LED ZEPPELIN II is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in October 1969 on Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. Production was entirely credited to lead guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page, while it also served as Led Zeppelin's first album to utilise the recording techniques of engineer Eddie Kramer.
LED ZEPPELIN II furthered the lyrical themes established on their debut album, creating a work that became more widely acclaimed and influential than its predecessor. With elements of blues and folk music, it also exhibits the band's evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar and riff-based sound. It is one of the band's heaviest albums. Upon release, LED ZEPPELIN II earned a considerable amount of sales and was Led Zeppelin's first album to reach number one in the United Kingdom and United States. In 1970, art director David Juniper was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package for LED ZEPPELIN II. On 15 November 1999, it was certified 12x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 12 million copies. Following its initial reception, it has been recognised by writers and music critics as one of the greatest and most influential rock albums ever recorded.
From the first grinding notes of the famous vamp that introduces "Whole Lotta Love," LED ZEPPELIN II announces for all to hear that they are the definitive hard rock band of their generation. But before the listener can even settle into the groove, things takes a hard left turn into a spacey new rhythm, exotically flavored by Page's droning feedback and innovative use of a violin bow. By tune's end, Zeppelin has repeatedly toyed with the listener's expectations.
This subversive quality distinguishes most of the arrangements on LED ZEPPELIN II, as in the soft/hard dynamic shifts of "What Is And What Should Never Be," the gospelish mood of "Thank You," the rocking vamps and funk rhythms of "Heartbreaker" and "Living Loving Maid," and the country music echoes of "Ramble On." And in their appropriations of source materials from Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, and Sonny Boy Williamson, Page and company continued to mine the rich vein of the blues.
Led Zeppelin:
Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica); Jimmy Page (acoustic, electric & pedal steel guitar, background vocals); John Paul Jones (organ, bass, background vocals); John Bonham (drums, tympani, background vocals).
Recording information: A&R Studios, New York, NY (1969); Atlantic Studios, NY (1969); Juggy Sound Studio (1969); Mirror Sound, L.A.CA (1969); Mirror Sound, Los Angeles, CA (1969); Morgan Studios, London, England (1969); Olympic Studios, London, England (1969).
Audio Mixer: Eddie Kramer.
Produced by Jimmy Page.
Atlantic Records 1994 remastered reissue of 1969 album.
Track Listing:
1. Whole Lotta Love - 5:35 2. What Is and What Should Never Be - 4:45 3. The Lemon Song - 6:19 4. Thank You - 4:49 5. Heartbreaker - 4:14 6. Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) - 2:39 7. Ramble On - 4:24 8. Moby Dick - 4:20 9. Bring It on Home - 4:21
Led Zeppelin II (1994) (RMST)
ReplyDeleteLed Zeppelin
Album Description:
LED ZEPPELIN II is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in October 1969 on Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. Production was entirely credited to lead guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page, while it also served as Led Zeppelin's first album to utilise the recording techniques of engineer Eddie Kramer.
LED ZEPPELIN II furthered the lyrical themes established on their debut album, creating a work that became more widely acclaimed and influential than its predecessor. With elements of blues and folk music, it also exhibits the band's evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar and riff-based sound. It is one of the band's heaviest albums. Upon release, LED ZEPPELIN II earned a considerable amount of sales and was Led Zeppelin's first album to reach number one in the United Kingdom and United States. In 1970, art director David Juniper was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package for LED ZEPPELIN II. On 15 November 1999, it was certified 12x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 12 million copies. Following its initial reception, it has been recognised by writers and music critics as one of the greatest and most influential rock albums ever recorded.
From the first grinding notes of the famous vamp that introduces "Whole Lotta Love," LED ZEPPELIN II announces for all to hear that they are the definitive hard rock band of their generation. But before the listener can even settle into the groove, things takes a hard left turn into a spacey new rhythm, exotically flavored by Page's droning feedback and innovative use of a violin bow. By tune's end, Zeppelin has repeatedly toyed with the listener's expectations.
This subversive quality distinguishes most of the arrangements on LED ZEPPELIN II, as in the soft/hard dynamic shifts of "What Is And What Should Never Be," the gospelish mood of "Thank You," the rocking vamps and funk rhythms of "Heartbreaker" and "Living Loving Maid," and the country music echoes of "Ramble On." And in their appropriations of source materials from Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, and Sonny Boy Williamson, Page and company continued to mine the rich vein of the blues.
Led Zeppelin:
Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica);
Jimmy Page (acoustic, electric & pedal steel guitar, background vocals);
John Paul Jones (organ, bass, background vocals);
John Bonham (drums, tympani, background vocals).
Recording information: A&R Studios, New York, NY (1969); Atlantic Studios, NY (1969); Juggy Sound Studio (1969); Mirror Sound, L.A.CA (1969); Mirror Sound, Los Angeles, CA (1969); Morgan Studios, London, England (1969); Olympic Studios, London, England (1969).
Audio Mixer: Eddie Kramer.
Produced by Jimmy Page.
Atlantic Records 1994 remastered reissue of 1969 album.
Track Listing:
1. Whole Lotta Love - 5:35
2. What Is and What Should Never Be - 4:45
3. The Lemon Song - 6:19
4. Thank You - 4:49
5. Heartbreaker - 4:14
6. Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) - 2:39
7. Ramble On - 4:24
8. Moby Dick - 4:20
9. Bring It on Home - 4:21