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Led Zeppelin
Albums
 Led Zeppelin,
 Led Zeppelin II,
 Led Zeppelin III,
 Led Zeppelin IV,
 Houses Of The Holy,
 Physical Graffiti,
 Presence,
 In Through The Out Door,
 Coda,
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album reviews
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin 9 ( 1969 )
Good Times Bad Times / Babe I'm Gonna Leave You / You Shook Me / Dazed
And Confused / Your Time Is Gonna Come / Black Mountain Side /
Communication Breakdown / I Can't Quit You Babe / How Many More Years
Jeff Beck leaves Jimmy Page as sole guitarist in The Yardbirds, a
group that had also numbered Eric Clapton among their ranks prior
to Jeff and Jimmy. Keith Relf, the singer with The Yardbirds,
winds up leaving along with the groups drummer and bass player.
Jimmy Page along with manager Peter Grant find themselves with
concert dates to fulfil, so set about forming a new Yardbirds line-
up. Enter Robert Plant, session bassist John Paul Jones and
drummer John Bonham. Jimmy Page had worked extensively as an
in-demand session guitarist all through the Sixties, playing on
countless pop and rock recordings, learning about studio
techniques and record making as he went along. Early shows saw
the soon to be christened Led Zeppelin billed as The Yardbirds but
certain supporters were apparently disappointed that it wasn't
really The Yardbirds. The name Led Zeppelin was based on
something Who drummer Keith Moon said about a proposed off-
shoot group ( to feature himself along with Jimmy Page and Jeff
Beck ) "Going down like a lead balloon, or a lead zeppelin".
Remove the 'a' from 'lead', and hey presto! For this new enterprise,
Jimmy Page wanted to explore dynamics..... he more than
succeeded. Add in a rhythm section with an almost telepathic
understanding, add in Robert Plant with his furious, all out, sexual
roar of a voice.... Ah, reservations! Led Zeppelin achieved a
distinctive sound right from the off. That doesn't mean that the
material was so original or distinctive, however. 'Black Mountain
Side' was based upon a Bert Jansch tune, but credited here to
Jimmy Page all the same. Singer Robert Plant had a habit of
improvising and unwittingly including fragments of blues songs in
the lyrics as he went along. The closing eight minute plus epic
'How Many More Times' has a clear precedent in the Howlin Wolf
song 'How Many More Years', and so it goes on. There are more
references here if you care to unearth them. Two 'correct' writing
credits arrive on the album sleeve courtesy of Willie Dixon, as Led
Zeppelin produce versions of his 'You Shook Me' and 'I Can't Quit
You Babe'.
There's something about Led Zeppelin and this album in particular
I really love and it's something I see as an ideal for hard rock or (
heaven forbid! ) heavy metal groups. This 'ideal' is perfectly
demonstrated in the two minute forty six second long opening
number, 'Good Times Bad Times'. You can hear each and every
instrument clearly and separately from each other instrument. You
can clearly make out every drum roll of John Bonham, every
nuance of the bass parts of John Paul Jones - obviously make out
Jimmy Page with his solo and his riffing. A tight ensemble,
powerful with spaces left by the rhythm section to allow Jimmy to
fully express himself. On top of all of this we have Robert Plant of
course, a singer plucked out of relative obscurity and almost
instantly managing to present himself as one of the greatest rock
singers on the planet at the time. The bass and drums support each
other of course, but both can clearly also be heard as separate
entities, if that makes sense. There is a cleanness, a separation.
There's also damn heavy sounding parts as Led Zeppelin receive
the credit for inventing heavy metal in the process. Most clearly
with 'Dazed And Confused', a six minute long scary sounding epic
full of astonishing playing and sounds, not least the 'walking bass'
sound that introduces it. Robert Plant fully does 'the business' and
sets a template for vocalists that followed. 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave
You' is another six minute plus composition, an arrangement
Jimmy had been working on back in the final days of The
Yardbirds. Perhaps no better single example of the sheer glorious
dynamics, the quiet to loud, of Led Zeppelin exists.

The more out and out blues tunes here, 'You Shook Me' and 'I
Can't Quit You Babe' are the weaker moments of the set, along
with Jimmy Page 'interpreting' folk guitarist Bert Jansch with the
instrumental filler 'Black Mountain Side'. Having said that, 'I Can't
Quit You Babe' in particular is utterly convincing. Robert Plant
sings, the rhythm section constantly threaten to explode. Jimmy
Page does plenty of twiddly and interesting guitar things. Sat
between 'Black Mountain Side' and 'I Can't Quit You Babe' is the
two and a half minute riff monster 'Communication Breakdown'.
Heavy as fuck, catchy as hell - i'll see you on the other side. As for
the closing 'How Many More Times', well, Jimmy does interesting
guitar parts and sounds, the rhythm section are supremely
powerful, hypnotic and heavy and Robert Plant excels himself
throughout. Led Zeppelin succeeded from the off with this debut
set. They toured America extensively and the initially reluctant UK
market followed amid reports of amazing concerts in America.
'Led Zeppelin I' works as a template for the groups entire career,
nearly everything is here. The core of the album is formed by
'Dazed And Confused', 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You',
'Communication Breakdown', 'Good Times Bad Times' and the
closing 'How Many More Times'. For those songs alone, this is an
amazing record.

Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Brad Holmes bholmes@fas.harvard.edu

Huzzah! You're finally doing Led "GOD" Zeppelin! Took you
long enough, eh? I don't think this one rules as much as most of
their later ones, but that's probably just because I've never been
able to fully appreciate the blues wanking. I'd still rather hear
Jimmy blues-wank than anyone else, though. Man, Led Zeppelin
rules. All their albums rule. Er, except Presence. And Coda. But,
like, that's not a real album, so it doesn't count.

Al Brooks dumpbushnextyear@yahoo.com
Drooling old hippie here. Led Zeppelin's first album is arguably
their best. Zeppelin had to prove they were good and they did, at
least as musicians-- the songs are rather ordinary songs played
extraordinarily well. The lyrics are the typical blues lyrics about
women who break hearts and men who buy diamond rings.
Corny. The linchpin of the group was the bass player John Paul
Jones.

Coosh eaise@comcast.net
This is the only Led Zeppelin album I really like. "Dazed and
Confused" is money. Some say t'was Jimmy Page's favorite
Zeppelin song. WELL IT SURE IS MINE.

Pat Williams ungoo@mindspring.com

I have to say that this album is certainly great but not their best.
Their best is definitely IV but this runs a close second. My
favorite song from the album has to be 'Communication
Breakdown' because it is sooooooooo rock! I'm also fond of
'Your Time is Gonna Come' and 'How Many More Times'. This
albums has to be the pivotal point in the history of hard rock.

Simon B slb23@shaw.ca
This is (arguably) one of the greatest debut albums of all time!
The cover is awesome, also. Best songs: "Good Times Bad
Times", "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", "Dazed And Confused",
and "Communication Breakdown". 9/10
Ryan Doyle ryan42790@adelphia.net
This Albm is Genuis, If you had to choose your debut album it
would be this album, it really set the standards for there destiny.
Communication Breakdown, Dazed and Confused, How Many
More times, This Albumn is truly genuine.

Chris chrisfret2004@yahoo.co.uk
Led Zeppelin were unquestionably the greatest ever rock band. I
always felt this on is perhaps not quite as great as later releases
though:the 'classics' form it's core (Good times, Communication,
Babe Im gonna, Dazed)but there isnt really anything else to rival
this on the album for me, despite the incredible playing and
obvious originality of sound. Those with a best of Zeppelin alb
won't find much else essential here. Still a good 8/10 tho!

Led Zeppelin II 8½ ( 1970 )

Whole Lotta Love / What Is And What Should Never Be / The Lemon Song /
Thank You / Heartbreaker / Living Loving Maid / Ramble On / Moby Dick /
Bring It On Home

Led Zeppelin move into world-domination status, this second long-

player topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. It seems to
me they've played it fairly safe. Well, not safe as such - just that
they've taken the bits people liked from the debut and made a
whole album out of those bits. But, they've not done it quite right.
There's no let-up here, less variety. There's less sense of highs and
lows, and highs and ( relative ) lows can actually help an album.
The blues material contained on the debut Zeppelin album helped
shine greater light on the other material - material that sounded
astonishingly powerful and fresh, and still does. 'Led Zeppelin II'
just sounds, well, commercial. Tight, purposeful - yet commercial.
Having said all of this however, and saying right now that this
album sends less chills down my spine than the debut - this is still
a remarkable set of performances. A damn consistent set of songs
and performances that just beats you into the ground with its sheer
unrelenting assault on your senses. It's nearly all-out rock music,
this time. The blues thing is still there, but just contained in certain
moments, certain sections, certain vocalizations, etc. Led Zeppelin
are now LED ZEPPELIN!!! and there's no looking back. You can
hardly argue with it, really. 'Whole Lotta Love'? What a fantastic
song introduction, great ROCK lyrics, fantastic riff. The drums
kick in, the bass kicks in ably supporting. Beautifully supporting.
Led Zeppelin, and it hardly even needs to be said, had a damn fine
bass player. Still, the attention tends to be focused on Plant, Page
and Bonham. How about a hand for that John Paul Jones fellow?
He deserves it, dammit. 'What Is And What Should Never Be'
starts all deceptively soft, before going all out with guitars and
roaring vocals - good stuff! Even 'gooder' stuff is the fantastic
'Lemon Song' where the sound of Led Zeppelin, that separation,
that thing where each musician does their thing, both individually
and for the collective, and you can HEAR IT - really is noticeable.
I like my Led Zep this way.

It seems silly going about trying to describe such famous songs,

but you know. Maybe just saying, "Hey, this is great!" isn't quite
so useful. Of course, we can all assume that almost everybody in
the western world is familiar with Zep and many of the songs on
this album - and they probably ARE - but I like to come into these
things fresh, so to speak. I'm lucky in a sense that the UK has no
classic rock radio whatsoever. If I buy a Doors album, a Black
Sabbath album, a Led Zeppelin album - chances are - i've heard
only one or two songs from it before. I know Beatles fans who've
never heard 'Abbey Road' and couldn't even recognize 'You Never
Give Me Your Money' as a Beatles song! Which seems
astonishing, but when only the VERY famous songs by a particular
artist are known here in the UK to the general music fan at large,
this kind of thing happens. A Beatles fan, or Zep fan - maybe has a
hits set, and one of the most famous albums, and that's it! The UK
is a funny place, sometimes. I wish to god we did have some good
classic rock stations. Even a bad one would be nice! Anyway, back
to the matter at hand. 'Heartbreaker' has a riff to die for and it don't
need nothing else! It has other things, notably a Mr Plant going for
it - moving and grooving as only he can. 'Living Loving Maid'
makes me want to headbang a little - bit silly as i've always either
short hair, or curly Bob Dylan/Tom Baker styled hair. Can't
headbang very well like that, but it makes me wanna shake and
shimmy and shake my head up and down in any case. Ah, i'm sure
there's other stuff here..... Well, duh. Of course there is, there's
bloody 'Moby Dick' and 'Ramble On'!

So, why not a '9' or higher? Well, too little variety. The highs here
arguably aren't as high as those on 'Zep 1', although the highs here
are still pretty high. There are less lows - and perhaps another
grade of '9' would be fair, except I don't feel this works as, dare I
say it, a work of 'art' quite as well. This is just good fun, party
time, let's have sex whilst we're at it and fuck each others brains
out. It's music that makes you feel that way. Seems to me, the
debut has a little more depth about it. But, this is still damn fine
anyway. But, enough! I'm off for a hair-transplant.

Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Al Brooks dumpbushnextyear@yahoo.com
Drooling ol' hippie here. Led Zep II is worth it just for John Paul
Jones' bass playing. This is the quintessential Led Zeppelin
album-- it proves that Brits can do rock performance better than
Americans.

bobbyjoe_69@hotmail.com
no idea what you're talking about. This album is led zeppelin's
greatest ever put out, easily, i can say that this is the best album
ever made. Heartbreaker, Ramble On, Whole lotta love, and
What is and what should never be are led zeppelin's four greatest
songs they ever recorded. Thsi album deserves a 10, thats a
complete no-brainer!

Simon B slb23@shaw.ca
This album is a lot heavier, yet slightly less bluesy than their
debut. An excellent sophmore album. Whole Lotta classic riffs on
this one! 9 1/2

Wil wem2@aber.ac.uk
Do you know the name of the little piece of classical
fingerpicking that Jimmy used to do at the end of songs- usually
Heartbreaker, as heard on the new live album-live on stage? My
mate, who studies classical guitar reckons it is Paganini's caprice
number 9 or sonata in cmajor, but I'm unconvinced. As a rock
guitarist-much cooler I'm sure you'll agree- I know the track-
Heartbreaker- is in Amajor and thus a piece in C would sound
wrong. I think it's a minor piece because it has a kind of baroque
feel. I don't know if you are a guitarist- if not you're probably
bored out of your skull by now but i'll perservere- but i figure
someone who knows so much about the greatest band ever must
know little pieces of information like this. When playing with my
band when we do Heartbreaker live I can only do a crap
impression of Jimmy after the solo and pick out the basic melody
of said classical music, whereas Jimmy fingerpicks it using bass
strings and countermelodies- it's a geeky thi! ng to say but I
reckon it sounds so cool...If you or anyone else can name the
piece for me I can by the score and transpose it and thus kid
myself that I am Jimmy Page. Please help!
bass player edd eddie123zeppelin@hotmail.com
Zeppelin's finest album. There is a great range of songs but they
all have a slightly bluesy feel. Although all the other album's are
great (except ITTOD) this is the only one where i'm never
tempted to skip tracks.

David F david.fraser@tinyworld.co.uk
8 1/2 ? 9/12 more like it. this is the best blues album ever nd the
2nd greatest album ever - 2nd to IV of coarse.the album of the
60's

Cory david.fraser@tinyworld.co.uk
great album, many classic Zep tracks, but the Lemon Song should
have been left off the album...it's not a good song, at all...it
sounds like a Mountain/Deep Purple/Foghat kinda track...it's a
"skipper"...otherwise, a great album by a great band...

Chris chrisfret2004@yahoo.co.uk
This is a real classic for me:the point when they really defined
their own sound and 'invented heavy metal' apparently (hard rock
was always a better summation of what zeppelin were about). I
agree with you that there isnt much variety here, but that's kind of
it's strength. It's just track after track of great riffs and party
time!sounds like a greatest hits collection!Ramble on is an
absolute classic combination of the legendary 'heavy/light'
zeppeling elements too!9/10

Led Zeppelin III 7½ ( 1970 )

Immigrant Song / Friends / Celebration Day / Since I've Been Loving You / Out
On The Tiles / Gallows Pole / Tangerine / That's The Way / Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
/ Hats Off To Roy Harper

Both better and worse than previous Led Zeppelin for me, but I
should explain such a statement. I love the variety here. 'Led
Zeppelin III' mixes folkier material with the usual Led Zep
headbanging rock stuff with blues influenced stuff, etc, etc. Makes
for a more varied set of songs than 'Led Zeppelin II', in any case.
Jimmy Page really does do some great stuff here, his parts through
the introduction of the blues based 'Since I've Been Loving You'
are genuinely classy, as his playing is throughout the entire song
and album as a whole, actually. 'Since I've Been Loving You' also
features super strong drums, a great vocal performance, etc, etc.
So, what's wrong? Well, nothing is, really! Oh, I know what it is.
It's too long, Mr Plant sings the word "drag" towards to end of the
song, and taking it out of context for my own purposes, i'd say it's
the absolute perfect word to use to describe the Led Zeppelin
'Since I've Been Loving You' song and performance. Other less
than 'interesting' material, includes the ballad 'Tangerine' ( with a
great Plant performance and strong bass performance ) and the
folky 'That's The Way' ( which includes pleasant Page guitar parts
). So, good and bad, both? Well, yes. And 'bad' is actually a pretty
harsh word to use. The inclusion here of folkier textures isn't a
problem at all, as I said earlier, it's a welcome thing, the increased
diversity in sound that Led Zeppelin produce for this album is a a
welcome thing. But.... stuff like 'That's The Way' is just a little.....
boring, in a word. It doesn't go anywhere and doesn't do anything.
Pay attention, and you'll discover tracks like this are probably
enjoyed more by guys who pay special attention to the guitar
playing, to the overall muscianship and little details of the playing
- than the average guy who just cares about what it sounds like and
how much fun it is.

Speaking of fun, the opening 'Immigrant Song' has fun in spades,

absolutely a whole ton of fun. Heavy riffs, heavy playing, good
vocals - daft lyrics, it's all here and a Zep classic is born, easy. The
closing brace of songs both feature fast, dexterous playing from Mr
Page in particular, and both manage to be interesting and fun, at
the same time! Neither qualifies as a great song, barely either
classifies as a good song, let alone a great one - but the textures are
good, the playing is impressive and very listenable. The distortion
on the vocals through 'Hats Of To Roy Harper' is a very interesting
production touch. Still, i've used the words interesting and fun far
too much in this review so far. Gone is the sense of Led Zeppelin
being 'an event', for this album at least. This is light stuff, bar the
likes of 'Since I've Been Loving You', the decent 'Gallows Pole'
and the rock and swing groove of 'Out On The Tiles'.

Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Al Brooks dumpbushnextyear@yahoo.com
Cannabis-addicted '70s relic here. This is my favorite Led
Zeppelin disc; it is their first album with mature lyrics, lyrics not
exclusively concerning broken hearts and large penises. What a
contrast to Led Zeppelin II, the archetype of Cock Rock. 'Since
I've Been Loving You ' is blues at its finest-- listen to the guitar
solo! 'Tangerine' is exquisite country-rock with another patented
Jimmy Page solo. The opener, 'The Immigrant Song' is another
hard rock monster.

Oscar miscreanty@yahoo.com
This is Jimmy Page's peak as a guitar player! As much as there
are a thousand choices for Led Zeps best album, this one
certainly has something to offer. Lots of different influences, and
a greater mix of "soft" songs. It really has its moments. Certinally
the quality of some of the songs brings it down. Its not the
greatest production either, and some of the Plant lyrics just bore
me. But still far more worthy than 7 1/2 by any means. Best song
- Bron-y-aur stomp (oooh yeah! :)

Steve vivostereo@hotmail.com
This album, and all the Led Zeppelin stuff, are the most overrated
thing in rock'n'roll history: Black Dog is cock rock boring and
repetitive, Misty mountain is a big pile of shit, God, don't try to
sell me this awful thing, and four sticks ?, what the hell they were
thinking ?, Ohhh Bonzo played with two drumsticks in each
hand, yes, but the music stinks, here and in mars, please listen
again without prejudice. (No George Michael please)

Jim george@hotmail.com
To Me, the first six of Led Zeppelin's albums deserve 10,
especially this one, it's kust so varied. Bron-Yr-Aur-Stomp is the
best Zep acoustic number ever. Every song is good, if not great
even the closing number which freaks me out.

bassplayeredd bassplayeredd
this album is very very very good, 7.5!, what's all that about.
They've changed the style from the first 2 albums which i like as
you don't want the same thing over and over again, thats why
zeppelin are great, their ability to change. It's the perfect album
for different moods. Rocky mood you've got "Immigrant" and
"Tiles" and for a mellow mood all of side two, well maybe not
the last one.

stephen thompson sr.thompson2000@btinternet.com

I disagree with the majority of this review. "Since I've Been
Loving You" is one of THE greatest songs EVER!! As for the
folky diversion not sounding natural, I think this is unfair and
untrue. Led Zep II was an experiment and it worked brilliantly -
currently my fave LZ long player. If they've had retrod the same
ground and recorded Led Zepp II (Pt. 2) I think that would have
stifled the band to the point of becoming a parody of themselves.
At least 9/10 for me.
Mark Traill mwtraill@yahoo.co.uk
Hey! The only mention "Friends" gets in your review is in the
song lineup... this is a great tune; flipping Shiva it's spooky! And
Celebration Day! WHAT A GREAT START TO THE
ALBULM!!! Then... whoa, agree with you a bit here I think.
SIBLY is 6 minutes too long and Tangerine is pants. Hats off to
Roy Harper just gives me a headache. The rest is fine, but I'll
give it an 8.5. Good site by the way mate, hours of fun at work.

Zach thedoors@msn.com
i think this review is kinda week, Led Zeppelin 3 is a great
album, you didnt even mention Friends or Celebration Day, or
Bron-ur-Aur Stomp, Bron-Ur-Aur Stomp has fantastic guitar,
incredible, and Celebration Day is one of those really fun songs,
Frineds is just....good, you should have mentioned them, and just
because of that ONE song(Since Ive Benn Loving You) you gave
the album a horrible review, its a great album, one of their best,
that one song shouldnt have brought that rating way down.

kyle theeggmann2234@hotmail.com
Now this is Led Zeppelin's most underrated album without any
question. From their trademark songs like immagrent song and
since i've ben loving you to the folk, accoustic inspired songs it
has alot to offer, much more than some of their others. 9 1/2

Plastic Hero askrabalak@nycap.rr.com

The greatest sounding piece of plagarism of all time! Three
cheers for a bunch of British boys raping and pillaging the
entirety of African-American blues culture. That aside...probably
one of the best Zep albums with Physical Graffiti being #1 and
Zoso as #2. Please, though- do yourself and the blues kings some
justice and listen to Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, Muddy
Waters and Albert King before you listen to Led Zeppelin II.

Chris chrisfret2004@yahoo.co.uk
A bit of a strange review. I always thought this was the one of
their best. Immigrant song is the template for all heavy rock and
metal that would come except better!the second side is gorgeous
too except for the blues freakout at the end!Since Ive been
Loving You is great!As a guitrist I can really appreciate the
beauty of Page's playing here!9/10
Led Zeppelin IV 9 ( 1971 )
Black Dog / Rock And Roll / The Battle Of Evermore / Stairway To Heaven /
Misty Mountain Hop / Four Sticks / Going To California / When The Levee
Breaks

The heavy heavy monster sound of Led Zeppelin, IS BACK. Not

that there was anything wrong with the sound of Led Zeppelin III,
just that the material maybe wasn't as strong as we were getting
used to back there. Can I say something? Immediately you'll see
where i'm going here when I say this. I absolutely adore the first
THREE songs on this album. Best three songs here! And yeah, i'm
being serious. God, 'Stairway To Heaven' is 'Stairway To Heaven'
is 'Stairway To Heaven'. It's eight minutes long, has truly
fascinating lyrics and a very purposeful, albeit getting to the point
gradually, nature of the musical track. This 'point' is of course the
heavier section of the song, the great Jimmy Page solo - and then I
like the way the song closes. More of an event than a song, and a
deliberately crafted event at that. The group reportedly 'set about'
writing a suitably epic song that would rival the reception and
glory of 'Dazed And Confused' during live performances. Nothing
wrong with that, obviously. I like 'Stairway To Heaven' in case you
didn't quite get that during my mini-description of it back there.
But, I guess this album revolves around whether you love, like or
merely tolerate 'Stairway To Heaven'. There are probably people
out there that don't even like the song at all. I'm not that kind of
person, I fall definitely into the second camp. Whilst i'm here, I'll
also say that the huge drum sound of the overly lengthy 'When The
Levee Breaks', along with the harmonica sound, is the best thing
about the track. 'When The Levee Breaks' and 'Stairway To
Heaven' are my least favourite two songs on 'Led Zeppelin IV'.
Which may sound ridiculous to some, it's just I adore the faster,
rockier stuff here so much more. Well, correction. The delicate
'Going To California' is one of my favourite Led Zeppelin songs.
It's just this straight folky thing, but Page and Plant both sound
truly beautiful. A similar thing of possibly even greater wonder is
the Sandy Denny assisted 'Battle Of Evermore'. Sandy sings
perfectly, not trying to be the main event, but still really aiding the
haunting beauty of the song.

Oh, oh OH - 'Black Dog' has a riff and three Quarters, Page is the
man here, he's THE MAN. I just feel like squirming and rolling
around naked in mud, with sheer glee - at the sound of this riff, and
it's variations. Really, I do! 'Black Dog' has one hell of a rhythm
section about it, and an utter classic Robert Plant vocal
performance, classic, classic, classic. Oh, yeah, 'Misty Mountain
Hop' has heavy drums, another fabulous riff, another winner, a
great vocal performance again, great vocal rhythm actually - love
what Plant does here. Okay, i'll calm down. God, 'Four Sticks' is
great too, another riff monster. So, even WITH 'Stairway To
Heaven' and 'When The Levee Breaks' inhabiting around a third of
this albums playing time, the rest is surely glorious enough for this
album to deserve a '9'? Just think, what if I actually loved instead
of just liked 'Stairway To Heaven'? What then?? Still, I can't help
that, can I?

Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Andy. Senior lfc4eva02@aol.com

As soon as i saw this review i shouted "how can u not give that a
10?!". i mean cumon its 1 of the gr8est albums of all time, its a
damn classic (and im not even a major fan of theirs) u just gotta
repect led zeppelin 4 wot they r - the gr8est hard rock band their
ever was, and imo this is their best ever album, and for me every
song is strong. - stairway to heaven amongst the gr8est songs
ever written by any band

Adrian Mules adrian.mules@btinternet.com

Simply - "Best drum sound ever"

Al Brooks dumpbushnextyear@yahoo.com
This is a good solid professional rock and roll album, and any
band would be proud to hang the gold record on the wall. But I
like Led Zeppelin III much better. Perhaps because I'm a draft
card burning, marijuana-addicted 60's reject.

Ilya Grigoriev negative_creep@gmx.de

What the fuck? IV is the best album? Plant is a good singer? John
Paul Jones is the highpoint? Are you guys all serious or on drugs?
1. Fuck evry member in the band xcept for that mean old plunker
on guitar beacuse Plant was just horrible as a singer (i just
fucking hate his 'squeeze my lemon') and bonham a disaster as an
improviser ('Moby Dick'? I'd rather sniff my own ass!) and John
Paul Jones was a good bass player, the only one I like in the band
besides Page but Jones was certainly not the guy who was the
middlepoint in the band. You may think of that because Page &
Plant nowadays look like complete dickheads and sound like the
horsey laughter of Julia Roberts. But a Zeppelin without a Page?
I could imagine a Zeppelin without Plant. You know what I'd call
it? The best rock band on earth!
Simon B slb23@shaw.ca
"IV" is my favourite Led Zeppelin album. I think it's their most
well-rounded one. It's like "II" and "III" combined. You have the
hard rock of "Black Dog", "Rock n' Roll" and "When the Levee
Breaks", the nice acoustic melodies of "Battle of Evermore" and
"Going to California", the rockn' weirdness of "Four Sticks". And
last but not least, "Stairway to Heaven", which is an wonderful
combination of the acoustic side and hard rock side of Led
Zeppelin, not to mention one of the most best (and most famous)
rock songs of all time. This is one of those albums you can listen
to all the way through, like DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. I give
it a 10 out of 10.

allan allanhamet@yahoo.com
I'm a hard rock guitarist, and've jammed with Page.Well I'll tell
you this: nobody can judge Jimmy Page,his playing or how long
Zeppelin tracks, saying that "oh, this track is too long or he didn't
sound as powerful as previous track".Crap!!! there's no other
fuckin person on this entire planet as talented as Jimmy Page,
Ritchie Blackmore, Brian May and Joe Perry.None!So if a track
sounds certain way, it suposed to sound like that.

bass player edd eddie123zeppelin@hotmail.com

I don't know what that guy's on about saying they're shit but
anyway. A definite 10 second only to II and that's for one reason.
The battle of evermore, it sticks in there like a sore thumb. I hate
the song but can appreciate it is something different. The rest of
the songs though bring it up to a 10.

annnndy seagrove theseagroves@yahoo.com

I get it ! you tell us how much you respect stairway to heaven,
then tell us you dont like it ! this album maybe the perfect album
with its rock n roll beginning, mellow middle and heavy ending...
just like the song.. stairway to heaven !!!

Fozzie danny_fozzie@hotmail.co.uk
hello evry one. Jus like to say that i really admire led zep IV coz
of its ability to shine out to a 16 adolescent surrounded by the
pathetic pop acts of today...namely Girls Aloud and James Blunt
but to name a few. My favourite is the haunting blues ending
track 'when the levee breaks'.

Chris chrisfret2004@yahoo.co.uk
Totally agree with the above message - its reassuring to
remember that pure talent and authenticity was once all you
needed to make great music. This album is simply flawless - the
best riffs, most inventive arrangements and every song a winner.
and why the hell does everyone hate stairway' so much??????its a
gem of a song, as is when the levee..., black dog, 'california etc.
10/10!!

carolynmhoff@cs.com
I have always totally hated Led Zeppelin they are really one of
the worst bands I have ever heard! They along with Queen and
Pink Floyd are the only 3 groups that I have to get up off of my
chair even if I'm very tired and turn off immediately before I
shoot the radio!I have been doing this since I'm a teenager. The
Who,Jimi Hendrix,The Rolling Stones and especially The Beatles
are all a million times better! Hell even Van Halen sounds much
better and I'm not even a fan of theirs!

Chris chrisfret2004@yahoo.co.uk
Simply one of the best hard rock albums ever . Has any other
record started with such a 1-2 like black dog/rocknroll ? Page
piles on the thick syrupy riffs and the beats come at you like a
steamroller. Theres also time to take in 2 beautiful folk
experiments and an excursion into north african music with
another riffmonster "4 sticks" . Best track is the version of
memphis minnies "when the levee breaks" - that huge drum beat
and mass of echoed guitars sound just like waves crashing against
a dam . Ive never been crazy about "misty mountain hop" or
plants singing particularly but i can handle these elements
amongst this tightly focused album. Oh... and "stairway to
heaven" is a classic , got no problem listening to it at all . Id give
it 9/10

Houses Of The Holy 8½ ( 1973 )

The Song Remains The Same / The Rain Song / Over The Hills And Far Away /
The Crunge / Dancing Days / D'yer Maker / No Quarter / The Ocean

Okay, so we're past the famous first fab four albums now, aren't
we? Anyway, listening and listening to 'Houses Of The Holy' has
made me wonder just what Led Zeppelin actually DID in the
interim between 'Led Zep IV' and this? Did they drink and party a
lot? I gather they'd reached the pinnacle, or at least, felt as if they
had. Nothing left to prove to themselves or anybody else, either. At
least, nobody else they thought mattered. So, off we go into the
land of funk, into the land of the Caribbean, or some other such
place. One song features vocal harmonies, another sounds very
much like a string drenched ballad. Very few two songs sound the
same, in fact. There is little of the trademark Led Zep sound here at
all, and not only that, but Robert Plant indulges himself a little.
Does a few pieces of vocal acting, not least all the way 'The
Crunge'. Ah, whilst i've mentioned it, let's talk about that 'The
Crunge'. 'The Crunge'? Okay, I don't know what that means. And,
please. Don't mail me telling me what it means, either. I'm not sure
I particular care what it means I just get off on the fact that this is
obviously a piece of Led Zeppelin humour, a slight James Brown
tribute or piss-take, whichever way you prefer to look at it. Some
of the lyrical and vocal sections are truly daft and they do raise a
smile. Well, Led Zeppelin trying to be funny doesn't quite come
off, but the music is just so damn hot and so damn funky - so very
tight.... who cares? 'The Crunge' is a fine thing, quite unlike
anything Led Zeppelin had done before, and that's the key idea to
quite a bit of the songs contained on this album. It's Led Zeppelin
trying to show everybody they could do anything, anything they
wanted.

Of the more recognizable Led Zeppelin styled songs, we've got

'The Song Remains The Same', 'Over The Hills And Far Away',
'No Quarter' and the closing 'The Ocean'. Starting with the last
named, first - 'The Ocean' relies on a strong rhythm section groove
over and above any guitar prowess or roaring vocals, although both
of those are present too, of course. It's a riff thing, a song with a
riff that carries everything else, a groove that carries everything
else. It's a fine thing. 'No Quarter' is seven minutes long. I've
listened to it maybe twelve times just today. I was feeling rather
low, couldn't even be bothered to change the CD, had it on repeat
play. Which does indeed also tell you i've listened to 'Houses Of
The Holy' around twelve times today. I feel as if I live in those
houses, you know? I feel as if I was one of the naked children
featured crawling over stones on the album artwork. I was there,
man..... How many times can I listen to this album in five hours
anyway? Would it be twelve, or so? And please, I don't want your
answers on a postcard, not even to any address you care to think
of, either. Still, where was I? Oh, yes? 'No Quarter'! Well, it's
pretty much perfect, goes off into this lovely jazzy instrumental
break that also sounds pure Rock N Roll. 'No Quarter' doesn't
scream and shout and run and come up to you with it's tongue out,
waggling provocatively - like some of the early Zep classics. No,
it's just a classic. 'The Song Remains The Same' and 'Over The
Hills' both have lots of short, funky riffs and both are taken at a
fast tempo. Robert Plant's vocal on the latter is one of his very
finest, for my money.
Of the remaining material, John Paul Jones contributes. Not just
his usual bass, but also Mellotron, Synthesiser, Organ, Piano, etc,
etc. In fact, the second song 'The Rain Song' which I described as
sounding like a string drenched ballad? Well, that's just him on the
Mellotron, playing lines for a string section. He knows his stuff.
It's a lovely song, a genuinely affecting ballad, again, quite unlike
anything Led Zep had done before. 'Dancing Days' is another
funky, short guitar riff thing, I guess. It doesn't particular stand out
here, but it's no worse than anything else if taken in isolation, if
that makes any sense at all. 'D'yer Maker' is the one that contains
the Caribbean reggae riffs. Robert Plant gets into the spirit of
things, it shares a spirit of 'daftness' with 'The Crunge', but again,
the together and damn near perfect playing, holds this and
impresses you. Well, it should do. Why? Because I say so. The
most diverse album Led Zeppelin ever made, most likely - whilst
still retaining great performing and writing abilities, at any rate. It's
close to being a classic album, but the humour factor of the likes of
'D'yer Maker' in particular may begin to grate after repeated
listenings. And, I'm really not just saying that because I listened to
the album for nearly five hours straight today, honest i'm not. And,
if that makes any sense to you, good luck.

Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Al Brooks dumpbushnextyear@yahoo.com
I bought this album as soon as it was released. I quickly got the
record from the bin at the record shop, and went directly to the
cashier. The customers on line in front of me were all holding the
same record. I remember arriving home with the record and
showing it to my family-- they snickered at the photo of the
naked children. The music was very atmospheric; party tracks,
rather than massive ear-catching songs such as 'Whole Lotta
Love', 'Good Times Bad Times', or 'How Many More Times'. If
Houses Of The Holy were released today I wouldn't buy it, but it
fit in perfectly with the early 1970s mellow-jello stoner vista I
was plugged into high school with. I love the opening, half-
instrumental, track on this album. Beautiful guitar performance.
'The Ocean' is an ordinary rocker, but it does have that Led
Zeppelin party-hardy sound that is pleasant. Or perhaps I'm just
waxing nostalgic (sob, sniffle). 'Over The Hills And Far Away' is
rousing, with a good ending. I would imagine teenagers today
would find this album to be very attractive; all the songs are
pretty, well-played, and great to party to. I give it an 8 for teen-
friendliness.

Austin Sefton lori.sefton@mac.com

Yup, that reviews about right........ but I think that the skill put
into this album is overlooked. Over the Hills and Far Away is my
favorite song on this album because, me, being a guitarist, knows
exactly the effort it took to make this song. Dancing days is also
brilliant! D'yer maker.......... I can't say much skill was put into
that one but it sounds friken` awesome!!! Thats about it, but this
isn't there best album as u state. I give the review 4 stars.

Olivia led_zep_4eva@hotmail.com
I really like this album, it's one of my favourites. It has one of
their best songs Over the Hills and Far Away, but also one of
their worst- The Crunge. I can't stand this song, and not to fond
of Dancing Days, but the rest is great! As with all their albums, a
totally different experience.

Chris chrisfret2004@yahoo.co.uk
Another great album, but obviously much more diverse:the band
are so confident and successful by now that they obviously felt
they could try anything. Once again the production and arranging
elevates even not quite amazing songs like d'yer m'aker to great
heights!Dancing Days, Song Remains and No Quarter are
fantastic too and Rain Song another acoustic classic!8.5/10

Physical Graffiti 9½ ( 1975 )

Custard Pie / The Rover / In My Time Of Dying / Houses Of The Holy /
Trampled Underfoot / Kashmir / In The Light / Bron Yr Aur / Down By The
Seaside / Ten Years Gone / Night Flight / The Wanton Song / Boogie With Stu /
Black Country Woman / Sick Again

Led Zeppelin had eight new songs or so - enough for a cool album,
but too many minutes in running time to fit on a single vinyl
album. They didn't want to lose any of the songs they had, so took
another solution. The initial idea was to include live material
alongside the already recorded studio tracks. In the end Jimmy
Page dug into the Zeppelin archives and took out songs left off the
second, third, forth and fifth Leppelin albums - and put those on
'Physical Graffiti' as well. The result of this action is the feeling
that 'Physical Graffiti' does absolutely everything, shows
absolutely everything - that Led Zeppelin ever were. By the way,
the album title comes partly from the effort the group took in
piecing this album together. Overdubs were added where necessary
and all fifteen tracks then mixed by Jimmy Page. The first two
sides, songs one through to six, are Zeppelin perfection for me.
The best two sides they ever put out. 'Custard Pie' carried on from
the sound of the more 'usual' Zeppelin songs from 'Houses Of The
Holy' - but my god is the riff good. The feel of the song is so damn
sexy and fucking beautiful! More cool riffs arrive all the way
through 'The Rover', fantastic guitar actually - Jimmy Page on the
top of his game. An eleven minute blues workout for 'In My Time
Of Dying', the definitive Zeppelin blues workout for my money.
Not that I have very much money, but that doesn't matter... Ah!
The sound of the drums, the actual SOUND of the drums! Just so
damn good. Bass drum to the fore, so very heavy. Also, giving
away the fact that songs were taken from 'elsewhere', we have
'Houses Of The Holy'. It was an out-take or something? As I said,
overdubs were added. This sounds better than a good half of the
'Houses Of The Holy' album, why the hell wasn't it on that album,
already?? No matter.

Diversification? To their credit, and the 'Houses Of The Holy'

album amply demonstrated this, Led Zeppelin tried, they really
did. Hence the magnificence of the funk influenced 'Trampled
Underfoot'. These guys were on fire, absolutely. As for Robert
Plant, apparently his voice was shot from all those years of touring
and he had to learn a different method of projecting his vocals.
Judging by the damn sexy performance he gives all through
'Trampled Underfoot', with it's wacky, funky keyboard sounds - he
more than succeeded. I'm only upto track five. Track six is only
fucking 'Kashmir', for fucks sake!! More 'epic' than 'Stairway To
Heaven', more magnificent sounding than anything else they'd
done - and the bass drum sound is diamond and gold and heavy as
all HEAVY you can imagine. Imagine the heaviest thing? This is
heavier, oh yes! Amidst all that, we've got keyboard/string type
things, classical stuff going on. Robert Plant moaning all sexually.
Not that I actually FIND him sexy - he's utterly hideous to a hot
heterosexual stud like me - but you get the idea. Make love to this
song! It lasts for eight and a half minutes!!

'Bron Yr Aur' is a nice interlude, pretty folk acoustic stuff from

Jimmy. There's more epic stuff with 'In The Light', more RIFFS
AND HEAVINESS with 'The Wanton Song'. A couple of bits of
near filler, although the likes of 'Down By The Seaside' and 'Ten
Years Gone' are both pretty damn fine in my book. They fit,
adding to the epic, absolutely everything nature of this 'Physical
Graffiti' album. 'Boogie With Stu' sounds just like it's title
suggests, it's a plain old rock n roll boogie - but fun. You know, IT
IS fun. Robert Plant sounds utterly daft, and that's fun - hugely
enjoyable stuff. 'Black Country Woman' is a weird semi-acoustic
thing, very eccentric and filler - but for the fact this album
REQUIRES such songs. Fifteen songs lasting an hour and a half
all EPIC and ALL HEAVY would be silly, wouldn't it? These
pieces of 'filler' such as 'Black Country Woman' actually add to the
overall whole, even though it's readily apparent such songs ( and,
there's not that many of them here ) wouldn't stand well on their
own. Still, the closing 'Sick Again' is as heavy and magnificent as
anybody could wish it to be. Jimmy Page goes supernova. It's
exhausting just listening to this album. Heaven knows where Led
Zeppelin even thought they could go next....

Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Jroseveare@aol.com
I actually prefer side 2 to side 1. Both sides are ace though if
different-the first is just them doing what they do best. But side 2
is more diverse. I mean In The Light is all eastern mistic. Then
there's folk, and country too. I love the instrument too, just so
melodic and beautiful. Their best album-no doubt.

Henry Kerr henryker@hotmail.com

well! i totally agree with every single statement you have made
here! i disagree with 9.5.... this album! is zeppelins gretest! it has
to be 10! as with beatles revolver and Queens a night at the oprea,
and the whos, whos next, this is also an all time classis master
peice! TEN!!!!!

Henry Kerr henryker@hotmail.com

Spot on here Adrian, an absolute classic and head and shoulders
clear of the rest of Zeppelin's catalogue. The six tracks on disc
one are simply awesome, they blew me away the first time I
heard them and have done ever since. As strong as "Physical
Graffiti" is though I've always wondered whether Zeppelin's
legacy would have been better served by releasing the six disc
one tracks as a single album set and saving the stronger disc two
tracks for the follow up. With hindsight it's pretty clear to see that
"Prescence" would have been greatly enhanced by the inclusion
of "In the Light", "Ten Years Gone", "The Wanton Song" &
"Sick Again". I'm being fussy here though, with tracks like these
it really doesn't matter how or when they're realeased, the real
shame is that they never managed to produce anything of this
quality again.
Alex Acelocke@aol.com
Physical Graffiti has some amazing stuff on it (IMTOD,
Kashmir, In the Light, Ten Years Gone), but it also has some of
the worst stuff Zeppelin released (Trampled Underfoot, Down by
the Seaside, The Wanton Song, Boogie with Stu). to give 9 1/2 to
this record is not fair to LZ I and II.

matthew byrd matthewbyrd@hotmail.com

Ok, I've reviewed this one TWICE before and I guess those
weren't very good... or too long. Well, this one really shows
Pages musical genius... I hate calling people that but if Page had
an I.Q. of 180 I wouldn't be suprised. The first disc is absolutely
great... along with the 2nd half of Abbey Road.. one of the
greatest moments in rock 'n' roll. Kashmir is something that came
out of a masters head.... disc two is interesting/grand listening. A
9.5 from me.

The Fly thehouse1813@yahoo.com

Possibly the best double album of all time (apologies to my Clash
and Dylan brothers and sisters). What a giant tour de force of
everything Zeppelin and heavy rock in general. It's hard to say it,
but I still think I perfer Zep IV a tad more because of 'When the
Levee Breaks.'

Killing Time retro_tull@yahoo.com

This double albums features a tired Led Zepp. There are a few
fantastic songs but generally it seems to reflect a band that is
starting to lose it's fuel and it's falling in the "accepted
parameters" rather tan being inventive and groundbreaking. So
I'll give this a somewhere-in-the-middle rating.

GAZZA Edinburgh
Taking the tracks cut in 1974 its not even clear that zep had a
strong single album , certainly not one to rival "4" in my opinion
.A lot of disc 2 should have been left in the can . Fortunately all
the good stuff is loaded on disc one in particular the epic
"kasmir" the funked up "trampled underfoot" and the blues epic
"in my time of dying" where the band show mindboggling
dynamics . The second disc i treat as a bonus disc and rarely
listen to . "into the light" turns into prog hell after its indian drone
introduction , "down by the seaside" shows the band couldnt do
country nor try and "nite flight" is an aneamic faces
impersonation . Meanwhile "10 years gone" has its moments but
is a bit pompous for my taste. The best cuts on disc 2 are "boogie
with stu" a simple jam session with the rolling stones pianist
which at least injects a bit of joy into proceedings and "bron y
aur" a pretty bert jansch like acoustic interlude of the kind page
did so well. The fact that both these are very much outtakes
speaks volumes and physcial graffiti isnt the same class of double
gold as "exile on main st" "london calling" and "blonde on
blonde" .

Will Petersfield
The best Zeppelin album, shading their incendary debut and the
famous Brown Bomber (II), shows the band in their pomp. A
sprawling, mature set, Plants lived in vocals, Pages mercurial
brilliance, Bonzo's power and JP Jones who's killer keyboard riff
on funk monster stomp Trampled Under Foot is a highlight. Side
one, ending with the eastern epic Kashmir is faultless, totally
thrilling. Side two is Zep showing off their unrivalled power and
diversity. 10/10

Presence 6½ ( 1976 )
Achilles Last Stand / For Your Life / Royal Orleans / Nobodys Fault But Mine /
Candy Store Rock / Hots On For Nowhere / Tea For One

Having a vocalist who had just suffered a car accident and was in
the studio with his leg in plaster can't have helped matters.
Spending a year out of the UK for tax reasons can't really have
helped matters either - away from family and friends, getting on
each other nerves? As it is, 'Presence' was recorded in a mere
matter of weeks and sailed to number one on both sides of the
atlantic based on the groups massive popularity alone. Presenting
music fans with a mere seven songs after the double-album
'Physical Graffiti' seems a little measly, though. There's no two
ways about it, 'Presence' isn't an album with any great structural
cohesion behind it. Still, we do have at least one bona-fide all time
Zeppelin classic here, the storming electrifying ten and a half
minute long 'Achilles Last Stand'. Strong rhythm section work and
a wired, anxious sounding Jimmy Page. In fact, the work Jimmy
Page does on 'Achilles Last Stand' combined with the usual
immense Zep rhythm section - gives off the feeling that Led
Zeppelin, under better circumstances, could have used this song as
a starting point to create an entire album around of similar quality.
As it is, 'Achilles Last Stand' almost is the entire album.
Elsewhere, we have a riff in search of a song with 'For Your Life',
the admittedly entertaining likes of 'Royal Orleans' and 'Candy
Store Rock'. These are decent supporting songs, but the suspicion
remains, there simply isn't any great point or purpose to this
'Presence' album.

On the plus side, Jimmy Page is consistently impressive, the

rhythm section are solid as you would expect. 'Hots On For
Nowhere' sounds like a band sleep-walking. 'Tea For One' doesn't
seem tight and running to nine minutes is rather over-long for the
amount of musical and lyrical ideas it contains. One of the better
pieces arrives with 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' - a song rising to a
heavy section of loud drums and squealing guitar. Considering
'Presence' with the mighty 'Achilles Last Stand' combined with the
likes of 'Nobodys Fault But Mine' or 'Candy Store Rock', it still
remains a minor Zeppelin work, simply because there is so little
else here that's particularly impressive or memorable.

Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Simon B slb23@shaw.ca
My first Led Zep record. Not the greatest to start with,I must
admit, but still not a bad record. "Achillies Last Stand" is
AWESOME. "For Your Life" and and "Tea for One" aren't bad
either. (Although "Tea for One" is an inferior blues song to
"Since I've Been Lovin' You".) 6/10 simon b.

bass player edd eddie123zeppelin@hotmail.com

Your being very harsh. Not as good as the first 4 and grafiti but
the 6th best album. I think it's sounds great and unique. 9/10

Spartacus spartacus6775@yahoo.com
i thought this was like the undiscovered "jewel" of the zeppelin
catalog. "achilles last stand" in my opinion is zeppelin's best
song. "for your life" is such a good song that just builds. towards
the middle, the song just seems to get harder and plant is just
singin with such passion. i would give this album an 8/9

Will Petersfield
The boys were really proud of Presence when it came out, Bonzo
boasted it was the best ****** thing they'd done. He was drunk
but not far wrong. His percussive power drives forward the multi
guitar attack of Achilles Last Stand and the demon blues
Nobody's Fault. Don't overlook the companion piece to Since I've
Been Loving You, the slow burning Tea For One either.
Elsewhere chunky riffs (For Your Life) and hummable melodies
(Hots) keep the bar high. 8/10

In Through The Out Door 6 ( 1979 )

In The Evening / South Bound Saurez / Fool In The Rain / Hot Dog /
Carouselambra / All My Love / I'm Gonna Crawl

Their first album proper for three years. Listening to the songs and
recordings contained here, you could be forgiven for believing that
Jimmy Page had left the band altogether. When there is guitar
featured here - it's pretty standard stuff and encased within tracks
more dominated by the rhythm section and the keyboards and
piano of bass player John Paul Jones. A change had occured. John
Paul Jones gets writing credits on all but one of the songs here. It
really does sound like Jimmy Page has LEFT the band! Neither of
the opening two songs heavily feature any sort of impressive or
distinctive guitar work. 'South Bound Saurez' places 'Houses Of
The Holy' in this listeners mind, a good song. Piano, shuffling
drums - Robert Plant sounding pretty well and alive! 'In The
Evening' introduces the synths, a change for Led Zeppelin. We
have synths, Plant, the very noticeable drums of John Bonham. Not
much else, where was Jimmy, hiding under the table? 'Fool In The
Rain' reached number twenty one in the billboard single charts. It's
one of the least Zeppelin sounding Led Zeppelin songs I can think
of. It's a pop song, albeit a six minute long pop song. We get a
little calypso sequence. Led Zeppelin looking to change their
sound is admirable, times had changed after all. You'd think they'd
go more for the punk route than the disco/light pop scene that
dominated the charts in the very late seventies though. Well,
wouldn't you? Perhaps just a case of what they could and couldn't
do at the time.

Oooh, guitar! 'Hot Dog' features guitar. Unfortunately, 'Hot Dog' is

a barn-pleasing country tinged rock n roll novelty item featuring
nonsensical lyrics... hardly one of the groups finest moments.
Robert Plant does a little Elvis - the music goes all country...
rockabilly. The synths come back, John Bonham dies shortly after
the release of this album. We'll never know where Led Zeppelin
would have gone next. 'In Through The Out Door' with its synths
and very un-zeppelin sounding songs and feels and melodies...
hints at a future as an eighties pop band more than anything else.
John Paul Jones tests his arranging skills on the closing 'I'm Gonna
Crawl', synths playing ideas for a string section. You know the
best things about this album? Robert Plant, who proves himself
very adaptable and adept here... and the drum sound of John
Bonham. Those drums are noticeable throughout - no matter what
else is going on. Oh, Jimmy Page finally wakes up for 'I'm Gonna
Crawl', probably the best song here.

Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Middle aged wanabee hippy weegie@pookielife.fsnet.co.uk

For me Zepp's worst record, apart from the magnificent opener
"In The Evening", the rest of the album goes very quickly
downhill. Not the epitath that this great band deserved (Coda
doesn't count, but we all bought it anyway, hey?)I actually got
Coda before this and thought if "Ozone Baby" wasn't good
enough to put on "Out Door" then it must have been some album.
How wrong I was. So 4.5/10 for this but 10/10 for "In The
Evening".

justin bravefan46@yahoo.com
I agree that this is one of Zeppelin's worst albums, if not the
worst, but you really don't specify what the best aspects of it are.
In the evening has great lyrics (too bad you can't hear them
because due to Plant's shot voice), a good, disco-ish riff, and a
ridiculously hot guitar solo. All My Love has nice lyrics, but the
absence of Page is very noticeable, I must agree. Carouselambra
is in my opinion Zep's worst song, with indecipherable singing
and insulting instrumental work. I think that 6 is a good rating.

bass player edd eddie123zeppelin@hotmail.com

I agree a poor album, the only bad zepplin album in my opinion.
Only the great "in the evening" makes it woth having. I think
Coda is a really good album and the only bad song is "poor tom".
"We're gonna groove" rocks

alex
I dont no why everyone thinks this album is bad. i think its very
well written and good tunes. I don't know why but I really like
I'm going to crawl. its very catchy:)

Coda 7 ( 1982 )
We're Gonna Groove / Poor Tom / I Can't Quit You Baby / Walter's Walk /
Ozone Baby / Darlene / Bonzo's Montreux / Wearing And Tearing /

Following John Bonham exiting the world, Jimmy Page compiled

this collection of random out-takes and released it into the
marketplace disguised as a regular Led Zeppelin album, although
of course, it isn't any such thing. Still, the opening brace of songs
are both pretty darn GOOD in my book. Time has passed. 'Coda'
may have been seen as bad taste, or merely milking the mighty Led
Zep cash-cow back in 1982, but enough years have passed now to
surely judge this just as a bunch of songs? Let's pretend for a
second that this WAS the actual, 'real' follow-up to 'presence' and
'in through the out-door'. Wouldn't the storming, rolling and
undulating groove of the opening 'We're Gonna Groove' have
blasted your socks off?? Well, let's stop speaking past tense,
because it DOES blow my socks off, right now. Mr Bonham gets a
distinctive drum pattern going to open up 'Poor Tom' and we're
reminded of how great Led Zeppelin sounded as a four-piece, as a
bunch of fellows playing together. Folky guitar comes in over the
drums, Robert Plant moans and mumbles and wonders cosmically.
Well, perhaps he does.... and then follows 'I Can't Quite You
Baby'. Super loud drums, dirty bass - Robert Plant moaning and
doing his blues thing as if it was 1969 again. It was actually 1970,
by the way. All three of the opening cuts here date from 1970, live
recordings in a mobile studio as preparation for a particular concert
date they were due to play at the royal albert hall. 'Walters Walk'
dates from 1972 and shares the storming riff nature of the shorter
songs from the 'Led Zeppelin IV' era. The vocals are mixed way
back in the background and echoed and sort of disconnected from
the rest of the song. The guitar riff is great, and although this song
doesn't really gel - it's entertaining as hell.

Three of the closing four songs date from 1978, which would make
them 'In Through The Out Door' out-takes?? Well, 'Walters Walk'
has a great sound, good rhythm section interplay. It beats the hell
out of practically anything on 'In Through The Out Door', if you
must know. For 'Ozone Baby' we get an out-take that probably
should have remained an out-take, although the sheer physical
presence of the Led Zep rhythm section still gives this something
for the listener to get into. Speaking of 'Presence', from the
'Presence' sessions we have a four minute long John Bonham drum
solo masquerading as a song. It seems a little unimaginative, but
no doubt was included as a tip of the hat to their great departed
drummer. The closing song is all riffs in search of a whole that's
never found. Ultimately, 'Coda' doesn't hang together well. Well,
of course it doesn't. But that's ignoring the fact there is some good
material here.
Share Your Views?

Readers Comments

Geoff djaef@hotmail.com
Giving Coda a higher score than In Through The Out Door is a
travesty of justice if ever there was one. I'll concede that ITTOD
is not Zep's best album, but Coda is definately their worst. It's not
really an album as such, just a bunch of discards put together.
There are a few good songs, but it's not a patch on ITTOD, which
is a new direction for Led Zeppelin. I would have been happy to
hear where the Zeps went next. Jimmy was so smacked out he
didn't care at the time obviously, and he would have regained
more control, but what's wrong with All My Love or
Carouselambra or Hot Dog for that matter. I'd give ITTOD an 8.

this page last updated 17/10/08

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