The audio on S2 is Mint- (T1 Near Mint / T4 Near Mint- / T5 Ex+)
The light brown gatefold is Ex-
The original inner sleeve is VG+
The labels are Ex+
Visual description
The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy sheen with no actual scratches. Under a bright light you can see a number of faint hairlines on both sides but because this is robust 60s vinyl they are superficial and have no real affect on the audio as you can see from my audio grading. Under a more forgiving light the vinyl is stunning! The run out grooves are very clean and the iconic red / plum labels (a deeper shade than later pressings) are unmarked apart from the spindle wear.
Play Grading
The intro on the classic 'Whole Lotta Love' has a couple of light static ticks and one very brief dull scratchy sound but otherwise plays very clearly. Plant's opening vocal has no interference and the first chorus is perfect. It progresses in much the same way with great power and definition and no intrusion on the audio. The percussive intro on the 'psychedelic' section plays with stunning clarity and as it builds the playback is so strong and clean. In fact this whole section plays with incredible quality and Page's solo that follows is equal to that. The next vocal is as impressive and then the quiet Way down inside... vocal plays with great clarity.... for once! I noticed only a couple of minor statics and there are certainly no clicks or pops. The rest of this classic plays with very clean audio and there is no background on the fade out. I will grade the intro as VG but of course this is only brief and the remainder is Near Mint in my opinion.
The vocal intro on 'What Is And What Should Never Be' is perfect and the first high octane section plays with a sonic quality that cannot be faulted. The next quiet / powerful section are on the same level and the mid instrumental led by Page could not play any better. From then on it plays so clearly and if there is any static distortion - well you don't really notice it because it is so minimal and hardly worth a mention. Through to the end the playback is so strong and the long fade out has just one minor static tick. I think Near Mint- is deserved here.
The intro on 'The Lemon Song' plays so clearly which is quite rare as there is so often a fair amount of static distortion. The opening vocal section has only 3/4 very quiet background ticks and the first high octane section is STUNNING! Bonham and Jones working in perfect unison as per usual with Page adding his classic work on top. There is no interference and the next 'quieter' vocal section is again so clean with only one mega quiet tick. Jones' bass is so strong and deep here and the clarity and throughout this long section is very impressive indeed. The final 'loud' passage has only the bare minimum of distortion on the top end but again does it really need to be said? It still plays with tremendous power and definition and overall Near Mint- is fair. Just a minor crackle at the end of the fade out.
The build up intro on 'Thank You' plays with stunning precision and we all know how rare that is because it always has some static / distortion. The audio is so clean and Plant's opening vocal is equal to that. This is so good so far! The first chorus has barely any distortion and it continues to play with exceptional clarity and warmth through the next vocal section. The mid instrumental is faultless - you would not believe the clarity here - and the following vocal has only very minimal light static, nothing intrusive. The very quiet If the sun refused to shine... vocal plays with great clarity with just a little more static towards the end but again it is quiet. The fade out / in / out end section plays so well with just one static click at the beginning but again you really notice the clarity. During the 'quiet' section there is barely any background. I would say Ex+ if not for that static click but I think ranging between Ex and Ex+ is a fair assessment of the audio.
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The classic opening riff on 'Heartbreaker' plays so well with barely any static and Plant's opening vocal is equal to that if not better! The next riff section is perfect and the second verse has no intrusion either. This is playing with stunning quality so far! The high octane section that follows can only be described 'as new' and the stand alone solo from Page then plays so clearly with only very light static for a couple of seconds. As the music then builds the sonic quality is phenomenal and it demands to be played loud! The final section keeps up this fine standard and Near Mint is more than a fair grading.
'Livin' Lovin' Wreck' plays with STUNNING quality from start to finish with no ticks, clicks, pops or static. In essence it could not play any better and there is no distortion on the top end either. This really is Mint audio of the highest standard.
The acoustic intro on 'Ramble On' also plays 'as new' with no background and the opening verse and chorus are just as strong and dynamic. The playback is flawless and it continues to play with a clarity and definition that is second to none. I cannot emphasise enough how well it plays - each note is so clean and precise and there is 'muddiness' to the sound. Every vocal and instrumental sections plays with sublime quality and the long fade has only the lightest of background static towards the end. A Mint- version for sure.
The opening section on 'Moby Dick' is deep and strong with no interference and then Bonham's iconic solo plays with wonderful clarity and depth. I heard only light background static here and there and I do mean very quiet and totally non-intrusive. There are no ticks, clicks or pops and then Page's final section plays with great precision also. This is Near Mint- at the very least.
As any Led Zepp audiophiles will know the opening section on 'Bring It On Home' so often plays with a fair amount of static distortion but here the playback is very clean indeed. There is only minimal light static and the opening 'vocal' is of the same standard with just a little more light static towards the end. As the volume increases the playback is STUNNING and the next vocal is just as strong. It continues in the same way - loud and true with genuine power and there is no distortion... for once. This section is often beset with issues but it plays so clearly and the final quiet vocal plays with great clarity also. This has to grade as Ex+ the playback is so strong and clean.
In summary this very collectable 'Wreck' red / plum pressing plays to a very high standard with only minimal background and is definitely one of the cleanest versions I have ever listened to. If I'm honest there is nothing that you would deem intrusive apart from maybe that dull scratchy sound at the start. Even 'Thank You' plays clearly with only minimal static here and there and that one static click towards the end. As stated S1 is very impressive but S2 is just stunning! In conjunction with an impressive light brown this will add to any 'rare' collection.
The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve
The light brown cover is for once in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear and there is certainly nothing that stands out. It is impressive that its original brown colour has not faded in any way. The edges and have only light rubbing and the spine remains very clean (another rarity!) with only minimal wear mainly on the corners, it is still 100% legible. Contrary to popular opinion not all of the first press covers have a green tinge on some edges and this is one of them! The right hand corners have only light wear and the opening edge has barely any handling wear, it is so clean. The front cover is in great shape with only minimal light spotting on the white section and some minor wear on the right edge. The back cover is again very clean with only faint spotting in the white area, some light ringwear and a small corner crease top left and bottom. The inside of the gatefold is in lovely condition with very little fading around the edges and just a small corner crease top left. A very impressive version and cleaner than so many you see today.
The original poly-lined 'Plastic Bags...' inner has no side splits or tears but does have some creasing and a handful of small faint marks.
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
The record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine
588 198 A ∇ 2 1 5 9
588 198 B ∇ 2 1 4 5
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
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Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
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