IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR

In Through the Out Door ? 1979 (2.8/5) 10 ? Best Song: Fool in the Rain

What a mess! I never figured the band to be THIS lazy. It's as if? I'm a complete jackass. Apparently Plant's son died, so he gets a pass. But Jimmy never sounded so damn boring. Bonham's his usual self (good as he needs to be). This is the era of Led Zeppelin that I can most easily associate with the progressive rock scene. Not that they experiment in any fashion, but a song like the title track practically screams of diluted excess. The cool guitar phases that sweep in under the silly orchestration make it a passable tune. But hey, ITTOD is totally hit-or- miss (more geared toward miss coming from my personal viewpoint, but not everyone can be Tom Waits). I do actually like 'South Bound Saurez', but this is a dying beast. Can't you see the fangs as they rot off? I can! Led Zeppelin the rock behemoth begins to sink into the bubbling tar. In a way it's a wonderful thing. Now we bring into existence Led Zeppelin the pop band. Has any other Zep song been as eminently danceable as 'Fool in the Rain'? I think not. I even like the aimless Caribbean breakdown near the end. The riff is fun and unpredictable compared to the majority of their material. In fact, it's the single greatest Zep song after 1971, and I'll stick by that. It's a damn shame, then, that the rest of the album be such a bore. 'Carouselambra' is simply ugly ? their worst epic to date, and a total lapse in taste and integrity to make the way for 'modern recording techniques' ? pretentiously foolish.