Led Zeppelin | ||
| Allmusic Biography : What the Beatles were to the 60s, Led Zeppelin were to the 70s: a band so successful and innovative they wound up creating the prism through which their entire epoch was seen. Zeppelin ushered in the era of album rock -- they refused to release singles off their albums, even when they were garnering massive radio play -- and of arena rock, playing ever-larger stadiums as their ticket sales skyrocketed. Other bands played on a similar field but Led Zeppelin carried a unique mystique cultivated by cryptic album art, distance from the press, and, of course, their music. Drawing upon postwar electric blues, early rock & roll, and psychedelia, Zeppelin created a titanic roar in their earliest days but even then they werent merely heavy. Underneath the wattage, there was a strong undercurrent of folk-rock and the quartet would soon thread in world music, funk, country, and synthesizers, creating an adventurous body of work that had a long, lasting influence on hard rock, heavy metal, and alternative rock. Quite a feat for a band whose origins lie in the ashes of the pioneering British rock band the Yardbirds. Jimmy Page, a guitarist who made his reputation as a sessionman in the 60s, joined the band in 1966, functioning as the replacement for bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, but he soon split lead guitar duties with Jeff Beck and took over that position entirely once Beck departed. Page contributed heavily to the bands final album, 1967s Little Games, which also saw contributions from John Paul Jones, a bassist and string arranger who also ran in the same studio circles as Page; the two played on Becks 1966 single "Becks Bolero," which also featured Keith Moon. Under the direction of their new manager Peter Grant, the Yardbirds supported the album with a tour of the United States, but the group was in its final days. Just before the bands dissolution, Page filled the time with session work, including a spring 1968 session where he played on Jones arrangement of Donovans "Hurdy Gurdy Man." During the sessions, Jones requested to be part of any future project of Pages. This future project materialized quickly. In the summer of 1968, the Yardbirds Keith Relf and James McCarty left the band, leaving Page and bassist Chris Dreja with the rights to the name, along with the obligation of fulfilling an upcoming fall tour. Page set out to find a replacement vocalist and drummer. Initially, he wanted to enlist singer Terry Reid and Procol Harums drummer B.J. Wilson, but neither musician was able to join the group. Reid suggested that Page contact Robert Plant, who was singing with a band called Hobbstweedle. After hearing him sing, Page asked Plant to join the band in August of 1968, the same month Chris Dreja dropped out of the new project. Following Drejas departure, John Paul Jones joined the group as its bassist. Plant recommended that Page hire John Bonham, the drummer for Plants old band, the Band of Joy. Bonham had to be persuaded to join the group, as he was being courted by other artists who offered the drummer considerably more money. By September, Bonham agreed to join the band. Performing under the name the New Yardbirds, the band fulfilled the Yardbirds previously booked Scandinavian engagements in late September 1968. The following month, they recorded their debut album in just under 30 hours. Also in October, Dreja informed Page he had the rights to the New Yardbirds name for the live dates only, so the group switched its name to Led Zeppelin. Grant helped the band sign a record-setting contract with Atlantic Records in the United States before the end of the year; they were paid a reported $200,000 advance, at that date the largest sum for any new band. Early in 1969, Led Zeppelin set out on their first American tour, which helped set the stage for the January release of their eponymous debut album. Two months after its release, Led Zeppelin had climbed into the U.S. Top Ten. Throughout 1969, the band toured relentlessly, playing dates in America and England. While they were on the road, they recorded their second album, Led Zeppelin II, and that speed gave the records loud, riff-heavy blues a palpable urgency. Like its predecessor, Led Zeppelin II was an immediate hit upon its October 1969 release, topping the American charts two months after its release and spending seven weeks at number one. The album helped establish Led Zeppelin as an international concert attraction, and for the next year, the group continued to tour relentlessly. Led Zeppelin started to broaden their horizons with Led Zeppelin III. Recorded in a cottage in Wales and released in October of 1970, the album saw them weaving British folk into their heavy rock, a hybrid that deepened the bands sound. Led Zeppelin III reached number one in both the U.K. and U.S. but, comparatively, sales were softer for this record than the two previous blockbusters; it never earned a platinum certification in the U.K. but, over the years, it went platinum six times in the U.S., a sign of its reputation as one of bands most distinctive records. Despite Zeppelins stated aversion to singles, they did support III with the release of "Immigrant Song" as a 7" in the States, backed with the non-LP "Hey, Hey What Can I Do," their only B-side to not appear on an album. Led Zeppelin didnt tour as heavily behind Led Zeppelin III as they did Led Zeppelin II, but they were well on their way to consolidating their status as one of the most popular attractions in rock. Their next record, an untitled record commonly referred to as Led Zeppelin IV, cemented that reputation. Released in November 1971, Led Zeppelin IV merged the heavy blues of II with the folk mysticism of III and at the crossroads of those two extremes lay "Stairway to Heaven," an eight-minute epic that encapsulated much of Zeps majesty. "Stairway to Heaven" was an immediate radio hit, eventually becoming the most played song in the history of album-oriented radio; the song was never released as a single. Despite the fact that the album never reached number one in America, Led Zeppelin IV was their biggest album ever, selling well over 37 million copies over the next four decades. Led Zeppelin supported Led Zeppelin IV with their biggest tour to date -- biggest according to size, not dates. All around the world they made the leap into stadiums and sports arenas, pioneering a circuit that became commonplace later in the decade, leaving legends of excess along the way. After completing their 1972 tour, they retreated from the spotlight and recorded their fifth album, Houses of the Holy. Appearing in March 1973, Houses of the Holy found them weaving in touches of funk and reggae amidst their crunching rock and seven-minute epics. Once again, Zeppelin had another smash album on their hands and its success led to an American tour that broke box-office records -- most of which were previously held by the Beatles. The bands tour culminated in a three-night stand at New Yorks Madison Square Garden in July 1973, a stint that was filmed and released as the concert film The Song Remains the Same in 1976. Following this record-breaking tour, Led Zeppelin spent a quiet year during 1974, releasing no new material and performing no concerts. They did, however, establish their own record label, Swan Song, which released all of Led Zeppelins subsequent albums, as well as records by Dave Edmunds, Bad Company, the Pretty Things, and several other acts. Physical Graffiti, a double album released in February of 1975, was the bands first release on Swan Song. The album was an immediate success, topping the charts in both America and England. Led Zeppelin launched an international tour with a five-night stint at Londons Earls Court but on the eve of the American leg that fall, Robert Plant and his wife suffered a serious car crash while vacationing in Greece. The tour was canceled and Plant spent the rest of the year recuperating from the accident. As Plant recovered, the band headed to Malibu to record a new album. The resulting Presence appeared in the spring of 1976 and while it debuted at number one in both the U.S. and U.K., sales lagged slightly, possibly due to the bands decision not to tour in support of the album. Instead, they released the film The Song Remains the Same, which appeared in the fall of 1976; its soundtrack peaked at number one in the U.K. and number two in the U.S. Zeppelin finally returned to the stage in the spring of 1977 with a tour of the United States (the U.K. was off limits, as the band decided to take a tax exile). The concerts raked in money but nearly three months into the tour, Plants six-year-old son Karac died of a stomach infection. Led Zeppelin immediately canceled the tour and offered no word whether or not it would be rescheduled, causing widespread speculation about the bands future. For a while, it did appear that Led Zeppelin were finished. Robert Plant spent the latter half of 1977 and the better part of 1978 in seclusion. The group didnt begin work on a new album until late 1978, when they began recording at ABBAs Polar Studios in Sweden. A year later, the band played a short European tour, performing in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Austria. In August of 1979, Led Zeppelin played two large concerts at Knebworth; the shows were their first English performances in four years and would be their last English concerts. In Through the Out Door, the bands much-delayed eighth studio album, was finally released in September of 1979. The album entered the charts at number one in both America and England. In May of 1980, Led Zeppelin embarked on their final European tour. In September, they began rehearsing at Jimmy Pages house in preparation for an American tour. On September 25, John Bonham was found dead in his bed -- following an all-day drinking binge, he had passed out and choked on his own vomit. In December of 1980, Led Zeppelin announced they were disbanding, since they could not continue without Bonham. Following the breakup, the remaining members all began solo careers. John Paul Jones returned to producing and arranging; for years, he remained in a behind-the-scenes capacity, waiting until 1999 to release his solo debut, Zooma. After recording the soundtrack for Death Wish II, Jimmy Page compiled the Zeppelin outtakes collection Coda, which was released at the end of 1982. That same year, Robert Plant began a solo career with Pictures at Eleven. In 1984, Plant and Page briefly reunited in the all-star oldies band the Honeydrippers. After recording one EP with the Honeydrippers, Plant returned to his solo career and Page formed the Firm with former Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers. In 1985, Led Zeppelin reunited to play Live Aid, supported by drummers Phil Collins and Tony Thompson, sparking off a flurry of reunion rumors; the reunion never materialized. In 1988, the band re-formed to play Atlantics 25th anniversary concert, this time playing with John Bonhams son, Jason. During 1989, Page remastered the bands catalog for release on the 1990 box set Led Zeppelin. At the time, the four-disc set became the biggest-selling multi-disc box set of all time, which was followed up three years later by another box set, the mammoth ten-disc set The Complete Studio Recordings. In 1994, Page and Plant reunited to record a segment for MTV Unplugged, which was released as No Quarter in the fall of 1994. Although the album went platinum, the sales were disappointing considering the anticipation of a Zeppelin reunion. The following year, Page and Plant embarked on a successful international tour, which eventually led to an all-new studio recording in 1998, the Steve Albini-produced Walking into Clarksdale. Although it received some positive reviews, the album wasnt a massive hit -- it went gold only in America -- and Page and Plant ended their union shortly thereafter; Page went on to tour with the Black Crowes, while Plant resumed his solo career. Further Zeppelin archival releases saw the light of day in the late 90s, including 1997s stellar double-disc BBC Sessions, plus Zeps first official hits compilations -- 1999s Early Days: The Best Of, Vol. 1 and 2000s Latter Days: The Best Of, Vol. 2 -- and How the West Was Won, a 2003 compilation featuring live highlights from Zeppelins Los Angeles concerts in 1972. That same year, the band released an acclaimed 2003 double-DVD set of live performances from 1969-1979. A full reunion of the surviving members of the band, with Jason Bonham filling in for his father on drums, took place in 2007 when the group played a historic concert at Londons 02 in memory of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The set was filmed and recorded, and finally appeared as a commercial release under the title Celebration Day in the fall of 2012. In 2014, Led Zeppelin launched a massive catalog campaign supervised by Jimmy Page, containing newly remastered versions of all their albums, available on CD, high-resolution downloads, and vinyl. Additionally, there were Deluxe Editions containing previously unreleased material from the vaults. The first round of reissues contained the bands first three albums and appeared in June 2014; the last round appeared in July 2015. The group also released The Complete BBC Sessions in 2016, an updated and expanded edition of their 1997 collection BBC Sessions. The compilation included eight previously unreleased recordings, among them a long-lost radio session featuring the tracks "You Shook Me," "Sunshine Woman," and "I Cant Quit You Baby." In 2018, an expanded version of How the West Was Won appeared in March and a Super Deluxe Edition of The Song Remains the Same showed up in September. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 19 Title: Led Zeppelin Released: 1969-01-12 Tracks: 9 Duration: 44:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Good Times Bad Times (02:46) 2 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (06:41) 3 You Shook Me (06:27) 4 Dazed and Confused (06:27) 5 Your Time Is Gonna Come (04:34) 6 Black Mountain Side (02:12) 7 Communication Breakdown (02:29) 8 I Can’t Quit You Baby (04:42) 9 How Many More Times (08:28) |
| Led Zeppelin : Allmusic album Review : Led Zeppelin had a fully formed, distinctive sound from the outset, as their eponymous debut illustrates. Taking the heavy, distorted electric blues of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Cream to an extreme, Zeppelin created a majestic, powerful brand of guitar rock constructed around simple, memorable riffs and lumbering rhythms. But the key to the groups attack was subtlety: it wasnt just an onslaught of guitar noise, it was shaded and textured, filled with alternating dynamics and tempos. As Led Zeppelin proves, the group was capable of such multi-layered music from the start. Although the extended psychedelic blues of "Dazed and Confused," "You Shook Me," and "I Cant Quit You Baby" often gather the most attention, the remainder of the album is a better indication of what would come later. "Babe Im Gonna Leave You" shifts from folky verses to pummeling choruses; "Good Times Bad Times" and "How Many More Times" have groovy, bluesy shuffles; "Your Time Is Gonna Come" is an anthemic hard rocker; "Black Mountain Side" is pure English folk; and "Communication Breakdown" is a frenzied rocker with a nearly punkish attack. Although the album isnt as varied as some of their later efforts, it nevertheless marked a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 19 Title: Led Zeppelin II Released: 1969-10-22 Tracks: 9 Duration: 41:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Whole Lotta Love (05:34) 2 What Is and What Should Never Be (04:45) 3 The Lemon Song (06:19) 4 Thank You (04:49) 5 Heartbreaker (04:14) 6 Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) (02:39) 7 Ramble On (04:24) 8 Moby Dick (04:20) 9 Bring It On Home (04:20) |
| Led Zeppelin II : Allmusic album Review : Recorded quickly during Led Zeppelins first American tours, Led Zeppelin II provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed it. Since the group could only enter the studio for brief amounts of time, most of the songs that compose II are reworked blues and rock & roll standards that the band was performing on-stage at the time. Not only did the short amount of time result in a lack of original material, it made the sound more direct. Jimmy Page still provided layers of guitar overdubs, but the overall sound of the album is heavy and hard, brutal and direct. "Whole Lotta Love," "The Lemon Song," and "Bring It on Home" are all based on classic blues songs -- only, the riffs are simpler and louder and each song has an extended section for instrumental solos. Of the remaining six songs, two sport light acoustic touches ("Thank You," "Ramble On"), but the other four are straight-ahead heavy rock that follows the formula of the revamped blues songs. While Led Zeppelin II doesnt have the eclecticism of the groups debut, its arguably more influential. After all, nearly every one of the hundreds of Zeppelin imitators used this record, with its lack of dynamics and its pummeling riffs, as a blueprint. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 19 Title: Led Zeppelin III Released: 1970-10-05 Tracks: 10 Duration: 42:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Immigrant Song (02:25) 2 Friends (03:53) 3 Celebration Day (03:26) 4 Since I’ve Been Loving You (07:23) 5 Out on the Tiles (04:01) 6 Gallows Pole (04:51) 7 Tangerine (03:09) 8 That’s the Way (05:37) 9 Bron‐Yr‐Aur Stomp (04:17) 10 Hats Off to (Roy) Harper (03:40) |
| Led Zeppelin III : Allmusic album Review : On their first two albums, Led Zeppelin unleashed a relentless barrage of heavy blues and rockabilly riffs, but Led Zeppelin III provided the band with the necessary room to grow musically. While there are still a handful of metallic rockers, III is built on a folky, acoustic foundation that gives the music extra depth. And even the rockers arent as straightforward as before: the galloping "Immigrant Song" is powered by Robert Plants banshee wail, "Celebration Day" turns blues-rock inside out with a warped slide guitar riff, and "Out on the Tiles" lumbers along with a tricky, multi-part riff. Nevertheless, the heart of the album lies on the second side, when the band delve deeply into English folk. "Gallows Pole" updates a traditional tune with a menacing flair, and "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is an infectious acoustic romp, while "Thats the Way" and "Tangerine" are shimmering songs with graceful country flourishes. The band hasnt left the blues behind, but the twisted bottleneck blues of "Hats off to (Roy) Harper" actually outstrips the epic "Since Ive Been Loving You," which is the only time Zeppelin sound a bit set in their ways. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 19 Title: [Led Zeppelin IV] Released: 1971-11-08 Tracks: 8 Duration: 42:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Black Dog (04:56) 2 Rock and Roll (03:40) 3 The Battle of Evermore (05:52) 4 Stairway to Heaven (08:02) 5 Misty Mountain Hop (04:38) 6 Four Sticks (04:45) 7 Going to California (03:31) 8 When the Levee Breaks (07:08) |
| [Led Zeppelin IV] : Allmusic album Review : Encompassing heavy metal, folk, pure rock & roll, and blues, Led Zeppelins untitled fourth album is a monolithic record, defining not only Led Zeppelin but the sound and style of 70s hard rock. Expanding on the breakthroughs of III, Zeppelin fuse their majestic hard rock with a mystical, rural English folk that gives the record an epic scope. Even at its most basic -- the muscular, traditionalist "Rock and Roll" -- the album has a grand sense of drama, which is only deepened by Robert Plants burgeoning obsession with mythology, religion, and the occult. Plants mysticism comes to a head on the eerie folk ballad "The Battle of Evermore," a mandolin-driven song with haunting vocals from Sandy Denny, and on the epic "Stairway to Heaven." Of all of Zeppelins songs, "Stairway to Heaven" is the most famous, and not unjustly. Building from a simple fingerpicked acoustic guitar to a storming torrent of guitar riffs and solos, it encapsulates the entire album in one song. Which, of course, isnt discounting the rest of the album. "Going to California" is the groups best folk song, and the rockers are endlessly inventive, whether its the complex, multi-layered "Black Dog," the pounding hippie satire "Misty Mountain Hop," or the funky riffs of "Four Sticks." But the closer, "When the Levee Breaks," is the one song truly equal to "Stairway," helping give IV the feeling of an epic. An apocalyptic slice of urban blues, "When the Levee Breaks" is as forceful and frightening as Zeppelin ever got, and its seismic rhythms and layered dynamics illustrate why none of their imitators could ever equal them. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 19 Title: Houses of the Holy Released: 1973-03-28 Tracks: 8 Duration: 40:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Song Remains the Same (05:30) 2 The Rain Song (07:39) 3 Over the Hills and Far Away (04:50) 4 The Crunge (03:17) 5 Dancing Days (03:43) 6 D’yer Mak’er (04:22) 7 No Quarter (07:00) 8 The Ocean (04:33) |
| Houses of the Holy : Allmusic album Review : Houses of the Holy follows the same basic pattern as Led Zeppelin IV, but the approach is looser and more relaxed. Jimmy Pages riffs rely on ringing, folky hooks as much as they do on thundering blues-rock, giving the album a lighter, more open atmosphere. While the pseudo-reggae of "DYer Maker" and the affectionate James Brown send-up "The Crunge" suggest that the band was searching for material, they actually contribute to the musical diversity of the album. "The Rain Song" is one of Zeps finest moments, featuring a soaring string arrangement and a gentle, aching melody. "The Ocean" is just as good, starting with a heavy, funky guitar groove before slamming into an a cappella section and ending with a swinging, doo wop-flavored rave-up. With the exception of the rampaging opening number, "The Song Remains the Same," the rest of Houses of the Holy is fairly straightforward, ranging from the foreboding "No Quarter" and the strutting hard rock of "Dancing Days" to the epic folk/metal fusion "Over the Hills and Far Away." Throughout the record, the bands playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of Page and Robert Plants songwriting sound coherent and natural. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 19 Title: Physical Graffiti Released: 1975-02-24 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:22:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Custard Pie (04:14) 2 The Rover (05:37) 3 In My Time of Dying (11:05) 4 Houses of the Holy (04:03) 5 Trampled Under Foot (05:36) 6 Kashmir (08:29) 1 In the Light (08:47) 2 Bron‐Yr‐Aur (02:06) 3 Down by the Seaside (05:15) 4 Ten Years Gone (06:33) 5 Night Flight (03:38) 6 The Wanton Song (04:09) 7 Boogie With Stu (03:53) 8 Black Country Woman (04:32) 9 Sick Again (04:43) |
| Physical Graffiti : Allmusic album Review : Led Zeppelin returned from a nearly two-year hiatus in 1975 with the double-album Physical Graffiti, their most sprawling and ambitious work. Where Led Zeppelin IV and Houses of the Holy integrated influences on each song, the majority of the tracks on Physical Graffiti are individual stylistic workouts. The highlights are when Zeppelin incorporate influences and stretch out into new stylistic territory, most notably on the tense, Eastern-influenced "Kashmir." "Trampled Underfoot," with John Paul Jones galloping keyboard, is their best funk-metal workout, while "Houses of the Holy" is their best attempt at pop, and "Down by the Seaside" is the closest theyve come to country. Even the heavier blues -- the 11-minute "In My Time of Dying," the tightly wound "Custard Pie," and the monstrous epic "The Rover" -- are louder and more extended and textured than their previous work. Also, all of the heavy songs are on the first record, leaving the rest of the album to explore more adventurous territory, whether its acoustic tracks or grandiose but quiet epics like the affecting "Ten Years Gone." The second half of Physical Graffiti feels like the group is cleaning the vaults out, issuing every little scrap of music they set to tape in the past few years. That means that the album is filled with songs that arent quite filler, but dont quite match the peaks of the album, either. Still, even these songs have their merits -- "Sick Again" is the meanest, most decadent rocker they ever recorded, and the folky acoustic rock & roll of "Boogie with Stu" and "Black Country Woman" may be tossed off, but they have a relaxed, off-hand charm that Zeppelin never matched. It takes a while to sort out all of the music on the album, but Physical Graffiti captures the whole experience of Led Zeppelin at the top of their game better than any of their other albums. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 19 Title: Presence Released: 1976-03-31 Tracks: 7 Duration: 44:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Achilles Last Stand (10:23) 2 For Your Life (06:24) 3 Royal Orleans (02:59) 4 Nobody’s Fault but Mine (06:16) 5 Candy Store Rock (04:11) 6 Hots On for Nowhere (04:42) 7 Tea for One (09:23) |
| Presence : Allmusic album Review : Created at a time of intense turmoil for Led Zeppelin -- they scrapped a planned international tour in the wake of Robert Plants car accident in Greece in August 1975 -- Presence is a strange, misshapen beast of a record that pulls upon its own tension. With Plant somewhat on the sidelines -- he recorded many of the vocals while in a wheelchair -- Jimmy Page reasserted himself as the primary creative force in the band, helping steer Presence toward a guitar-heavy complexity, perched halfway between a return to roots and unfettered prog. This dichotomy means it feels like Presence sprawls as wildly as Physical Graffiti even though its half its length: the four epics tend to overshadow the trio of lean rockers that really do hark back to the Chess boogie and rockabilly that informed Zeppelins earliest work. Each of these three -- "Royal Orleans," "Candy Store Rock," "Hots on for Nowhere" -- plays as snappily as the throwaways on the second half of Physical Graffiti, containing a sexy insouciance; the band almost seems to shrug off how catchy Pages riffs and how thick the grooves of John Bonham and John Paul Jones actually are. No matter how much fun this triptych is, theyre lost underneath the shadow of "Achilles Last Stand," a ten-minute exercise in self-styled moody majesty and the turgid blues crawl of closer "Tea for One." In between, there are two unalloyed masterpieces that channel all of the pain of the period into cinematic drama: a molten blues called "Nobodys Fault But Mine" and "For Your Life," as sharp, cinematic, and pained as Zeppelin ever were. Added together, Presence winds up as something less than the sum of its parts but its imbalance also means that its a record worth revisiting; it seems different upon each revisit and is always compelling. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 19 Title: In Through the Out Door Released: 1979-08-15 Tracks: 7 Duration: 42:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 In the Evening (06:50) 2 South Bound Saurez (04:14) 3 Fool in the Rain (06:12) 4 Hot Dog (03:17) 5 Carouselambra (10:34) 6 All My Love (05:53) 7 I’m Gonna Crawl (05:30) |
| In Through the Out Door : Allmusic album Review : Marshalling their strength after the dark interlude of Presence -- a period that extended far after its 1976 release, with the band spending a year in tax exile and Robert Plant suffering another personal tragedy when his son died -- Led Zeppelin decided to push into new sonic territory on their eighth album, In Through the Out Door. A good deal of this aural adventurism derived from internal tensions within the band. Jimmy Page and John Bonham were in the throes of their own addictions, leaving Plant and John Paul Jones alone in the studio to play with the bassists new keyboard during the day. Jones wound up with writing credits on all but one of the seven songs -- the exception is "Hot Dog," a delightfully dirty rockabilly throwaway -- and he and Plant are wholly responsible for the cloistered, grooving "South Bound Saurez" and "All My Love," a synth-slathered ballad unlike anything in Zeppelins catalog due not only to its keyboards but its vulnerability. Whats striking about In Through the Out Door is how the Plant-Jones union points the way toward their respective solo careers, especially that of the singers: his 1982 debut Pictures at Eleven follows through on the twilight majesty of "In the Evening" and particularly "Carouselambra," which feels like Plant and Jones stitched together every synth-funk fantasy they had into a throttling ten-minute epic. With its carnivalesque rhythms, "Fool in the Rain" also suggests the adventurousness of Plant, but its also an effective showcase for Bonham -- its a monster groove -- and Page, whose multi-octave solo is among his best. Elsewhere, the guitarist colors with shade and light quite effectively, but only the slow, slumbering closer "Im Gonna Crawl" feels like his, a throwback to Zeppelins past on an album that suggests a future that never materialized for the band. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 19 Title: Coda Released: 1982-11-19 Tracks: 8 Duration: 33:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 We’re Gonna Groove (02:37) 2 Poor Tom (03:03) 3 I Can’t Quit You Baby (04:18) 4 Walter’s Walk (04:30) 5 Ozone Baby (03:36) 6 Darlene (05:07) 7 Bonzo’s Montreux (04:18) 8 Wearing and Tearing (05:29) |
| Coda : Allmusic album Review : Released two years after the 1980 death of John Bonham, Coda tied up most of the loose ends Led Zeppelin left hanging: it officially issued a bunch of tracks circulating on bootleg and it fulfilled their obligation to Atlantic Records. Coda doesnt contain every non-LP track Zeppelin released -- notably, the B-side "Hey Hey What Can I Do" and anything from the BBC sessions were left untouched (theyd be added to Coda on a 1993 CD revision of the compilation, and also appear on the major three-disc overhaul Jimmy Page masterminded in 2015) -- but it does gather much of what was floating around in the wake of their demise, including three blistering rockers that were rejected for In Through the Out Door. If "Ozone Baby," "Darlene," or "Wearing and Tearing" -- rockers that alternately cut loose, groove, and menace -- had made the cut for In Through the Out Door, that album wouldnt have had its vague progressive edge and when theyre included alongside a revival of the bands early raver "Were Gonna Groove," the big-boned funk of the Houses of the Holy outtake "Walters Walk," and the folk stomp "Poor Tom" (naturally taken from the sessions for Led Zeppelin III), they wind up underscoring the bands often underappreciated lighter side. For heaviness, theres a live version of "I Cant Quit You Baby" and "Bonzos Montreux," a solo showcase for the departed drummer, and when this pair is added to the six doses of hard-charging rock & roll, it amounts to a good snapshot of much of what made Led Zeppelin a great band: when they were cooking, they really did groove. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 19 Title: Boxed Set Released: 1990-10-08 Tracks: 54 Duration: 4:50:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Whole Lotta Love (05:34) 2 Heartbreaker (04:14) 3 Communication Breakdown (02:29) 4 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (06:41) 5 What Is and What Should Never Be (04:45) 6 Thank You (04:49) 7 I Can’t Quit You Baby (04:18) 8 Dazed and Confused (06:27) 9 Your Time is Gonna Come (04:16) 10 Ramble On (04:24) 11 Travelling Riverside Blues (05:11) 12 Friends (03:53) 13 Celebration Day (03:30) 14 Hey Hey What Can I Do (03:56) 15 White Summer / Black Mountain Side (08:03) 1 Black Dog (04:56) 2 Over the Hills and Far Away (04:49) 3 Immigrant Song (02:25) 4 The Battle of Evermore (05:52) 5 Bron‐Yr‐Aur Stomp (04:17) 6 Tangerine (02:57) 7 Going to California (03:31) 8 Since I’ve Been Loving You (07:23) 9 D’yer Mak’er (04:22) 10 Gallows Pole (04:56) 11 Custard Pie (04:14) 12 Misty Mountain Hop (04:38) 13 Rock and Roll (03:40) 14 The Rain Song (07:39) 15 Stairway to Heaven (08:02) 1 Kashmir (08:29) 2 Trampled Under Foot (05:36) 3 For Your Life (06:24) 4 No Quarter (07:00) 5 Dancing Days (03:43) 6 When the Levee Breaks (07:08) 7 Achilles Last Stand (10:23) 8 The Song Remains the Same (05:30) 9 Ten Years Gone (06:33) 10 In My Time of Dying (11:05) 1 In the Evening (06:50) 2 Candy Store Rock (04:11) 3 The Ocean (04:33) 4 Ozone Baby (03:36) 5 Houses of the Holy (04:03) 6 Wearing and Tearing (05:29) 7 Poor Tom (03:03) 8 Nobody’s Fault but Mine (06:16) 9 Fool in the Rain (06:12) 10 In the Light (08:47) 11 The Wanton Song (04:06) 12 Moby Dick / Bonzos Montreux (03:50) 13 I’m Gonna Crawl (05:30) 14 All My Love (05:53) |
| Boxed Set : Allmusic album Review : Led Zeppelins primary method of artistic expression was their albums. Although they had a handful of hit singles and although selected album tracks were played endlessly on the radio, the true range of their music is only evident on the original albums, which were carefully sequenced and assembled. Consequently, the notion of a Led Zeppelin anthology is a bit strange -- their records worked as individual pieces. Nevertheless, the four-disc box set Led Zeppelin includes most of their best and most famous material. Jimmy Page determined the sets running order, taking the songs out of their familiar contexts and placing them in a new, occasionally jarring, sequence, providing new insights to the bands music that dedicated fans will appreciate. Led Zeppelin is the only album in their catalog to include the classic B-side "Hey Hey What Can I Do," as well as their unreleased version of Robert Johnsons "Travelling Riverside Blues" and a live medley of Pages "White Summer/Black Mountain Side." Most fans will find these three tracks essential, but will balk at the price, especially since all of Zeppelins albums have been remastered since the original release of the box set. While the box contains a wealth of brilliant music, all of it is better heard in its original incarnation. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 19 Title: Remasters Released: 1990-10-15 Tracks: 24 Duration: 2:12:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Communication Breakdown (02:29) 2 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (06:41) 3 Good Times Bad Times (02:46) 4 Dazed and Confused (06:27) 5 Heartbreaker (04:14) 6 Whole Lotta Love (05:34) 7 Ramble On (04:24) 8 Since I’ve Been Loving You (07:23) 9 Celebration Day (03:26) 10 Immigrant Song (02:25) 1 Black Dog (04:56) 2 Rock and Roll (03:40) 3 The Battle of Evermore (05:52) 4 Stairway to Heaven (08:02) 5 The Song Remains the Same (05:30) 6 D’yer Mak’er (04:22) 7 No Quarter (07:00) 8 Houses of the Holy (04:03) 1 Trampled Under Foot (05:36) 2 Kashmir (08:29) 3 Nobody’s Fault but Mine (06:16) 4 Achilles Last Stand (10:23) 5 All My Love (05:53) 6 In the Evening (06:50) |
| Remasters : Allmusic album Review : A collection of most of Led Zeppelins best-known tracks, this double-disc set only gives a slight idea of what the band accomplished in its career; stick with the original albums instead. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 19 Title: Whole Lotta Rock! Released: 1992 Tracks: 10 Duration: 56:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Thats the Way (05:46) 2 You Shook Me (05:19) 3 Heartbreaker (05:04) 4 Black Dog (05:12) 5 Going to California (03:55) 6 What Is and What Should Never Be (04:23) 7 Travelling Riverside Blues (05:16) 8 Stairway to Heaven (08:48) 9 The Lemon Song (06:50) 10 Whole Lotta Love (06:04) |
 | Album: 13 of 19 Title: Boxed Set 2 Released: 1993-09-06 Tracks: 32 Duration: 2:29:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Good Times Bad Times (02:46) 2 We’re Gonna Groove (02:37) 3 Night Flight (03:38) 4 That’s the Way (05:37) 5 Baby Come On Home (04:30) 6 The Lemon Song (06:19) 7 You Shook Me (06:27) 8 Boogie With Stu (03:53) 9 Bron‐Yr‐Aur (02:06) 10 Down by the Seaside (05:15) 11 Out on the Tiles (04:05) 12 Black Mountain Side (02:05) 13 Moby Dick (04:20) 14 Sick Again (04:43) 15 Hot Dog (03:17) 16 Carouselambra (10:34) 1 South Bound Saurez (04:14) 2 Walter’s Walk (04:30) 3 Darlene (05:07) 4 Black Country Woman (04:24) 5 How Many More Times (08:28) 6 The Rover (05:37) 7 Four Sticks (04:45) 8 Hats Off To (Roy) Harper (03:43) 9 I Can’t Quit You Baby (04:42) 10 Hots On for Nowhere (04:42) 11 Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) (02:39) 12 Royal Orleans (02:59) 13 Bonzo’s Montreux (04:18) 14 The Crunge (03:17) 15 Bring It On Home (04:20) 16 Tea for One (09:27) |
| Boxed Set 2 : Allmusic album Review : Rounding up all of the studio tracks that didnt appear on the first box (as well as the pleasant, but unremarkable, "Baby Come on Home"), Boxed Set 2 is the perfect way to complete a Led Zeppelin library begun with the first box set. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 19 Title: The Complete Studio Recordings Released: 1993-09-28 Tracks: 85 Duration: 7:16:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Good Times Bad Times (02:46) 2 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (06:41) 3 You Shook Me (06:27) 4 Dazed and Confused (06:27) 5 Your Time Is Gonna Come (04:34) 6 Black Mountain Side (02:12) 7 Communication Breakdown (02:29) 8 I Can’t Quit You Baby (04:42) 9 How Many More Times (08:28) 1 Whole Lotta Love (05:34) 2 What Is and What Should Never Be (04:45) 3 The Lemon Song (06:19) 4 Thank You (04:49) 5 Heartbreaker (04:14) 6 Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) (02:39) 7 Ramble On (04:24) 8 Moby Dick (04:20) 9 Bring It On Home (04:20) 1 Immigrant Song (02:25) 2 Friends (03:53) 3 Celebration Day (03:26) 4 Since I’ve Been Loving You (07:23) 5 Out on the Tiles (04:05) 6 Gallows Pole (04:56) 7 Tangerine (03:09) 8 That’s the Way (05:37) 9 Bron‐Yr‐Aur Stomp (04:17) 10 Hats Off to (Roy) Harper (03:40) 1 Black Dog (04:56) 2 Rock and Roll (03:40) 3 The Battle of Evermore (05:52) 4 Stairway to Heaven (08:02) 5 Misty Mountain Hop (04:38) 6 Four Sticks (04:45) 7 Going to California (03:31) 8 When the Levee Breaks (07:08) 1 The Song Remains the Same (05:30) 2 The Rain Song (07:39) 3 Over the Hills and Far Away (04:50) 4 The Crunge (03:17) 5 Dancing Days (03:43) 6 D’yer Mak’er (04:22) 7 No Quarter (07:00) 8 The Ocean (04:33) 1 Achilles Last Stand (10:23) 2 For Your Life (06:24) 3 Royal Orleans (02:59) 4 Nobody’s Fault but Mine (06:16) 5 Candy Store Rock (04:11) 6 Hots On for Nowhere (04:42) 7 Tea for One (09:27) 1 Custard Pie (04:14) 2 The Rover (05:37) 3 In My Time of Dying (11:05) 4 Houses of the Holy (04:03) 5 Trampled Under Foot (05:36) 6 Kashmir (08:29) 1 In the Light (08:47) 2 Bron‐Yr‐Aur (02:06) 3 Down by the Seaside (05:15) 4 Ten Years Gone (06:33) 5 Night Flight (03:38) 6 The Wanton Song (04:06) 7 Boogie With Stu (03:53) 8 Black Country Woman (04:32) 9 Sick Again (04:43) 1 In the Evening (06:50) 2 South Bound Saurez (04:14) 3 Fool in the Rain (06:12) 4 Hot Dog (03:17) 5 Carouselambra (10:34) 6 All My Love (05:53) 7 I’m Gonna Crawl (05:30) 1 We’re Gonna Groove (02:37) 2 Poor Tom (03:03) 3 I Cant Quit You Baby (04:14) 4 Walter’s Walk (04:30) 5 Ozone Baby (03:36) 6 Darlene (05:07) 7 Bonzo’s Montreux (04:18) 8 Wearing and Tearing (05:29) 9 Baby Come On Home (04:30) 10 Travelling Riverside Blues (05:11) 11 White Summer / Black Mountain Side (08:03) 12 Hey Hey What Can I Do (03:56) |
| The Complete Studio Recordings : Allmusic album Review : Collecting all of Led Zeppelins groundbreaking studio albums (as well as a reworked Coda) in one unattractive box, The Complete Studio Recordings is only necessary for hardcore fans wishing to replace their old records. Although the artwork inside the package is lavish, the box features no new material, making it irrelevant for those who already own the first two box sets. The music here is brilliant, but its available in better, more attractive, and less expensive packages. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 19 Title: BBC Sessions Released: 1997-11-11 Tracks: 24 Duration: 2:33:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Shook Me (05:15) 2 I Can’t Quit You Baby (04:23) 3 Communication Breakdown (03:12) 4 Dazed and Confused (06:41) 5 The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair (03:03) 6 What Is and What Should Never Be (04:20) 7 Communication Breakdown (02:41) 8 Travelling Riverside Blues (05:11) 9 Whole Lotta Love (06:13) 10 Somethin’ Else (02:07) 11 Communication Breakdown (03:05) 12 I Can’t Quit You Baby (06:20) 13 You Shook Me (10:19) 14 How Many More Times (11:50) 1 Immigrant Song (03:20) 2 Heartbreaker (05:16) 3 Since I’ve Been Loving You (06:56) 4 Black Dog (05:17) 5 Dazed and Confused (18:36) 6 Stairway to Heaven (08:49) 7 Going to California (03:54) 8 That’s the Way (05:43) 9 Whole Lotta Love (medley): Boogie Chillun / Fixin’ to Die / That’s Alright Mama / A Mess of Blues (13:45) 10 Thank You (06:37) |
| BBC Sessions : Allmusic album Review : Led Zeppelins BBC sessions were among the most popular bootleg items of the rock & roll era, appearing on a myriad of illegal records and CDs. They were all the more popular because of the lack of official Led Zeppelin live albums, especially since The Song Remains the Same failed to capture the essence of the band. For anyone who hadnt heard the recordings, the mystique of Zeppelins BBC sessions was somewhat mystifying, but the official 1997 release of the double-disc BBC Sessions offered revelations for any fan who hadnt yet heard this music. While some collectors will be dismayed by the slight trimming on the "Whole Lotta Love Medley," almost all of the groups sessions are included here, and they prove why live Zeppelin was the stuff of legend. The 1969 sessions, recorded shortly after the release of the first album, are fiery and dynamic, outstripping the studio record for sheer power. Early versions of "You Shook Me," "Communication Breakdown," "What Is and What Should Never Be," and "Whole Lotta Love" hit harder than their recorded counterparts, while covers of Sleepy John Estes "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair," Robert Johnsons "Travelling Riverside Blues," and Eddie Cochrans "Something Else" are welcome additions to the Zeppelin catalog, confirming their folk, blues, and rockabilly roots as well as their sense of vision. Zeppelins grand vision comes into sharper relief on the second disc, which is comprised of their 1971 sessions. They still have their primal energy, but theyre more adventurous, branching out into folk, twisted psychedelia, and weird blues-funk. Certainly, BBC Sessions is the kind of album that will only appeal to fans, but anyone whos ever doubted Zeppelins power or vision will be set straight with this record. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 19 Title: Golden Rock Classics Released: 1998 Tracks: 32 Duration: 2:28:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Good Times, Bad Times (02:45) 2 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (06:42) 3 Dazed and Confused (06:27) 4 Your Time Is Gonna Come (04:29) 5 Black Mountain Side (02:09) 6 Comunication Breakdown (02:31) 7 Whole Lotta Love (05:32) 8 Friends (03:50) 9 Living Loving Maid (02:41) 10 Thank You (03:03) 11 Heartbreaker (04:16) 12 Ramble On (04:10) 13 Moby Dick (04:22) 14 Immigrant Song (02:23) 15 Celebration Day (03:26) 16 Since I’ve Been Loving You (07:22) 17 Gallows Pole (04:53) 18 Tengerine (03:07) 1 Stairway to Heaven (08:01) 2 Rock and Roll (03:41) 3 The Battle of Evermore (05:44) 4 Misty Mauntain Hop (04:38) 5 When the Levee Breaks (07:08) 6 Four Sticks (04:38) 7 Going to California (03:21) 8 Black Dog (04:53) 9 Dyer Mak’er (04:20) 10 No Quarter (06:50) 11 The Rain Song (07:35) 12 The Song Remains the Same (05:30) 13 Dancing Days (03:43) 14 The Ocean (04:26) |
 | Album: 17 of 19 Title: Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Volume One Released: 1999-11-23 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:08:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Good Times Bad Times (02:46) 2 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (06:41) 3 Dazed and Confused (06:27) 4 Communication Breakdown (02:29) 5 Whole Lotta Love (05:34) 6 What Is and What Should Never Be (04:45) 7 Immigrant Song (02:25) 8 Since I’ve Been Loving You (07:23) 9 Black Dog (04:56) 10 Rock and Roll (03:40) 11 The Battle of Evermore (05:52) 12 When the Levee Breaks (07:08) 13 Stairway to Heaven (08:02) |
 | Album: 18 of 19 Title: Latter Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Volume Two Released: 2000-03-21 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:06:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Song Remains the Same (05:30) 2 No Quarter (07:00) 3 Houses of the Holy (04:03) 4 Trampled Under Foot (05:36) 5 Kashmir (08:29) 6 Ten Years Gone (06:33) 7 Achilles Last Stand (10:23) 8 Nobody’s Fault but Mine (06:18) 9 All My Love (05:53) 10 In the Evening (06:50) |
 | Album: 19 of 19 Title: Early Days & Latter Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Volumes One and Two Released: 2002-11-19 Tracks: 23 Duration: 2:14:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Good Times Bad Times (02:46) 2 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (06:41) 3 Dazed and Confused (06:27) 4 Communication Breakdown (02:29) 5 Whole Lotta Love (05:34) 6 What Is and What Should Never Be (04:45) 7 Immigrant Song (02:25) 8 Since I’ve Been Loving You (07:23) 9 Black Dog (04:56) 10 Rock and Roll (03:40) 11 The Battle of Evermore (05:52) 12 When the Levee Breaks (07:08) 13 Stairway to Heaven (08:02) 1 The Song Remains the Same (05:30) 2 No Quarter (07:00) 3 Houses of the Holy (04:03) 4 Trampled Under Foot (05:36) 5 Kashmir (08:29) 6 Ten Years Gone (06:33) 7 Achilles Last Stand (10:23) 8 Nobody’s Fault but Mine (06:18) 9 All My Love (05:53) 10 In the Evening (06:50) |
| Early Days & Latter Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Volumes One and Two : Allmusic album Review : With their first six studio albums not containing a single dud track, trying to neatly assemble a Led Zeppelin best of must have been quite a daunting task. All in all, the folks at Atlantic did an admirable job when the first-ever, single-disc Zeppelin best ofs were issued in 1999 (Early Days) and 2000 (Latter Days), covering most of the essentials. For fans that wanted to buy both discs in one shot, both were packaged together in 2002, under the title of Early Days and Latter Days. If youre expecting some bonus bits or anything with the double disc, youll be disappointed, as its an exact replica of the single-disc versions. But whether youre a newcomer who wants to get a taste or a longtime who simply wants all the hits in one place, do yourself a favor and spend the extra duckets for the double disc. Even though their latter albums werent as strong as their earlier ones, they did contain quite a few classics, and only the best tracks of these albums are included here ("Achilles Last Stand," "In the Evening," etc.). As with every compilation, there are going to be a few headscratchers -- here its the omission of such gems as "Heartbreaker," "Thats the Way," "Over the Hills and Far Away," and "The Ocean," which could have easily replaced such selections as "Babe Im Gonna Leave You," "The Battle of Evermore," "No Quarter," and "Houses of the Holy." But how can you complain when such ultra classics as "Dazed and Confused," "Whole Lotta Love," "Black Dog," "Rock and Roll," "Stairway to Heaven," "The Song Remains the Same," "Trampled Under Foot," and "Kashmir" are all included? Certainly not little old me. | ||