RL Cut Led Zeppelin II

You are right Keith.

I have THE FIRST matrix white label promo of Led Zep I and the label design is the red/white/green 1841 Broadway label.

 

regarding the other recordings besides LZ II, what do you look for to identify them? for example how do I know it's a Classic pressing?

 

The Classic pressings are on heavy 180g or 200g vinyl and along with the catalog number have BG in the deadwax.

 

Well, I finally purchased an RL (both sides with small ss near initials) Led Zep II pressing. And the sound quality is --------------AWESOME!!!! Very smooth and full-bodied. (LOL, sounds like a fine wine review.) But really, nothing harsh or shrill about the entire presentation. And the bass, you ask??? In a word, powerful. And to think this was 1969. What dynamics. Where did we go wrong with today's recordings?? Anyway, this was well worth the money I dropped on it. I compared it to my mofi pressing, and while that was good in and of itself, once you listen to this pressing, you can easily hear what's lacking with the mofi. The mofi does have its frequencies tipped up a bit, and what I once thought was a very deep bass reproduction now sounds a bit washed out in comparison to the RL Zep pressing.

My RL copy can almost pass for NM minus. Very quiet throughout with just some ticks in between some songs. Of course, that comes with a price. I've been looking for an RL copy for almost 8 months. They are not that common. Of course, I will continue to look at used record stores and garage sales, but all the ones I've found were non-RL copies. It's rarer than people think. In one auction I lost out on, the final winning bid was $102. Believe me, people are becoming aware of this pressing as we forum members spread the word. (By the way, the auction I "lost" out on was one where an ebay member had agreed to cancel the auction and sell me his copy for $30. Well, once the auction was closed, other ebay members emailed him saying they would have bid over $100 for it. So, he cancels our deal and sends me my money back. Needless to say, I was quite pissed about it, but what could I do?) So the next time one came up for bid, and I confirmed it had RL in the deadwax, I offered the seller to put up a "buy it now" option for $90. Yeah, it cost me, but the vinyl is in great condition. Believe me, people are starting to bid this way up. The way I figure it, a lot of people are paying that for the mofi, and this beats it hands down. But I know I'll get my money back as I continue to search locally. Sooner or later I'll snag a copy for cheap and then get my money back on ebay.

 

Congrats on your 'RL' copy.

 

LOL - I KNOW this auction!!!

I asked the seller if it was RL when it was a buy it now for NINETEEN DOLLARS!

He sent me a note that he was relisting the item without the low pricetag so I began to sit vigil and check in on the auction's progress. Then, low and behold, it had a BIN price of $90 and was sold.

I shoulda just bought the damn thing. Oh well. My heart sinks at the thought that this was a QUALITY RL pressing that I missed out on, but I congradulate you at your good fortune.

Hopefully soon I will find mine
-mk

 

No kidding!! It's what I was thinking,too. NINETEEN DOLLARS!!!!!! I was actually thinking about just clicking on it, but I would've been down if it wasn't an RL pressing. Who knew?? As soon as I ask the guy, he informs me that EVERYONE asked him about the RL. So, off he goes to investigate---probably spit up his coffee---and realizes what he has. There went the price! But for a quality copy, to me anyway, I felt it was worth it. Look, if I find one, I'll give ya first shot at it. Don't worry, I ain't gonna stick it to ya for $90. Not a fellow form member. I'll let you know. And keep looking on ebay in a discreet way.

 

Word, brother. I appreciate it.

BTW - I DID happen to buy a very nice copy of LZII recently. I did a flyer on an ebay auction for $4 from a seller from whom I'd already bought a pile of LPs (German Beatles Revolver and some other goodies). It has the correct # SD-8236 in the picture so I figure what the heck -- maybe I'd get lucky.

It is a GERMAN copy!! It has a glossy cover and the US-Style Atlantic Label. The runoff area is inscribed with the initials PF?!?!?! It happens to sound pretty dern good -- I'd say it rivals and in some ways may even surpass my Classic, which is the best I got for now.

But there's an RL out there with my name on it....
-mk

 

I just got a fair copy of this for 99 cents.

It sounds good, and there doesn't appear to be any groove damage. After a thorough cleaning, there are some crackles -- probably due to scratches on this well-played record. But otherwise it sounds VERY good -- it makes a good argument for seeking out a copy in better condition.

I've yet to A-B it against the Classic pressing.

-mk

 

The second track on side 1 What Is And What Should Never Be - The bass on this will knock your socks off!

 

Damn, I just finished listening to the third song on side 1 The Lemon Song - The bass on this one is even more bouncy and full. Excellent! Damn, that guitar solo with the bass playing along just jumps out but is not at all harsh or fatiguing.

 

And the second guitar solo just kicks righteous A** as they would say in high school.

 

People who've heard this, mostly describe the bass as being better. Am I right in assuming the RL copies do not improve on the distortion and basic sonic mess this recording is?

 

Man, these RLs are getting pricey! I saw one on Ebay due to finish in half an hour (Item #170112677025). For a long time the bid was only $15.50 and suddenly it jumped to $75 this morning and then someone had already entered a higher max a week ago so it incremented up to $76.

 

Yep. I'm sure there are a few happy LP vendors thanks to this forum.

In fact, I notice lately that virtually every US copy of Led Zeppelin II has a question about the RL listed on the page.

In this case, someone also asked about the Atlantic address.

No doubt there are some folks watching all of these so it might be smart to email dealers privately as the mention of RL guarantees that the price will go through the roof.

 

Whoah! Somebody likes their Zeppelin. The auction just ended with a winning bid of $171.51 placed 3 seconds before the end!

 

And who said vinyl is dead? The surge in prices of vinyl on eBay has been stunning.

 

Hi,

I went to an antique store yesterday. There were a lot of sealed WLP pressings a seller was getting rid of. I inquired about the price and the seller tells me "Hey buddy, I'll let ya have the whole lot for $5" I give him a $10 bill and tell him to keep it all. Inside as I am looking at them in my car, there are 5 SS Led Zeppelin II and I WLP Atlantics. All have RL in the deadwax. I must have hit the lotto!

 

too bad you had to open the sealed LPs to check for the RL. A sealed RL would be worth a heck of a lot of money! Of course to know it's an RL, it can no longer be sealed.

 

If these are getting hard to find, why doesn't someone do a needle drop of a clean copy and make a DAD or dvd-audio that everyone can enjoy?

 

Well that would be kind of illegal.

Instead, why doesn't Page dig out the true, real honest-to-goodness 1st-generation master tape and have it transferred to DVD-A with only level monitoring for mastering. Or else, why not go in and take the original multitracks they claimed to have found between 2000-2002 and remix the whole thing to hires. Yes, it'd be a bit of work, but it would sell like crazy and please a LOT of fans.

 

No more dubious or illegal than the Alan Parsons' "Dark Side" dvd-audio that is out there. I bet many people here have that dvd-audio.

 

Just because people have it doesn't make it any less illegal.

 

I had a snipe of $65 ready for it, and I thought I was overpaying :-O

But I have a side 1 RL on the way described as "This album and it's cover are in real good shape for there age Led Zeppelin II was released in 1969". God, that could mean anything, but for $20, I thought it was worth the risk. My other two copies distort horribly on Thank You, so this might be what I needed for a nice needledrop.