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Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II CD (album) cover

LED ZEPPELIN II

Led Zeppelin

 

Prog Related

3.99 | 1041 ratings

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Zitro
Prog Reviewer
3 stars 3.5 Stars

A huge drop in quality from their first album which in my opinion is their peak. Zeppelin started with the best album, and while they released quite great albums afterwards, the quality of the debut could never be matched.

This album focuses more on the rock and the radio-friendliness than the more adventurous and proggier first album. It's a shame really, but they went back to their artful compositions in later albums.

While this change of style possibly hurt the band, the album is still really good. It is a collection of mostly short songs of blues, rock and ballads

The overrated and heavily played Whole Lotta love doesn't break new ground. Driven by a simple, yet effective, guitar riff, the singer vocalizes his famous lines "baby you need coolin'", "Wanna whole lotta love". I think the song is really fine and has a great guitar solo, but hte middle part isn't as musical as the middle parts of Dazed and Confused, and How Many more Times. 7/10

What is and Should Ever Be is a ballad, wiht nice guitar playing and a strong chorus hook. The song ends with a guitar riff which travels through your surround system. 6.5/10

The Lemon Song is a bit stronger, starting with a nice bluesy guitar riff which precedes the explosive choruses. The middle section is looser, with bass guitar improvisations which are really well done. The singer also seems to be improvising, singing about um ... things at bed? 8/10

Thank you is a very strong ballad which is a bit heavy because Led Zeppelin always seems to want to put electric guitars in the songs. It is a quite solid song, but I think it should have been softer and more acoustic to fit with the dreamy organs played by Jones. 6.5/10

Heartbreaker: A classic heavy rock tune, with very recognizable guitar riffs and an incredibly technical guitar solo. 8.5/10

Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman) is a bit unremarkable. It sure is catchy, with a nice guitar riff and a hook on the chorus, but on a prog standpoint, it might not be that interesting. 6/10

Ramble On improves things. A beautiful bass line and really magical acoustic guitar chord progressions dominate this song, with amazing rocking choruses. This is the highlight of the album. 9.5/10

Moby Dick worsens things. While the introduction (and ending) is Led Zeppelin at its rocking best, there is a drum solo in the middle that is incredibly dull. 5/10

Fortunately, Bring It On Home ends the album on a strong note. A really good show blues with lots of melodic harmonica playing that suddently morphs into a nice rocker. 7.5/10

Who should get this album: Classic rock fans should really get this, and anyone who likes the rock and blues and want to try something quite simple in terms of complexity.

My Grade: B/C

Zitro | 3/5 |

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