LED ZEPPELIN

This is the least progressive of Led Zeppelin's albums, which does not lessen its quality or appeal. Of course, it's the policy of Progarchives to include all of a band's material regardless of its level of "progressiveness". I'm sure there were many bands at this time whose main influence was American blues and R&B (Rolling Stones come to mind). I'll give this a 3.5 star rating instead of 4 simply because of the quesion of its progressiveness.

The overriding influence on the band at this point is electric blues. This is obviated by the inclusion of a cover of Willie Dixon's "You Shook Me." Other favorites include "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You". I love the dynamics of this song, the way it alternates between peaceful and intense. I would also include "Dazed and Confused" and "You Shook Me" for their primal drive. I think the parents of nice middle-class white kids had cause to be afraid of the music their children liked!

My least favorite tracks are "Black Mountain Side" and "How Many More Times". "Black Mountain Side" strikes me as an unfinished melody or experiment more than an actual song. Organ-driven music doesn't hold a strong appeal for me. "How Many More Times" is simply long and repetitive to my ears. It's difficult to review music that's as familiar as this album because it's hard to analyze something that you've heard so many times. However, this album is so popular, because it's so good!