Maps of Music

Led Zeppelin II (1969)

Where the lyrics of Led Zeppelin II take you, and where it was really made.

This album was recorded in studios across Britain and North America, and one Vancouver studio, with an 8-track set-up and no proper headphone facilities, was credited as a hut.

Key places

Olympic Studios, London (1969)

Recording site Olympic Studios — Whole Lotta Love and What Is and What Should Never Be were recorded at Olympic Studios in London. The point marks the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Morgan Studios, London (1969)

Recording site Morgan Studios — Thank You and Living Loving Maid were recorded at Morgan Studios in London, with Andy Johns engineering. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

A&R Recording Studios, New York (1969)

Recording site A&R Recording Studios — Page and Kramer spent two days mixing the album at A&R Studios in New York City. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Atlantic Studios, New York (1969)

Recording site Atlantic Studios (New York City) — Heartbreaker, Ramble On and Bring It On Home were recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York City, with Eddie Kramer engineering. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

A&M Recording Studios, Los Angeles (1969)

Recording site A&M Recording Studios — The album's sessions included A&M Studios in Los Angeles among the many studios used across the UK and US. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mayfair Recording Studios, New York (1969)

Recording site Mayfair Recording Studios — Mayfair Studios in New York City were among the studios used for the album's sessions. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Ardent Studios, Memphis (1969)

Recording site Ardent Studios — Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee was one of the many studios used for the album's sessions. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sunset Gower Studios, Los Angeles (1969)

Recording site Sunset Studios — Sunset Studios in Los Angeles was among the studios listed for the album's recording sessions. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin
• Released 22 October 1969 in the United States and 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records
• Production credited to Jimmy Page; first Led Zeppelin album with Eddie Kramer as engineer
• Blues-derived material and a guitar riff-based sound; described as the band's heaviest album
• Six of nine songs written by the band; the other three reinterpret Chicago blues songs by Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf

Background

• Written and recorded during a busy stretch from January through August 1969
• Four European and three American concert tours completed in that period
• Several songs grew out of improvisation on tour and were recorded mostly live in the studio
• Some parts were written in gaps of a couple of hours between concerts, with a studio booked right away
• The resulting spontaneity and urgency is reflected in the sound

Recording

• Sessions held at many studios in the UK and North America, with each song recorded and mixed separately
• Olympic and Morgan Studios in London, plus studios in Los Angeles, Memphis and New York City
• Some studios were ill-equipped; one Vancouver studio with an 8-track set-up lacked proper headphone facilities
• Mystic Studios in Hollywood, with Chris Huston engineering, offered a more favourable set-up
• Page and Kramer spent two days mixing the album at A&R Studios in New York City

Cover

• Sleeve design taken from a poster by David Juniper, who was told only to come up with an interesting idea
• Juniper was a fellow student with Page at Sutton Art College in Surrey
• Design based on a photograph of the Jagdstaffel 11 Division of the German Air Force during World War I
• Four of the flyers' heads replaced with photos of the band members
• An outline of a Zeppelin on a brown background gave the album its nickname Brown Bomber

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in London in 1968 from the remnants of the Yardbirds, originally as the New Yardbirds.
• Jimmy Page recruited Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones; the first full performance was in Denmark in September 1968.
• The name was changed to Led Zeppelin after a cease and desist letter from Chris Dreja, with the 'a' dropped from 'lead' at Peter Grant's suggestion.
• Atlantic Records signed them with a large advance and gave the band artistic and publishing autonomy.

Members

• Robert Plant on vocals and harmonica; Jimmy Page on guitar; John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards; John Bonham on drums.
• Page wrote most of the music and Plant most of the lyrics; Jones often originated keyboard-based songs.

Career

• Released eight studio albums in ten years, achieving eight consecutive UK number-one albums and six US Billboard 200 number ones.
• Led Zeppelin IV, with 37 million copies sold, is among the best-selling albums in history.
• Set attendance records on tours in the 1970s, including 56,800 fans at Tampa Stadium in 1973.
• Disbanded in December 1980 after John Bonham's death; surviving members reunited only sporadically, including the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; estimated to have sold 200 to 300 million records.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: John Mendelsohn wrote a negative review, mocking the heavy sound and the white blues
• The Village Voice: Robert Christgau called the band among the best wah-wah mannerist groups, said all the songs sounded alike, and still gave the album a B grade
• In 1970 Christgau conceded that the band had out-heavied everyone the previous year, pitting Page's low-register fuzz riffs against Plant's vocal
• Billboard: Ritchie Yorke reported staggering sales, while noting that hard rock was considered unsuitable for North American Top 40 radio

Reappraisal

• AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the album provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed
• Tom Hull said the second album honed the band's ambition down to a singular sound
• Ronald Zalkind described the album as a brilliant if heavy-handed blues-rock offensive
• Robert Santelli wrote that the band had begun to move beyond its blues-rock influences into hard-rock territory
• Page's guitar solo in Heartbreaker influenced Eddie Van Halen's two-handed tapping technique and Steve Vai
• The 2014 reissue received a Metacritic average of 95 from 10 reviews

Records

• First Led Zeppelin album to reach number one in the UK and the US; held the top US spot for seven weeks
• Three million American sales by April 1970
• 138 weeks on the UK LP chart, reaching number one in February 1970
• Number one on five other national album charts, including Canada, Australia and Spain
• Whole Lotta Love reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970
• RIAA certified 12x Platinum on 15 November 1999 for 12 million US sales
• Cover designer David Juniper nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1970
• Spin ranked it number 5 in its 1989 list of the 25 Greatest Albums of All Time; Q placed it number 37 in 2000

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The song Whole Lotta Love was edited down to a single in the US, where it became a top 5 hit, while the UK single was cancelled.
• Plant's first songwriting credits came with this album, because an earlier contract with CBS Records had blocked his credit on the first album.
• Heartbreaker was written as a showcase for Page's guitar skills and includes an unaccompanied solo in the middle of the song.
• Moby Dick was designed as a showcase for Bonham's drum solo, after an earlier drum piece called Pat's Delight.
• Living Loving Maid was never played live by the band, which considered it little more than filler; Plant performed it on his 1990 solo tour.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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