Led Zep III is a terrific record all round. However, whichever copy you look for, finding Led Zep II in great condition is harder work than listening to Depeche ModeРІР‚в„ўs third album. Look also for a light brown sleeve with a blurry green edge. Later copies are cР’Р€40 and call this song РІР‚СљKilling FloorРІР‚Сњ with a credit to Willie Dixon РІР‚вЂњ which if you have ever heard Willie DixonРІР‚в„ўs song you will have some sympathy for. Still a first pressing, but without the РІР‚СљLiving Loving WreckРІР‚Сњ mis-print is a Р’Р€60 copy in mint condition which lists РІР‚СљThe Lemon SongРІР‚Сњ, crediting the writers as Plant and Page on the label. First pressings said РІР‚СљLivinРІР‚в„ў LovinРІР‚в„ў WreckРІР‚Сњ Note the РІР‚СљLivinРІР‚в„ў LovinРІР‚в„ў MaidРІР‚Сњ song title, meaning this is not a first pressing. A РІР‚СљPlumРІР‚Сњ coloured UK Pressing of Led Zep II. Led Zep II is less expensive, and there are a couple of things to look out for: Top money for Led Zep 2 can be up to Р’Р€250 for a mint first pressing РІР‚вЂњ identifiable by a mis-credited РІР‚СљLiving Loving WreckРІР‚Сњ on the label. I found one for twenty-five quid a little while ago, but it jumped, so I didnРІР‚в„ўt buy itРІР‚В¦ Second pressings РІР‚вЂњ still from the sixties and with orange lettering on the cover РІР‚вЂњ are marginally less ridiculously priced, but may still set you back a few hundred quid if mint. Oh, and by the Р’Р€1,500 price tag in mint condition. The first pressings of Led Zep 1 are easily identifiable with Turquoise lettering on the front cover. You shouldnРІР‚в„ўt be prepared to look for first pressings unless you are fond of shouting РІР‚Сљ- Me!РІР‚Сњ whilst you suffer a heart attack from fright. Note the lilac label and РІР‚СљHouse of the HolyРІР‚Сњ titleР”Р„nother thing you should know about buying Led Zep vinyl is that their first couple of albums are very, very expensive. I didnРІР‚в„ўt know it at the time, but my US pressing was pretty early and has excellent sound РІР‚вЂњ probably better than an equivalent UK version. It seems Led Zep are an exception: they had such great success in the USA that this generally fairly reliable guideline doesnРІР‚в„ўt hold true РІР‚вЂњ after the first album at least. This is in contrast to the general rule of record collecting that if you buy an early pressing from the country of origin of the artist, you are most likely to be nearer the source tapes, and therefore the sound ought to be better. However, a bit of impromptu research from some audiophiles* has revealed that in the majority of cases the US pressing actually sounds better than the UK one. ItРІР‚в„ўs because I could get *almost* the same thing for thirty-two pounds fifty less, and a penny saved is, as the saying goes, a penny earned.

This wasnРІР‚в„ўt because I have some sort of maverick vision or second sight as a record investor. When I first started building up my record collection again, my local record shop, Leigh Records, had a Р’Р€40 UK plum labelled copy of Led Zep III and a US pressing for Р’Р€7.50 in the same condition.

But received wisdom, I have discovered, is not always correct. It is received wisdom that the earliest Led Zep UK pressings РІР‚вЂњ with a plum and red label, rather than the later green and yellow label РІР‚вЂњ are the ones to have. Want to know why some Led Zeppelin vinyl LPs sounded better than most other rock LPs? Read onРІР‚В¦

( 125 ) The РІР‚СљDo What Thou WiltРІР‚Сњ inscription on Led Zep III.

Home РІР‚С” Hard Rock РІР‚С” Led Zeppelin: A Vinyl BuyerРІР‚в„ўsР’В GuideР”В«y Every Record Tells A Story on Ma

Coda 2 prefix