Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin II

Label:

Atlantic – SD 8236

Format:

Vinyl , LP, Album, Stereo , "RL" (Robert Ludwig) Cut, Monarch Pressing

Country:

US

Released:

Genre:

Rock

Style:

Blues Rock

Tracklist

A1 Whole Lotta Love 5:33
A2 What Is And What Should Never Be 4:47
A3 The Lemon Song 6:20
A4 Thank You 3:50
B1 Heartbreaker 4:15
B2 Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman) 2:40
B3 Ramble On 4:35
B4 Moby Dick 4:25
B5 Bring It On Home 4:19

Companies, etc.

  • Copyright ©Atlantic Recording Corporation
  • Published BySuperhype Music, Inc.
  • Lacquer Cut AtSterling Sound
  • Lacquer Cut AtAtlantic Studios
  • Pressed ByMonarch Record Mfg. Co. – Δ13933
  • Mastered AtLongwear Plating
  • Manufactured ByAtlantic Recording Corporation

Credits

  • Artwork [Art Work]David Juniper
  • Engineer [Recording Engineer]George Chkiantz
  • Executive-ProducerPeter Grant
  • Lacquer Cut ByRL*
  • PerformerRobert Plant
  • ProducerJimmy Page
  • Technician [Director Of Engineering]Edwin H. Kramer*
  • Written-ByRobert Plant (tracks: A1 to B3, B5)

Notes

US 1st pressing, featuring Robert Ludwig's "hot" mastering on both sides. These were withdrawn early because the high bass levels caused low-grade cartridges to mistrack, leading people to return the album on the belief that it was defective. Another engineer was then hired to recut a much less "hot" version of the album, and that is the far more common version.

Labels include "MO" suffix (indicating Monarch pressing) and "Mfg By Atlantic Recording Corp., 1841 Broadway, New York, N.Y.". On all matrix Side A and Side B there is "MR" in a circle that identify a Monarch pressing.

Some copies came with one or two hype stickers: one mentioning Whole Lotta Love and the other with a tracklisting.

Runout details are etched except for the Monarch logo (MR in a circle) stamp.
LW etching appears sideways compared to other text.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

  • Rights Society: ASCAP
  • Pressing Plant ID (Monarch, printed on both labels): MO
  • Pressing Plant ID (Monarch, stamp on both runouts): (MR)
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A label): ST-A-691671-MO
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B label): ST-A-691672-MO
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 1): ST-A-691671-MO - BB LW Δ13933 AT RL ss W
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 1): ST-A-691672-MO - CC LW RL ss Δ13933-X (2) W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 2): ST-A-691671-MO - CC RL ss LW △13933 (2) W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 2): ST-A-691672-MO - AA LW AT RL ss Δ13933-X W
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 3): ST-A-691671-MO - BB LW Δ13933 AT RL ss W
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 3): ST-A-691672-MO - CC LW RL ss Δ13933-X W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 4): ST-A-691671-MO - CC RL ss LW △13933 (2) W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 4): ST-A-691672-MO - CC T LW RL ss △13933-X W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 5): ST-A-691671-MO - CC RL ss T LW △13933 W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 5): ST-A-691672-MO - CC T LW RL ss △13933-X W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 6): ST-A-691671-MO - (MR) BB LW Δ13933 AT RL ss W
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 6): ST-A-691672-MO - AA (MR) LW AT RL ss Δ13933-X W
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 7): ST-A-691671-MO - T CC (MR) RL SS LW Δ13933 ③ W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 7): ST-A-691672-MO - CC 1 (MR) LW RL SS Δ13933-X W (1) AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 8): ST- A-691671-MO - T CC (MR) LW Δ13933 W AT RL SS
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 8): ST-A-691672-MO - CC T (MR) LW RL SS Δ13933-X W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 9): ST-A-691671-MO - (MR) BB LW Δ13933 AT RL SS W
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 9): ST-A-691672-MO - CC T (MR) LW RL SS Δ13933-X W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 10): ST-A-691671-MO - CC (MR) RL SS LW ̶Δ̶13933 (1) W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 10): ST-A-691672-MO - CC (MR) LW RL SS Δ13933-X W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A variant 11): ST- A-691671-MO - T CC (MR) RL SS LW Δ13933 W AT
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B variant 11): ST-A-691672-MO - CC (MR) LW RL SS Δ13933X W AT

Other Versions (5 of 1012)

View All
Title (Format) Label Cat# Country Year
Led Zeppelin II (LP, Album, Misprint, Stereo, Gatefold) Atlantic 588198, 588 198 UK 1969
Led Zeppelin II (LP, Album, Stereo, Gatefold, Red Label) Atlantic SD 8236 Canada 1969
Recently Edited
Led Zeppelin II (LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, PR - Presswell Pressing, Gatefold) Atlantic SD 8236 US 1969
Recently Edited
Led Zeppelin II (LP, Album, Stereo) Atlantic HATS 421-43 Spain 1969
Recently Edited
Led Zeppelin II (LP, Album) Atlantic 921021, N° 921021 1969

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Reviews

  • thereeces's avatar
    thereeces
    Had a Presswell version for years and recently obtained the Monarch, My opinion is the Monarch has more balanced energy. Both are great but the Monarch wins the duel.
    • ParadaStudios's avatar
      ParadaStudios
      Amazingly, I found mine, along with 200 other records, at a home cleanup in the early 2000s as a teenager earning money in the summer vacation months. Didn't know what I had until Discogs came around, and now, as a bit of an audiophile snob, i'm so glad i kept it. Such a treat to listen to, great history and story to tell, but playing it sparingly (i don't want to wear it down) or just whenever I feel the need to show off what vinyl and HiFi is capable of.

      Such an amazing pressing and interesting story and history on this one. The music just jumps out at you, especially the drums.
      Long live the mighty LED ZEPPELIN!
      • ian1989's avatar
        ian1989
        Picked up a copy of this grail from a local store in Cardiff, South Wales for £95. It's absolutely battered and shouldn't play as well as it does. It's not left my turntable and blows my plum UK out of the water! Happy to own such a big part of collecting history.
        • ParloDecker's avatar
          ParloDecker
          So I got a VG RLSS copy a few months ago. Every time I put it on, it blows my mind. Everything feels so alive with having the perfect ammount of punch. Its noisy but its cut so hot that any noise is really burried in the mix and its amazing. In comparison with my Uk 3rd pressing, this RLSS copy anhilates it and its absolutely earned its legendary status. Eddie Kramer had the right idea to get Ludwig to cut the album. Good luck to everyone whos trying to get one! If you want a guarnteed RLSS pressing, then these Monarch ones are the ones to get.
          • NESeller's avatar
            NESeller
            I see a copy for sale that just has the RL emboss. but not SS. Is this common? Appreciate any help
            • SiLic0ne.t0aD's avatar
              SiLic0ne.t0aD
              Edited 11 months ago
              These RL SS cuts are no joke, they are cut HOT! Incredibly loud, amazing sounding record. The music just explodes out the speakers.

              Glad I finally have the honor of owning one, and as a lifelong Zeppelin fan & vinyl enthusiast, this has always been one of my grail pressings, so it feels good to check this off my list. My copy has a tiny skip on A1, (that I can hopefully fix under some magnification), but other than that, no complaints for a 55 year old record. The hype is real though, folks.. Definitely worth seeking one of these out. I'll probably pony up for a better copy, eventually though!
              • Mr.Natural.69's avatar
                Mr.Natural.69
                Yeah, I'm old... Saw LZ at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC in August, 1971...I was 17 and had been a fan since the first album...
                OK, the ticket cost $5.50, 'cause I bought it at the door...Whatta freakin' show.... only time I saw them...
                I had bought The LZ 2 album new a couple years earlier... Glad I had a good quality turntable because my copy is an RL/SS copy..
                Usually put CD's on now, but I warm up the turntable every so often... This copy I bought 55 years ago still blows me away when I turn it up loud through my old Altec Lansing model 14's...
                • Adler000's avatar
                  Adler000
                  Edited one year ago
                  Yes, this is the real deal. Absolutely spectacular. I’m lucky enough to have a copy with no skips and only light, minimal noise throughout. But this album is so gritty and dirty that the noise almost adds to the aesthetic and presentation for a lot of it. The loudest spot of noise on my copy is right at the tail end of Ramble On, but almost as if by divine providence it disappears immediately as Moby Dick starts. If you’re lucky enough to find a copy in alright shape or better, you’ve struck gold. The mastering is loud and strong enough that most of the noise on a VG/VG- copy will be overpowered by the music.
                  • mark92reyes's avatar
                    mark92reyes
                    A record store around me had this album I just got done doing a trade with them and got 40 dollars store credit. Walked around didn’t see anything really they were spinning this album, I asked how much they had on it and it was 48 for a strong VG-. He said he would do the 40 store credit and I said it’s mine and used that store credit so fast and then I was outta there. Still go to that store to this day
                    • immanipper's avatar
                      immanipper
                      Can anyone else with variant 10 confirm that there is a sort of bleed-through problem on side 1? It's particularly noticeable at the beginning of Whole Lotta Love, where after the first few guitar notes, I can hear them repeating very faintly in the right channel before the bass starts. No other copy I have does this.

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                      • Median:$187.50
                      • High:$800.00

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