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IV is definitely early heavy metal and certainly hard rock but Led Zeppelin always interwove elements of Celt/Anglican folk and Lords of the Ringsy imagery and IV’s iconic “Stairway to Heaven” is the epitome with its bustles in hedgerows, May queens and pipers piping. It was also the most confusing song to be confronted with at awkward junior high dances, starting as a slow dance (oh my God he wants to dance with me!!) and then breaking into an upbeat metal jam where we’d kind of drop our arms and sway self-conciously. Or maybe that was just me? Also I’m realizing that particular junior high dance occurred only 15 years after IV’s release and oh my god I’m also feeling very old. Anyway, I love “Stairway” (and many of its covers/parodies, including the one by Little Roger and the Goosebumps “Gilligan’s Island (Stairway)” which Robert Plant declared his favorite cover of the song) but even better are the absolute ripping opener “Black Dog” (#15 US), “Misty Mountain Hop” (more mixing of Tolkien imagery with modern day youth culture), “Rock and Roll” (released as a single in early ‘72, hitting #47 in the US) and the supremely beautiful “Going to California.”

*reblogged and revised from my post in 2017

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Zeppelin’s third album went to #1 in both the US and the UK and its sole single, “Immigrant Song” went to #16 in the US. Filled with Norse imagery, Plant says the lyrics were inspired by their 1970 performance in Iceland. Also playing an influence on the overall rootsy, folksy (albeit pretty hardcore folksy) was the band’s writing retreat to Bron-Yr-Aur in rural Wales – the obvious result: the fantastic barn-stomper “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp.” I also love the hard-rocking funk of “Out on the Tiles” (primarily written by Bonham), the acoustic vibe of “Gallows Pole” (a reworking of a traditional folk song) and the two lovely ballads “Tangerine” (written by Page when he was still in the Yardbirds) and “That’s the Way.”

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I’ve blogged about Led Zeppelin II before so I’m going to quote myself here:

Allmusic says “Led Zeppelin II provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed it… the overall sound of the album is heavy and hard, brutal and direct. While Led Zeppelin II doesn’t have the eclecticism of the group’s debut, it’s 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.”

As I’ve noted in earlier posts, I was, relatively speaking, late to Zeppelin (weird subculture “rules” being what they were, 80′s punks – at least in my town- did not listen to Zeppelin, that was for the grits/heshers/dirts/headbangers) so I didn’t listen to any Zeppelin, including Zeppelin II, until I got to college. Now I love it. “Whole Lotta Love” has one of the most excellent and recognizable lead chords on any album ever, the groove of “What Is and What Should Never Be” is utterly addictive and Zeppelin’s spin on traditional blues in “The Lemon Song” is epic, sexy as hell if not very subtle (“Squeeze me baby, ‘till the juice runs down my leg/The way you squeeze my lemon I’m gonna fall right out of bed”). That’s just Side 1! Side 2′s bass riff on “Heartbreaker” is so slinky, Bonham’s drum solo on “Moby Dick” is insane and II has one of my all-time favorite tracks: “Ramble On.” I was on a serious Tolkien kick during my freshman year at college (I had read The Lord of the Rings as a kid but got it into my head to re-read the entire trilogy over Christmas break that year) so I found the lyrics amazing. Now they kinda make me giggle but I still love “Ramble On” intensely.

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As I’ve noted in earlier posts, I was, relatively speaking, late to Zeppelin (weird subculture “rules” being what they were, 80′s punks – at least in my town- did not listen to Zeppelin, that was for the grits/heshers/dirts/headbangers) so I didn’t listen to any Zeppelin, including Zeppelin II, until I got to college. Now I love it especially: “Whole Lotta Love” has one of the most excellent and recognizable lead chords on any album ever, the groove of “What Is and What Should Never Be” is utterly addictive and Zeppelin’s spin on traditional blues in “The Lemon Song” is epic, sexy as hell if not very subtle (“Squeeze me baby, ‘till the juice runs down my leg/The way you squeeze my lemon I’m gonna fall right out of bed”). That’s just Side 1! Side 2′s bass riff on “Heartbreaker” is so slinky, Bonham’s drum solo on “Moby Dick” is insane and II has one of my all-time favorite tracks: “Ramble On.” I was on a serious Tolkien kick during my freshman year at college (I had read The Lord of the Rings as a kid but got it into my head to re-read the entire trilogy over Christmas break that year) so I found the lyrics amazing. Now they kinda make me giggle but I still love “Ramble On” intensely.

Led Zeppelin II was the band’s first LP to reach #1 – in both the US and the UK – and like Bonham, it has continued to inspire rockers for almost 50 years. Allmusic says “Led Zeppelin II provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed it… the overall sound of the album is heavy and hard, brutal and direct. While Led Zeppelin II doesn’t have the eclecticism of the group’s debut, it’s 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.”

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IV is definitely early heavy metal and certainly hard rock but Led Zeppelin always interwove elements of Celt/Anglican folk and Lords of the Ringsy imagery and IV’s iconic “Stairway to Heaven” is the epitome with its bustles in hedgerows, May queens and pipers piping. It was also the most confusing song to be confronted with at awkward junior high dances, starting as a slow dance (oh my God he wants to dance with me!!) and then breaking into an upbeat metal jam where we’d kind of drop our arms and sway self-conciously. Or maybe that was just me? Anyway, I love “Stairway” (and many of its covers/parodies, including the one by Little Roger and the Goosebumps “Gilligan’s Island (Stairway)” which Robert Plant declared his favorite cover of the song) but even better are “Misty Mountain Hop” (more mixing of Tolkien imagery with modern day youth culture), “Rock and Roll” (released as a single in early ‘72, hitting #47 in the US) and the supremely beautiful “Going to California.”

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I was a punk so while I’d talk to them, I certainly wouldn’t listen to their music. Then came college at UW Madison, mind and music expansion and Houses of the Holy. A good friend’s roommate was a massive Led Zeppelin fan and we’d hang out in some dorm room or other, listening to “The Song Remains the Same,” “Dancing Days” and another one of my favorites, “The Ocean.”

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