RL Pressing of Led Zeppelin II, is it worth it?
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- Among vinyl collectors the Robert (Bob) Ludwig pressing of Led Zeppelin II is considered a holy grail. It is the first American pressing and was made under circumstances that made an exceptional sounding record possible. But, is the myth true? What does an actual RL pressing sound like?
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I've owned at least 100 copies of the RL's over 40 years. I've compared practically every competitor to them and touted the virtues of the RL's on an audio forum over the last two decades. In my opinion it is the one to hear, even one with some crackles and pops. If I could own only one copy of LZ II, I'd pick an RL even with some noise and minor defects. Whether it is the one to own for anyone else is another matter. The market for them is what is is, people will pay what they want. Tip: the poor mans RL is the George Piros mastered copies cut in the middle to late 70's. I think people will be pleasantly surprised if they haven't heard one. Those and the early UK a2/b2 copies are totally worthy too.
Agree: My late 70s George Piros pressing is punchy and dynamic and really explodes out of the speakers. I don't own an RL pressing but for the price these George Piros copies can't be beat. I picked mine up (VG+) for $15 a few years ago and for me it is the best value for money LZII pressing. RL copies are hard to find and expensive. Their price tag is bloated due a lot of deserved hype, but the George Piros is so close so close that I'm not sure an RL copy is needed if you have one.
I have been waiting for a video such as yours for a long time: thank you for posting!
Thank you!
I have a couple of copies of the Canadian first pressing and it sounds pretty awesome to my ear.
I have a strong Excellent copy, ive had several VG+ copies, and yes it is worth it.
Awesome! How did you find it?
@@top5records796 I am an American and I bought them probably 5 years ago. I sold 6 of them and kept my best 2.
@@top5records796 I found one of them for 5 dollars a couple years ago. It was a VG copy though.
I have owned a UK (2nd) Plum copy (Lemon Song). But i now have a RL / LH (Lee Hulko) version, and, yes this is much better. It has exactly the same Sterling Ludwig mastering (RL on side A; LH on side B). Even Bobs own email has confirmed that he and Lee Hulko were interchangeable, meaning that when one was off the other stepped in. It’s the same mix and master. Lee put his initials on one side if he was working at the time. (see Discogs)! I also have the 1977 Piros Presswell pressing, with -X @ GP on both sides, and yes : this sounds pretty damn good.. Maybe 90% of an RL at 10% of the price !! This recording is a statement by the band that they can fuse so much sonic power into a piece of vinyl that no matter what stereo you own, no matter how big the speakers, no matter how many watts you think you have, IT’S NOT ENOUGH. The music will be so good you be unable to restrain yourself from turning it up louder, and louder, and still louder, making the distortion you hear an intoxicating part of the music. If at the end of a side you don’t feel like you’ve just been run over by a freight train, you missed out on one of the greatest musical experiences known to man: Led Zeppelin at ear-splitting levels. If you missed them in concert, as I did, this is the only way to get some sense of what it might have been like.
Completely agree!
glad you could snag one, i got mine in a closing record shop in the 1.98 bin VG++ or E- and it's a spooky record, never sounds the same twice. it's got magick and juju worth the price of admission
That is so nice! VG++!
I had an opportunity to listen to the Ricky Lee Jones ('79) LP pressed in the USA, some time before CDs.
I and everybody who listened to this LP with me - we were in shock! Strong bass, understandable lyrics (pure sybilants), and a lot of crispy high tones,
everything balanced perfectly, with very good dynamics - Shure probably added its value too.
So I believe in the very good quality of the USA mastering and pressing.
I’ll go looking for it! I want to do a video where I rank the pressings.
I paid 280 for a very high vg copy that has a sometimes-skip at the start of ramble on. It is genuinely worth it as crazy as it sounds. It's not nessecarily studio accurate like a kevin gray cut, but all the instruments are so forward it's jarring. Its a very unique experience and I'd suggest it.
Why does it skip?
@@top5records796 no clue. It occasionally tracks, occasionally doesnt. It's no biggie though and the rest of the music has little noise.
I'm insane, but I bought before the boom. I have the first Japanese pressing, 3 plums: Wreck, Lemon song and Killing floor, and three RL: Presswell, Speciality and a Monarch in VG+. The Monarch especially is insanely good. Like having the fekin' band in the room. Congratulations on an exceptional find!
Sounds like an amazing collection!
@@top5records796 LZII was the second record I bought - with money I got as a Christmas present! (The first one was Sweet Fanny Adams (which should tell you my age, hehe.)) I've been collecting for years. Sooner or later everything shows up!
I was very excited to see your take on this legend. Yes, it absolutely lives up to the hype. They are not super rare here in the US, just insanely rare in VG+ or better condition. Even true VG copies are super rare. I have had a few copies that I got for cheap at flea markets over the years, but they were beat-up, like G and even F. But even then, the sound was still incredible. The surface noise was mostly overpowered. I lucked upon a solid VG (most would say VG+) copy that I ended up getting free (funny story) like 10 years ago. I really treasure it. One of my most prized records. I have only heard Presswell pressings. I would really love to hear a NM Monarch pressing (Peter Grant's favorite plant other than Robert).
I also read the George Piros-cut US pressing from 1977 is great. I have a copy of Houses Of The Holy with Side 1 cut by Ludwig and Side 2 cut by Piros. Both sides sound great and compare well, so I imagine the Piros II can hold its own with the RL II.
P.S. I have the US Zep II that replaced the RL cut right after it was recalled in 1969. Holy hell, that is AWFUL. Ludwig says they cut it from a cassette. I thought he was remembering wrong until I played it. He could very well be right.
Mine is VG! I would indeed love to hear a NM Monarch pressing one day. Luckily; today I found a NM George Piros Copy of Led Zeppelin I! That will be my new Led Zep video!
@@top5records796 WEIRD coincidence, haha. Awesome, you are a step ahead of me. I am very much looking forward to that video and comparison.
The RLss variants are magical. The Monarch is slightly better than the Presswell, but any of them are great. I went down the rabbit hole seeking the best. I even have the Classic Records 200 gram Clarity vinyl Led Zeppelin II at 45 rpm, yet the Ludwig is phenomenal. Worth the investment.
Happy to hear that! Because those Classic Records pressings can be very tempting.
Beyond the basics of proper turntable set-up, it's important to keep in mind that when LZ II was released in late '69 the vast majority of record buyers simply didn't own anything like a decent turntable. LZ II was an incredibly popular album - I know I listened to my copy daily for months after getting it on release. Most people played their copies to death, and that's not an unfair way of putting it when you consider that some even took to 'enhancing' tracking force by Scotch taping pennies to the head shell to keep the stylus from jumping out of the groove. So, the chances of finding a clean copy of the RL cut have got to be pretty slim at this point. And if you do find this rare bird, what is it gonna cost you? Please.
Putting pennies on a stylus? That is horrible…
A decent copy is $140, and a vg+ is around $300.00. But they go quickly. My record store owner dude has had 3 recently, and I got a nice one for $250.00 because the owner wrote his name near the spindle. But the vinyl is nice. I've heard several versions, and the RL is by far the best, imho. Consider it the centerpiece of your collection. People pay 10k for a comic book behind glass. You can play your vinyl. 😊
Great video. Cheers
Thank you!
What a great video have a wonderful day also Sunday was my mom birthday ❤😊
Thank you! And happy birthday to your mother!
Yeah, it's a killer pressing. 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Once I heard it, everything made sense.
You should try to find a Spanish copy of a mastering engineer Marta Alvear with the matrix number A8/B8. You may like it better than the RL.
I’m looking for a Alvear but I thought she only did Led Zeppelin I?
@@top5records796 she did the whole Zep catalogue, except for Coda (maybe I'm mistaken about Coda, but all other albums are confirmed). I've got LZ I A8/B6 (mind-blowing) LZ II A8/B8 (jaw-dropping) and I've got LZ IV A8/B6 which is again amazing, with a lot of air and 3D image (typical for Alvear), but the best Led Zep IV I've heard is the first French press.
Another enjoyable watch my friend..
Thank you!
Thanks for the interesting review. I personally have the 2005 classic and the German 1st press with RL on side A only, which to me personal are both superior to all other releases I heard including the 1977 G.Piros (for the German one only for the side A comparison, as the side B mix is really crap). Unfortunately I don't own a US RL pressing for comparison but so far I thought the German 1969 side A used the same metal parts or stamper as the US RL version, thus is the same (sounding)pressing, which you stated isn't. Did you compare the US RL with the 1969 German RL (only SD8236 on front cover) or the later 1973 German RL (has additional ATL 40 037 on the front cover just below SD8236)? Thanks
Sorry to say this but the reason why the needle jumped upon playing this record is because people back then didn’t know the basics of setting up the turntable properly (VTA,VTF,using a protractor to set the proper geometry, leveling the TT) including placing their turntables on firm & leveled surfaces! Just my 2 cents! 😅
I think you might be right! That also explains a lot of the damage done to records. Because if a turntable is set properly a record should not be damaged.
1970(January) my brother and I went to the variety store in my hometown and got a copy of zeppelin II .. it was a rl pressing ! But we were 15-16 and didn’t even understand what a hot pressing was! I’ve had several copies since then and I think it’s an overrated lp! Another rarity that is out of the realm for regular collectors! Great work!!
That’s so lucky! It does set a high standard! I had that with Queen’s a Night at the Opera! It was my first ever vinyl experience but it was a Porky pressing! I could not believe the sound of it.
Owned one and traded it. There are other great sounding copies out there. Japan club from the 70's, MOFI , Classic, Piros, Red Canada etc. etc.
Nice video, thanks a lot for posting. And nothing much to add. I got an US RL pressing from my wife's late uncle. he had only a few records mostly classical stuff, some Scottish folk records and 3 or 4 pop and rock records. and one of these was the Led zep II in the RL cut. I am sure, he was not aware what he had and I am still wondering how and why he got this. The myth is true. Its a stunning sounding record. Is it worth 200 or more EUR? ... i don't know.
The value is indeed hard to discuss. I payed it for it, am I happy? Yes! So I guess it must be worth it. I’ll play it a lot.
Mine is much louder than my other records. Is it worth the money? I Wouldn't sell mine for 2,000 dollars. It's near mint.
I truly understand that!
I own an EX/NM RL Preswell pressing which we compared to Qobuz in a blind test. Most listeners couldn't really tell the difference.
What about the classic records version? Better or worse?
Trying to hunt that down to compare!
I’ve had a few copies, none in a condition that I’d be happy with in my collection. They’re not rare enough for the price.
I prefer a flan
Creme Brulee?
Ooh, a bit sweet, innit. Too rich.
I prefer Led Zeppelin 2 repress from 1977 mastered by Piros
Interesting! Why do you prefer that one?
Because it sounds much more equilibrate to me and the sound stage is huge. Have you got it? Give it a try
@@Geffen_yes, the 77 Piros is incredible. There are slightly earlier mid 70 Piros presses which are the same intensity ( whichever years it was 75, 76) remember Piros had Robert Ludwig's notes for this). For me it is when the volume is turned up past halfway, to about 2 o'clock on your volume knob- that is the RL " Peter Grant manager arm busting power" that people will pay big bucks for. The people who say its not a big enough difference are the ones listening at lower volumes and with receivers that tamp down on higher frequencies- which mute nuances and dynamics on any record, along with surface noise.
@@top5records796great review. Just curious does your side 2 in deadwax have AT GP in it? Also- I assume you read the Robert Ludwig letter which was uploaded on discogs in the comments. It is the definitive word from the man on all, any, RL copies.
I have the George Piros pressing also. It is great spectacular sounding. The false story about this pressing for years was that the daughter of Ahmet Ertegün brought the album to school. Ertegun did not have any children.
How much did you pay for it? Is it in good shape?
200 dollars. Shape is VG.
Grant was middle class. The myths about him are laughable. He was overweight etc. The Original was mastered by Porky in UK
Been reading up on Grant, fascinating guy.
Greatest manager in the history of rock music.
another stamp collector
You can not listen to stamps.
For me songwriting is king. This album has a couple of mediocre tracks, and no pressing can fix that.
What do you think are the mediocre tracks?
Who cares about song writing it’s about the music and how the music moves you.
I wouldn't say there are mediocre tracks. I guess 'maybe' Moby Dick because Bonham performed that way better live in concert.