Reviews (page 8 of 15)
The first 3 LZ albums are all great, but I think they don't compare to 4 or Physical Graffiti. So this, along with 2 and 3 gets a solid 4 stars.
I enjoyed it
I like Led Zeppelin a lot more once they become less Blues Hammer, but it's hard to deny the power of this debut, even if it could stand to have 30% less simulated orgasms from Plant (in fairness, their second album is worse in this regard). Page's production is almost perfection, giving the elements space via innovative mic placements in order to capture the overwhelming live energy of the players. I could stand for more bass in the mix, though. Favorite song: Black Mountain Side
lo volveria a escuchar 4/5
Really good, although I've taken a better liking to the "rock style" ones rather than the slower paced ones. Which is ironic given the fact that the first the song by Led Zeppelin I've listen to was Stairway to Heaven. Amazing vocals and instrumentals.
It is hard to overestate what an extraordinary debut album this is, with Good Times, Bad Times arguably being the greatest introduction to a band ever. The music on this album blows away just about anything that was in the mainstream at the time. The uncredited use of so many blues songs by Black American artists has to be acknowledged and no matter how much that level of uncredited usage (I think its complicated in music to call this “stealing” but that’s not out of bounds imo) was the norm at the time, it was a shitty thing to do. It did have an impact on the awareness of these artists and their formative influence on rock and roll, but Led Zeppelin gets little credit given their choice to act like they were the full authors of these songs. The album remains a musical triumph that changed rock music. I’d give it 4.5 stars if I could.
Great one for sure. 4 stars.
Not my favorite Zeppelin album, but a great one to be sure.
When I was a teenager (wasn't this originally music for teenagers, by the way?) I didn't like this record as much as II or IV, finding it too bluesy... I find it more satisfying now, definitely at the level of the best Blues-Rock of the times (say, the Stones...) but heavier...
Solid classic rock
4.5
Like the solid foundation of a motif etc that’s goes throughout, but little intricate improvs make it so satisfying I listen to. A few very nice chords choices. And so many points where I’m hearing the basis for other well known songs. Hearing beastie boys and Aerosmith and the who to name a few
“iconic album cover and cassette beloved by 1980’s Camaro driving kids”
Good Times Bad Times ist ein großartiger Song, danach hat mich nichts mehr so umgehauen. Gutes Album, 3 1/2, ich runde auf.
Blues and Rock truly melding. Good Times Bad Times Dazed and Confused Communication Breakdown
All of Led Zeppelin is masterful. This record is much more subdued than I recall. For a debut record , this is a remarkable achievement. No one did blues infused rock and roll better than Zeppelin. Only reason I’m giving this a 4 instead of a 5 is that this is not the best of the best, and “You Shook Me”can get a tad tedious. (Maybe just that one). Basically Zeppelin gets even better and this album isn’t “perfect” like arguably some of their other records are. So I need to leave room for those other even mor
goeie, soms vond ik dat die iets meer mocht zingen ipv te schreeuwen maja whatever
Yeah some good early hard rock, really fun. 4 stars
Great debut record that crafted the beginnings of modern rock vocalist is very balanced, guitar work is fabulous Great standouts, Dazed and Confused and Good Time Bad Times Maybe a relisten is necassry, but not my favorite yet, and I think Zepplin has better albums after, particulary IV
I like this album bro
Classic!
Turned out I already liked one song from the album, but enjoyed some of the other tracks as well
- Good times bad times, the part were they sing the title is catchy and fun. And the guitar is amazing. The combination of both makes this a fun listen. -Babe I’m gonna leave you is a great rock heavy song with amazing performance. - You shook me contains an long and gripping instrumental part, ending not my favorite part. - Dazed and confused contains small ‘beat drop’ at the start. Also guitar rif followed by drums going ham. Second part includes another drum and guitat part that is outstanding and energetic. Favourite song so far. - Your time is gonna come, beginning feels like I’m in a churg. Great switch in music after the churg. First song where I am focussing on lyrics and the message and the delivarance is realy well done. Great and catchy chorus. Another standout song! With a fun transition into -Black mountain side, which is a shoter song with no lyrics and something that sounds like bongo’s?? - Communication breakdown, Hype intro and vocals are really rocky (what you expect in rock music), includes a guitar solo, also a little shorter track. - More relaxed with few guitar and vocal ‘shocks’, the guitar is going wild on this track. - How many more times, 8 minute track. Familiar beat, but amazing. Voice is something else around the middle. Great final 3 minutes. Thoughts: Album I didn’t realy expect to realy like, but I did. There were even a few outstanding songs, so overal for a first listen without focusing that much on lyrics it definitely suprised me.
4.5! Great album. Insane for debut.
Amazing album. Not my favourite LZ but I don’t think there is a bad one.
Yup. This wasn’t my generation’s music, nor something my parents exposed me to. Nevertheless it’s been a key influence on my musical tastes for the past 35 years. 4.5 stars
pretty good
It's a classic for a reason.
One of the greatest first albums in history and one of the ones that didn’t lead to a string of albums that were never as good as the first. That’s the only criticism I can give this album is that led zeppelin came out with the second album the same year and just blew this one out of the water. This album still deserves its flowers though, dazed and confused was one of the first metal riffs, babe I’m gonna leave you has entrancing folky verses and a hard rock chorus. In saying that the production is a little hap hazard but was immediately fixed the next album. Not a perfect album but no qualms about anyone putting this as a 5
I liked this a lot more than Physical Graffiti. I could definitely get into this.
Great debut, with a great first side. It kinda falls off into standard blues rock "baby baby baby ohhh woman baby" Robert Plantisms in its worst moments. Which isn't bad, don't get me wrong, but isn't the best Led Zeppelin has to offer.
It's not my cup of tea but it's a fantastically original piece of craft for its time
Great album
Love the Led
i mean what can i say, a literal classic.
Everyone wanted to be a blues band
fav so far
It has been too long since I listened to Led Zeppelin on any album and this has reminded me of how much i love their music. I followed this up with the second album on Vinyl.
This rocks
Surprisingly very blues coded! Loved You shock me and baby i’m gonna leave you were my favorites
I have to start by saying that I really like Led Zeppelin. However I never dove really deep into their works. I feel blessed hearing the creativity in those songs. Overall I would never guess the release date of that album to be'69. I really wonder how this album was greeted like in '69. Already listening to the second song, where the singers voice shines through. What a wonderfull singing voice. I really like the mixture of squeek and grit in his voice. Honestly the song lenth of some of the songs doesnt bother me, as long as I'm listening to the record as a whole. I have to say I love this piece, but how am I going to rate it? If I consider that it came out in 1969 it would easily be a 10/10. But But But since then a lot happened (Creed and Nickelback) so it will be 8,5/10 (4stars)! I'm happy I got Led Zeppelin before any beattles Album. I think the beattles are not good!
Bangerrrr yet another one dad got me into at a young age
It really is ahead of it's time for 1969
Very good, very psychedelic. This album was very interesting and the music was so different and colourful! Favourite song: Dazed and Confused. I like this song anyway but it was nice to see how it flows with the album as a whole
pretty good !
A good album, not really the sort of music I gravitate to, but I can appreciate the style. A single track didn’t really stick out to me, maybe that’s because it’s a well composed album, maybe that’s because they all sound similar, who’s to know
i tried listening to this a few years ago and i never really got into it but like,, ofc it's good... it's more blues-y than i expected. i'm not sure i'll ever listen to these songs on their own but i might sit down and listen to the album from time to time
first album on the list, soooo good even if i’m not that into rock. 🥸
Not my favourite zep but Babe I’m Gonna Leave you and dazed and confused bring it to the next level
Je connaissais que le deuxième titre, le plus connu "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You". Je l'avais jamais écouté en sa totalité et j'ai beaucoup aimé l'évolution de la place de l'intensité dans chaque morceau.
Dazed and Confused
An amazing debut by an immeasurably influential band. Still sounds fresh.
Great. What a debut
A very fuck you, you suck, wishing you the worst but also…. Maybe ??
Led Zeppelin debut album....c'mon now. Top tracks: Good Times Bad Times, Communication Breakdown, Your Time is Gonna Come, Dazed and Confused
Not too shabby for a bunch of studio musicians.
As Jack Black once said "Zeppelin's chill...Zeppelin's chill." Favorite Tracks: You Shook Me, Your Time is Gonna Come, Communication Breakdown, How Many More Times...,,,Black Mountain Side
I enjoyed every song on this record, however there are songs on other Zeppelin records that I certainly enjoy more. I'm torn between giving this a 3 or a 4. I think my actual ranking is a 3.5. Given that 3.5 isn't an option though, I'll round that up to a 4. It may not be my favorite, but it is incredibly good for a debut album.
I actually groaned when I saw this was the first album I got. It’s a classic, and maybe because I’m divorced from the context, I sometimes feel like these iconic albums aren’t that great. Then I feel like I’m just being contrarian… which is annoying. Kinda happy to say I enjoyed this one, though. I’m honestly way too young to know Led Zeppelin. My only reference was 13-year-old me getting hyped when their song played in Thor: Ragnarok. On the album itself: I was disappointed by the first track. I thought, "Oh, that’s it?" But then the second track hit, and… wow. That’s when I caught their bluesy vibe and knew I’d like it. "Dazed and Confused" and the vocal style really won me over—I love eccentric vocals, and knowing that would continue made me love the album. So yes, it’s a good album. In fact, a great one. The only frustration is that some songs meander, there’s no reason they needed to be six minutes long.
Listened before?: Only heard “I Can’t Quit You Baby” Favourite song: Your Time Is Gonna Come- makes me feel hopeful for the New Year. Probably the song that aligns most with my music taste, kind of Fleetwood Mac-esque Vibe of album: Dancing alone in a dark dive bar with an all-black outfit on, great road-tripping album, something really sexy about it Other thoughts: Seems really ahead of it’s time, felt like the first song was quite 60s but it got moodier as it went on, prefer the darker 70s vibe to the 60s one
I know the hits but don't much else, no titles off this album rang a bell for me when I started listening. I knew Led Zeppelin was rooted in blues, but wow, I didn't know they started off this bluesy. You Shook Me into Dazed and Confused is textbook blues and their Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf influences are on full showcase here. I Can't Quit You Baby - no idea this was them. I swear I've heard another version/cover of this before though?
The less Harry Potter shit this band gets into the better. Good album.
This is one of the most acclaimed debut albums in history and I can hear why. The talents of all four Zeppelin members are there and making a great effort on hits such as Good Times Bad Times and Dazed and Confused. Yet while I find this to be generally good, their later stuff shines far brighter for me. Maybe bluesy Zeppelin is less my thing though they do it better on other records, but here, it’s a big influence. I’m not too crazy on You Shook Me or I Can’t Quit You here though they offer good opportunities to hear great soloing. The closer, while having a kick-ass riff, goes too all over the place. Maybe my problem is with how rushed the sequencing feels, I don’t know. The real highlights are HIGHLIGHTS however. Good Times and Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You are classics. Dazed And Confused is probably my favorite track. Your Time Is Gonna Come, Communication Breakdown: great stuff. But compared to the other record in the quad set, I don’t resonate with it as much. All it is is a fitting introduction to one of the greatest bands to ever do it and that’s enough. By II, the world was theirs for the taking (8/10, 4/5 on this scale)
Great album, what a great band. Listening to it in the context of the rest of this stuff really underlines how outstanding they were, and I was particularly struck by Robert Plant's vocals. Unbelievable.
Loved it! Surprising as I thought Led Zeppelin was more hard core rock, but a lot of the songs on this album were easier listening
good times bad times - looooved the guiter so much in the background and then they hit me with 2 guitar riffs and i start ascending from my seat. highkey wish it was longer. 9/10 babe im gonna leave you - the way this song started calmer than the previous one you'd think we'd keep that vibe until we get the drum parts but they start hitting the drums and you get out of that daze - going along with how the lyrics are talking about theyre leaving their partner. getting out of a relationship is kind of like the calm before the storm in this context. 7.5/10. really loved the drums!! you shook me - this song is slower than the other 2 and somehow feels different but its really not ? idk how to explain it maybe its the harmonica ? but this song feels like the one theyd play tuesday night at a bar and you're on a date and its going well . love the play on how hes been singing about a bird at the beginning of the song and then he makes bird noises during the end as if to emphasize that hes the bird all along ? idk i might be pulling shit out of my ass. 6 or 7 /10 depends on my mood dazed and confused - listening to the other 3 songs and then getting into dazed and confused is perfect especially for the "dazed" part. the person in the lyrics is pushing the singer away and giving the cold shoulder treatment right after "shaking him" and then him thinking he might leave them for good, and that really emphasizes the daziness and confusion. really loving 3:40-5:00 part !!! 7/10 your time is gonna come - hearing wedding/chruch bells at the beginning of the song you'd think your time really is coming ; either you're dying or you were thinking of a wedding and how you were gonna marry this person and end your life with them until it hits you with "lying, cheating" and that hits you like a truck out of nowhere because you dont know what to do now unless you end it no matter what. repeating the same sentence at the end really captures the unforgiveness and emphasizing of his own feelings that no matter what he'd hate this person because of their betrayal. 8/10 black mountain side - absolutely LOVED the transition !!! came out of nowhere but i liked it. feels like an interlude i might be wrong tho. communication breakdown - like the beat a lot. feels like something id play while getting ready in the morning (added it to the playlist) might feel like a simple song because its short but imo thats how it feels like having a communication breakdown; you have a lot to say and dont know how to get the words out and it gets very frustrating especially during an argument and that makes the other party not exactly get what youre trying to portray. 8/10 i can't quit you baby - not being able to quit the person you love the most even after they keep breaking your bond, trust, love and heart has got to be the worst feeling ever. melody for this song gives me same vibe of tuesday night bar date. 6.5/10 how many more times - funny how after saying their time is coming and how theyre never forgiving them now theyre trying to win them back by giving treats or anything they want. then the beat drops and it looks like he's the one who cant the resist the cheating now ? lowkey liked the first part of the song more not really vibing with the second half rn. beat drops again (kinda) and then hes back to saying he wants her to come back ooo ok thats interesting. i like that a lot as an album outro tho very clever its like how even tho hes still mad hes very conflict and still dazed and confused over his own feelings. 7/10 => a very short album but it feels like you've gone through the 5 stages grief with him upon finding out the person you've loved the most betrayed you and that is portrayed in a very raw and beautiful way i liked how i am also left in a daziness and conflicted state of mind.
Um gênero musical muito distinto dos quais eu estou acostumado a ouvir. A experiência de ter ouvido foi muito legal.
Hann inte lyssna men har lyssnat innan och ÄLSKAR!
Blues rock with a side of plagiarism. Still hits in parts.
Probably second favourite led zep
Great debut from an all-time classic band. But they got even better over the next few albums, so I'll go with 4 for this one.
Not a very consistent album but great nonetheless. It felt like they didn’t have enough ideas for a fully featured release, so some part are just kind of random. That transition from Your Time Is Gonna Come to Black Mountain Side sounds goofy, and that thing they did a couple of time when the guitar was trying to replicate the vocalist’s moans, and many more. That being said, the good ideas on this album are fantastic. There are a bunch of great riffs, and the drumming is incredible. Very energetic and catchy album. The vocals were a hit or miss for me. He’s way too obsessed with the word baby/babe on this album specifically, for some reason, and that gets pretty annoying. The choruses are great, though. Still, this is easily a top 3 Led Zeppelin album for me, maybe even my favorite.
Get me a motorcycle.
This one is pretty bluesy, but it has some rocking moments as well. I enjoyed it a lot but it's still not the best by them. However, it's pretty hard not to enioy something when Robert Plant sings.
dazed and confused 💯💯💯
Brilliant album. Whole thing is a bop. Helluva debut album, damn. Revisiting it has been a joy.
The first glimpse of this band capacity. A sound that is robust, solid and powerful. With carisma and a British flavour has some mark here that make this band unique.
I said in my Physical Graffiti review that there were at least 3 top tier Zeppelin albums and this is definitely one of them. LZ1 is so punchy and straightforward, yet it still displays the genius of the band. This is one of the best rock debuts in the history of the genre. While it’s a masterclass in blues and hard rock, I think it just barely misses the mark due to some awkward pacing and transitions.
Some absolute bangers, but there are a couple tracks I could do without. Overall an amazing debut album. Favorite track: Good Times Bad Times
Great vibes. Chill. Classic for a reason
When I started listening, I mainly intended to listen to new music and artists I had never heard of. Now I see a new benefit. I finally get to listen to some of the greats that I had previously not bothered to do a deep dive into. Nice blues feel and objectively an incredible first album by any band.
What can you say, the start of the next wave of rock and a view into what they’ll do going forward. Not perfect but they get there
Really solid, 4th best zeppelin
It's fine. Classic old-school rock. As a youth, I didn't like Zepp because everyone loved them. Contrarian from birth! Over time, as I heard more of the non-radio cuts, I grew to appreciate them for their musicianship. I still don't ever pursue Zepp songs/albums, but I don't just turn them off either. Obviously, the classic singles are good, but most of the rest are good too. I think it's a shame they ended this with "How Many More Times" because it's the weakest track on the album. Sort of a let-down. The musicians are really great. They took chances and experimented which really changed the original blues they were based on. It's a quality album that I won't try to listen to again, but probably will hear most of the songs again. I'm giving it a 4 because while it is quite good and obviously influential, it doesn't quite stir my soul and R Plant says Baby a bit too much.
You know, I had rock lobster saved in my library already and I have no idea why. Added 52 girls as well. I hadn’t really thought of them as new wave because I’ve mostly listened to British new wave, but I might’ve saved rock lobster off of a new wave playlist
This isn't the best Zeppelin album(that's IV all the way), but it's still an early Zeppelin album. And early Zeppelin albums are always full of excellent hard rock songs. The musicianship is undeniably excellent, and it sounds pretty much exactly like you'd expect from Zeppelin, with gargantuan guitar riffs, thunderous drumming, and high-pitched rockstar vocals. Unfortunately, this loses points for plagiarism. It's still an excellent album, despite having some flaws.
Classic
Classic
Loved the voice.
Album from which I discovered Zepp in my adolescense. Feels like a blueprint of everything that will come later. The bass from dazed and confused will forever live.
Unique gritty sound
f'n rocks!
Great rocking
Tiptop Led Zeppelin, Tiptop. Bravo Musig. 4 Tickets bitte
Cracking listen start to finish
4/5 Beautiful guitar solos with some of the worst vocals of all time. Not sure why I enjoyed this album as much as I did, but it would easily be a 5 if these guys ever shut their damn mouths. The synth in so many of the instrumentals was a nice touch, too.
Whenever you play this, the musicianship is the thing that hits hardest. Just always jaw droppingly impressive. I've always struggled a bit with Robert Plant's voice, but it can't spoil the party in the end. Never bought into this being the birthplace of Metal, that belongs to Sabbath. All the same, this is the birth of something pretty unique....heavy blues is the best label I can give it. Must've been astonishing to hear this for the first time back in 1969. Do I love it. Nope. But I'm still amazed by it....kind of envy those that do love it! 4
More bluesy than I would have thought given their later albums. Still, the seeds are there, and Robert Plant sounds awesome as ever
Pretty good for a debut album. Wonder if they made anything else
Feels more improvised, but they are still giving all they've got.
BRA
Four stars
Jan ‘69 debut of arguably the greatest all time rock band. Every band member is a virtuoso musician in his own right. Heavy blues influence. Vocals are raw. Plant really evolves between this and II.
This album has a lot of complexity and layers. I really appreciate how they blend the instruments.
4 dudes moving in different directions somehow find ridiculous grooves. As such - JPJ is the true standout here. Comes out kicking and stays ferocious. Hungry. II is better. But this...wow.
Darn great preformance by every member of the band
I am biased against Led Zeppelin bc they're my mom's favourite band which makes them inherently uncool in my mind but I must admit this rocks.
Great classic rock album. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You the best track, but the album flies by despite the length of its songs
Classic one of the best Stones albums
With Led Zeppelin, the whole is LESS than the sum of the parts. There are many great riffs and musically interesting moments - my favorite might be when the music explodes halfway through “Babe” - but the end result often feels less than authentic. I think a lot is explained by the fact that Robert Plant was only 20 when this album was released. (Jimmy Page 25, John Bonham 20 and JPJ 23.) This renders the lyrics and the blues presentation less credible, even as each individual musician shines. Still, it is an impressive debut album with great musicianship.
Hells yeah. Not their best but still fantastic.
Rock and roll!
classic rock album good starting place
Desde el primer disco lo tenían clarísimo. Fusionar lo mejor del rock con el que crecieron, sin dejar atrás las raíces de todos los géneros musicales que les dieron voz. Este podría ser el mejor disco de cualquier banda. De los Zeppelin, aún nos faltaba mucho, MUCHO, por descubrirles. Joya.
Don't think I've ever listened all the way through, better than I expected to be honest.
Not my fav zeppelin album but goated..
I definitely prefer Led Zeppelin IV, but this was still a great listen
This is insane. It's absolutely great. I like every song and with a few listens, I'm sure it's going to be a 5 star album for me, but meanwhile 4.5⭐
It's a classic for a reason, again. I feel like I say this often but it's true.
Yeehaw! 🤠🎸
4.5 44:45 (9 tracks) Debut Album. 1969 Classic album that further merged blues/folk with rock and cemented England as a 'home away from home' blues mecca (Yardbirds, Cream, Jeff Beck, Clapton, etc., etc., etc.) It's hard to overstate how important this album was to all rock to come. I give it a four (not five) only because I'm very stingy and it's not my favorite Led Zeppelin album but again it's probably the most influential. Interesting trivia is Page paid for the recording out of pocket, and it cost under $2,000 (that's about $41k USD in 2025, which for a musician without a fan base after leaving the Yardbirds. This was a heck of a gamble; obviously he knew he was on to something.) This investment gave Led Zepplin artistic freedom most bands in the 70's and 80's never enjoyed. Had this not happened who knows what Zepplin II, III, IV, et. al. may have sounded like.
These guys are geniuses. Jimmy page manages to shred a sound that is still so influential almost 60 years laters. This album could still to numbers if it was released today. Hadn’t ever listened from start to finish but Jesus. I can’t even fathom how anyone could create such a pure sound. Love the blues vibe of You Shook Me. Long song but made better by Page just crashing out on the strings. Only voting down because I prefer their later albums more.
Solid. Some great tracks
Man what a voice! The call and response between vocals and screeching guitar had me going. Cool sound for the era. Seems so much more well produced than its peers.
Long time peripheral fan of the band going back to high school when I discovered LZIV. This is a solid album and insane when you consider it’s their debut…the late 60s spawned some incredible debuts. Page soars and Bonham fills are great. Plant remains for me the weakest link - the sexual moaning and droning on about women is why Sabbath is the better band. This was the first time I recognized a number of recycled riffs...for example portions of Communication Breakdown feel Whole Lotta Love. As a debut I’d give it a 5/5 but I don’t think it’s their best. 4/5.
Almost a little jazzy, like I could hear them being a little improvising and its really cool. One thing i like a lot is the drumming. Its very crisp and it compliments and enhances a lot of the rest of the instruments. The singer is very passionate, almost a little tooooo passionate like sometimes he sings the riff the guitar is playing and its a little corny but otherwise a great album 8/10
Man, these guys did all of the drugs. Songs like You Shook Me or Dazed and Confused sound like it'd be easier to test their alcohol blood level than their blood alcohol level. Still great. I hope I can sing that well when I'm high/drunk. I prefer the more Hard Rock-adjacent sound of Led Zep IV compared to this album, but this is still great, albeit, so very drugs.
As far as freshmen efforts go, this may be the gold standard. Only reason it’s not a 5-Star is because I know they just get better and better.
Great songs, only rating it a 4 because I know how great the coming albums are.
This is a CLASSIC RECORD. It really is an amazing debut album, for undoubtedly one of the greatest rock groups of all time.
Timeless classic, out of the songs I didn’t hear before I liked Your Time Is Gonna Come the most. 8/10 album.
My favorite Led Zeppelin album so far. First one where I actually understood the hype
Love it
Killer start with "Good Times, Bad Times". What a way to kick off an album Never been a huge Zeppelin fan, but this album shows off their influences well. It's eclectic in its own way, but the foundations of everything we know the band to be are all right there from the jump.
Oh my my, what a day today “Good Times Bad Times” is arguably the best career opener of all time, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” is amazing. “Dazed And Confused” is awesome “Your Time Is Gonna Come” is great and “Black Mountain Side” is a very pleasant instrumental. However and this is my hot take for the day, this album is slightly worse than it’s generally considered. The first half is truly excellent but the second half falls off a little for me. It’s very bluesy and pleasant but many of the songs are literally stolen and it kinda has very little variety in sound, something Zeppelin would get much better about in their career. However despite that this is an excellent album
Basically the epitome of rock
What a seismic change to rock n roll this must have been, and a lot of it shines through still today, but the four Zeppelin albums that followed this were just such undeniable 5-star classics, and this feels like more of a pitch for what was to come. Definitely brings back some Columbus Ohio QFM 96.3 sense memories listening to this all the way through.
Good record
Another I’ve heard before and love! My Zeppelin phase in high school was strronnggggg. I listened to their first 5 albums + parts of Physical Graffiti and Presence on repeat. This album is great! I love the blues influences on here, probably the strongest it ever is on any Zeppelin album. Standout tracks: - Good Times, Bad Times - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Dazed and Confused* - Your Time Is Gonna Come - How Many More Times John Bonham is tha GOAT
Rock, Blues, 1969 -> 4
Great but not my favorite Zep
classic basslines and good riffs. i love it Would I listen again: yes Deserves to be on this list: yeah 4.4
I remember this record fondly as a young teen. It had been out a couple of years before I discovered it in around 1974. As a freshman in high school the older kids had already discovered this and Black Sabbath. As a freshman it was like being offered entry into a cult. The seniors had discovered pot and acid and this record and Vol. 4 were part of the soundtrack to my high school years. Dazed and Confused, Communication Breakdown and Good Times Bad Times were in an endless loop as most of us, myself included, had these tracks on endless loop as we spent summers drinking, smoking and dropping at parties by the lake about 20 miles south of Whitehorse. I bought the album and played this songs skipping over the more traditional Blues numbers. Not that they were not good songs - they certainly were but the guitar noodling particularly on tracks like I Can’t Quit You Baby and You Shook Me were too traditional for my taste. Over time I came to appreciate other tracks on this record, in particular the last track on side 2, the wonderful How Many More Times, which I discovered while higher than a kite during a show at the Planetarium in Vancouver BC while I was in college. It was crazy good watching stars with a plant and Page grooving on this marching song. As I think about how this period was so fertile for new sounds, this album is at the start of that journey and certainly influenced rock going forward. I discovered punk in 1977 and that altered the journey again. This record would never be played again by me until now. I recall it fondly and time (and a great remix) have treated this gem well.
8/10 This is a really great debut, particularly from an, at the time, unsigned band. While they haven’t fully hit their stride yet, Led Zeppelin are only a few steps away from hitting the heights of what they would achieve in the albums that followed. In its best moments, there is some truly special work on this album, from the dynamic range of Babe I’m Gonna Leave You to the hard rocking excellence of Communication Breakdown, but there are also times when things don’t quite hook up in a completely satisfying way. I feel like there are little drifts here and there, and some of the tracks that would no doubt have been epic live experiences don’t necessarily translate quite so well onto record, like the call and response guitar and vocal solo in You Shook Me. It’s probably also worth highlighting the outright thievery of Jimmy Page for a number of these tracks. Zep did start to swing more to truly original compositions as their career progressed, but the uncredited plagiarism on display across this album is a real shame. In the blues tradition, there’s no problem covering, adapting or borrowing, just give credit where it’s due, eh Jimmy? But that aside, this is a really enjoyable and fascinating listen. It’s the sound of a band finding their sound, creating (or stealing) some fantastic songs and putting them together into a really competent package in preparation to continue their journey in future albums. This will rarely be the first Zep album that I choose to put on when I’m in the mood, but that’s as much due to the quality of their later work rather than a low opinion of this. Great songs, quality album, better yet to come. Good Times Bad Times - It’s a good start to the album. Solid if unspectacular bluesy rock, with some strong work from Bonham and Page in particular. Robert Plant gives us a few hints of what he can do, bit it doesn’t really catch fire just yet. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - We’re starting to lift off now. The soft opening with just Plant and Page is excellent, and the dynamic switches are really great. The vocal is that typically languid style to begin with and then he drives it harder into the soaring sections later. This track is patient in its delivery and shows great restraint to save top gear for key moments. You Shook Me - Back to something more trad blues. That languid, pitch sliding on the vocal and lead guitar is great and there’s some really solid harmonica playing here. It perhaps lumbers along a little bit too long, particularly at the pace it moves at. I feel like this is one of those ones that would be a fantastic experience live, but doesn’t quite hit the same way on record, particularly the vocal and guitar call and response at the end. Dazed And Confused - This has more of the slow blues thing from the previous track, but throws in more pacy sections to pick the momentum up here and there. There are some really quality riffs here and about halfway through, things really take off. It takes its time over certain sections, but it’s a really great journey of a track, and every member of the band really shines. Your Time Is Gonna Come - The intro is perhaps a bit disjointed from the rest of the track, but when it drops to the stripped back organ line and the band joins in, it’s so, so good. It’s folk, bluesy and rocky in a brilliant blend. It’s fairly straight down the line, but it’s executed so well. Black Mountain Side - Some Bert Jansh playing here. It’s apparently a pretty straight take off of how Jansch played this himself before Page stole it and failed to give credit. It’s very well executed, but this is probably the most stark example of uncredited thievery on this album, as even the playing style is so closely copied. Communication Breakdown - Ok, you’ve got me back on board gents. That riff is top tier Page work. This is the kind of Zep stuff that I love. It’s driven, exciting and so hooky. It’s a fantastic slice of heavy blues rock and every element of it is engaging and invigorating. Quality. I Can't Quit You Baby - Back to a song with some fantastic tempo and dynamic changes. It simmers along and Page and Plant get to show off their chops while Jones and Bonham lay down a super cool groove. They strike a brilliant balance of all of the different elements here and it’s such a satisfying performance all round. How Many More Times - There’s a great swing to the opening of this and that psychedelic guitar effect is great at building the vibe. It’s another one of those journey songs like Dazed and Confused and there are some really top notch riffs in here, and moments when the band just come together in a beautifully connected form that gives everything such drive and impact, especially those triplet breaks. It’s a pretty glorious way to end the album.
Probably more like a 3.8 but giving it a four because it is such good quality. Very good music, songs stand out as something special. Would listen again. Albums like this makes me with we had half stars!
They would do better later... still, nice mix of rock'n'roll, hard rock and blues
Incredible production for a first album, but then again, it's Led Zeppelin, so prolific from the start. This album has a few longer songs that transcend a regular listening session, and make it even more enjoyable. Excellent.
I may have listened to this before but I am not sure… I did really enjoy it, though. Good riffs, excellent musicianship and good structures. Almost veered into noodling territory at the end but kept it in check.
I really like the heavy blues influence on this, particularly some of the lesser known album tracks. Some overstay their welcome a little bit, and Plant can dial it down quite a bit but the drums and guitar in particular carry so much weight in the tracks it kind of fits and doesn’t sound as rubbish as it might otherwise.
O que falar de um clássico desses, um álbum de estreia que começa com Good Times Bad Times não tem como dar errado. A história está aí pra provar isso.
favorite song on the album: Good Times Bad Times
Yeah, it's Led Zeppelin. The first one. I'm not really good when it comes to understanding the cultural and time context of an old album, but I can "feel" that this one was a shocker. It is very very good, timeless and classic, and not a 5 star album because you can compare it (now) to their other stuff, and I feel they have better, more complete, works. Unfair, but in a good way.
Lenghty for today's ears.
No podes clavar un disco así en 1969. 8/10
Good
I was just sitting here enjoying the album and all of a sudden it was over! Zep has a way of just flowing over you like a cool breeze on a warm day.
OoOoOooO BABY babyy Oh woman OooooOoooo BABBBYYYY
Segundo que me toca de LZ e igualmente brutal. Estará todas su discografía, que me faltan al menos el II y el IV
I think I get the evolution of blues to rock now maybe
I don’t think this is my favorite Led Zeppelin album I’ve encountered so far, but it’s still extremely well done. No standout song as they all kind of flowed into each other, but enjoyed throughout
Enjoyed it - haven’t really listened to the album for a long time and it’s more blues influenced than I remember.
grosse fan vo dazed and confused
recht geil! mängisch ischs mer chli zu abgspaced oder rockig gsi für en müede fiirabig.. aber sehr vielfältig, vo ruhig bis wild, vo rock bis country-artig. z.b. de kontrast vom erste zum afang vom zweite song isch mega schön. d akkörd in your time is gonna come töned doch wie die in sweet home alabama oder?
No doubt one of the best first albums ever. Robert Plant's screeching does grate on me after a while, though
Damn, i had a whole thing about how zeppelin is good but i hate them, and this debut is also good, but some of the songs are too long and robert plant sounds kind of annoying on them (the longer ones). Oh well, helluva debut.
Every Zep album contains some classics and this has four of them. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You… just so good. For a debut it’s seriously impressive, and it *sounds* great too, with tight playing enhanced further by forward-thinking recording trickery. On the other hand, the remaining 5 tracks are a marked step down, with a couple of them being bog-standard blues numbers - their very best albums are more consistent and more consistently original. This album also leans on other people’s songwriting a few times, which may detract from its status a bit? 3.5 / 4
I came into this not expecting much, as I don't tend to like hard rock. The last thing I expected was a blues-heavy, psychedelic-heavy collection with the greatest guitar work i've heard in a while, that somehow makes the harmonica hype. As I said the guitar is incredible. the singing could be a lot worse, not too much technical skill but its perfect for the purposes of this music. It's a bit hard listening to this with the modern ear, as this type of rock has become mocked and parodied extensively to where it's hard to take entirely seriously, especially as this is not my style of music, but it's still great even considering that, although I don't think it's the masterpiece it's said to be. Good Times Bad Times: 79/100 - good teen rock feel, guitar work is incredible and i like the chorus Babe I'm Gonna Leave You: 69/100 - weird switchup from the last track in the intro, although i like it, but from 1:00 to 1:15 it just sounds like a generic country riff, and the lyrics are quite lacking. After the 2 minute mark the guitar picks up a lot of slack and the lyrics actually fit the intensity, but from 3:30 to the end of the track it just feels unnecessarily long. You Shook Me: 76/100 - I like the psychedelic sound (although I can't appreciate it fully as I've never done drugs), and the organ and harmonica sections are great. The blues-y feel is something I love although I don't listen to blues much. Just doesn't live up to the Muddy Waters version, but that's some of the best blues I've ever heard so I can't fault it for that. I don't like the screaming at the end though. Dazed and Confused: 81/100 - The loud vocals work so well with the instrumental work. I've never heard a harmonica or an organ sound as sick as they do here. The instrumental break around the halfway mark definitely adds to the ethereal feeling but not in a way I like. The instrumentals afterwards though, were great, if a bit extended, which unfortunately seems to be a common theme (at least up to this point) Your Time Is Gonna Come: 74/100 - Out the gate, the organ intro is lovely. other than that i don't have much to say. it's alright Black Mountain Side: 66/100 - it's alright but i don't understand why it was included Communication Breakdown: 75/100 - definitely better than the last, the raw almost desperate vocals are a very nice touch although some of the harmonies i don't like I Can't Quit You Baby: 84/100 - Definitely my favourite of the tracks with this format of 'raw intense vocals // instrumental break // soft vocals // intense vocals' How Many More Times: 64/100 - Did this really need to add 20% to the album's runtime? No, it didn't. it gets boring after the first 4 minutes honestly. From around the 6 minute mark onwards is great though, lifts this up from being a skip for me (mostly) overall rating: 74/100
Strong 4. So nearly a 5. Really need half points man
Classic album by a great band. A bit before my time and I never listened to them too much growing up. Never had any of their albums. But hard to argue with the classics.
ok, now I get why Led Zeppelin is so hyped- they *are* that good. I think with many eras of classic rock my enjoyment of it is directly proportional to its distance to blues--this was very bluesy and I liked it a lot
Not their best work, but still some of the best music ever made.
The babe babe babe babe of babe I’m gonna leave you might be one of the most annoying things produced by a band I like
Wow these guys sound a lot like that new band Greta Van Fleet. Pretty derivative tbh
Album's great, but yeah Led Zeppelin stole EVERYTHING. The blues part is debatabale, but the song credits definitely.
From a debut in Daft Punk's "Homework" that felt very much like a debut to a debut that sounds like a band that has been playing for 10 years and already has a few albums under their belt. This album kicks ass. I was familiar with some of the songs but I never listened to it all the way through and I am very happy that I was given the opportunity, and on a Friday no less!
Very good
Great album with a great instrumental
You know, at least it’s not the fourth 70s rock album in a row. Cuz it’s a 60s one… but it is Leddy Zeppy though. In all seriousness this was actually an incredibly good album and a big refresher from the slop I’ve had recently. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You really stood out to me. Great all around though.
(3.75) would listen again
Whole Lotta Zep!
Brilliant!
Very good. Kids thought it was good. It dragged on a bit but you can't beat that opening of an opening song for a debut album.
It's good rock and roll, but I dunno, something about it didn't totally stick with me. I think I've been spoiled listening to amazing rock albums over the years and maybe this one didn't feel as impressive? Maybe I was over hyped and was expecting a life changer? I dunno. But it's still good.
4.6
The origin of the sound. I’ve listened to IV many times before, so I don’t know if it’s the same level for me yet, but definitely very good.
I think this is one of the best all time Debut albums by a rock band. Each song displays the band's individual Virtuality and their unique ability to bring it all together In a sound that was avant guard for the day, And is still fresh. Oh yeh, jonh Paul Jones and John Bonham are absolute beasts.
241021 11:50 3.5
Cet album de Led Zep est tellement mieux que le premier qu’on a écouté …!!! En y repensant, je ne suis aps sûr que j’avais déjà écouté un album en entier. J’avais oublié « baby I’m gonna leave you » dont j’étais fan plus jeune, ça m’a fait du bien de l’entendre ! En comparaison avec l’autre album : mieux structuré, on comprend mieux l’histoire. Plus dynamique.
J'ai vraiment bien kiffé 4/5
HELL YEAH!!! love me some Zepc baybay!!
Great record. A few duds, but overall a solid joint.
The birth of Heavy Metal started with Led Zeppelin 1. This album is so much HEAVIER than I remember it being, although I do think they lean a little too hard on the slow, psychedelic blues thing (even though that WAS their thing). While I’m not the biggest fan of the slower blues numbers, just like I’m not the biggest fan of KISS’s 1998 disasterpiece “Psycho Circus”, I was much more accepting of them this time around (says the 40 year old white dude). They definitely have their place in Led Zep lore and really anchored the early years of the band. The songs that really stand out to me are the original rock jams. “Communication Breakdown”, “Good Times, Bad Times”, and “Your Time is Gonna Come” take this album out of blues cover band status and give us a glimpse of the band soon to come: absolute Rock Gods.
Fantastic album, not their best but a good start Favourite song - Communication Breakdown
Not my favorite Zeppelin, but still better than almost every other album. Wishing again for half stars!
Certainly not their best album but an amazing debut.
Ei mitään moitittavaa. Hyvät vibat
Geiles Album aber zu viele gitarrensolos 4/5
Just iconic. So many zeppelin bangers. The transitions better songs are so quick and seamless. Great listen from to back. I’m sure there’s better ones out there so being conservative for now but this is a top tier album. Overall rating: 4.6/5
This must’ve blown peoples minds in 1969
This is such a great debut album, probably one of the best of all time. Although it's not my favorite Led Zep album (hi there, Led Zep IV), it's right up with Led Zep II and Houses of the Holy for being just downright amazing. Blues rock at it's finest. 4.25 / 5 stars
It's Zeppelin so obviously it's great, not their BEST album but still great
Sixties, but in a good way.
I have no idea how many times I've heard this album, but out the first 5-6 albums, this is the one I've listened to the most. It's not their best in my mind, because they were still doing the brit bluesy thing and not really going off course with their own vision. I't s damn good record none the less.
Classic Led
Banger after banger. There is a reason I asked for the box set for Christmas. Yea they stole a bunch of blues stuff but at least that added their own thing. What a treat.
This is a pretty good album. Pretty much sets the tone for future LZ albums to come later.
Great, but... I was expecting more? 8/10
Blows me away this was 1969 , every guitar slide, every crack in Plant’s voice, every Bonham stomp still feels alive.
Classic all time great rock and roll album, every song is a hit
I thought that this was my favorite Led Zeppelin album but now I'm not sure. There isn't really one that stands out to me as being better than the rest. I think I have to relisten to Zeppelin 4 and Physical Graffiti again. Anyways this is an obvious classic with obviously classic songs. 8/10. Favorite track: Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
Mästerverk.
Goated
8/10
4.5. Not as good as LZ IV
Crazy how this album isn’t even in LZ’s top 3
The voice, the guitar, the bass, the drums. Zeppelin fuckin rules. Not a bad song on this album imo. I slept on the song Your Time is Gonna Come, now it’s one of my faves. I can only imagine how many brains melted the first time this shit hit the airwaves
Prettyyyyy pretty good. Lots of standards, but some skips if I’m not in the right mood.
Had a small Led Zeppelin phase and now coming back to these songs... they are even better than i remember
A fantastic debut to a fantastic band. A level of sound and energy, alongside a beautiful musical arrangement that captivates you one minute into the album. Great work. ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
love this one!
The big tracks are great, I hoped the 1st album might not have as much of the the indulgent slow stuff but it is still there
My ratings thus far have shown Led Zeppelin IV is the best. Pretty awesome for a debut, tho. 4/5
hell yeah LD1, that cover is punk as fuck. Communication Breakdown has always been my fave song by them. from start to finish, the beats of this record are timeless. its been forever etched into the HUMAN zeitgeist, way beyond just music. since i first heard it, I've had a fascination for Babe I'm Gonna to Leave You. its such a clean buildup - no pretention, no gimmicks, no dead space - just a solid song that no one had seen before that. I don't love every song, and i don't really like this band, but this is the best thing they have ever done imo. Good Times is an okay opener. i don't love all these songs, but in order, everything is here. Black Mountain Side shows that this isn't fad music but has some experience to justify all these choices. i like the meandering ending. its 4/5 but pushing it so close to 5. i like the gospel choir feel of Your Time Is Gonna Come.
Probably underrated in Zep's discography. I think this is top 3.
Gutes Album, sehr stimmig alles und auch noch echt kurzweilig. Ging schneller zu Ende, als ich es erwartet habe. - "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", "Dazed and Confused" sind mir sehr aufgefallen / hängen geblieben 4/5 4 – Hat mir gut gefallen 👍 Ich hatte Spaß beim Hören, einige Songs bleiben hängen. Könnte ich mir gut nochmal anhören.
8/10 Favorite: Good Times Bad Times
Музыка: 9/10 Разнообразие: 8/10 Тематика и вайб: 8/10 Цепляемость (отдельные песни зашли): 6/10 Реиграбельность (можно ли рандомно врубить на фон): 8/10 Итог: 7.8
Great album. Heavy, bluesy. Sounds a couple of years later than 1969. Would have been 5 stars but some of the songs are overlong.
Such a great raw and great rock sound. For a debut, this gotta be one of the best, no wonder they got so big.
Really good all-around rock album. Not LZ's top one, in my opinion, but still a great listen with some awesome songs. It's worth some added consideration since it's their first ever album as a group. I've already talked about LZ and my affinity for guitar-heavy, blues-based rock quite a bit in prior reviews, so not a lot new for me to say here. That makes up the majority of the album, so I was happy. I'll note the added instrumental track, Black Mountain Side, was an interesting change up from the rest of the album. Being more critical, I have to again note the number of covers/re-arrangements take away from my ranking. As happens often with LZ, there is some dispute about how much of their work is truly original compositions. Even so, they still do it incredibly well. For me, it's pretty simple- just listen to it and rock out. It's a really good record for that. Just a few minor qualms keep it out of 5-range for me, especially comparing it to some of their other albums. Overall: 4.25/5
This album has been reviewed to death and there's nothing I can add that hasn't already been said by someone more eloquent than me. However, as a biased Zeppelin fan, there are a few songs on this album I don't love, which stops it from being a full 5/5.
Great album, bangers start to finish. I really thought about giving it five stars, but landed on four because I gave five stars to Led Zeppelin IV, and although this album is great, I do think that IV is better!
It sounds like the essence of rock and roll.
Raw, bluesy and energetic. Loved this although it wasn't as versatile as Physical Graffiti.
These guys love the blues. It can feel a little more bare bones at times compared to where they would get to. An interesting debut album. Dazed and Confused is the best track here. This isn't as strong for me when they are just doing the more basic blues songs. There are moments with Led Zeppelin where it's like Greensleves English traditional folk music meets the blues. Which I also find interesting. I'm giving this a 4 just comparing it to future albums, but still great.
Just a really good rock album. It's not Led Zep 2 though.
Great classic album. Lots of hits that I have heard a million times. It's great but I hear these songs often enough in my daily life that I would never think to put this album on. It's one of the best albums that I will never listen to again.
Only made it about halfway through but definitely enjoyed it and will finish at some point
From the opening stabs of “Good Times Bad Times”, you know this album is going to rock. Led Zeppelin strolled seductively across the stage so that heavy metal bands could run. There would not be an Iron Maiden feature Bruce Dickinson and his eternal and youthful energy without Led Zeppelin’s greasy, heavy blues rock. Other standouts include “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”, the simultaneously sexy and trippy “Dazed and Confused”, and “Communication Breakdown”.
Powerful stuff, it almost feels/sounds like that with this album Zepp brought an end to the 60s and ushered in the 70s a year early.
Great musicianship, solid tunes, as usual though, I’m never over excited by Zepp and fail to get the hype. They are good, they albums never strike me as great.
Led Zeppelin, being one of my favorite bands, any ratings are going to be biased. This is a solid introductory album and has some incredible songs, but it’s not their crown jewel. Hovering between 4 & 5 here; will change later if I need.
Some real bangers on this one, regardless of how insufferable Plant is after awhile.
I like when they sound like Greta Van Fleet
I understand why they are as big as they are
Well damn, for a debut album this one goes hard. I honestly went back and forth on the review for this because there were aspects of the album that I didn’t like and got tired of but then the very next part of a song was so good. High 4. I guess I like Led Zeppelin now.
No huge hits on this one but a handful of decent songs. Not my favorite Zeppelin but still better than a lot of the other stuff on here. 7/10
Deep Bluesy
Oooo I’m looking forward to this one. Pretty low key opener for a band like LZ…until the guitar solo comes! And ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ just so much heart and soul. We have arrived. And ‘You Shook Me’ for the blues substance. Each song just a complete journey. Drops of a bit for ‘Your Time Is Gonna Come’ and ‘Black Mountain Side’ but nice to mix it up. Some bangers on here and a great album as a whole. Welcome LZ!
Ok
For a 1969 debut, it's quite fully formed. It has strong songs with quite a bit of layering to them, no filler, and very strong instrumentals. It's a confident record. That being said, I find blues extremely boring as a rule. The Willie Dixon songs (You Shook Me and I Can't Quit You Baby) grind the record to a halt. From an objective standpoint, they're strong showings; from my subjective one, they threaten to bring this record down to 3 stars. I'm feeling generous though. Your Time is Gonna Come is the other song I'm not quite sold on. The remaining tracks would be great songs at any point of any band's career. There's quite a progressive feeling to some of these, like in Dazed and Confused. This is best seen in the magnificent How Many More Times, easily the album's best song. I appreciate that Page wasn't afraid to write longer songs that showed off the band's playing, where every other band tried to make a bunch of singles. I never realised before what a standout drummer Bonham is. I think the production also really lets his (and the others') playing sing. Great record. I enjoyed this more today than I did the first time listening to it. I may even be warming to Plant's voice. 4 stars.
This was really interesting! Love that it was their debut as a group. The genre blending of the album really worked and I loved how all the rhythms just sort of rolled and worked together. I’m less into the yell-singing but I understand that’s kind of a vibe of its own. Overall a very solid album!
Not the strongest Zeppelin album, but still full of solid hits
Amazing album...I just wish they'd given credit to the original writers such as Willie Dixon
I’ve lost count of how many times I’m listening to a song and think, “damn this song is rocks, who is this? Oh I hear it, it’s Zeppelin, of course.” I get into the songs that dive towards blues and find myself tapping and bobbing often, maybe some air guitar. I can feel why my dad loved zeppelin so much, picture him cruising around in his van
Good
Classic.
Great music from a great era.
Love love love this album!! I think my fave led zep to be honest (at risk of being controversial)
7 / 10 - Good time bad times is one of the greatest drum trades ever written, and half of this album slaps, the rest is just a spead up blues album. Not the greatest thing they’ve done but still a good album regardless
In my memories this was full of meandering middle 8 that's drift off into nothing like a doors album might, but on this listening I just enjoyed it all. The first 4 tracks are all killer, there is a bit of a drop off before communication breakdown, but all in all it's enjoyable, not there best, but good. Although as always with zeppelin I wonder how many of these songs they ripped off other people. Probably most of them.
One of the important rock albums ever and it bangs
Great psychedelic blues rock. Some classics on this album, really fun time.
Apart from a perverse evening with In Through the Out Door, I've never properly listened to a Led Zeppelin album. The debut is a great place to join them in starting their journey. And, hopefully, the generator will continue sharing the band in order. Right from the off, Led Zeppelin I hits with the certainty of people who’ve already been in a hundred bands, played a thousand pubs, and found the one combination that finally works. It is a strong, impressive opener, especially Bonham's assured introduction to Good Times, Bad Times. They sound like they’ve been doing this forever, which, given their session backgrounds, is more or less true. That job is to sound like the people in the room have always been a unit. Thus the playing is tight to the point of claustrophobia at times. Brilliant claustrophobia. But then, brilliance without brakes has its limits. The polish, the power, the sheer talent do start to overtake everything else. There's no question they can do extraordinary things with just four players, perhaps the apex of what a four-piece can do with few overdubs. Still, in the way that ELP and The Nice might end up burlesqueing a classical piece, this music feels like prog rock by people raised on blues records. There's real force and intelligence here, but it often serves performance more than purpose. There is a fair carp about how Zeppelin stole blues riffs and full songs without giving credit or passing them off as arr. LZ. I excused or glossed over similar behaviour in the previous New Order review, so won't litigate it again. However, the burlesque does become a little ugly in Robert Plant's lyrics: he is wronged again. And again. And again. Women are always cheating on him and treating him bad. She "made me mistreat my only child," just a fancy version of "She turned the weeuns agin me." If this were coming from some battered Mississippi bluesman in 1931, you'd nod and feel the ache. The guy's probably no saint, but times are hard. However it’s Robert Plant: ethereal, shirtless, already mythologising himself by album one. At a certain point, if all your relationships are failing, you might consider the common denominator – it's either you or the jeans. But he’s not trying to confess anything. These aren't diary entries. They're postures, costumes, performance. He sings these things not because he's revealing himself, but because he and his band are playing music they love, and playing it better than almost anyone else ever has. And that’s its own kind of truth, even if it’s not confessional. I don't mean to slight anybody by saying Plant's medieval use of the word rambling makes his persona minstrelsy in two senses. He’s the troubadour as fantasy figure, wandering and wounded, peacockery and pageantry. So, yes, it's brilliant. But it’s also a bit ridiculous. And occasionally that ridiculousness curdles. Still, the power is there. Something enormous is starting to move. It is all artfully done, but, until - hopefully on some later record - it is done in the service of some artistic ideal, I can only enjoy it so far. Ramble on Led Zeppelin II. 3.5 How neat that our first of the six(?) Led Zeppelin albums on this project is the debut. Dazed and Confused was one of the first Led Zeppelin records I really loved but my first introduction to it was Remasters rather than this album. In fact this may have been one of the last Led Zeppelin albums, along with the late, terrible ones, that I listened to. It is certainly one of the best. It is questionable whether this album actually has (any) ‘good songs’ on it - lyrically it’s all of a (distasteful) piece; poor Robert Plant being misused by ‘little girls’ and ‘sweet babies’. Some of it is blues procedural. Dazed and Confused was plagiarised. Your Time is Gonna Come is just rotten. But then there’s the band… These four musicians at their best, as they are here, could spin poop into gold. The frequency of delightful details in these tracks might justly be compared with the Beatles approach to hit-making; assume the audience will be falling asleep after 30 seconds - give them a musical nudge. The differences are that Led Zepp do it sometimes across 6 or 7 minutes and do it mostly off the cuff. The brilliant thumb-hits on the guitar before the second verse of Your Time…; the flurry of double-kicks 3 minutes into I Can’t Quit You Baby; the comically expressive harmonica solo (or any of the other solos) in You Shook Me; the mesmerising bowed guitar on How Many More Times or Bonham’s introduction of a new, delicious drum pattern 6 minutes into the same track; everything John Paul Jones does. They are just wonderful and although the sublime economy of Good Times, Bad Times and Communication Breakdown makes a strong argument against the excess of most of the other tracks here I wouldn’t like to edit much of it. 4/5
Look, I have my issues with Led Zeppelin. They are personal, aesthetic, political, and more. But for this one, driving for hours in the BC mountains, I just let this sort of happen (and did not focus on the lyrics--never focus on Led Zeppelin lyrics), and holy motherfucking fuck. This is their *first* record? Some of these songs are really pretty awesome.
The lyrics get more and more embarrassing every year, and the stink of middle school hangs over a lot of this, but there is so much of this that is amazing instrumentally and recording-wise. Drum sounds are legitimately incredible. A big part of my world. Also the playing. Insane and profound grooves. All very organic and alive.
I don’t own the album but know most of these songs—it really is packed with classics. Robert Plant’s voice is insanely good. One star off for the mean anti-woman stuff.
I cannot believe this is Led Zeppelin's debut. I'm hard pressed to find another, more iconic artist that knew their sound in the beginning and came out of the gate swinging. Several of these songs are often on the radio, and I wouldn't have guessed they were on their debut. But it's not like Led Zeppelin peaked on their first album like a lot of other artists. They just kept getting better and better with each subsequent album! At times I can't tell this was their debut album. Other times I can and I'm fascinated. They've got that hard rock down pat, but they also played with the blues and progressive, too. All artists have to find their way, and Led Zeppelin is no different. Still, what they touch is always gold because they still make blues and progressive music stellar.
Looking at this album incredibly objectively, it's evident that Led Zeppelin got better as they went on -- this is not their best work. That said, it is STILL an outstanding, trailblazing album and debut. "Good Times Bad Times" is an epic album opener, and a peak Led Zeppelin song in general. Looking at it all retrospectively, this song set the stage to let people know exactly who Led Zeppelin was and exactly the quality of music they would come to know from the band. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Dazed and Confused" are both nearly 7 minute long epics that, in my opinion, are the other crown jewels of this album. Led Zeppelin also immediately lets people know with these songs that they are unafraid to let their songs be uninhibited jam sessions, but without letting the song grow stale. On the other end of the spectrum, you have fast and short "Communication Breakdown", another favorite of mine on this album; it is almost unhinged, and it's perfect. The album does slump a bit in parts between these mentioned songs, but their slumps are still good. There's something poetic about this album specifically popping up for me now; I'm nearing the end of my 1001 journey, and this is my final Led Zeppelin album on the project, so it all kind of feels a bit full circle. Even though I point out this album as being Led Zeppelin not at the top of their game and talk about it slightly critically, that's only because they just set the bar so high in their career. But compared to other artists, they're an upper echelon band, period. And among debut albums, "Led Zeppelin I" is definitely legendary, and is undoubtedly home to some legendary songs; it is a greater achievement than many bands would ever know in their careers. Even Led Zeppelin's "upper-mid" work is far and away some of the best music to ever be created.
Not my favorite LZ, but a classic and the one that started it all.
It’s pretty good it’s kinda like the first sabbath album but bluesier and less fun lol 7/10
You Shook Me has been my favourite blues-adjacent number for years now, an easy 4*
Did not blow me away, which I kind of expected it would. The first 2 tracks are incredible, what an opening. But I got bored by the slow bluesy "You shook me". And it goes on like that: 1 or 2 great songs, then a boring one. Even so, I will listen to it again. 4/5
Viel bluesiger als die späteren Led Zeppelin Alben. Großartiges Debut!
dazed and confused solo still goes hard they nailed their sound immediately and that great acoustic work, black mountain side is fun hard not to fuck with
bangers
If only there was a little more sexy guitar and a little less Robert Plant moaning
A part in Dazed and Confused reminded me of the intro to Paranoid A very solid album
I've been zeppd
My 3rd fav Zep albums - blues tinge makes it great.
A little overly self-indulgent at times with the oohhhs and aahhhhs but excellent debut from Led Zeppelin. Amazing how Jimmy Page’s guitar complements Robert Plant’s vocals and they almost mimic one another.
I already have a few songs from this album on playlists I listen to often so its not something new to me. Its a good album from a great band.
Very solid debut. No real bad song on here, Although i will say that they get a lot better later on.
Really awesome mesh of blues and rock. The riff in dazed and confused is iconic. Jimmy page loves a chromatic walkdown. Lots of fun sequences that keep some of the longer performances entertaining
Rawk.
Got the led out
Dødsfet. En haug med kule låter, ikonisk tromming, og god variasjon. Litt for mye vokalonani til tider bare. Beste låt: Dazed and Confused
Led Zeppelin came roaring out the gates. On paper, it doesn’t sound like the band should work. A veteran guitarist looking to continue the legacy of his previous band, a well-known session bassist looking to break out, a 20 something runaway, and a self taught drummer who was recommended by the 20 something runaway. But by god did it work. It’s hard to rate this album knowing just the heights the band would reach later in their career, but it’s still an incredible rock album.
Probably the weakest of the Led Zeppelin albums I’ve gotten so far on this challenge. It’s still a really solid album, but definitely not as good as the other ones I’ve had selected to this point. 3.5 / 5
Iconic
Possibly the first heavy rock blues record or certainly the one that spawned a whole genre. Having said that it is all a bit samey with the odd stand out track. Again great musicianship and hoping too see more of them in the future list.
Not as good as some of the others but still really solid. love the last song too
Ok I’m on board with this Led Zeppelin album. It still isn’t my favorite type of rock but can’t deny the greatness
Solid album. But I haven’t forgiven them for being time travelling thieves and ripping off Alfred Yankovic’s masterpiece Trapped in The Drive-Thru. 4/5 stars
realmente muy guapo, no habia escuchado led zeppelin pero m sorprendio
I listen to a lot of rock so this I graded this one toughly, a lot of the music sounds really samey and I feel like they forced guitar solos in multiple sections the first four tracks were extremely notable of this. The album undeniably made a huge impact on the rock genre so I have to give it points for that. The album was very boring to listen to from tracks 2-4 and I often felt like they lasted too long, I feel like this album is good to put on while working, and the rest of their songs are good. 8/10
Classic hard rock
Good riffs
Ekte kul plate. Holder seg veldig godt og fullstappet av bangers. Må definitivt høre med på Zeppelin ja.
Excellent album, a classic