IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR

In my opinion, this is a fitting denouement for one of the Greatest Rock Bands. Jimmy Page may have been far from sober but from the album's opening tune, "In the Evening" his guitar solo is still quintessential Pagey. And although drummer John Bonham wasn't quite in top form by this stage, his unique touch is all over these songs too. His genius was that he made the drum riffs sound easy, when really they were quite deceptive.

"In Through the Out Door" also showcases John Paul Jones' layering-on of the keyboard and synthesizer parts over his driving bass. It's excellent work in my opinion. His upbeat boogie-woogie piano on "South Bound Suarez" is a favourite of mine. Robert Plant still had most of his voice when this was recorded. I can enjoy pretty much everything here. It isn't as bad as many people might let you believe.

"Fool in the Rain" is the best song of all. It's a piece that only Zeppelin could do: Part Reggae, part meringue, part Carnaval, laid over with Page's Steely Dan-like solo, Plant's voice soars on this one. Even "Hot Dog" is cool. Sure it's Country Western-rockabilly, but why not? The band were also dabbling with different styles at their peak.

The synth soaked "Carouselambra" has excellent bass and guitar lines and it's all over the map in its musical construction. "All My Love" is actually very touching because it was really Plant's tribute to his son, who'd died tragically. How eerily it seems written for Bonzo as well.....

In all, of course this isn't among Zeppelin's best by any means but there's enough to enjoy. I guess it has been with me for a long time. Though I do find it impressive that this band managed to keep it together for eleven years despite the many complications going on in their lives, there weren't many band's like that.