Led Zeppelin II (Deluxe Edition) [2014 Remaster]
John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came together in 1968 as Led Zeppelin. Over the next decade, the band would become one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, selling more than 300 million albums worldwide. Their songs are some of the most celebrated in rock n roll history that, to this day, resonate with fans young and old around the globe. Still, no matter how many times you may have listened to their music, you ve never heard Led Zeppelin like this before.
With the 2014 release of deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, & Led Zeppelin III, the band will launch an extensive reissue program of all nine of its studio albums in chronological order, each remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page. Led Zeppelin will also open its vaults to share dozens of unheard studio and live recordings, with each album featuring a second disc of companion audio comprised entirely of unreleased music related to that album.
"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 continues to be honored for its pivotal role in music history. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and a year later was awarded with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. Founding members Jones, Page and Plant along with Jason Bonham, the son of John Bonham took the stage at London s O2 Arena in 2007 to headline a tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun, a dear friend and Atlantic Records founder. The band was honored for its lifetime contribution to American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. In January of 2014, the band won their first ever Grammy award as Celebration Day, which captured their live performance at the Ertegun tribute concert, was named Best Rock Album.