Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
1969
Album Summary
Led Zeppelin is the debut studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on 12 January 1969 in the United States and on 31 March in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. The album was recorded in September and October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London, shortly after the band's formation. It contains a mix of original material worked out in the first rehearsals, and remakes and rearrangements of contemporary blues and folk songs. The sessions took place before the group had secured a recording contract and totalled 36 hours; they were paid for directly by Jimmy Page, the group's founder, leader and guitarist, and Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant and cost £1,782 (equivalent to £31,203 in 2021) to complete. They were produced by Page, who as a musician was joined by band members Robert Plant (lead vocals, harmonica), John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards), and John Bonham (drums). Percussionist Viram Jasani appears as a guest on one track. The tracks were mixed by Page's childhood friend Glyn Johns, and the iconic album cover showing the Hindenburg disaster was designed by George Hardie. Led Zeppelin showed the group's fusion of blues and rock, and their take on the emerging hard rock sound was immediately commercially successful in both the UK and US, reaching the top 10 on album charts in both countries, as well as several others, while it reached number one in Spain's albums chart. Many of the songs were longer and not well suited to be released as singles for radio airplay; Page was reluctant to release "singles", so only "Good Times Bad Times", backed with "Communication Breakdown", was released outside of the UK. However, due to exposure on album-oriented rock radio stations, and growth in popularity of the band, many of the album's songs have become classic rock radio staples.
WikipediaWhat an absolute masterpiece. For a first album to contain so many perfect songs (Good Times Bad Times > Babe I'm going to Leave You may be the best album opening of all time) is INSANE. They blend genre so well in a single song and knock your socks off!
Is there any greater opening to a first song on a first album by a legendary band? The opening notes of Good Times Bad Times just ROCK. This is a band that kicked ass from their first moment. The Led Zep sound was there from that first album: Plant's stellar vocals, Page's amazing guitar, JPJ rounding out the sound on bass and keys, and Bonham's thunder. It's also interesting to listen to how they changed the songs they covered (often without attribution...this album includes at least two future lawsuits - Jake Holmes suing over Dazed and Confused and Willie Dixon suing over You Shook Me and I Can't Quit You Babe). Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is a great example of how they took an existing song and made it their own. It was written by Anne Bredon and previously performed by Joan Baez (listen to her 1962 live album). It's a completely different song when Baez sings it and a good example of how a cover that significantly reinterprets another song can practically be considered a new song. In contrast, take a listen to the evolution of Dazed and Confused. The original Jake Holmes version (1967) has different lyrics (except the key "dazed and confused" but even that's slightly different) and a mostly different tune except for the key chromatic bass descent. BUT, the tune Led Zep uses is identical to how the Yardbirds covered it in 1968. To be fair, that was with Jimmy Page...in fact, Led Zep was originally supposed to be "The New Yardbirds" so were they really "stealing" it from the Yardbirds? But anyway, the Led Zep version is nearly identical to the Yardbirds' version (right down to Jimmy doing the violin bow thing) but the Yardbirds used Holmes' lyrics. How did the Yardbirds come to start playing it? Holmes opened for them in 1967. According to Wikipedia, Holmes said, "That was the infamous moment of my life when 'Dazed and Confused' fell in to the loving arms and hands of Jimmy Page." It wasn't until 2012 that Holmes got writing credit from Led Zeppelin. So, were Led Zeppelin inveterate music thieves? Well, yeah. But their originals are amazing (standouts on this album: Communication Breakdown, Good Times Bad Times) and the covered songs are almost always taken to the next level - just a shame they didn't give credit where credit was due (until sued). Either way, over 50 years later their sound remains unique while setting the standard for every hard rock band to follow. And they did it right from their first album. 5 stars.
Best Rock Drummer, Top 5 singer, Top 5 Guitar player, Best 6th man in John Paul Jones. Can’t do better than that. I’m always amazed that this album came out in 69’, it ahead of its time. Early metal, with some folk, lots of blues and a little middle eastern. There are some epic compositions, great breakdowns, solos, hooks. Pretty great album. “Good Times Bad Times” best drums? good hook, good solo. Babe I’m Going to Leave you, best riff? Gage me goosebumps. “You Shook me” was a little tough after blues fatigue—but I have to look at this objectively, and objectively it’s dope, with a great drum fill at the end. “Dazed and Confused” best breakdown? “Black Mountain Side” some fun middle eastern vibes. “Communication Breakdown” is a classic who style rock song. “How Many More Times” great groove. I don’t know if it’s because it’s been two of my favorite bands, but wow, two 5 stars in one week.
Led Zeppelin de Led Zeppelin est ce que j'appelle un très bon album. Je n'ai malheureusement pas pu l'écouter dans les meilleurs conditions et vais vous détailler le pourquoi du comment. Ce matin, le restaurant de suhis à volonté que je convoitais depuis plusieurs jours, censé ouvrir à dix heures du matin d'après internet, n'était pas du tout ouvert à l'heure indiquée et n'allait ouvrir qu'à midi. Il me restait donc deux heures à attendre dans la rue le ventre vide. J'en profitai pour lancer Led Zeppelin. Malgré l'évidence de la qualité de ce projet, chaque piste qui le compose soulignait à quel point j'avais besoin de manger des sushis. Good Times Bad Times ? Manque de makis concombre-avocat-fromage. You Shook Me ? Pas assez de sushis saumon-riz. How Many More Times ? Absence totale de beignets à la banane. Une écoute frustrante qui fera certainement date.
I was lucky enough to never listen to classic rock radio stations, so literally no song was "overplayed" for me before I really got into music. Not even "Stairway to Heaven" - I overplayed that one for me myself. I discovered these songs like a caveman discovering fire. I wrote that previous paragraph like 5 hours ago and forgot where I was going with it so let me just say that this isn't my favorite Loop Zoop album (IV all the way, then Physical Graffiti and II tied for second place) but it's still incredibly good. These guys just randomly spawned from the mist in 1969 and decided to change musical history forever while dedicating 30 seconds of every song to Robert Plant having an orgasm. With songs like "Good Times Bad Times" and "Dazed and Confused", how can this be anything but a 5/5? That's why I'm giving this a 4/5. For any inquiry please contact me at: sexbreasts.gov Do not click that link if it somehow exists, I don't know where it goes.
what is this dude yellin about. lol. wahh wahhh awhhhhhh . Says alotabout booomer mentality
The live version of Dazed & Confused, with the 5 hr. drum solo, is as boring as watching paint dry. The album version, on the other hand, is only 4 minutes too long. Using a violin bow to play a guitar solo sounds like a fun idea but it doesn't sound any good. The cherry on top is that they stole the song. The whipped cream around that cherry is that they stole it from a TV commercial jingle writer. Why would anyone steal from a poor sum bitch like him? btw, this is but one of many stolen songs on this LP and they don't just steal from poor jingle writers; they also steal from former band mates. Communications Breakdown tells all you need to know about this band musically. Page carries the song with excellent leads and Bonham's playing is quite competent and entertaining. Jimmy's acoustic work on Black Mountain Side is top shelf. Likewise, Communications Breakdown would be a lame song if it weren't for Page's solo and his solos on I Can't Quit You Baby make the argument that his playing is in the same league as Hendrix's. Plant wouldn't have made it past Horseshoe size venues without Page. The last song on side 2 is a slot where you often find filler. No exception here. Am I the only one who, half way through the song, thought that it should be named "How Many More Minutes"? Definitely mixed feelings on this one. Page's guitar playing is too good for this rating but the song thievery and all the yawning brought on by the last songs on each side don't leave me in a generous mood.
Never really clicked with Led Zep but it's been a while so let's see... Well, the music is hard to argue with. Takes rock music back to the blues while also being ambitious and new. They play soft, they play hard - it pretty much all works. However, hearing Robert Plant doing his rockstar screeches "baby baby baby baby", "my woman shook me all night", "baby baby baaaaaaaaby" ruins the whole thing and makes me queasy. I'm starting to realise this is the reason I don't like much mainstream rock. If only instrumental versions of albums were a thing, like they are in hip-hop. As it stands, the vocals start off cheesy but become annoying around the 200th time he squeals "baby". 3/5 for excellent musicianship.
My favourite Zeppelin album - a masterclass in rock 'n roll, and a cautionary tale why you need to rehearse before you go into the studio. This legendary album was recorded AND mixed in 36 hours! It's also one of, if not THE, best debut of all time. Coming out the gate with heavy artillery with the scorching "Good Times Bad Times," which tell you in its first couple minutes why Zeppelin are such a fucking badass band - John Paul Jones' earthshaking bass breaks; Jimmy Pages' pyrotechnic soloes; John Bonham's depth-charge beats and Robert Plant's divine vocals. It also raises some the issue of the dark side of rock music, too, most importantly white musicians ripping off black musicians for profit and without giving credit. I'm not the world's biggest Zeppelin scholar, but I feel like they could've done a better job giving credit where it's due. How many people realize "When The Levee Breaks" is an old blues tune from the 20s? That's sort of the definition of cultural appropriation. Still giving this album 5 stars, though.
Oh wow. I've always liked Led Zeppelin but I think I've only actively listened to what has come up on the radio or on a playlist for classic rock. I don't think I've ever listened to a whole album. If I would have listened to this as a teenager it would have absolutely blown my mind. I really like it as an adult who knows I like this type of music.
This is such a great primer for the bands upcoming career. Bonham's drums stand out every time I go back to listen. Favorite songa are: How Many More Times and Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.
You can make a solid argument that Robert Plant might be rock's all-time greatest front man. Just as you could Jimmy Page its greatest guitarist, John Paul Jones the best bass player, and John Bonham rock's greatest drummer. Zeppelin is the ultimate super group. This isn't my favorite Zeppelin album, but it's simply one of the best debut albums ever. "Good Times Bad Times" is as great of a side 1, track 1 you're going to hear. I have Led Zeppelin IV way ahead of this one, but what I keep coming back to is imagining what it must have been like to hear this for the first time in early 1969. I was lucky enough to live through the time when GNR's "Appetite For Destruction" and Nirvana's "Nevermind" seemingly came from out of nowhere to jolt the system. Those albums benefited from MTV exposure. It took a few months before this album cracked the Top 15. They didn't need MTV, and I'm quite certain they wouldn't have bothered with music videos anyway. But movies? That's another ball game.
On a second pass 3-4 years after I first listened to it, this pass illuminated this as a bit more of a standout for me. A lot of very cool tracks and particularly strong musical choices for a debut.
Pretty good. Not a fan of Robert Plant's voice, especially when he's screeching all the, "Ooooh baby baby!" stuff, but the music itself is good and even awesome at times.
Honestly a little disappointing to me, knowing some of Led Zeppelin's other songs. Most of it sounded more like a band just noodling around in a jam session rather than well-developed songs. Also the bluesy songs got annoying.
By default I should despise this type of music. Middle class white men whingeing. My prejudices haven't changed much after listening to it. I didn't know the Glyn Johns connection. This still doesn't rescue it. You need some Roll with your Rock. This album lacks any rhythm. I felt like I was listening to the soundcheck for a ropey pub covers band.
This album keeps the misery of the blues without any of the accompanying spark. Everything is over-played, probably to hide the lack of much else. The riffs seem endless, and not in a good way. Just because you CAN play it doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Turgid.
Led Zeppelin is the biggest group of thieves in music history. 6 of the 9 songs on this album are ripped off or stolen. Look it up. I literally makes me want to throw up when I hear them.
A massive album. Best debut of all time? Best track: Dazed and Confused
Favorites: You Shook Me, Your Time is Gonna Come, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You Good Times Bad Times: needs more cowbell! - 1 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You: acoustic finger-picking is sweet - 1 You Shook Me: Very Bluesy - 1 Dazed and Confused: Really picks up in the second half - 1 Your Time is Gonna Come: wow. The piano/Oregon riff here is really awesome. - 1.25 Black Mountain Side: nice folksy instrumental, almost like a palet cleanser going into the rest of the album - 1 Communication Breakdown: not the most unique, but still totally rocks - 0.75 I Can’t Quit You Baby: more blues - 0.75 How Many More Times: Guitars in this song are pretty beastly - 0.75 Total: 8.5/9
Classic. Many good songs on it! Baby I'm Gonna Leave You, Dazed and Confused, Communication Breakdown. Heavy!
No es el disco que tiene mis favoritas de Led Zeppelin, pero igual es un discazo que no tiene un segundo de desperdicio. Me encanta como pasa por todo tipo de sonidos, desde un 12-bar blues con su tradicional armónica hasta la locura que es Communication Breakdown con cosas folk y hasta un órgano de iglesia de por medio.
no cos all the songs were great. ooh that harmonica. dazed and confused just gets better everytime I listen to it !!
As classic today as it was when it was made. Communication Breakdown, Black Mountain Side, Good Times Bad Times, Babe Im gonna leave you. Hit after Hit after hit. These guys just. Don't. Miss.
What more is there to say that hasn't already been said about this album. I think it's the most influential rock album of all time. Solid 5/5.
What more is there to say. I did notice the blues influence much more on this listen.
This album is so good. I’m too far behind to write as much as I want on it. 9.8
What else can be said? Stunning debut. I enjoyed going back and remembering how much fun this album is.
There are no bad songs on this album. It goes from strength to strength
Es perfecto antes de empezar por cosas más trabajadas que llegarán en su discografía.
This album is just such a thundering monster in the best way. Good Times Bad Times hooks hard. Dazed and Confused is a muddy, spooky masterpiece. Communication Breakdown sets the stage for an explosion in music.
If you don't 4 star or higher this I'm putting our friendship on probation.
Hijole, es que a pesar de que empecé a escuhar con prejuicio y, al parecer, con olvido de que el primero de led sí me gustó, pues termino por decir que sí me prendio. muy energético, sí lo volvería a escuchar y eso que la voz del hard rock de esa época me da cáncer, qué digo cáncer, me da Covid variante delta con chingos de carga viral, pero igual muy bien, Favs: Babe i'm gonna leave you y how many more times. Mood: te vo a dejar, bebé.
The Mayonnaise really achieved peak emulsion this week. First Jimi, now Zeppelin. Banger of an album, tracks a ton of different influences, definitely ahead of its time. Here's hoping we continue this hot streak.
Rock clásico. Tiene todo lo que será Led Zeppelin, trallazos de 2 minutos y canciones con largos desarrollos. Vocalmente espectacular.
Where to even begin. Subsequent albums were more varied, sprawling, more grandiose but this was the album that changed rock music forever. John Bonham and John Paul Jones combine to create the greatest rhythm section of all time and are the driving force behind Guitar virtuoso Jimi Page and the Inimitable Robert Plant. This is never more evident than on tracks like ‘Babe I’m gonna leave you’ and of course the spectacular, iconic Dazed and Confused. A song that is as much a part of hard rock culture as anything that came before it or has came since thanks to its foreboding baseline giving way to Bonham’s crashing drumming and Page’s shredding guitar work. But there are too many other great tracks on this album to list them all. From the psychedelic and pretty ‘your time is gonna come’ the folk sounds of ‘Black mountain side’, the bluesy chorus driven ‘good times bad times’ and the straight up rock and roll of ‘Communication breakdown’ the band show their diversity and technicality in spades here. The album closes with ‘how many more times’. This song is often overlooked by Zeppelin fans but for me it captures everything that early Led Zeppelin we’re about. John Paul Jones’ wonderful bass line sweeps you along before Bonham’s drumming and the gorgeous overdrive tones of Page’s Les Paul arriving soon after. The breakdown let’s you catch your breath briefly before the band collectively take you to a crescendo where Bonham’s spectacular drumming, playing with such power and precision - yet still managing to swing a little - steals the show once more. All That’s left of for Plant to show us why he was the most iconic rock frontman of his generation, perhaps of all time, and he surly obliges. A sensational album.
Top album. Almost all are great songs. Enjoyed greatly. What more can I say?
the band is mindblowing. the type of music you listen to enjoy, not to sing to nor to dance to, but to feel it, it makes you want to play the drums in a pub
Truly a 4.5 because Lez Zeppelin II exists but it didn't feel right to give it a 4.
Imagine you are in 1969 and you turn this album for the first time. Your mind would be absolutely blown. Bonzo's drumming still blows my mind 50 years later. Also, sex noises by Robert Plant. Flawless album, and as always, was a genuine joy to listen to again.
My favorite LZ album, the best debut album, an absolutely perfect album.
One of the most underrated bands ever. And this isn't even my favorite album.
What an amazing debut album. There aren't many bands that made a first impression like this. Not a bad track in the bunch and difficult to pick a favorite. John Paul Jones' organ intro on "You're time is gonna come" that opens side two just showcases how underrated he was as well, overshadowed by the other 3 members.
It almost seems unfair or obvious to give this album 5 stars. How would you not rate one of the top 3 rock bands of all time as a 5? But some bands grow into their best stuff. Led Zeppelin was amazing from the get go. Some straight ahead pounding and feet-stomping tunes (Good times bad times and Communication breakdown), some soaring ballads (Babe I'm gonna leave you), some trippy complex arrangements (is there any better example than Dazed and Confused?), and everything in between. Probably not even my favorite Led Zeppelin album and I'm not a super fan or anything. But you've got to respect their talent.
Leave it to the college prof to have gobs of time to spend writing a BOOK about each album. Just kidding ayron ;-) This one's a classic for sure. Not my favorite Zeppelin album, but an incredible debut.
This is is the album that started it all. All of the other Zeppelin songs and albums came from this.
What can anyone say about Led Zep that hasn’t already been said? Thanks Ayron for trying! But seriously, an amazing debut that set the bar high, and then they kept topping it. I never get tired of listening to or playing Led Zep.
5/5. Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands ever. All songs are amazing.
One of the greatest debut albums of all time from one of the great rock bands of all time. Enough said.
More Zep than ever before! Exciting to hear where it all began. A much bluesier Zeppelin that I'm familiar with. I can understand why this became a classic.
I feel there's a lot of promise to this band, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for this young lot. More seriously, this is probably the best debut album ever; musicians do not come more accomplished than this to begin with. Hard to believe this is only Zep's 4th best album (by my reckoning, which is widely regarded as the absolute truth by no one).