Led Zeppelin IV SD 7208 "record club" issue queries

Hello Zep fans!!

I was digging around at home and found a LZ IV, cat# SD 7208, Atlantic Records, USA, Broadway etc...with "PECKO" & "PECKODUCK" The vinyl is not as thick as the standard 1st pressing and has "Manufactured Under Licence Issued By Atlantic Recording Corporation to Record Club of America, Inc." at the bottom of the record labels.

Can anyone tell me what year this was released and if it is a rare item, along with some history regarding "record club" issues.

TIA

 

That was probably among the rarest. From what I've seen, such copies were pressed, like the regular stock, by Presswell Records of Ancora, NJ. Probably around 1973 or thereabouts, the pressing, given that LZ IV came out in '71.

My own copy is a record club issue - Columbia Record Club, to be precise, as you will see at the bottom (interestingly, Columbia's initial pressings used the Presswell code). Of course, RCA did its own record club issue (with its own lacquers, natch'), and the "Capitol" Record Club inserted its own catalogue series (with SMAS prefix, I recall; I don't have the exact number on me) for this LP.

 

How does yours sound compared to others? I haven't had the chance to do an A/B myself with my copies. Below is a picture of my record club LZ IV.

 

Sounds pretty good, actually . . . of course, it's been played somewhat to death . . . but I noticed one thing: While "Stairway to Heaven" is listed on the label as 7:55, on the CRC copy the song timed at 8:04. Probably the (dubbed) tape got slower in pitch by 1% - 2% or something. (Columbia cut their own lacquers for their pressings, with machine-stamped matrix numbers on the dead wax and all.)

But looking at the label of your copy, I seem to be correct: It was a Presswell pressing, with only the label a bit different.

 

Pecko....I have to wonder if that isn't another clever alias for legendary UK cutting engineer George Peckham, of 'A Porky Prime Cut' fame. A scan of the 'PECKO' and/or 'PECKODUCK' parts to let us compare the script with records with 'APPC' would be helpful and instructive. Fascinating: the possibility of an American-pressed record made from stampers made (by whatever method or scenario) from UK-cut lacquers....not something I've ever seen before.

 

My "record club" LZ IV has "PECKO" on side one and "PECKO DUCK" on side two.
My "standard" LZ IV has "PORKY" on side one and "PECKO DUCK" on side two.

The script in the dead wax looks the same in the hand written style for both records.

 

Sounds like they're all from the same mastering engineer.

Now, I suppose our "Goldmine" expert (Mr. Neely) would know the "SMAS" catalogue number that the "Capitol" Record Club assigned Atlantic SD 7208 . . . (I seem to recall it was one of the few such issues to have two catalogue numbers on the label - the original, and "Capitol's").

 

It's not unheard of, though. I saw a U.S. copy of "Tom Tom Turnaround" by New World with one side a stamper from UK EMI; and the original U.S. MCA 45 of "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John had lacquers from "ARUN" who'd cut the U.K. DJM lacquers. So it's possible that British lacquers would be used on original U.S. pressings of this Zep LP.

 

I have one of these. Here's a thread I started a year ago about the Record Club of America.

 

'ARUN'....that's Arun Chakraverty, no? Credited on some other EJ LPs.

 

Hi WB and all,

"Pecko" "Porky" and "Pecko Duck" are all George Peckham of UK vinyl mastering fame. Also, they are an indicator of superb audio quality.

 

Oh, for sure, for sure . . . my point, most of Mr. John's MCA 45's were U.S.-cut by MCA's own studios.

 

Hi, I recently read your message because I just bought (on ebay) the same Led Zeppelin IV issue that you have (Record Club of America), and I was looking for info. I wonder how does sound yours copy. Is a nice sounded issue?
Thanks!