Led Zeppelin II Box

Led Zeppelin released its superb second album Led Zeppelin II in October of 1969. In 1968, famed British session guitarist Jimmy Page (whom had joined The Yardbirds and was in their final lineup) first joined forces with fellow British session musician John Paul Jones (bass guitar and keyboards) and two musicians from the Midlands of England being singer Robert Plant and the sadly missed John Bonham on drums. Just after the band released its debut album in January of 1969, the band conquered America with ease as its debut album reached #10 in the States without a hit single! Also the band quickly graduated from opening act to theaters to eventually arenas and stadiums. Whilst the band toured for its debut, they recorded, mixed and mastered its sophomore effort with Jimmy Page producing the album and this time Jimi Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer, the late Andy Johns, George Chkiantz and Chris Huston were the recording engineers and Eddie Kramer did the mixing. Would this album be as great as its debut or better, read on and find out, as I did when I first heard as a 7 year old in 1983 when my third oldest sister's friend brought over the vinyl record and would acquire on cassette in 1985 (with "Heartbreaker" ending Side 1 and "Thank You" opening Side 2). We open proceedings with the band's only US Top 5 hit, the rocking "Whole Lotta Love" which is just a killer tune although its been played many times on rock radio over the years. When issued as a single, the trippy middle section was excised (sacrilege). The song was a group composition based on Willie Dixon's "You Need Love". Next is Page and Plant's power ballad as it were "What Is and What Should Never Be" which is just a stellar song and has the quiet verses, the loud chorus and an ending which goes elsewhere. Next is the band's collaboration rocker called "The Lemon Song" which is not about lemons. The song has references to blues songs like Robert Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues" and Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" but the riffs and the solo sections from Page were all Zeppelin. The first half closes with "Thank You" which is a Page/Plant collaboration which has Jimmy on acoustic and electric guitars, Jonesy on organ and is just a beautiful love song as it were. The second half of the album begins with the group collaborated rocker "Heartbreaker" which just burns and is a killer tune. We then segue into another rocker out of "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman") which is a Page/Plant rocker which rocks. Then it's a half acoustic/half electric number called "Ramble On" which is another Page/Plant collaboration and just is a great song. Next is the instrumental "Moby Dick" which showcased why the late John Bonham was rock's greatest drummer (this song's drum solo would extend to upwards of 30 minutes in later concert performances in later years). We close the album with "Bring It On Home" which is two songs in one which the intro and outro was based on Sonny Boy Williamson and then the rest was Page/Plant with some additional lyrics by Willie Dixon. Killer way to end the album. Led Zeppelin's sophomore effort would go to #1 on the American album charts knocking The Beatles' Abbey Road out of #1 and has sold over 10 plus million Stateside. Now in 2014, the album is re-released and given a superb remastering treatment by Jimmy Page and also comes with a second CD featuring a rough mix of "Whole Lotta Love" with alternate vocal performance and sans the overdubs plus rough mixes of "What Is and What Should Never Be", "Heartbreaker" and "Ramble On" with alternate vocal and guitar bits. Then there is instrumental backing tracks of "Thank You" and "Living Loving Maid" and "Moby Dick". Finally is an instrumental not released before called "La-La" which is an excellent and unique instrumental which is excellent. Also is packaged in a triple gatefold and comes with a stellar booklet with awesome pictures. RECOMMENDED!

This is Led Zeppelin’s best album they ever released. Jimmy Page grinds through his guitar like few others did, Plants voice is no doubt the best rock and roll voice I’ve ever heard, Bonham is playing the drums as well as he ever did and Jones has a big hand in the overall sound of the songs. It brings me back to when I was 10 years old and my adoration for Zeppelin. At 64 I still feel the same way about the band and the record.

This is a must for any true Led Zeppelin fan. It's not one of those "digitally remastered" compilation's where it plays like an ipod on relentless shuffle, but hold's true to the original release format including cover art with added liner notes and pics. It also has a companion disc that hold ruff mixes & striped down versions of some these classic tracks to reveal a look into the meticulous production that went into the making of this now classic recording. If you're interested in knowing my motivation for such high praise (and you have 8 days to spare.......kidding) read on. If this is enough to spike your interest, then........ never mind! In 1969 I had already been playing music for 4+ plus years and at the ripe old age of 17 thought I was "King S!#t". "Thought" being the key term in my misguided assessment of my early facility on my instrument...the bass. The shocking moment of revelation came not when I first heard Led Zeppelin's first offering, which was itself a revelation, but when I walked into Winterland (an old now non existent ice arena turned concert venue in SF CA) to my first Zep concert. The first player I saw/heard (more like felt right through my body) was John Paul Jones. His sound was like a freight train comin' at ya at full throttle but with the touch & skill of a classical concert musician! I had never heard anything like it. Then later that year Led Zeppelin II came out and I said to myself, "self, you've been f@$&!*g around up till now...you best get busy" So I did. I learned I & II note for note....every track. But my all time favorite is "Ramble On". Here I finally get to my point. After 43+ years as a professional musician & teacher (10 of those years) I use Ramble On and many other Zep trks to teach ear training. In Ramble On's case in particular, I had lobbied the Zep powers that be by email & by any means I could find to "please release or tell me if it's possible to make available a copy of the tune without fading it out". I wanted to know what went on to the end of the track as recorded, 'cuz to me it sounded like they were well on their way to "gittin' it" when as it often happens to great rhythm sections as they "air it out", get faded out. Well I am extremely happy to report here & now that has now, with this new version with the supplementary special added track of ruff mixes, this has actually happened. Jimmy Page has given us a peek at the meticulous construction/production of this classic recording by drying up some of the effects, eliminating some of the over tracked guitar parts and vocals (to his credit I might add 'cuz they're great parts), by doing so, clarified the bass even more to reveal every little nuance that JPJ articulated. He holds the fade on Ramble On till the very last moment & you can actually hear them stop. I must admit it was a little anti climatic 'cuz I though they had for sure gone into a great jam but they end it not really to long after the original fade! None the less it answers a question that has haunted me since I first heard the tune. Thank you Mr Page for your tireless work in "re working" a true master piece.

Most folks who buy this stunner of an album are going to be those who are familiar with the contents and just want to know whether it is worth their while and cash to get the new versions so that is basically what I hope to sort out. Doing an A-B with the superb remasters done without compression away back in the early 90's shows this new version to be no louder, to have great instrumental separation and no compression issues. This is a cd that can be thrown on and cranked up without the earache inducing nonsense that plagues so many rock albums. Sonic quality and not sonic assault has been the aim for this game and it pays off big time. Plants vocals just float right out of the mix, dead center for most of the time, swinging wildly from speaker to speaker at others. His voice just sounds like a guy in a recording booth singing his heart out, rather than a version of the sound of a guy singing his heart out in the recording booth, if you get my drift. He just sounds right. John Paul Jones bass has never sounded better, every note is now distinct and clear, from the attack(so you can tell when he is using a pick or fingers) right through to the palm mutes, resonant fade aways etc..... I have heard lines here that were never apparent before but are there when I go back to the previous remaster. Jimmy's guitar work, well that is just the bizz, as you would expect. What he doing is more apparent, for example the over dubbed guitar army now has each guitar spread out that wee bit better, his string bending better defined. John Bonham's drumming is much easier to appreciate, cymbals ringing out and decaying more naturally, better bottom end bass drum welly thudding out nicely. The downside of this increase in sonic fidelity is that you can clearly hear when the original tape levels were pushed into distortion. This is not so noticeable on previous remasters, tending to be masked behind the lower resolution of the digital master, but that's the price you pay when fidelity is the goal. This is not the same as the digital mess you get when a recording is brickwalled. Highlight so far has got to be The Lemon Song. Incredible!! Never heard it better. Wow, it is just like sitting there. Jimmy's small single line fills as Robert sings about the need for citric acid release are a revelation. You can hear him run the plectrum down the strings and so on. John Paul Jones bass playing on this recording is still bench mark standard, amazing in other words. The bonus cd is alright, but not something I would play that often. It is of superb sound quality, just lacking the true top end of the main album and does have some great wee alternative bits scattered through it. Edit- this bonus cd is a first class listen. The stripped back versions are really good, the core being similar, but some guitar work being different - the middle section of Whole Lotta is stripped right back and is all the more freaked out because of it, some vocal overdubs missing, some vocal lines that were scrubbed from the finished version and so on. There is an instrumental version of Living Loving Maid that is just a guitar drums and bass that makes this second cd worth having. It is brimming with wild energy and incredible playing. Kudos to Jimmy Page for the sterling job he and the team did here!

No comments on the album, it's just great. But the product is a little tattered and old. I don't mind it but keep in mind that it's not a very good experience holding and looking the photo book etc. The glue has dried and all that. But it came in a sealed package so that is okay i guess. I don't mind it but keep this in mind.

Zoals verwacht, goede cd.snelle levering

really liked this deluxe edition and surprised by the sound of original album and the extra cd...always thought zeppelin had the worst sounding albums when they came out originally...and stayed that way until the remastered cd boxset in 1990...this edition sounds even better than the boxset...well worth the money and pretty cheap for this deluxe edition....get it now!!!

Chegou em perfeito estado e antes do prazo.