The Beginning
Led Zeppelin formed in London in 1968. They grew started as an attempt to keep the Yardbirds alive. Guitarist Jimmy Page had joined in 1966 and when the band imploded two years later, he and rhythm guitarist/bassist Chris Dreja tried to keep the band alive. When Dreja dropped out, Page formed a brand new band (initially called the New Yardbirds) which included John Paul Jones, a bassist and keyboardist who had worked on some Yardbirds’ sessions with Page. He also recruited singer Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham, who’d worked together in Band of Joy.
The newly christened Led Zeppelin (so named because of Who drummer Keith Moon’s proclamation that the band would go over like a “lead balloon”) signed to Atlantic Records in November 1968. Their “hard-edged” TM debut, released in January 1969, “suggested much of the preceding activity in British blues-rock had been child’s play.” TM
Reinventing the Blues
With little opportunity to write new material, the group tapped into the blues tradition of “borrowing” and “recast lyrics and melodic ideas from old blues standards” TM they performed in concert. AM “The true measure of Led Zeppelin is how far they transcended those influences.” TBThey may not have written the songs, but they came “to fully own them.” TM
They recrafted the blues “into a startlingly visceral, grab-you-by-the-throat sound that changed rock forever.” TM They simplified the riffs, pumped up the volume, and added extended instrumental solos for a sound which is “heavy and hard, brutal and direct.” AM They “radically revamp the outlines of the music until it speaks with a bold, sometimes brutal fury.” TM They “caused a nation of hippie-dippie longhairs to put down their flowers and grab their crotches.” VB
Recording the Second Album
Within six months, Led Zeppelin had become a headlining act. This led to the less-than-ideal circumstances of trying to write and record a sophomore album while also touring America and Europe. From January to August 1969, they squeezed in recording time at multiple studios in the United States and United Kingdom. Songs often grew out of improvisational jams on stage. As such, the songs reflect the “spontaneity and urgency” WK in which they were crafted. Jimmy Page served as producer and this album marked the first on which Eddie Kramer was an engineer.
The Heavy Metal Blueprint
The resulting Led Zeppelin II “doesn’t have the eclecticism of the group’s debut, it’s arguably more influential.” AM It “provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed it” AM by foreshadowing “the basic guitar attack of heavy metal.” TM This is “macho metal the way it was meant to sound.” VB
Hard Rock Meets Folk?
Led Zeppelin didn’t just wow audiences with their ability to rock, but their ability to mellow out. “Led Zeppelin II is an album to which you can go berserk or – and this is rare for a hard rock album – you could just sit down and listen. Either way it is rewarding.” TB
“Lighter, folk-tinged tunes” TM like “What Is and What Should Never Be,” “Ramble On,” and “Thank You” would “anticipate the mystical airs Zeppelin would pursue later, most successfully with the epic ‘Stairway to Heaven.’” TM
The Songs
Here are thoughts on the individual songs from the album.
“Whole Lotta Love”
“The crunching Whole Lotta Love” DBW was a reworking of Willie Dixon’s “You Need Love/Woman You Need Love.” The tune, often associated with Muddy Waters, drew lawsuits settled out of court which gave Dixon co-writing credit on subsequent pressings. TM
This was Led Zeppelin’s “first undisputed classic and a strong contender for the track that ‘invented’ heavy metal. It is a musical jackhammer…with a gargantuan three-note riff.” TB “Page and engineer Eddie Kramer pushed technology to the limits, creating a soundscape of simulated sex best appreciated on headphones. Page used a Theremin for some high-pitched wails. A thunderous snare roll from Bonham leads the band into Page’s guitar solo, its phrases crunchingly punctuated by the rhythm section.” TB
“The Lemon Song” and Bring It on Home”
“Whole Lotta Love” was Led Zeppelin’s most high-profile reinterpretation of the blues. Elsewhere on the album they remake Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” into The Lemon Song and cover Bring It on Home, another Willie Dixon song – this one made famous by Sonny Boy Williamson II.
“Heartbreaker” and “Living Loving Maid”
The album includes “heavy rock songs…like Living Loving Maid” JA with “its frenetic guitar break,” TB and the “electrifying riffs” TB of Heartbreaker. The two songs have become inextricably linked, played in tandem on classic rock radio.
“Ramble On” and “What Is and What Should Never Be”
“On Ramble On and What Is and What Should Never Be explosive choruses detonate more delicate verses that evoked Tolkien and West Coast rock respectively. Zeppelin understood the power of dynamic contrast.” TB “Ramble On” features some “nice melody and some terrific bass playing from Jones.” DBW
“Thank You”
Songs like Thank You also “sport light, acoustic touches.” AM This is “a beautiful ballad…with tumbling cascades of 12-string guitar and a slow Hammond fade.” TB
“Moby Dick”
This “was designed as a showcase for Bonham’s drum solo. A previous drum showpiece featured a different arrangement called ‘Pat’s Delight’ (after his wife). Moby Dick is in drop D tuning and features a variety of drums and percussive instruments played with bare hands as well as drumsticks. It was a regular part of Led Zeppelin’s live show, developing to include additional percussion and electronic drums.” WK
Notes: A 2014 deluxe edition added a second disc with alternate versions of the songs.
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