Led Zeppelin

Reviewed on this page:

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin III - Untitled - Houses Of The Holy - Physical Graffiti - Presence - The Song Remains The Same - In Through The Out Door - The Principle Of Moments - Pictures At Eleven - Coda - Outrider - Manic Nirvana - No Quarter - Walking Into Clarksdale

Sure, Jimmy Page was no Jimi Hendrix, but he still had a certain genius for generating commercial product. And his guitar playing was versatile and extraordinarily technically proficient. His rapid-fire pentatonic licks are worth copping by guitarists like myself who will never have the musical intelligence to understand Hendrix's convoluted soloing, and the band was to its multitude of unimaginative imitators as Hendrix was to them. Despite this, I rate all of Zep's records within very narrow limits (two and a half to four stars). The simple reason is that the band had an extraordinarily consistent sound - that's not a compliment. Those who care about such things will note that Jimmy Page has recently remastered the entire Zeppelin catalogue; the original releases on CD have a reputation for second-rate sound (sound OK to me, though).

Jimmy Page was one of the premiere session musicians of the 60s, and he's continued to make guest appearances on other artists' records to this day. His session work is discussed on our Yardbirds page, where we also review his only full album with the band; and here are some links to Page sitings on this web site:

Now by popular demand! A list of some of the songs Zep stole from other artists:

"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" - A folk song by Anne Bredon, this was originally credited as "traditional, arranged by Jimmy Page," then "words and music by Jimmy Page," and then, following legal action, "Bredon/Page/Plant."

"Black Mountain Side" - uncredited version of a traditional folk tune previously recorded by Bert Jansch.

"Bring It On Home" - the first section is an uncredited cover of the Willie Dixon tune (as performed by the imposter Sonny Boy Williamson).

"Communication Breakdown" - apparently derived from Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."

"Custard Pie" - uncredited cover of Bukka White's "Shake 'Em On Down," with lyrics from Sleepy John Estes's "Drop Down Daddy."

"Dazed And Confused" - uncredited cover of the Jake Holmes song (see The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes ).

). "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper" - uncredited version of Bukka White's "Shake 'Em On Down."

"How Many More Times" - Part one is an uncredited cover of the Howlin' Wolf song (available on numerous compilations). Part two is an uncredited cover of Albert King's "The Hunter."

"In My Time Of Dying" - uncredited cover of the traditional song (as heard on Bob Dylan's debut).

"The Lemon Song" - uncredited cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" - Wolf's publisher sued Zeppelin in the early 70s and settled out of court.

"Moby Dick" - written and first recorded by Sleepy John Estes under the title "The Girl I Love," and later covered by Bobby Parker.

"Nobody's Fault But Mine" - uncredited cover of the Blind Willie Johnson blues.

"Since I've Been Lovin' You" - lyrics are the same as Moby Grape's "Never," though the music isn't similar.

"Stairway To Heaven" - the main guitar line is apparently from "Taurus" by Spirit.

"White Summer" - uncredited cover of Davey Graham's "She Moved Through The Fair."

"Whole Lotta Love" - lyrics are from the Willie Dixon blues "You Need Love."

There's a million and one Zep web sites, many of which are linked up to a site inventory maintained by some guy named Buckeye. Another useful Zep home page has a FAQ and info on the mailing list and newsgroup, in addition to the usual goodies. (JA)

This page is intended for those who don't know much about Led Zeppelin and want to know where to start with their catalog. If you're already a die-hard fan, this page probably won't be of interest to you; try alt.fan.jimmy-page.fuckin.rules.dude instead. (DBW)

In other words, if you find our comments offensive, don't waste your breath telling us - see our flame writer's FAQ instead. Many loyal Zepheads have already sent us some of the most mind-bogglingly crude flame letters you can imagine, proving that you guys have less of a sense of humor than anyone else on the net. Stop for a minute and think about the fact that both of us really have listened to all these records - not just a few times, but over and over again since we were teenagers. Oh, and we haven't been teenagers for a heck of a long time, so don't bother slamming us with ageist condescension. (JA)

II (1969)

- Most of this album was recorded in a hurry, and it sounds it. They make their mark on rock history with the crunching "Whole Lotta Love" (which includes a theremin in the freakout middle section) and the fascinating multipart "What Is And What Should Never Be." "Ramble On" has a nice melody and some terrific bass playing from Jones. Elsewhere the record ranges from the merely derivative ("The Lemon Song," again an uncredited blues borrowing) to the just plain awful ("Thank You" with affected vocals and droning organ) to the downright offensive (Plant's "ole bluesman" imitation on "Bring It On Home" - I wonder if he put on blackface in the studio to get into the proper mood?). (DBW)

- All of this is in keeping with the earlier record; Page had a formula, and he was damned well going to stick with it - the heavy rock songs here like "Living Loving Maid" are marvelously crafted. So if you can get something out of Zep I, you'll get just as much out of its successor. The band's first of an amazing six LP's to top the charts. (JA)

III (1970)

- The only really good news on this record is the delicate lead guitar on the slow blues "Since I've Been Loving You," and Hagar the Horrible's theme song (the driving "Immigrant Song"). Elsewhere they make unfortunate experiments in folk ("Gallows Pole"), slick pop ("Tangerine"), and platitude-rock ("Friends"). They often said in interviews that they wanted to play acoustic music - the only trouble is, they're no damn good at it: Page is way out of his element here, and he often can't think of anything at all inventive. But I'll stick up for "Out On The Tiles," a crunching riff tune that's almost never played on the radio. (DBW)

- I couldn't disagree more. Here, for once, Zep made a serious effort to lead instead of follow. The production is loaded with amusing gimmicks like phasing, primitive synthesizers, creepy string arrangements, distorted vocals, and acoustic instrumentation, and it never gets dull. Of course, some of the country-blues and folk influences they parade around already had been assimilated by other British rockers like the Stones. But Page actually has it down better than they do ("Tangerine"), while Plant adds to the stew by getting memorably weird on some of the tracks ("Gallows Pole"). (JA)

Untitled (1971)

- The first side here is terrific, with powerful rockers ("Black Dog" is riff-filled and unpredictable, while "Rock and Roll" is as straightforward as the title implies), an acoustic ballad with Sandy Denny on vocals ("Battle Of Evermore") plus "Stairway to Heaven" (if you're not bored to death with it already). The second side, unfortunately, is awful: imitation West Coast soft-rock ("Going To California" indeed), failed humor ("Misty Mountain Hop"), and another rambling, turgid blues ("When The Levee Breaks"). (DBW)

- It's solid, but it's product. "Stairway" is bombastic and overlong, and almost everyone is bored of it despite its catchiness. Even worse, the Zepsters completely retreat here from their earlier willingness to experiment, despite some English folk elements like Fairport Convention member Sandy Denny's vocal and Page's jangling mandolins on "Battle Of Evermore." This is a user-friendly introduction to the band, but don't stop here. Ironically, the record somehow failed to hit #1 on the charts - it stalled at #2. (JA)

How The West Was Won (rec. 1972, rel. 2003)

A three-CD live album, recorded in southern California during their 1972 tour. The first disc includes a lot of standard stuff like "Stairway To Heaven," whereas discs 2 and 3 are dominated by monstrously sprawling versions of the band's jam favorites "Dazed And Confused," "Moby Dick," and "Whole Lotta Love." (JA)

Houses Of The Holy (1973)

- Their most consistently satisfying album, as they successfully experiment with song structure and instrumentation: "The Ocean" goes from massive power chords to a capella nursery rhyme to 50's doo-wop; "No Quarter" is stately and amusing; and "The Song Remains The Same" is a magnificent guitar showpiece where Page seems to be having fun, for once. "Over The Hills And Far Away" and "The Rain Song" once again mix ballads and hard rock, laying the groundwork for a zillion dreadful Eighties power ballads. Not wall-to-wall brilliant like a 4 1/2 star album should be, but so much more consistent than the previous release I had to rate it higher. (DBW)

- Can't really argue. The experimentation here is second only to III, as on the bizarre, mercifully brief boogie-woogie "The Crunge," the reggae-ified hit single "D'yer Maker," and the cutesy doo-wop fade on "The Ocean." Page's lead parts are tightly focused and unusually inspired, and even Plant's lyrics, which as always range from pompous nonsense to romantic silliness, are enjoyable and uncharacteristically upbeat. Despite this and the fact that the band had escaped from doing lame blues ripoffs, this is still more of a consolidation of previous successes than an attempt to push the envelope. (JA)

Physical Graffiti (1975)

- You look up "wretched excess" in the dictionary, and there's a picture of this double album. The songs go on, and on, and on... "Kashmir" was in fact the inspiration for Philip Glass. (Okay, I made that part up... but the songs do go on, and on, and on.) Many of the tracks are outtakes from earlier albums, and some are excellent (the instrumental "Bron-Yr-Aur" is tuneful and remarkably terse; "Custard Pie" is mindless fun). There are lots of bright moments - "The Rover" has a cool riff, and "Trampled Underfoot" is a listenable ripoff of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" - but there's too much filler in between. (DBW)

- He's right: "Kashmir" is an unlistenable disaster, and eleven minute escapades with boring chord progressions like "In My Time Of Dying" can't be salvaged by any amount of guitar heroics. But a lot of the other tracks do demonstrate significant stylistic variety and substantial amusement value - solid rock songs like "Houses Of The Holy," a reject from the LP of that name; nice acoustic numbers ("Bron-Yr-Aur"; "Black Country Woman"); standard, reasonable-length Zep epics ("Ten Years Gone"); etc. If Page had just cut it to a single LP, it would have been a high point in the band's career. (JA)

Presence (1976)

- Drug use was taking a heavy toll on Page by this point, but he still managed to crank out an album full of heavy riffs. However, many of the tracks are lethargic ("Tea For One") and most of them are way too long ("Achilles Last Stand"). Every Zep cliché is here in abundance, so if you're a devoted fan you'll get into it, but it's missing the spark of their more adventurous work. (DBW)

- Uninspired, and their worst effort overall; but it's still passable, inoffensive Zeppelin product - every song is a riff-fest. But as usual the band never knows when to shut up ("Achilles Last Stand") or when to quit slaughtering the blues ("Tea For One"), and the single "Candy Store Rock" is remarkably insubstantial. Fans will enjoy the album anyway. (JA)

The Song Remains The Same (1976)

Injuries forced the release of this 1973 concert recording. There's some good music in here among all the meandering, and lots of unintentionally hilarious egotism - be sure to rent the video for maximum amusement value. "Does anyone remember laughter?" (DBW)

Car crashes are bad. Very very bad... be prepared for some completely out-of-control jamming. If you like that sort of thing (and a lot of Zep heads do!), this record has more than enough of it. But to me, it's just more evidence that live records in general are a waste of money. I'm amazed to report that this was an American #2 hit (of course, almost everything else the band did reached #1). (JA)

In Through The Out Door (1979)

- Bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones comes to the fore here, with some painfully bad synth-drone numbers ("Carouselambra," "All My Love"). Elsewhere, they cover a lot of ground, from blues ("I'm Gonna Crawl") to country(!) ("Hot Dog") to that patented bowed-guitar sound ("In The Evening"), but they sound as if they're at least half asleep. Only the rollicking "Southbound Suarez" really delivers the goods. (DBW)

- "All Of My Love" is fun, and "In The Evening" sports some marvelously head-banging riffs. Some of the tunes suck, but they do deliver the goods - it's definitely a step up from Presence. "Fool In The Rain" was the band's parting Top 40 single. (JA)

Death Wish 2 (Page: 1982)

On the rebound from heavy drug use, Page managed to slap together a movie soundtrack, but it's not real substantial. A lot of the tunes are instrumentals (Chris Farlowe is the singer otherwise), and several of the melodies are lifted from classical composers ("Prelude" is based on a Chopin theme). The best tune here is "Sax and Violence," a ripoff of the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" - generally, this record is only for those who really believe Page is the greatest guitarist in rock history. (DBW)

Pictures At Eleven (Plant: 1982)

Unlike Page, Plant had no intention of walking away from a successful formula, and thanks to his determination to deliver Zep-like product his solo career was an immediate success. His debut record hit the Top Ten like most of his later efforts, and although none of the singles broke the American Top 40, a couple tunes like "Burning Down One Side" got plenty of radio play. It's mostly due to Robbie Blunt's arpeggiated, chorusey, extraordinarily Page-like rhythm guitar (Blunt and Plant co-authored everything). Still, Plant is already appending to the Zep cookbook here with a sax solo on "Pledge Pin" (another entertaining radio staple), consistently low-key guitar leads, and a softer, more pop-flavored production style. Page-leaning Zep fans will find it dull and imitative but harmless, whereas Plant-leaning Zep fans will be fully satisfied. Phil Collins is the drummer, although Cozy Powell appears on a couple of tracks ("Slow Dancer," where he succeeds in imitating Bonham). (JA)

Coda (1982)

- Odds and ends thrown together to make some quick money after drummer John Bonham choked on vomit (his own). There's a live version of "I Can't Quit You Babe" that's pretty good, a couple of early outtakes and a Bonham solo piece ("Bonzo's Montreaux") that are really bad. Fortunately, the record contains three songs left off In Through The Out Door that are actually better than the songs that made the album: the standard but effective "Ozone Baby," the blazing "Wearing and Tearing," and "Darlene," with boogie woogie trimmings. (DBW)

- Of the "really bad" early outtakes, two - "We're Gonna Groove" and "Walter's Walk" - are frantic rockers with dumb riffs that are still a heck of a lot of fun, reminding one of how devastating Zep's rhythm section used to be back in the early days; and the third, "Poor Tom," is a pleasant Zep III-style (and era) acoustic folk number with a nice, shuffling Bonham beat. I even like Bonham's drum thing. There's nothing really substantial here other than "Darlene," but without the sprawling, over-ambitious guitar epics of so many mid-70s Zep records, this is an accessible collection fans won't regret owning. (JA)

The Principle Of Moments (Plant: 1983)

Much like the previous Plant outing, with the same band (without Powell), except that Blunt's guitars are toned down even more in favor of Jezz Woodroffe's synths. Consequently, the hit singles "In The Mood" and "Big Log" are quiet and more pop than rock; "Wreckless Love" even uses a drum machine. The band only really revs up on "Horizontal Departure," with groovy Zep-like syncopation and bass thumps. Plant is singing about god knows what, as usual, and I doubt even his biggest fans would consider this among his finest work. (DBW)

Volume One (The Honeydrippers: 1984)

More or less a one-off stunt, with Plant crooning an EP-length set of 50's oldies. Jimmy Page played on a couple tracks, much to the delight of nostalgia-crazed fans who sent both the album and its major single to the Top Ten ("Sea Of Love," with Page). A second single featuring Jeff Beck later hit the Top 40 ("Rockin' At Midnight," recorded early on by Elvis Presley under the name "Good Rockin' Tonight"). (JA)

The Firm (The Firm: 1985)

Page came out of retirement to form a "new" four-piece metal band with old buddy Paul Rodgers, lead singer of Bad Company - a major 70s rock act, Bad Company had been on Page's vanity Swan Song label from the start. Rodgers isn't as talented, idiosyncratic, or commercially savvy as Plant, and the Firm didn't last too long, although they had a Top 40 hit here with "Radioactive." (JA)

I have this record, and really should review it someday. (DBW)

Scream For Help (Jones: 1985)

This is a movie soundtrack. Guests include Jon Anderson on two songs, and Page on two others. (JA)

Shaken 'N' Stirred (Plant: 1985)

"Little By Little" was a hit here; "Pink And Black" was also a single. The regular Plant band appears, although Ritchie Hayward had taken over on drums. (JA)

Mean Business (The Firm: 1986)

The band's followup album, with no changes in the lineup. (JA)

Now And Zen (Plant: 1988)

Plant recruited a new band for this one. I'm not sure, but I bet that drummer Chris Blackwell isn't the same as Steve Winwood's loyal co-producer. Page showed up to solo on a couple of tracks, both of which were released as singles: "Heaven Knows" and "Tall Cool One." (JA)

Outrider (Page: 1988)

Perhaps Page's best work since Physical Graffiti - his playing is energetic, thoughtful, and steeped in the blues. He's also composed a few tunes with headbanging riffs as good as his early work ("Wasting My Time," "Wanna Make Love"), and it's carefully arranged with atypical song structures (the instrumental "Writes Of Winter"). The big problem here is terrible white-blues vocals and hopelessly clichéd lyrics from Chris Farlowe and John Miles (Plant replaces them on "The Only One"). Most of the drumming is by Jason Bonham - there are several bassists, all imitating Jones. If you've played your Zep records to death, pick this up. Just try to ignore the singing. (DBW)

Manic Nirvana (Plant: 1990)

This is maximally forgettable, super-slick, micro-managed 4/4-time heavy rock. Plant does sound exactly like Plant, complete with 50's mannerisms and lyrics that are even more smutty than usual ("Big Love"), so Zepsters who were always wild about him will enjoy it. But there's nothing going on here that hasn't been done a thousand times before: thudding, echoey drums, crashing, blaring guitars, head-banging bass lines, vaguely ominous synth parts, incessant, groovy riffs, gimmicky song endings. It's the kind of thing you put on as background music while driving to work. Guitarist Doug Boyle is really really good, of course, but he isn't given too much room for solos (e.g., "Anniversary," where he sounds exactly like Page). The singles here were "Hurting Kind" and "Nirvana." Same band this time, although the bass player was replaced by Charlie Jones. No Page sitings, however. (JA)

Coverdale/Page (David Coverdale/Page: 1993)

You'd think Page would have known better after the Firm debacle than to team up with yet another worn-out heavy metal singer and form yet another "new" metal band - but he went ahead and did it anyway. I had to suffer through this exactly once, and I can report that the lyrics are abysmal - absolute tripe with a heavy cock-rock quotient - and that the singing is little better. Coverdale, like so many other metal singers, seems to think that imitating Robert Plant is the whole point of the game; I'd rather have the real Plant any day (see below). Meanwhile, Page is as facile and clever as ever, but the generic backing band smothers his histrionics. The singles were "Pride Of Joy" and "Take Me For A Little While." (JA)

Fate Of Nations (Plant: 1993)

Plant's regular band is featured, but so are an awful lot of other people, including a huge Indian string section and Tucson blues legend Rainer Ptacek. There were a bunch of singles, including "29 Palms," "I Believe," "Calling To You," and a cover of Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter," marvelously performed by the Small Faces a quarter-century earlier. (JA)

No Quarter (Page/Plant: 1994)

Little more than a weird stunt, but I have to admit that I get sucked in by the nostalgia. Most of the songs are Zep covers, and it's telling that the major source is Led Zepplin III - Plant really let his World Music/mysticism thing go out of control here. The rearrangements are frequently downright bizarre, with a Moroccan drum ensemble on some tunes ("Yallah"), dueling Western and Indian orchestras on others (title track), and band members adding mandolin, banjo, and hurdy-gurdy throughout. Except for the creepy, acoustic "Wonderful One," the few new tunes are fragmentary grooves with thumping drums and wild Plant vocals that go even further in the same flakey direction. It's uneven, but adventurous in a way that neither Page nor Plant has allowed themselves lately. Plus the performances are solid and the track selection lengthy, making it a better buy than any conceivable greatest hits record. Page and Plant didn't even tell John Paul Jones about the reunion, so bassist Charlie Jones is a carry-over from the Plant band; other backing musicians include a member of the Cure. The hype was so out of control with this that the record company even set up an annoyingly useful No Quarter web site - not to mention that monster "Unledded" MTV special. And no, they don't do "Stairway." (JA)

Walking Into Clarksdale (Page/Plant: 1998)

A fun new studio album that gloriously recaptures Zeppelin's early 70s sound ("House Of Love"). The lack of outside players this time helps; bassist Charlie Jones does a decent John Paul Jones, and kid drummer Michael Lee clatters away like a young Ginger Baker (the tribal metal slab "Burning Up"; the oddly timed "Sons Of Freedom," with Plant wigging out as Page gleefully shreds). The riffs and dynamics are solid, and they still know how to write punchy, 70s-flavored, radio-friendly tunes ("Shining In The Light," with authentic-sounding mellotron; "Please Read The Letter," with some pleasant hippy harmonizing). The only real indication that these guys are well into their 50s is the backwards-looking Baby Boomer refrain on the languid, romantic power ballad "When The World Was Young." They mess with Tex-Mex blues and wacky guitar effects on the jittery title track, and reach back to the experimental folk-rock sound of Zep III with mock-North African percussion (by Ed Shearmur) and keyboards (by Tim Whelan) on "Most High." Page's playing isn't quite as sharp ("Blue Train") and Plant's melodies are erratic (the aching ballad "When I Was A Child" is an exception). And they do flail with the wildly orchestrated "Upon A Golden Horse" (arranged by Lynton Naiff) and the lifeless, creepy cowboy ballad "Heart In Your Hand." Nothing as durable here as Zeppelin's greatest hits, but fans will just love it. No other players; self-produced, and engineered by Steve Albini. (JA)

Zooma (Jones: 1999)

Jones' first serious solo album, not counting his soundtrack efforts. (JA)

Live At The Greek (Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes: 2000)

Like it says; a 2-CD set of Zep standards. (DBW)

The Thunderthief (Jones: 2001)

Another solo studio album. Jones sings and plays most of the instruments, although there's a drummer and there are a few guests such as Robert Fripp. Have this one, so I'll review it eventually. (JA)

Dreamland (Plant: 2002)

Mostly covers, including "Morning Dew"; "One More Cup Of Coffee" and "Hey Joe." (DBW)

Mighty ReArranger (Plant and the Strange Sensation: 2005)



Raising Sand (Plant/Alison Krauss: 2007)

A folk/country-rock record with Krauss, the NPR-friendly face of bluegrass (i.e. what Diana Krall is to jazz), produced by T-Bone Burnett. With that lineup, it was a given that awards would pour in, and in fact it won the Album of the Year Grammy. Tunes include "Fortune Teller," the Everly Brothers' "Gone, Gone, Gone" and two Gene Clark numbers. (DBW)

In 2009, Jones joined the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures.