Led Zeppelin - II - 180g 2 LP Deluxe set w/ bonus LP

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 gospel-ish 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. This deluxe edition adds one LPs worth of bonus material; "The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of Led Zeppelin, " says Page. "It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions, and new material recorded at the time."
The band wrote and recorded nearly all of Led Zeppelin II while touring relentlessly to support its debut album. Incredibly, the album was released just seven months after Led Zeppelin in October of 1969. Led Zeppelin II features some of the band s most beloved tracks including "Ramble On" and "Heartbreaker" as well as "Whole Lotta Love, " considered by many to be one of the greatest rock n roll songs of all time. The album is certified diamond by the RIAA with sales of over 12 million copies.
The Led Zeppelin II companion audio gives fans the first peek into the band's recording sessions, with alternate mixes of five songs from the album, backing tracks to "Thank You" and "Living Loving Maid (She s Just A Woman), " and the previously unreleased track "La La."
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).Recorded in London, England and New York, New York in 1969