LZ II and found a RL copy. Didn't even know , Test listen and wow what a difference. glad I have the RL version also.
 
I lost out yesterday on an RL pressing. It went for $61. It was appealing since the seller offered a 2 week guarantee. Oh well

What type of shape was it in? I've noticed that these can have started to come back down to reality in price compared to a few years back.
 
This one was described as a VG+, coming from a seller with good feedback and a 2 week return policy

Grading is so subjective, and also dependent upon good light and good eyes while assigning the grade. I think I'll start a thread in the turntable section asking how many people have purchased graded records and felt like the grade was too high, low, or accurate. It would be interesting to see what everyone says!
 
This one was described as a VG+, coming from a seller with good feedback and a 2 week return policy

Thanks. A few years back they went for more than that in is shape. While they do sound a little better than the non RL, they aren't worth the big $$$ that they were going for IMO.
 
Grading is so subjective, and also dependent upon good light and good eyes while assigning the grade. I think I'll start a thread in the turntable section asking how many people have purchased graded records and felt like the grade was too high, low, or accurate. It would be interesting to see what everyone says!

Exactly. I'd say about 1/3 of the albums I buy online are graded higher than they deserve by Goldmine standards, or at least mt assessment of Goldmine standards.
That's why that 2 wk return policy was so appealing with this one.
 
Looks just like the one I have, purple lettering and all. I bought it new back in the day. Mine has SS on side 1 and RL on side 2. I recall a story that there was a problem with the original RL side 1 so they quickly made a replacement. Anyone confirm that?
 
Picked my SS (Sterling Sound) RL cut of Zepp II at a local record show last year for $12. It looks and plays NM, only a couple tics at the end of Ramble On. The rest has a dead silent background, amazing cut this one. The bass is unfreakin believable..
 
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