LED ZEPPELIN

Led Zeppelin

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4.06 | 1109 ratings

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thehallway
Prog Reviewer

Yet another reason why 1969 was such a golden year for music. No one was anticipating such a band. Such an album!

But reception aside, and looking from a personal perspective, I have to try analyse this one without getting too excited (it's difficult). Led Zeppelin's debut is blues-rock; and they proved, with this and throughout their career, that they are the masters of the genre. They made a wise decision in my opinion, to cram at least half of this record with blues-rock. The result is electrifying and cool, powerful and raw, but most importantly, new. And blues isn't the only influence here. We see elements of soul, pop, and even Indian music creep into these compositions. And there's the all important acoustic percentage that would be so significant later in the band's career. So, as with all [most] Led Zep albums, there is a diversity that ensures filler is minimal and listener-interest is maximal.

The progressively- approached, meandering blues jams 'Dazed and Confused' and 'How Many More Times' are, more than anything else, fun. They can be listened to over and over without becoming boring or overplayed because of their spontaneous, 'heat-of-the-moment' qualities. The poppy riff- rockers 'Good Times Bad Times' and 'Communication Breakdown' (and 'Your Time is Gonna Come' to a certain extent) are catchy and similarly energetic. They aren't anything special though. The strictly blues 'You Shook Me' and 'I Can't Quit You Baby' feature some impressive soloing (mainly from Page) that makes the listener enjoy themselves as much as the band are. And the acoustic offerings 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You' and 'Black Mountain Side' prevent the repetivity, break up the other tracks, and make for some interesting listening.

Led Zeppelin have much to offer here, but they top it with later albums, so four stars for the bluesy one.

thehallway | 4/5 | 2010-4-18

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