LED ZEPPELIN

1. "Good Times, Bad Times" (2:46) great opening, guitar and drums, and verses; poor chorus. (9.25/10)

2. "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" (6:41) excellent bluesy singing from frontman Robert Plant over Jimmy Page's acoustic guitar work that builds to the explosive instrumental rock motif that bursts into the history books with the chorus. And then it turns into that five chord downward progression jam! Who could ask for more!? Without doubt or hesitation, this is one of the all-time great rock songs. (9.75/10)

3. "You Shook Me" (6:28) where Jimmy Page tries to out-Jeff Beck Jeff Beck. (It takes him multiple tracks). Robert's efforts to mimic and even go beyond Page's masterful guitar play is stunning. And then Jimmy takes a turn trying to mimic/top Plant! So cool! Even John Paul Jones' Hammond solo and Robert's harmonica solo are noteworthy, but it's Jimmy's solos that steal the show. (9.6667/10)

4. "Dazed And Confused" (6:26) more descending chord blues-rock that has never been my favorite but definitely is full of classic hooks and riffs and many subtleties that surprise and astonish with each and every listen. (9/10)

5. "Your Time Is Gonna Come" (4:34) an awesomely unexpected organ opening minute that sounds almost church processional turns ALLMAN BROTHERS-like folk-rock in the second minute despite Robert Plant's bluesy vocal. Very cool song that I do not remember from my hundreds of listens as a youth (which illustrates the fact that I either skipped this song or rarely played Side Two). (8.875/10)

6. "Black Mountain Side" (2:05) an two-channel acoustic guitar piece that finds accompaniment from Viram Jasani's tabla. (8.75/5)

7. "Communication Breakdown" (2:27) sounds more like a predecessor of all the curt metal and punk songs from the middle and late 70s (including Thin Lizzy and AC-DC). (8.66667/10)

8. "I Can't Quit You Baby" (4:42) one of the theme songs from the coming of age film, Brokeback Mountain (j/k) Actually based on a music model that was created by Carol Kaye and The Wrecking Crew when working on Sonny & Cher's hit "The Beat Goes On": a walking bass line that is syncopated and thrown out of its standardly linear form, the band go on to embellish and aggrandize the sound with lots of power sounds. Robert's vocal is fine but it's really the extended instrumental section that is the song's highlight. (9/10)

9. "How Many More Times" (8:28) a long, drawn out song that, for me, shows flaws in John Bonham's drumming skillset and diversity while allowing Jimmy Page ample room for exploration and experimentation. Unfortunately, however, at this point in the Led Zeppelin listening journey I am simple tired and worn out from the blues music and shrill Robert Plant vocals. (17.5/20)

Total Time 44:37

Though every video I've ever seen capturing Jimmy Page's live performances has left me totally convinced that the "guitar god" is horribly over-rated, the performances on this album definitely impress me. This may be a perfect album but, unfortunately, this (and the blues in general) is not (nor has it ever been) my favorite kind of music.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of blues-rock music that certainly sets the bar high for future hard rockin' bands.

Share this LED ZEPPELIN review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to BrufordFreak
• Report this review (#1191999)
• Buy LED ZEPPELIN music online with PA partners
• Show all LED ZEPPELIN MP3/Stream
• Go to LED ZEPPELIN page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Led Zeppelin page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for LED ZEPPELIN related discussions