Led Zeppelin II is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin , released in October 1969 on Atlantic Records . Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. Production was credited to lead guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page while it also served as Led Zeppelin's first album to utilise the recording techniques of engineer Eddie Kramer . With elements of blues and folk music , Led Zeppelin II also exhibits the band's evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar and riff-based sound. It has been described as the band's heaviest album