Led Zeppelin II on vinyl

And man I’m really not buying the cassette story. Why would they not use the original tape to create a new master? This makes no sense to me. Even in 1969 they knew that cassette is significantly lower fidelity than the original master tape. Why would anyone at Atlantic do this? Sounds like RL was bitter about it and made up a story…I certainly hope that’s how it unfolded and we’re not listening to the cassette. 

@chrisoshea - Doesn't Better Records allow you to return if not satisfied? 

@audphile1 

So do the 2 sides sound different?

On my pressing, the only songs that have stellar sound quality are the first two songs on side one.

All of the other songs sound very good.  But they all sound like very good recordings.

On my pressing, Whole Lotta Love does not sound like a recording.  It sounds like the band is in front of you (well, it does on the store’s stereo).

I have never heard any other RL pressing.  So I do not know if others have better sound quality for the other songs.  But it seems as if, on my pressing, the expert mastering was done for only the first two songs on side one.

@audphile1 

And man I’m really not buying the cassette story. Why would they not use the original tape to create a new master? This makes no sense to me. Even in 1969 they knew that cassette is significantly lower fidelity than the original master tape. Why would anyone at Atlantic do this?

My guess is that Ahmet Ertegun did not care about sound quality.

Since his daughter's (or niece's) toy turntable skipped with that pressing, you would think that Ahmet Ertegun would have a real stereo in his home, and would play the record on his own stereo.

Or, you would think that Ahmet Ertegun would take that record back to his office and play it.  Or that he would take it into the studio and play it.

There is no indication that he took any steps to determine if it was the fault of the record, or the fault of a child's toy turntable.

And did Ahmet Ertegun compare the RL pressing to the newly mastered one that he ordered them to make?  Not that anyone knows of.

So Ahmet Ertegun probably did not care about sound quality (or even understood sound quality).  If it sounded as good as elevator music, with no glaring artifacts, that probably passed his smell test.

There is no incontrovertible evidence, one way or the other.  But considering the oceans of songs with so-so sound quality, released under his watch, I am concluding that sound quality was at the bottom of his priority list (or absent from his priority list).

@seymour-krelborn well our guesses are as good as anyone’s. It’s really an amusing story and I really hope it’s a fairytale.