Sold Date: January 26, 2025
Start Date: January 19, 2025
Final Price: $450.00 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 58
Buyer Feedback: 0

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Led Zeppelin II~US Atlantic Robert Ludwig “Hot Mix Master” RL/SS - SD8236
From what I understand the album when played does skip, wait, it's not a skip, it's more like a jump and then it continues to play in a few spots because of how it was mixed.  This album does that in 2 spots.  BUT there aren't any apparent scratches at all on the vinyl.  I played it on a dinky turntable. I read that it has to be played on a superior system to get the maximum energy from it.  And man, on my dinky stereo the energy still blew me away.  The sound is funky and very very raw.  Even by Zeppelin's standards, this is an amazing recording.  I honestly don't think I heard the album properly until I played this one. 
All of the hype that you have read about it is true, guys.  You collectors certainly know your stuff and, man, this is a masterpiece when it comes to the engineering genius, the great,  Robert Ludwig.  And yes, RL is etched on both sides of the deadwax.  I honestly think this is the hottest and most raw I've heard the guys other than seeing them on stage. 
Please make sure to look good at the photos. I am doing my best to be upfront and completely honest since I know that collectors are very serious about their vinyl. 
Here is the info etched into the deadwax of side one: ST - A - 691671 - B. Then it reads, LW AT RL .  The second side reads almost the same but it's 691672 and then there is C etched into the deadwax.  I also read that the Broadway address on the label is indicative of it being a first pressing.  
Someone asked what I meant by a dinky stereo. See the photos. I am almost embarrassed to show you but we are moving and all of our good stereo equipment has been broken down and packed up.   So this is what we used when we had a vinyl sale 2 weeks ago.  We made a, "play before you pay" sign so people knew what they were getting.   Although lots of folks commented on how pristine the albums were.   Zepp 2 and a few others were in our front window.   We decided not to put them out so the average Joe wouldn't mess around with them.  A few collectors knew what we had and made comments on it. One guy said he wished he had the money for it and knew right away that it was, an RL, as he put it.  We had about 400 albums for sale that day and did really well.  A collection that has spanned 50 years.  And we lost about a hundred albums to Super Storm Sandy.   Our beloved Dead and Hendrix albums swam with the fishes.   A very very sad day for us.  

Update: 7/4 at 10:15  Just gave it a little cleaning with the felt brush.  My God, The Lemon Song is absolutely amazing!  I am not saying this just to sell the album but holy mother in all  that is holy in rock and roll!  And I am not playing it loud either.   So first song, Whole Lotta of Love is where it jumps, about a quarter way through but then comes back fine. (This has been reported and discussed with others too.)
I video taped it and shall post the video and hopefully it will post.  I cleaned that smudge and the album starts out fine. 
Side 2: Just so different,  the cadence of the songs is absolutely different from what I have heard elsewhere.   Heartbreaker solo is incredibly raw.  One more jump at the end of Heartbreaker. 
Again, there are no deep scratches on this vinyl.  I felt both sides thoroughly. It is a nice clean surface for its age.  Just take a look at the photos. 
Finished listening and that is all that I can report about those jumps in the album. And remember that I am playing it on a small, dinky stereo.  I so wish I could crank this mother up.  Sigh
We decided, as incentive, that we're going to throw in a bonus item for the buyer.  See last photo.  It's a really cool poster of Zeppelin.   Will send in a tube to keep postage down at our expense. 
7/5/24 at 8:00 am
We are posting a video this morning of side one, song one of Whole Lotta Love.  This video will show you exactly where the needle jumps on the album.  (One of two spots where this happens.) I wonder if the executive's daughter from way back had the exact same spot on her album when she discovered this issue and then told her father about it. The stories about this issue are what led that executive to discontinue this very, raw and extremely rich filled album. And yes, it is on this very same song.  We will keep this video up for a day and then post the other one tomorrow as eBay only allows one video per post. 
Absolutely no returns! We are being very upfront on the condition of this album.  If you have any questions, please send them to us. 
"Though there were many subsequent releases of the same record, the one Robert Ludwig did is now regarded as the ‘hot mix’ amongst collectors because of its capability to cause the needles on cheap record players to literally jump out of the grooves due to the sheer energy and hot dynamic range they possess. It was because of this feat the pressings were deemed defective and the Robert Ludwig version of the record ended up having a limited run".

See the 2nd photo;  Check out  wiki page. He's a master sound engineer who worked with the greatest musicians on some of their greatest albums over the years. He ran the Sterling studio. His mixes for Led Zeppelin are like night and day from other versions imo. Check for sterling or RL in the dead wax.

Matrix numbers 691671 and 691672
Update  8/18/24. Yes, the RL and the SS are etched on both sides in the deadwax.  
Comes from a home where smoking is permitted. 
Will ship within the states only for free and will insure too. 
Listed a lot lower than many here and I have been very transparent.