Led Zeppelin II on vinyl

Here’s a story for you all…

So I get my Zep 2 in mail today. I’m all excited. Washed it and it’s in decent shape, a solid VG/VG+

Throw it on the table and my heart sinks. It sounds like dog schiit compared to my scratched up LP that was gifted to me. I mean the difference in sound quality is night and day, staggering! I listen to both sides. Massive disappointment. I’m in pieces…
 

So I pull my wifi microscope that I just got 2 days ago to periodically inspect the stylus, and I look at the LP runout of the copy I just received from discogs. Nothing out of the ordinary. The numbering matches the label.
And then I take the microscope to the scratched up LP that I originally had, and what I saw immediately explained the difference in sound quality.
The LP I had is the damn RL!!! Both sides RL on the runout.
The first side is badly scratched up and I won’t even play it.
Side 2 is playable with surface scuffs nothing deep. Has crackles but still enjoyable 
So there…I’m a dumba$$. Lol 

But in my defense (sort of) I didn’t make out RL on this record with a naked eye and because of its shape I didn’t bother with the magnifying glass. Good news bad news…now I need to find an RL with destroyed side 2 but good side 1, and I have the whole album. 

@audphile1 

Please remind me...

Which Zep II release did you just have delivered that sucked?

Sorry about your bad purchase.  I think that we can all empathize with your disappointment.  I have dumped many such albums of many bands.  But I guess that when it is a special purchase, your expectations are set higher.

And it begs the question:

Who at the record company listened to that lousy sounding Zep II release and thought: "Yep.  This is ready for prime time.  Start the presses.  We have a winner"?

Are the record company's personnel deaf, or is it that they could not care less how it sounds?

@seymour-krelborn 

I bought the second pressing, which, according to the story, was mastered from a cassette. And after hearing the sound quality yes it does sound like a cassette and not a very good one either. 
But it’s not a big deal it was only $30. What hurts is the beat up copy I have is THE one to have - it is the first pressing RL. It’s still playable on side 2 but side 1 as I mentioned earlier, has a good size scratch. 
The sound of the RL is not just the best you ever heard Zeppelin, it’s probably the best Rock & Roll recorded album. Period. 

This is what happens when you have an executive that doesn’t care and a yes-man that would execute any command and do anything to kiss ass. 
No one cared about sound quality. They couldn’t have. Otherwise this would never leave the factory. Who in their right mind would approve something like this. 
 

Next mission- RL cut of Houses of the Holy. 

https://www.discogs.com/release/577498-Led-Zeppelin-Houses-Of-The-Holy

The goal- collection of at least LZ I thru Houses maybe...Physical Graffitti  in period stampers with minimal wallet damage. 

Took me many years of bin diving and luck.