Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin (1969)
Genre - Hard Rock / Heavy Metal / Blues Rock
Robert Plant - lead vocals, harmonica
Jimmy Page - guitar, backing vocals
John Paul Jones - bass guitar, organ, keyboard, backing vocals
John Bonham - drums, timpani, backing vocals
The debut album of arguably the greatest hard rock band of all time. I believe this is one of the greatest debut albums in music for any band. Led Zeppelin is a band that was heavily blues-influenced, this album is the band's most blues oriented album and it really showcases on here. Everyone in the band had tremendous talent. Jimmy Page shows off how great he is on the guitar, as well as how good he is at playing different kinds (acoustic, electric, pedal steel). John Paul Jones is versatile on multiple instruments. John Bonham is a hell of a drummer, and Robert Plant showcases he is one of the greatest singers of all time.
Good Times Bad Times - This is a wonderful opening song because it shows off that Led Zeppelin is a hard rock band right away. Jimmy Page starts the song off with some belting chords from his guitar along with John Bonham tapping away on his symbals, then the rest of the band joins in. Page has a cool little solo in about the middle of the song, the song fades out with him soloing. 8.5/10
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Things change up from hard rocker to acoustic. This is the only acoustic song on the album and it shows the band's versatility. Page does some nice picking during the verses of the song. Between the verses he plays some really fast chords. Around the middle of the song there is a nice acoustic solo. The riff that is played between the verses is played heavily throughout the song a lot. The song ends on Page playing a few last chords. My favorite song off the album. 10/10
You Shook Me - Originally by Willie Dixon, this is the first of two songs by Dixon to be covered on the album. What makes me like this song a lot is how it showcases the band's talents in one full song. This is a standard Led Zeppelin song blues song. Jimmy Page basically jams throughout this whole song which is very enjoyable. There are some great solos here by the band. The first with John Paul Jones on the organ, then Robert Plant with the harmonica, and last with Jimmy Page on the guitar. These three solos in a row make this song really good. Around the end Page plays something that and Plant screams it, and visa-verse. 10/10
Dazed and Confused - The opening bassline on this song gets you hooked in an instant. Page plays high-pitched guitar parts that go on throughout the first verse. Page plays the bassline at one point after each verse. John Bonham has some nice fills here. What I really love about this song is the solo on it, which is the best on the album. It just builds up into something epic. 10/10
Your Time Is Gonna Come - John Paul Jones opens the album with what seems to sound similar to a church organ, Jones starts the main rhythm for the song and shortly after the rest of the band joins in. During the chorus is where Jones' organ shines the most in the song. Not as perfect as the previous sounds but still really good. 9.5/10
Black Mountain Side - One of the few instrumental songs by Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page showcases his skills on the pedal steel guitar here, while someone seems to be playing a tabla in the background. Very eastern influenced song, overall this is the weakest song on the album although it's still quite good. 8/10
Communication Breakdown - Short radio song like Good Times Bad Times. The song is fast-paced and at times one would think it might have been thrown together at the last second. This song is often considered one of the first heavy metal songs. Pretty cool song but too short and Plant is doing more yelling than singing. 9/10
I Can't Quit You Baby - The second Dixon cover on the album. Opens with Plant's singing, and then later on comes in Page jamming throughout the whole song such as in You Shook Me. This song is shorter so there isn't as much soloing, however Page's soloing makes the song a lot better. 10/10
How Many More Times - This the longest song on the album clocking in at 8:28. The start of the song sounds awesome with Jones and Bonham playing, then Page comes in playing with some funky guitar. In the middle of the song there is a huge jam where Page plays a wonderful solo all the way through. Plant has some parts where he sings various things, and Bonzo has a cool little drum solo. At the same time Page is playing some guitar with some effects. The riff from the beginning of the song starts up at the end. 10/10
Overall - One of the greatest debut albums of all time, this will always be a classic and one of Led Zeppelin's best albums. This was only the beginning for the band as they would release some more masterpiece albums. If you're a fan of Rock in general pick this up.
Genre - Hard Rock / Heavy Metal / Blues Rock
Robert Plant - lead vocals, harmonica
Jimmy Page - guitar, backing vocals
John Paul Jones - bass guitar, organ, keyboard, backing vocals
John Bonham - drums, timpani, backing vocals
The debut album of arguably the greatest hard rock band of all time. I believe this is one of the greatest debut albums in music for any band. Led Zeppelin is a band that was heavily blues-influenced, this album is the band's most blues oriented album and it really showcases on here. Everyone in the band had tremendous talent. Jimmy Page shows off how great he is on the guitar, as well as how good he is at playing different kinds (acoustic, electric, pedal steel). John Paul Jones is versatile on multiple instruments. John Bonham is a hell of a drummer, and Robert Plant showcases he is one of the greatest singers of all time.
Good Times Bad Times - This is a wonderful opening song because it shows off that Led Zeppelin is a hard rock band right away. Jimmy Page starts the song off with some belting chords from his guitar along with John Bonham tapping away on his symbals, then the rest of the band joins in. Page has a cool little solo in about the middle of the song, the song fades out with him soloing. 8.5/10
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Things change up from hard rocker to acoustic. This is the only acoustic song on the album and it shows the band's versatility. Page does some nice picking during the verses of the song. Between the verses he plays some really fast chords. Around the middle of the song there is a nice acoustic solo. The riff that is played between the verses is played heavily throughout the song a lot. The song ends on Page playing a few last chords. My favorite song off the album. 10/10
You Shook Me - Originally by Willie Dixon, this is the first of two songs by Dixon to be covered on the album. What makes me like this song a lot is how it showcases the band's talents in one full song. This is a standard Led Zeppelin song blues song. Jimmy Page basically jams throughout this whole song which is very enjoyable. There are some great solos here by the band. The first with John Paul Jones on the organ, then Robert Plant with the harmonica, and last with Jimmy Page on the guitar. These three solos in a row make this song really good. Around the end Page plays something that and Plant screams it, and visa-verse. 10/10
Dazed and Confused - The opening bassline on this song gets you hooked in an instant. Page plays high-pitched guitar parts that go on throughout the first verse. Page plays the bassline at one point after each verse. John Bonham has some nice fills here. What I really love about this song is the solo on it, which is the best on the album. It just builds up into something epic. 10/10
Your Time Is Gonna Come - John Paul Jones opens the album with what seems to sound similar to a church organ, Jones starts the main rhythm for the song and shortly after the rest of the band joins in. During the chorus is where Jones' organ shines the most in the song. Not as perfect as the previous sounds but still really good. 9.5/10
Black Mountain Side - One of the few instrumental songs by Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page showcases his skills on the pedal steel guitar here, while someone seems to be playing a tabla in the background. Very eastern influenced song, overall this is the weakest song on the album although it's still quite good. 8/10
Communication Breakdown - Short radio song like Good Times Bad Times. The song is fast-paced and at times one would think it might have been thrown together at the last second. This song is often considered one of the first heavy metal songs. Pretty cool song but too short and Plant is doing more yelling than singing. 9/10
I Can't Quit You Baby - The second Dixon cover on the album. Opens with Plant's singing, and then later on comes in Page jamming throughout the whole song such as in You Shook Me. This song is shorter so there isn't as much soloing, however Page's soloing makes the song a lot better. 10/10
How Many More Times - This the longest song on the album clocking in at 8:28. The start of the song sounds awesome with Jones and Bonham playing, then Page comes in playing with some funky guitar. In the middle of the song there is a huge jam where Page plays a wonderful solo all the way through. Plant has some parts where he sings various things, and Bonzo has a cool little drum solo. At the same time Page is playing some guitar with some effects. The riff from the beginning of the song starts up at the end. 10/10
Overall - One of the greatest debut albums of all time, this will always be a classic and one of Led Zeppelin's best albums. This was only the beginning for the band as they would release some more masterpiece albums. If you're a fan of Rock in general pick this up.
