Recently I read an entertaining article from the Washington Post about comparing different pressings of LPs and a chap whose life mission it is to establish the ‘best’ version.* The audiophile in question is a person of very strong opinions, and very confident in expressing them. It reminded me of the time I was asked to do a similar ‘shoot out’ for Discrepancy Records.
*
Wanting a fiftieth anniversary blast of prototype British heavy rock, I asked a Led Zeppelin fanatic of my acquaintance which release of their second album he would recommend.
“Tricky,” he said. “There have been quite a few versions but I don’t have them all.”
“Really?” My surprise was obvious. “I thought you owned a dozen copies.”
“Nineteen, at last count.”
“Surely that must cover it.”
“You kidding? Worldwide, there are hundreds and hundreds of versions of Led Zeppelin II. My holding is pathetic.”
Pathetic wasn’t really the descriptor that sprang to mind, so I decided to change tack.
“Let’s have a listen to my 2014 Jimmy Page remaster.”
Led Zeppelin II opens with the mighty “Whole Lotta Love”, its killer riff roaring out of the speakers like a pack of Harley-Davidsons. When the bass and drums really kick in, it’s thrilling… even five decades on. Then there’s the breakdown section where bongos patter, things echo between the speakers and general weirdness reigns until THAT riff returns after an electrifying Jimmy Page solo. All this and more are nicely captured in Page’s 2014 remaster. In particular, he did a lovely job on Robert Plant’s vocals, which are crisp and clear throughout.
Whipping off the 180g re-issue, we substituted a 1969 UK pressing. Unfortunately the copy had significant surface noise, making comparisons difficult, but there were certainly some small differences to be heard. The earlier fade on Plant’s final wail is one example.
I offered my mid-price Greek re-issue (year uncertain) but we didn’t even get to the “Whole Lotta Love” breakdown before wailing drowned out the music. “Get it OFFFF!”.
Once he’d regained composure, my Zepp mate instructed me to sit down and shut up. He reverently placed a slightly careworn copy of II on the coffee table and stared lovingly at it for a moment.
“And?” I said, a trifle testily. After all, I’d carried my copy of II around Greece for over a month back in 1990 and was very fond of it, despite it sounding a bit crap.
“This,” he said, “Is the Robert Ludwig cut.”
Wanting to appear neither rude nor ignorant, I said nothing.
My friend explained that Mr. Ludwig did a cut of the LP from the master tapes for Atlantic USA. This pressing was described as ‘hot’, meaning that the highs were high, the lows were real low and everything was pushed just a bit further than normal. Sadly, many copies were returned because on cheap record players the stylus tended to jump in response to the huge bass. But there was nothing at all wrong with the pressing, and copies with Bob’s initials on the run out are now sought after by collectors and audiophiles. Many consider the Ludwig version to be even better than the MoFi release.
Out charged “Whole Lotta Love” once again and by golly, it sounded good! John Bonham’s drums are, ahem, rock solid and the bass is truly enormous. There’s an almost jagged edge to some of the guitar slashes, but no distortion. It sounds terrific.
That’s a fair overall description of the Ludwig version. The powerful bottom end adds a swagger matching Led Zeppelin’s music perfectly. Indeed, the biggest beneficiary of the RL cut was certainly the bass of John Paul Jones, heard to particular advantage on juicy blues “The Lemon Song” where the baseline prances, shimmies and warbles like a baritone bird. Same thing on “Heartbreaker”. Superb.
But it’s not all about squeezing lemons (though often it is). The last song on side one hints at the direction Led Zeppelin would head next. “Thank You” has a ballad section delivered with great tenderness by Robert Plant, amply demonstrating his prowess as a vocalist. Page’s acoustic guitar adds a delicate sheen to this song, picked up beautifully by both Ludwig’s ’69 cut and Jimmy’s 2014 remix.
In the final analysis, the recent vinyl version will suit most people (and their turntables, and their budgets) very well indeed. Yet if you have top notch gear and a handsome line of credit, and you happen to encounter the Robert Ludwig version, grab it with two (gloved) hands. It may not be worth selling your firstborn for, but it is bloody good.
So thank you Mr. Ludwig, thank you Mr. Page, and thank you Led Zeppelin. Your second album is a robust fifty-year old thrumming with power. It’s a whole lotta LP.
Originally published at Discrepancy Records.
* Thank you Marty (Snakes In The Grass)
*
vinylconnection.com.au 
Awesome, Bruce. Had heard about some of pressings out there for this LP, and have looked at some of the prices Discogs has on offer, and they are as one Scottish acquaintance of mine would have termed, “dear”, but are probably worth it.
But, I’ll just have to be happy with the ye olde 1977 US reissue in my stack. I’ll likely put it on the platter over the weekend now, when my bride is away from house, so I can crank it up. 🙂
Thanks for this. 🙂
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It’s a whole ‘nother level, isn’t it Marty? Bottom line, if it sounds thrilling to you when you crank it up, then it’s a ‘good’ pressing!
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I know this: Led Zeppelin II is a great album. As for which pressing sounds best, in my case, it probably doesn’t matter much, at least nowadays since I have relatively mediocre stereo equipment. When I was a teenager, I seemed to have much more money to spend on decent Hi-Fi gear. Now that I’m living the American dream with a wife, son and a mortgage, not so much. In fact, most of the time, sadly, I listen to streaming music on my phone, either through the fantastic phone loud speakers or ear buds or headphones.
The only consolation about not having high-end stereo equipment is that it probably wouldn’t make too much of a difference in any case since I have some high frequency hearing loss – likely the price of playing in a band in my late teens and early ’20s!
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The equipment question is an interesting one, Christian. When I was in my mid-30s I noticed the onset of tinnitus. After consulting an audiologist, I shared my dismay that my passion for music/hi-fi felt undermined, and how pointless aspiring to a good system was. She disagreed and expressed a convincing counter argument: that deterioration in hearing for a music lover meant having the best reproduction of sound was even more important. Get the best equipment you can afford, she said. Advice I have held close for decades.
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That’s an interesting way to look at it. ‘Sorry, honey, we can’t do that bathroom reno. The doctor prescribed high-end Hi-Fi equipment and, ya know, it’s important to follow your doctor’s advise’! 🙂
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That’s it!
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A prancing bass, yes can imagine the swAgger coming through with that hefty Ludwig bass. Hot is a good way of putting it, albeit with its imperfections, seems that’s the real Zeppelin coming through. Gorgeous write-up here Bruce.
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Thank you Sir William of the Upper Woodlands. It was a bit of an experiment and although I enjoyed trying a different approach, it was probably always a better fit here than at Discrepancy!
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I listened to IV today on vinyl, kind of a big deal for me to do that. Thoroughly enjoyed. Can hear II in my mind though, through your very colorful descriptions.
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Great stuff Bruce. I was down in Toronto last week and was eyeing up the reissue of Zep 3 but I was already 10 albums purchased so something had to give lol…
I will get it from Amazon at some point.
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Led Zeppelin III is a very underrated LP.
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Not around here. 🙂
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Know that feeling, deKe. 😉
The re-issue from 2014 sounds great, btw.
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Sounds like a fun afternoon. Whole Lotta Love is truly the only Zeppelin song I love. I’m sure that nugget will cause some backlash for me on this page.
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Nah, mate. All tastes welcome here. I’m not actually a massive fan, though I really love the folk-rock on III and the sprawling majesty of Physical Graffiti. Oh, and IV of course. Iconic. Good stuff on Houses too.
Oh. Perhaps I am a fan.
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Glad you could get a post out of the article, Bruce. Honestly, my opinion still remains that one all the different pressings/versions can take the fun out of the process sometimes. Hundreds of pressings of Led Zeppelin II? My max collection of any one album I think is two; any more than that and I’m at sensory overload. 😉 John Paul Jones, btw, is a massively underrated, IMHO. – Marty
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It was a fun (and disturbing) read, Marty. Thanks again. I suspect much of the ‘pressing’ hoopla is middle-aged men with too much money for top end systems and too much time for being obsessive. Not a club we’d necessarily want to join, eh?
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Certainly not! Tony Banks’ comments about Genesis’ “completists” always comes to mind — his explanation for the people who ultimately bought his albums. 🙂
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