LED ZEPPELIN

Review Nº 692

Between the release of the band's eponymous debut album and this one, their second studio album, Led Zeppelin had completed four US and UK tours. So, "Led Zeppelin II", by necessity, was recorded on the road in the States and while it received many tweaks before it reached the shops it still has a live feel that few rock albums have ever come close to.

So, "Led Zeppelin II" is the second studio album of Led Zeppelin that was released in 1969. On it, the group developed the ideas presented on their debut studio album, creating a work which became most acclaimed and influential than its predecessor. With elements of blues and folk music, it also exhibits the band's evolving musical style of blues derived musical material and their guitar riff based sound. Generally, "Led Zeppelin II" is considered the band's heaviest album.

The album's cover shows a sleeve design with a poster based on a photograph of the Jadstaffel 11 Division of the German Air Force during WWI, the famed Flying Circus led by Manfred von Richthofen, the famous Red Baron. The picture was tinted and the faces on the sleeve were airbrushed, including the faces of the four members of the band.

"Led Zeppelin II" has nine tracks. The first track "Whole Lotta Love" written by Willie Dixon, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is a song that was released in the United States and Japan as a single. It's a song basically driven by a simple, typical but very effective guitar riff performed by Page. It has in the middle of the song some parts of "Dazed And Confused" taken from their debut album. This is an excellent song that represents for me the highlight of the album. The second track "What Is And What Should Never Be" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is basically a ballad with nice guitar work and great vocal performance. It's a very interesting song, clearly influenced by the blues and with some funny moments in its lyrics. The third track "The Lemon Song" written by Howlin' Wolf, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is a typical blues song with a fantastic performance by all band's members. As I wrote before, I never was a great fan of blues but, in this case, I must confess that the musical performance of this song is absolutely brilliant. The fourth track "Thank You" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is a ballad where seems to have been the first Led Zeppelin's song that Plant wrote all the lyrics and is a tribute to his then-wife Maureen. It's a very beautiful song with an excellent guitar performance by Page, a delicate organ played by Jones and where Plant has a nice vocal performance, he sings with all his heart. The fifth track "Heartbreaker" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is a classic Led Zeppelin's track with a heavy rock tune, great guitar riffs and where Page shows his incredible technique of playing guitar. This track became famous for its memorable guitar riff along with its unaccompanied guitar solo, the best on the album. The sixth track "Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page was the song released as the B side of their single "Whole Lotta Love" and, in reality, both songs become part of a whole and are often heard together. It's a short song, very catchy, with a nice guitar riff and good vocal work. The seventh track "Ramble On" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is a song whose lyrics were influenced by "The Lord Of The Rings" by Tolkien. It's a very good based folk song with a fantastic magic acoustic guitar work, a beautiful bass line and an amazing vocal performance. This is one of my favourite songs on the album. The eighth track "Moby Dick" written by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is the only instrumental track on the album. It's a typical rock song of the band with a great drum solo in the middle, so typical on the albums from the 70's, on which Bonham also plays the drums with his hands as he did very often in the live versions of the song. The ninth and last track "Bring It On Home" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is a tribute from the band to Sonny Boy Williamson, the first artist to record this song, in 1963. It's another typical blues song that starts calm and nice with Plant singing and playing harmonica, which suddenly changes to a great rock song. This is a song with an amazing second part. This is a great way to close this excellent musical work.

Conclusion: As I wrote before when I reviewed "Houses Of The Holy", I said that "Led Zeppelin II" and "Houses Of The Holy" were my musical introduction to Led Zeppelin, in the middle of the 70's. In those times, I bought a vinyl copy of each album, but unfortunately I ended up selling my copy of "Led Zeppelin II" to a very close friend, who plays bass and was a great fan of the band. So, I only bought another copy some years ago, this time a CD copy. Despite I like very much of "Led Zeppelin II", I must confess that I always liked much more of "Houses Of The Holy" and "Led Zeppelin IV", which are probably my two favourite studio albums from them. However, I consider "Led Zeppelin II" an excellent album, very well balanced and without weak points. It has, in my humble opinion, many great songs, especially "Whole Lotta Love", which is the big highlight of the album. So, "Led Zeppelin II" deserves to be rated with 4 solid stars, really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 668

"Led Zeppelin IV" is the fourth studio album of Led Zeppelin and was released in 1971. Like the other three previous studio albums, no title is printed on the album too. It's usually referred to as "Led Zeppelin IV", following the name standard used by the band's first three studio albums. However, the album has alternatively been referred to as "The Fourth Album" or "Four Symbols", due to the four Runes used by each member of the band on the cover of the album.

Upon its release, "Led Zeppelin IV" was a big commercial and critical successful album. It's one of the best selling albums worldwide and became as one of the best albums released until now. It's also considered as one of the most important Rock'n'Roll albums. This is an album that demonstrates their subtlety and restraint as much as their stadium-filling grandstanding and it confirmed their superstar rock status and put Led Zeppelin into homes around the world.

"Led Zeppelin IV" has eight tracks. The first track "Black Dog" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones is a song also released as a single in the United States and Australia with "Misty Mountain Hop" on the B side. It's a fantastic and very powerful song with a blues/rock riff and where Plant has one of his best vocal performances. Soon it became considered as one of the greatest songs of all time and one of the most recognizable Led Zeppelin's tracks. The second track "Rock And Roll" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham was another song chosen to be released as a single, this time with "Four Sticks" as the B side. We are in presence of a fantastic straight typical Rock'n'Roll number with great drum and guitar work. This is another great track and it's, for sure, one of the accountable tracks that made of Led Zeppelin as one of the best Rock'n'Roll bands ever. The third track "The Battle Of Evermore" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is another incredible song, this time influenced by the folk rock. The song is very well known because the vocal duet between Robert Plant and Sandy Denny and also because the beautiful musical performance of the acoustic guitar and mandolin. This is, in my opinion, one of the most innovative and progressive songs of the band. The absolutely fantastic vocal performance of the duet and the entire musical atmosphere all over the song, made of this song truly a masterpiece and one of my favourite songs of them. The fourth track "Stairway To Heaven" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is a song that doesn't need any kind of presentation and is often referred as one of greatest rock songs of all time and it's also one of their most progressive songs too. The song is composed of several sections, which increase in tempo and volume as the song progresses. The song begins as a slow acoustic folk song and the final section is a high-tempo hard rock section with an intricate and fantastic guitar solo by Page. This is the focal point of this album. The fifth track "Misty Mountain Hop" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones is, as I said before, the B side of the single "Black Dog". With this song, the album reduces its highest quality level, while maintaining also a very good level. It's a great song that represents a very good rock moment but that unfortunately hasn't the energy of "Black Dog" and "Rock And Roll", or the creativity of "The Battle Of Evermore" and "Stairway To Heaven". The sixth track "Four Sticks" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is in the same line of the previous song. It's the B side of "Rock And Roll" and like "Misty Mountain Hop" it's also an excellent song but isn't at the same quality level of the four first songs of the album. The seventh track "Going To California" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is another song like "The Battle Of Evermore" composed in a folk style type, returning with acoustic guitar and mandolin. With this song, the album returns to its highest quality level. The song represents a tribute to Joni Mitchell by Plant and Page. The eighth and last track "When The Levee Breaks" written by Memphis, Minnie, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is a version of a blues song originally written and first recorded by Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929. The lyrics in Led Zeppelin's version were partially based on the original recording. This is another incredible song that closes the album beautifully.

Conclusion: "Led Zeppelin IV" is in general considered the great masterpiece of Led Zeppelin and is also considered as one of the best albums ever released, until now. "Led Zeppelin IV" is almost a perfect album. The first four songs, the A side of the LP, are absolutely perfect and can be considered four truly masterpieces. The B side of the LP isn't as perfect as the A side, but it can be considered also excellent. "Going To California" and especially "When The Levee Breaks" are also two fantastic and incredible songs. Concluding, "Led Zeppelin IV" and "Houses Of The Holy" are probably my two favourite studio albums from Led Zeppelin. However, "Led Zeppelin IV" is better than "Houses Of The Holly" is, because is more balanced and hasn't weak songs, too. So, "Led Zeppelin IV" can be considered as one of the best Rock'n'Roll albums of all time and it was made, probably, by one of the best Rock'n'Roll bands that ever existed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 665

"Led Zeppelin III" is the third studio album of Led Zeppelin that was released in 1970. It represents a maturity on the band's music with great emphasis on the folk and acoustic sounds. Although acoustic songs are featured on its two predecessors, this an album that is widely acknowledge for showing that Led Zeppelin was more than a merely conventional rock band and they could go out into a new musical territory. That surprised many fans and critics, and upon its release the album received rather indifferent reviews. However, "Led Zeppelin III" is praised and acknowledge as representing an important milestone in their career. It's generally considered one of their best and most fine works.

"Led Zeppelin III" has ten tracks. The first track "Immigrant Song" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is one of Led Zeppelin's few single releases, having been released against the band's wishes. It's a very short track and the only one with a very fast tempo beat. This is a great opener to the album that introduces and help to create the unique and great musical atmosphere of the album. The second track "Friends" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is one of the few Led Zeppelin's songs that include strings, arranged by John Paul Jones. It represents the beginning of the acoustic musical experience on the album. This is a great acoustic song with a brilliant acoustic guitar work and a soft and nice delicate drumming. It has also great synthesizer and vocal works. The third track "Celebration Day" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones is a more traditional Led Zeppelin song. It's a very good solid rock song with a great and nice riff and an excellent bass line. Despite being a very good track I think it's a little bit lost and out of the place on the album. Sincerely, I really think that it belongs more to "Led Zeppelin II". The fourth track "Since I've Been Loving You" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones is the lengthiest track on the album and is an epic blues song with great feelings and is very emotional too, and where Robert Plant sings wonderfully and unforgettably. Who usually read my reviews knows that I'm not a great blues' fan. However, this is a perfect song, one of the best blues' numbers I've ever heard, with an incredible musicianship between all band's members. The fifth track "Out On The Tiles" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Bonham is one of the most aggressive songs in the band's catalogue and closes the first side of the LP, the most heavy part of the all album. This is another great rock song with good guitar riff, nice bass line, excellent heavy drumming and strong vocals. The sixth track "Gallows Pole" is a traditional song arranged by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. It's an acoustic song with a simple guitar rhythm and where the mandolin, the electric bass guitar, the banjo and the drums are all added to it. This is a great song where the instrumentation builds up to a crescendo, increasing in tempo as the song progresses. The seventh track "Tangerine" written by Jimmy Page, has its origins in an old The Yardbirds' song, like several Led Zeppelin's songs written by Jimmy Page. The song begins with a false start, after which Page pauses to set the right tempo. It's a beautiful song in which during its length, the song continually changes tempo. The eighth track "That's The Way" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is another acoustic song and like several other tracks on the album. It became as one of the most gentle and mellow compositions in Led Zeppelin's catalogue. As the previous song, this is one of the most calm and beautiful songs ever made by the band. The ninth track "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones was named with that name because Bron-Y-Aur was the house in Gwynedd, Wales, where the band wrote much of the stuff of "Led Zeppelin III". This is another great and fabulous song that despite being an acoustic song its rhythm is completely frenetic, complex and electrify. The tenth and last track "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper" is a medley of fragments of several blues songs and lyrics written by some blues veterans. The song is a tribute to the contemporary folk singer and very close friend of the band, Roy Harper. This is a very weird song, which, in my opinion, the collage of the excerpts of the old blues' songs, doesn't work very well. It represents the weakest track on the album.

Conclusion: "Led Zeppelin III" remains as one of the best and most fine musical works released by the band. It shows, as I mentioned above, that Led Zeppelin was much more than a traditional rock and blues band. With this album, Led Zeppelin proves that they were one of the best and most complete rock bands in the world. It also proves that Robert Plant was one of the best singers in his era, that Jimmy Page was much more than a great hard rock guitarist, that John Bonham was a complete versatile drummer that could adapted to any kind of music, and finally, that John Paul Jones, behind an excellent bassist, could be a complete and great player able to perform any kind of music instruments. While not the towering achievement of its brothers in numerology, "Led Zeppelin III" remains one of the great albums in rock history, significant for its role in establishing the legend of this band that would become a fact with "Led Zeppelin IV".

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Houses of the Holy was a landmark album for my brothers and I back in the mid-1970s as it was the first album that all four of us had universally high opinions of (though for often disparate reasons). Though I enjoyed music/songs from the band's previous four albums, Houses of the Holy felt different in that this was NEW music--the band was taking a big step out of/away from the blues, blues rock, and folk-rock songs that they were belting out before; with Houses of the Holy it felt as if the band had stepped into a new dimension--a new universe--that included many more effects, keyboards, and stylings that lent themselves more toward a pervasive feeling of psychedelia. Also, these two sides were album sides that we would play start to finish, over an over, without ever feeling the need or desire to skip over ANY of the songs. To this day, I cannot play one song without wanting to hear the song(s) before and/or after it. Though several songs have definitely grown in my esteem over the years, none have diminished in the charge of excitement and amazement that I felt in those teenage years. And now, 50 years later, I can still say that Houses of the Holy is by far my favorite album from the greatest rock 'n' roll band of all-time. There are very few albums from my youth that stand up so well--Days of Future Passed, Demons and Wizards, Remember the Future, Relayer, Trick of the Tale, Crime of the Century, Romantic Warrior, Hamburger Concerto, Imaginary Voyage, I Robot, and Aja are the others that immediately come to mind, but Houses of the Holy definitely belongs in this group.

Review Nº 642

"Houses Of The Holy" is the fifth studio album of Led Zeppelin that was released in 1973. It follows the same basic pattern as "Led Zeppelin IV". The album's title is a dedication by the group to their fans who appeared at venues called "Houses Of The Holy". It was the first Led Zeppelin's album to be officially titled with a real name. It was also the first band's albums to be composed completely by original material. It represents a musical turning point for Led Zeppelin, as they began to use more layering and production techniques in recording their songs. During the promotional tour of the album, two live shows were filmed giving the live album and the film "The Song Remains The Same". This was also Led Zeppelin's final studio album which was released on Atlantic Records before the band forming their own record label, Swan Song, in 1974. "Houses Of The Holy" was ranked 148th on Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500 Albums List.

The art cover for "Houses Of The Holy" was inspired by the Arthur C. Clarke's novel "Childhood's End". It's a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant's Causeway, in the Northern Ireland. The inner sleeve photograph was taken at the Dunluce Castle near to Causeway. The art cover of the album was considered as one of the greatest albums' covers of all time, and it was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of best albums package ever.

"Houses Of The Holy" has eight tracks. The first track "The Song Remains The Same" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is a very powerful rock song and a great opener for the album, and soon became one of the trademarks of the band. All band's members are brilliant making of this song one of the highlights of the album. Originally, it was an instrumental track which was given the title "The Overture". The second track "The Rain Song" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is a lengthy ballad were the melody of the song was originally constructed by Jimmy Page at his home and where Robert Plant composed the lyrics and John Paul Jones added the Mellotron, which is giving the final orchestral effect. So, the final result is a fantastic song with beautiful guitar work and a majestic Mellotron sound. The third track "Over The Hills And Far Way" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page was one of the songs chosen to be released as a single. This is another great song on the album, this time with a fantastic acoustic guitar performance by Page. It's a very interesting song that mixes perfectly the beautiful acoustic ballad style with the hard rock style. The fourth track "The Crunge" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is a funky song that seems to be a tribute to James Brown. Sincerely, I never particularly liked of this song, and even today, I still don't like it very much. So, this is, in my opinion, one of the two weakest songs on the album. The fifth track "Dancing Days" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page was the song chosen to be released as the B side of their single "Over The Hills And Far Way". It's probably the most commercial song on the album, and despite being a good song, definitely better than "The Crunge", it's, in my opinion, inferior to the other three previous songs. The sixth track "D'yer Mak'er" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is the other weak song on the album. It's also a song chosen to be released as the A side of a single, with "The Crunge" as the B side. It's clearly a song influenced by reggae. It isn't a bad song but it's, in my opinion, completely out of the musical context of the all album. The seventh track "No Quarter" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones soon became to be considered one of the best songs made by the group and also became a centre piece of all Led Zeppelin's live concerts. It's the epic song on the album and it can also be compared to "Stairway To Heaven". It's undoubtedly one of their most progressive tracks and one of their most beautiful songs too. The eighth track "The Ocean" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is a very good song. It refers to the sea of fans seen from the stage at Led Zeppelin's concerts, to which the song is dedicated. It's an excellent rocker with a great riff, a nice way to close this great album,

Conclusion: I know "Houses Of The Holy" since the 70's. It's with "Led Zeppelin II", one of the first two albums I heard from the band. In those times, I wasn't a big Led Zeppelin's fan and due to that I decided to sold "Led Zeppelin II" to a great friend of mine. So, "Houses Of The Holy" became my oldest album from the band in my vinyl collection. "Houses Of The Holy" always was one of my favourite albums from Led Zeppelin. It marked a change into their music, to a more elaborated and sophisticated sound, because the use of keyboards, especially Mellotron and synthesisers. It has also four of my favourite songs from them, "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Over The Hills And Far Way" and especially "No Quarter", which is probably their most progressive song. "The Ocean" is also a great song. However, "Houses Of The Holy" has its Achilles' heel. "The Crunge" and "D'yer Mak'er" are two weak songs. So, "Houses Of The Holy" has some inconsistencies. So, and unfortunately, for me, I can't rate it with more than 4 stars.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review #93!

'Stairway to Heaven'. The Zeppelin track that most could go the rest of their life without hearing again. This is probably the closest Led Zeppelin ever got to a sidelong epic. Delicate guitar playing, poetic lyrics, and some outstanding Bonham drumming was just some nice 'meaningful' crap that I could use to try to explain this song. But the truth is that this song cannot be explained. It can only be experienced, felt, lived. Eight minutes feels like two to the trained ear. The B-side's nice too, I guess.

I'm joking.

'Whole Lotta Love' is proof in itself that Led Zeppelin was vital to the birth of metal. And prog! Long sections with ear- piercing sound effects practically screams "Moonchild: The Illusion!" (Apologies for the esoteric reference). This track is fun as hell and I appreciate the fact that it is the B-side to 'Stairway to Heaven' years after its original release in 'Led Zeppelin II'.

Both of these tracks hold up horrifyingly well after all these years. Wonderful, beautiful, schmeautiful. See, there I am again, trying to explain things that can't be. Either way, these are some of the best songs in history by one of the best bands in history. Prog on.

LED ZEP if there were to remain only one, an OMNI yes, an airship even more!!! So we attack hard, since we don't know if it's prog.... but I don't care! The only album where I can put a track on replay for a whole day, good when my girlfriend is at work, we agree!!! Lets' go!

1. 'Black Dog' or the ultimate rock, the one that leaves your c... on the chair; a voice, a riff, a rhythm, everything is there, the guitar twirls, it's simple, it's raw; I must have listened to that a few years ago, I've lost count, but it's one of the musical pygmalion titles; well we are far from the prog and again, see further. Ah ah, ah ah yes when you scratch and you get the substantive marrow, you get there. Who hasn't tried strumming that extra solo and waddling over it? 2. 'Rock and Roll' for Robert's chest in front, John's destructured and destructuring drums and this riff from Jimmy, because yes the hard, proto metal prog invented the sound with a hero guitar, that's how it is ; good don't forget the other John who asserts with his bass the direction to take; good rock? Just for the final drum solo yes! 3. 'The Battle of Evermore' and the 1st progressive piece, this delicate, heady, repetitive arpeggio; these choirs coming from I don't know where, the repetition of one with the other; the crescendical rise as I like to write it, a mini rock bolero to put you in a trance, to make you travel, to engrave one of the foundations of prog rock... progression, of course. How to associate trance with rock, India and its wisdom with English madness, how to engulf oneself in these musical furrows... by listening. 4.' Stairway to Heaven' when I listened to 'Hotel California' I thought of Stairway; when I heard the flute, I thought of GENESIS; also disappointed by this primary but so sensual stereophonic game; when I heard Robert, I understood that it was going to be beautiful; when they passed the second, I was already swooning with joy; having the guitar warming up, the voice languishing, that's it, I knew I had the ultimate piece 'ROCK PROGRESSIF' in front of me. When the battery kicks in halfway through, who's still standing? who knows what was going to happen? who knows that the progression was still going to go up, to open up towards the divine? When the solo comes, who knew it would be perfect, that it was going to rock you all over the room? Who knew he was going to bring you to this apocalyptic moment where rock, prog, hard merged and where you would have to wait after too much time to have this concept of progressive metal, the only title that would be worth 6 in my opinion; well I'm not telling you about excellence with this final return to the beginning, ah if I just did it! 5.' Misty Mountain Hop' after this ecstatic moment, we return to a primary rock sound where the choirs do the 'battle' with the still high voice of Robert; OK, I'll admit it, I have a lot of trouble with titles other than Stairway, but as an inveterate prog, I force myself to listen to everything; even if here it is too repetitive, too garish, too overrated; well it's also probably on titles of this ilk that I started to love the guitar solo moment, it's already not bad; and then 1971 anyway. 6. 'Four Sticks' where how the drums can be put forward and bring the title, how to realize that the crazy drummer was Bonham before Moon; apart from our national Jimmy Pallagrosi who can also be taken as a crazy drummer after Portnoy, we are in France anyway; slow digression with chanted, howled, belched voice. 7. 'Going to California' yes the crystalline arpeggio, on an Indian air, we guess Ravi with his sitar but no, finally if we guess; good, a bucolic title, an air where the notes spurt out from the guitars, an air that can also put you in a trance, that could last, last. A moment when Robert shows that he really has a nice cheesy organ? (thanks Ange for the fact!) 8. 'When the Levee Breaks' for the second 'great title', which confirmed to me at the time that it was not rock, but something else; good the harmonica I had trouble, but the riff I loved; the organ in the background reminds me why I loved 'In the Evening' afterwards; bewitching, simple, catchy and this harmonica that seduces me now, incredible as the sound can transport. What about 'When' except that it goes up, it goes up and it transports, nothing else, come on I'll let you listen, but it doesn't stop. A crescendo before its time again?

LED ZEPPELIN released an OMNI album for Stairway, for the varied, differentiated, ultimate sound, which does not correspond to any musical code; it had to be told here, for posterity, for those who are not yet 50 years old and who do not yet know! (5 for 'IV' of course!)

Led Zeppelin's debut album, released in 1969, is a classic example of the band's signature sound and serves as a significant influence on the progressive rock movement. As a fan of the genre, I can appreciate the album's fusion of blues, rock, and folk elements, creating a unique sound that distinguishes it from other albums of the era.

The album features a mix of heavy, riff-based rock songs and slower, more introspective tracks. "Good Times Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown" are standout tracks with their energetic guitar riffs and driving rhythm section. The bluesy "Dazed and Confused" showcases Jimmy Page's impressive guitar skills, while "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" highlights the band's ability to create dynamic shifts in their music.

The album's production quality is also noteworthy, particularly for its time. The use of stereo panning and echo effects creates a rich, immersive listening experience.

While the album's blues-influenced sound may not be as experimental or complex as some of the more established progressive rock bands of the era, such as Pink Floyd or Yes, it still offers a fresh and exciting take on rock music. This album also has some truly unforgettable tracks on it that are classics.

Overall, I give Led Zeppelin's debut album 4 out of 5 stars for its innovative sound, impressive musicianship, and lasting impact on rock music. It's a must-listen for any fan of classic rock and progressive music.

Review Nº 634

Led Zeppelin was born from the ashes of The Yardbirds, who disbanded in 1968. The Yardbirds was an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band is known for starting the careers of three of the most famous rock guitarists, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists. Page, was the last of the guitarists of The Yardbirds. When Page was in the band, The Yardbirds became declining and took an end. Page, The Yardbirds' sole remaining member, was left with the rights to the group's name and contractual obligations for a series of concerts. For his new band, Page recruited John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and John Bonham and toured as The New Yardbirds. Later, Page changed the band's name to Led Zeppelin.

"Led Zeppelin" is the eponymous debut studio album of Led Zeppelin that was released in 1969. It was released and produced by all four members of the group and established the Led Zeppelin's fusion between the blues and the rock.

"Led Zeppelin" has nine tracks. The first track "Good Times Bad Times" written by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham was the song chosen from the album to be released as a single. It's a very powerful rock song with nice riffs and an amazing vocal work with excellent chorus. This is a very good song to open the album. The second track "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" written by Anne Bredon, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant is a folk song written by Anne Bredon, in the 50's, which was recorded by Joan Baez. This was the first song that Page played to Plant at their first meeting together. It's basically a ballad with heavy parts. This is an astonishing song with a magnificent fusion between the acoustic and the electric parts. This is a great version of the original song and one of my favourite songs on the album. The third track "You Shook Me" written by Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir is a typical blues classic song. It's a song based on a great guitar riff and where all band's members perform solos. It also deserves be mention the beautiful harmonica work performed by Plant. This is a song that shows perfectly the diverse and amazing skills of Jimmy Page on guitar. The fourth track "Dazed And Confused" written by Jimmy Page is a song that became a legendary song from the band. It's a very powerful song and one of the highlights of the album. It also became Page's favourite track on the live performances of the band, played much longer and with many adaptations, including one entire side on their first live album "The Song Remains The Same". The fifth track "Your Time Is Gonna Come" written by Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones is a very accessible and beautiful song. It's a song with nice vocals, good chorus, interesting organ work and a beautiful acoustic guitar performance. However, probably it represents, in my humble opinion, the weakest song on the album. The sixth track "Black Mountain Side" written by Jimmy Page is a short and very interesting instrumental acoustic song with great guitar performance by Jimmy Page. There isn't much to say about it, except that this is a very enjoyable song and I like a lot of acoustic guitar songs. The seventh track "Communication Breakdown" written by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham was the song chosen to be released as the B side of their single "Good Times Bad Times". It's a very powerful rock song, in the same vein of the opener song, with a great guitar riff and is also one of the few songs on which Page sang backing vocals. The song became one of the most popular tracks at the Led Zeppelin concerts. The eighth track "I Can't Quit You Baby" written by Willie Dixon is the other classic blues song performed on the album. It's, like the other blues song, a very powerful song and a showcase of the virtuosity of Page on the guitar. This is another excellent version of the original blues song, structurally very similar to the previous blues number, but for me, is inferior to "You Shook Me Up". The ninth and last track "How Many More Times" written by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is my third favourite song on the album, with "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Dazed And Confused". It's the lengthiest track on the album and one of the most powerful. It's an incredible end for the album with a fantastic Page riff, an extremely powerful rhythm section and a great vocal Plant performance.

Conclusion: "Led Zeppelin" is, without any doubt, an excellent and powerful debut album. In my humble opinion, it's a very strong and well balanced album without masterpieces but also without weak points, despite "Your Time Is Gonna Come" represent its Achilles' heel. It's true that "Led Zeppelin" isn't a progressive album and it's more a blues rock oriented album. However, we mustn't forget that we were in 1969, the album was released in 12 January, and the prog didn't exist in those times. Only in the end of that year, in 10 October, King Crimson come to release what is now regarded as the first progressive album, "In The Court Of The Crimson King". So, for a debut album, "Led Zeppelin" has a very interesting powerful collection of songs, full of originality and invention. Even the blues versions of the two Willie Dixon's songs are great, even for me. As you know, I'm not a great fan of blues. Thus, this is an excellent album.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

I see the reviews of this magnificent album and I feel I need to bring my personal understanding about it. I am not sure why it is rated so low, as it is the most progressive album by this group, by far. The music contained in it is full of inventivity and non conventional elements. One never knows what to expect at any moment of each song. Rythm changing are becoming common, the same as key notes transitions. I remember when I listened to it first time, in 1980, as I lived behind the Iron Curtain at the time (things were coming to us with a delay), I was completely mesmerized. It actually took the first place among Led Zep albums, overpassing even Led Zeppelin IV and Presence, my favorites until then. And it still is the best album, in my opinion, among some excellent albums this amazing group gave to the world. I will not go piece by piece to analyze it, but I feel every single track is where it should be. And also, together they all make a beautiful surprising and valuable whole. Every time I listen to it is like I listen to it for the first time. For the seasoned prog rock people on this site, please listen to it again in complete silence without other distractions and see what I am talking about. Do not try to understand it, or explain this and that, Just try to absorb it and allow the magical music to fill your soul. For the new to prog rock, or rock in general, please listen to it with an open mind and very open ears. Avoind other activities while you take the journey inside this amazing piece of music. I know it all boils down to personal preference, especially when it is about art, as there is no numeric measurement for value. But in my opinion this album is one of the best rock music, including prog rock, ever produced. Five stars with a full heart.