Led Zeppelin II is the second studio album by Led Zeppelin, released on October 22, 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom through Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in both the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. The album’s production was credited to the band’s lead guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page, and it was also Led Zeppelin‘s first album on which Eddie Kramer served as engineer.
The album exhibited the band’s evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar riff-based sound. It has been described as the band’s heaviest album. Six of the nine songs were written by the band, while the other three were reinterpretations of Chicago blues songs by Willie Dixon and Howlin‘ Wolf. One single, “Whole Lotta Love”, was released outside of the UK (the band would release no UK singles during their career), and peaked as a top-ten single in over a dozen markets around the world.
Led Zeppelin II was a commercial success, and was the band’s first album to reach number one on charts in the UK and the US. The album’s cover designer David Juniper was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1970. On November 15, 1999, the album was certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales reaching 12 million copies in the US. Since its release, various writers and music critics have cited Led Zeppelin II as one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time.
Tracklist:
SIDE ONE
- Whole Lotta Love
(Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Willie Dixon) - What Is and What Should Never Be
- The Lemon Song (Page, PlantJones, Bonham, Chester Burnett)
- Thank You
SIDE TWO
- Heartbreaker (Page, Plant, Jones, Bonham)
- Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)
- Ramble On
- Moby Dick (Page, Jones, Bonham)
- Bring It On Home (Page, Plant, Jones, Bonham, Dixon)
Led Zeppelin
Robert Plant: lead vocals, harmonica
Jimmy Page: guitars, theremin, backing vocals
John Paul Jones: bass guitar, organ, backing vocals
John Bonham: drums, backing vocals
Production
Producer: Jimmy Page
Recording engineers
George Chkiantz at Olympic Studios, London: “Whole Lotta Love”, “What Is and What Should Never Be”
Chris Huston at Mystic Studios, Los Angeles: “The Lemon Song”, “Moby Dick”
Andy Johns at Morgan Studios, London: “Thank You”, “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)”
Eddie Kramer at A & R Studios, Juggy Sound Studio, and Atlantic Studios (resp.), New York: “Heartbreaker”, “Ramble On”, “Bring It On Home”
Director of engineering and mixing at A & R Studios: Eddie Kramer
LP mastering: Robert Ludwig
Executive producer: Peter Grant
Artwork: David Juniper
John Henry Bonham ( May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980)
