Led Zeppelin II RL Prices Have Gotten Insane

RL?? sorry to be ignorant, but what is RL?
Tks

 

I picked up a nice looking early to mid 70's reissue of LZII at a flea market when I got back into vinyl a decade ago. The only reason I still hold on to it is to play it for people right before I tell them the story about Ahmet Ertegun's daughter & play my VG Robert Ludwig pressing for them. Forget a veil, it sounds as if a moving blanket has been lifted off my speakers when the RL kicks in.
I understand if you don't wanna spend $100 or more on a 40 year old slab of vinyl, but earlier posts stating that any copy (played loudly) will do are (while wonderful in spirit & intent), simply not true.
If this album means a lot to you and you want a great sounding pressing without breaking the bank I highly recommend going with a George Piros mastered reissue. They are plentiful and with patience you could probably find a beautiful copy in the $25-$50 range. Just verify with the seller that it has @t/GP in the deadwax on both sides.

 

Are you comparing these on your stereo or on the video? At least on computer speakers, I can't tell any difference between the RL and the current reissue.

 

I have hearing loss noticeably, to me the bottom line is I turn it up a little louder to make it as loud as it used to be. All the nuances are still there as they always were, I just turn up louder to hear it as I want. That said, for quite a while now it's been public knowledge about Bonhams squeaky Speed King pedal on Zeppelin recordings and I haven't yet detected it, try as I might. Maybe I actually am hearing it and mistaking it as high hat.

 

And you never will. Has to be heard on a turntable, through speakers. Why we were laughing earlier, about those that think they can tell via a needledrop.

 

Ya, it's o.k. I get it. - I use a magnifier lens to read album run out info. - some of it can be really faint.
Found an interesting one yesterday, "LH/RL" etched (both sides) on an original Mountain album.
Guess they (Lee Hulko and Robert Ludwig) did the mastering jointly. Never saw that one before.
Great sounding slab of vinyl btw.

 

I've got a Mountain Climbing ! coming with Lee doing side one, and Bob, side two.

 

His pedal on "Since I've Been Loving You" (LZIII) REALLY squeaks!! - If you can't hear that one, you better get your ears checked again...

 

Cool. - Vinyl is the best way to hear Mountain.
I have that pressing also. (The "LH/RL" I have is "Nantucket Sleighride")

 

I got mine VG++ (if not NM... double RL ss), for 29 euros from a seller in the Netherlands years ago...it seems to be the right hunting Land

 

RL is Robert Ludwig, as mentioned elsewhere in this thread. He cut the originals pretty hot. If you search you'll find multiple threads about this.

 

Beware, in addition to driving the prices up the "Holy Grail" status of this pressing has attracted scam artist to the market. I purchased a copy on ebay posted as a LZ II RL and it was a fake. Make sure you get a picture of the "SS RL" in the deadwax.

 

Really!!
I thought the RL blew them all away.
Listening with Grado SR80 headphones thru Nikko NA-790 amp (speakers disconnected at the moment).
vs Atlantic re-EQ - No contest.
vs MFSL - MFSL less mids, more treble.
vs Classic - Classic less mids, more treble, stereo field sounds a little wider, less in your face!
vs Japanese - No contest.
vs 2014 - Too much bass, but comes closest to RL.
IMHO.

 

So you can buy a brand new copy that comes close for around $20, or a completely destroyed RL copy for $50+.

 

I found one for $5 a few months ago. It plays great.

 

Yes you can. I think the 2014 sounds pretty damn good, but just not as "right" as the RL, but better than the MFSL and Classic IMHO.
And for $20 and dead quiet, this as as close as you're gonna get on vinyl without spending big $$$$.

 

The only insane aspect of these prices is that anyone's prepared to pay them.

Snake oil!

 

Snake oil is defined as having no real value. A fake, so to speak.

What specifically is fake and of no real value concerning the RL Led Zep 2?

 

RL/ss Zep 2 may not rare. Finding a NM one? ...pretty difficult.

 

I wouldn’t pay more than a couple bucks for a VG copy of any record. I would simply never play it. This is one of those white unicorns I decided long ago to let go unless I happen across one unexpectedly. I never have. More and more, not sure I care.

 

I always check copies of LZ II whenever I see it in a used bin--do this enough and an RL will eventually cross your path.

 

I bought a copy the first day it was released.
All these decades later, not a mark anywhere on the cover or the vinyl.

 

Why would records get recalled? Were the axel bearings going out? Were they radioactive? It sounds odd.

Aren't there any NM available? Are they all really that trashed?

 

Bass was too powerful for the cheapo turntables around at the time.

 

A "VG" copy (not "completely destroyed"...) RL would probably impress you enough to want one. The dynamics are impressive. That album was never cut that way again.