Led Zeppelin albums
		Led Zeppelin began in the 1960's with one of the most creative fusions of the blues, to say the least. At the time, they were revolutionary not only for their unique sounding rock n' roll but also for making the album stand out as the true medium of rock music. For that, I will forever love them no matter what. The band sounds derivative in a way, but they always make old sounds fresh and unique again; in fact I'd proclaim that their best attribute. Jimmy Page, truly one of rock's greatest guitarists, had soaring riffs that were ALWAYS the backbone of any LZ song - it truly was his band, he produced and wrote nearly all of the music. The band needed all of its members to be successful though, and the tight combination of the powerhouse rhythm section of Jones/Bonham and the sometimes trivial/sometimes great lyrics of Robert Plant helped make the band what it was: the standard for rock music in the ten years of their existence. I don't say "hard rock" standard though for a good reason - there were always two sides to Zeppelin: the folk and the hard rock. You couldn't of had one without the other. Band Members:             Jimmy Page - Guitar                                           Robert Plant - Vocals                                           John Paul Jones - Bass, Keyboards                                           John Bonham - Drums Best Album:  Physical Graffiti Biggest Influences: Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, The Who
	1969                                                           Led Zeppelin 1 -    6/8      I enter a treacherous path with reviewing Led Zeppelin: no I do not think they are the best band ever. However I could see how someone would - they fused the blues and rock music in a way no one ever did. I mean, the guitarist from The Yardbirds formed this stuff? Much more of an edge is here, and Zeppelin show off their hard rock chops, as we'll as their folk side here. As far as hard rock goes, "Good Times Bad Times" is about a blistering opener as you can get. That is followed up by "Communication Breakdown", a harder rocking variation of The Who's "My Generation", and the supreme bliss of "Dazed and Confused". With its descending riff and spaced out effects, this is Zeppelin's entry into psychedelic territory. Just because they came at the end of the 60's doesn't mean they can't have their own stab at it right? On the softer side we have the almost acoustic "Black Mountain" and what a beautiful guitar ballad that is; one of the more underrated tunes here is "Your Time is Gonna Come", which might strike some as a generic folk-rocker, but I think it is good in its own way. Did I mention there are two covers? LZ always seems to do covers, and to me, "You Shook Me" and "I Can't Quit You Babe" are not only horrible, they are embarrassing. Zeppelin proves that they can interpret the blues through their own music wayyyyyy better than covering their favorite artists; just look in awe at "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", now that is a great tune. So what we have here is about six good-to-decent tunes mixed in with three mediocre-to-horrible ones. It makes for a jumpy, but often suburb listen. This marks the beginning for a band that it seems once they learn to harness their sound, have unlimited potential. - Trevor e.y. 1.good times bad times- 4 2.babe i'm gonna leave you- 4 3.you shook me- 1 4.dazed and confused- 4 5.your time is gonna come- 3 6.black mountain- 3 7.communication breakdown- 4 8.i can't quit you babe- 1 9.how many more times- 2                                                           1969                                                           Led Zeppelin 2 -    7/8      With their second album, Led Zeppelin creates a masterpiece of hard rock. The simple riffs of "Whole Lotta Love" and "Living Loving Maid" show people how it is done, and so many bands have followed in their footsteps. Songs like "What is and What Should Never Be" and "Bring it On Home" have odd song structure, but come across great. Actually, that is where Zeppelin always shows their genius: they can make a song composed of many parts, and do it so well that everything else you hear sounds lame in comparison. With their best songs, the band can change the world and topple best groups to their knees. While a couple of songs on Led Zeppelin 2 tend to drag, "Lemon Song" & "Heartbreaker" especially. The band just has some kinks to work out of their systems with these songs, the former has a random change in the middle that just doesn't fit at all (too much of the old fashion blues in them seeping through), while the latter has a random guitar stop and solo in it that ruins the whole song, not to mention how Plant's lyrics really get annoying! "Ramble On" also has something I have never liked about it, maybe it tries to hard to mix hard rock with folk in at one time, where as "Thank You" gets the mix right on. "Moby Dick" should also be mentioned (every song on here has something memorable about it, where as the last record did not) even if it is just a virtuoso drummer and guitarist showing off, it at least has a great tune to it. That brings us to my main point: Led Zeppelin achieves awesome strides toward greatness with their second record, but the thing that carries almost every song are Page's amazing guitar riffs; I mean, the first five seconds of almost any song is instantly recognizable after only a couple of listens. A very, very high 7/8.  -Trevor e.y.   1.whole lotta love- 4 2.what is said what should never be- 4 3.the lemon song- 2 4.thank you- 4 5.heartbreaker- 2 6.living loving maid- 4 7.ramble on- 3 8.moby dick- 4 9.bring it on home- 4 ]                                                           1970                                                           Led Zeppelin 3 -    7/8      This is like two records in one, showing off both the hard rock and folk side of the band. Leftovers from Led Zeppelin 2 are present, or so it seems: "Immigrant Song", "Celebration Song", and "Out on the Tiles" are instant hard rock classics. "Friends" is a bit folky for the "rock side" and "Since I've been Loving You" is a blues standard, oh boy you know how I love when the band does those! The last five songs are pure traditional rock, though interesting takes on it: "Gallow's Pole" is an old fashioned fable; "Tangerine" has a lullaby quality to it; "Bron-Y-Aur" is an old fashioned kind of hoedown, but it is actually one of the best tunes on here! "Hats off of Harper" and "That's the Way" don't fare as well, but they are not that bad of songs. I hate to sound so short and sudden about LZ3, but really it is just more of the same from a band that we know can deliver the goods, whether it is amazing riffs or well done traditional songs. Yes, it is very consistent and very good, but still a fan's favorite kind of album. This fan loves it though! - Trevor e.y. 1.immigrant song- 4 2.freinds- 4 3.celebration song- 4 4.since i've been loving you- 2 5.out on the tiles- 4 6.gallows pole- 3 7.tangerine- 4 8.that's the way- 3 9.bron-y-aur stomp- 4 10.hats of to harper- 2                                                           1971                                                           Led Zeppelin 4(Zoso) -   8/8      The thing about the mythological LZ4 (also known as Untitled or Zoso) is that it is the first LZ album without an obviously weak song on it. No covers, no blues derivatives, just the band at their creative peak. Out of the eight songs contained, four of them are obviously standouts: "Stairway to Heaven" is one of the best rock songs ever written, an evolving, shifting masterwork that brings out emotion in a very unique way - by channeling it though unstable stories & tales of enchantment; "When the Levee Breaks" is the effective closer, that pounds along with enough force to truly bash a levee down - another structure shifting masterwork; "Black Dog" which has that guitar line in the chorus that no guitarist can really play correctly; "Rock n' Roll" which sums up the feeling of rock music to this point, with it's simple sounding riff and its "been a long lonely, lonely time" lyrics. While I would include the mesmerizing "Four Sticks" into this category of awe inspiring tunes, the three remaining tunes would be personal preference. "Battle of Evermore", "Misty Mountain Hop" and "Going to California" might be favorites of some people, but more often they tend to be people's least favorite (let the hate mail come!) Each of those three songs is a little weaker than the other five when you really get down to it, that is all I mean, but hmmm should every song be a "Stairway to Heaven" or "Black Dog"? I don't see why not personally. I love this record, it is their best one out of the first four and I would never skip any tune while listening. Plants singing, Page's riffs, Jones's bass playing, and Bonham's spectacular drumming all are at their peak here, as is Page's beautiful songwriting and superb production. The band truly evolves into their own on Led Zeppelin 4, and the future looks bright. - Trevor e.y. 1.black dog- 4 2.rock and roll- 4 3.battle of evermore- 3 4.stairway to heaven- 4 5.misty mountain hop- 4 6.four sticks- 4 7.going to california- 3 8.when the levee breaks- 4                                                           1973                                                           Houses of the Holy -  8/8      Like LZ3, Houses of the Holy is half and half. Instead of half hard rock/ half folk, it is half old fashioned music / half futuristic songs. This is the band's most forward reaching album, and it is a masterpiece of subtlety. Being "out there" for LZ still heavily recalls the past though. The "old fashioned" songs are "The Rain Song" with its classical music touches, the repetitive but mesmerizing "Dancing Days", the humorous blues of "The Crunge", and the reggae of "D'yer Mak'er". Even if those songs had some kind of oddness to them though, but nothing touching the Prog Rock of "The Song Remains the Same" or the mystic bliss of the seven minute "No Quarter". To me, "The Rain Song" is like a poor man's "No Quarter", it really can't touch it in anyway that counts. Also, while "The Song Remains the Same" is shifting and experimental (for this band), it doesn't shift form idea to idea as seamlessly as other Zeppelin songs do. Despite those minor flaws and having a slow start, this is a superb record from start to finish just like it's predecessor (though maybe not quite as perfect). I haven't even mentioned my two favorite songs yet - "Over the Hills and Far Away" has three disticnt sections: one folky, one rocking, and one ambient - 'nuff said. "The Ocean" is an album closer like no other. Compare it to previous closers such as "Bring it On Home" and "Hats off to Harper" and there is no comparison, the non stop riff and bluesy breakdown are beyond most comprehension - not to mention that random acapella part. Instead of singing about breaking levees, the band is now washing away mountains and progressing like no other in the history of rock music. - Trevor e.y. 1.the song remains the same- 3 2.the rain song- 2 3.over the hills and far away- 4 4.the crunge- 4 5.dancing days- 4 6.d’yer mak’er- 4 7.no quarter- 4 8.the ocean- 4                                                   1975                                                    Physical Graffiti -   9/8      I could talk all day about Physical Graffiti, the band's sixth and best record. Pretty much, it pulls together everything the band does well on to one monolith of a record, lasting over 80 minutes but never being dull or boring at all. It has old fashioned songs: "Boogie with Stu", "Black Country Woman", and "Houses of the Holy". It has perfect folk songs and ballads: "Down by the Seaside", "Bron-Yr-Aur", and "In My Time of Dying". It has plenty of hard rock: "The Wanton Song", "Trampled Under Foot", "Custard Pie", "Sick Again", "The Rover".....ok, most of the record is devoted to hard rock I guess, but isn't that what this band does best anyways? Hard to say, because everything on the album is SOOOOOO GOO. There are still songs that stretch rock's boundaries of what good music is, like the unexplainable-in-words "Kashmir" and "In the Light". That latter song and "In My Time of Dying" are nine and eleven minute jam masterworks, never boring and ever shifting. What else can I say about this album except cherish it, it is one of the best double albums around (up there with The Beatles, Exile on Main Street, Blonde on Blonde, Quadrophenia) and the definitive statement by the band. All the above and more, and then some, ahhh.... just go get it and have fun. - Trevor e.y. 1.custard pie- 4 2.the rover- 4 3.in my time of dying- 4 4.houses of the holy- 4 5.trampled under foot- 4 6.kashmir- 4 7(1).in the light- 4 8(2).bron-yr-aur- 4 9(3).down by the seaside- 4 10(4).ten years gone- 4 11(5).night flight- 3 12(6).the wanton song- 4 13(7).boogie with stu- 3 14(8).black country woman- 3 15(9).sick again- 4                                                           1976                                                           Presence -  6/8     Presence is underrated, but yes it does show the band slacking off quite a bit. It starts off with "Achillies Last Stand" which is good on its own merits but fails to meet past Led Zeppelin standards. With only seven songs, the band also seems to be running out of ideas and maybe stretching their good ideas too far. A cover of Otis Redding's "Nobody's Fault but Mine" is all groove and feeling, while "Hots on for Nowhere" is similar but not as good. Both of those songs are too long, but still good. The only bad songs are "Royal Orleans" and "Candy Store Rock", both throwaways. To oppose those are the albums two great songs, which both show control and patience above all else: "For Your Love" explains the missing link between Led Zeppelin and Fugazi with Plant's Guy Piciotto sounding vocals, while "Tea for One" is the album's best song - a slow, jammy, controlled slice of blues that shows if the band would make more songs like this they would be back in business. Presence may be a confounding listen at times, but it is hardly a bad listen. I actually prefer it to the debut! - Trevor e.y. 1.achillies last stand- 3 2.for your love- 4 (fugazi) 3.royal orleans- 2 4.nobody's fault but mine- 4 5.candy store rock- 2 6.hots on for nowhere- 3 7.tea for one- 4                                                           1979                                                           In Through the Outdoor -  5/8   Led Zeppelin's final studio record suffers in the same way that Presence does, but even more so. The album only has seven tunes, most of the ideas were not great to begin, and it has a dated "synth" feel to it to boot. That said, it is hardly a terrible record, and I'd encourage any Zeppelin to eventually get it, as I did, though get it way after the first six. John Paul Jones has a much larger "presence" (hah) on the record, by writing "South Bound Saurez" and "All My Love", of course that ain't really a thing I'd be proud of. "Fool in the Rain" also has this blasted seventies dated sound to it, eugh, it just ain't prime Zeppelin! Yeah, any good idea is stretched too long and there are not enough good ideas. I find it depressing that the band ever wrote a song as bad and derivative as "Hot Dog" too. "Carouselambra" is also the band's weakest long- song venture, it transforms into disco halfway though for goodness sakes, and "I'm Gonna Crawl" is good and almost redeems the over synth use on the record......Anyways, bla bla bla, worth hearing to see inside the band's flaws, all humans have them. John Bonham died soon after this record was made of alcohol poisoning, and the band called it quits. It was a great run though, and I can't think of a band that has been more influencial and accepted by popular music, save The Beatles. Yeah, Zeppelin are popular, but unlike most over-hyped bands, they actually deserve all the credit they get. - Trevor e.y. 1.in the evening- 4 2.south bound saurez- 3 3.fool in the rain- 3 4.hot dog- 1 5.carouselambra- 2 6.all my love- 2 7.i'm gonna crawl- 3