Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl
• Label: Atlantic
• ASIN: B000TB60UO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (434 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,659 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Led Zeppelin had a fully formed, distinctive sound from the outset, as their eponymous debut illustrates. Taking the heavy, distorted electric blues of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Cream to an extreme, Zeppelin created a majestic, powerful brand of guitar rock constructed around simple, memorable riffs and lumbering rhythms. But the key to the group's attack was subtlety: it wasn't just an onslaught of guitar noise, it was shaded and textured, filled with alternating dynamics and tempos. As Led Zeppelin proves, the group was capable of such multi-layered music from the start. Although the extended psychedelic blues of "Dazed and Confused," "You Shook Me," and "I Can't Quit You Baby" often gather the most attention, the remainder of the album is a better indication of what would come later. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" shifts from folky verses to pummeling choruses; "Good Times Bad Times" and "How Many More Times" have groovy, bluesy shuffles; "Your Time Is Gonna Come" is an anthemic hard rocker; "Black Mountain Side" is pure English folk; and "Communication Breakdown" is a frenzied rocker with a nearly punkish attack. Although the album isn't as varied as some of their later efforts, it nevertheless marked a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Save the best for first..., August 17, 2000

By 

J. Brittman "The Bottom Line" (Long Island, New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Led Zeppelin 1 (Audio CD)

This is Led Zeppelin's best CD. No other CD truly defines this band better than their self-titled debut. All songs on this album are indispensible. Dazed and Confused is a masterpiece, as is Babe, I'm Gonna Leave you. But the real heart and soul of this record are its blues tracks You Shook Me and I Can't Quit You Baby anchor the album. Zep was always at their best playing the blues, just check out Since I've Been Lovin' You. Your Time is Gonna Come still gives me goosebumps, and How Many More Times is the hidden gem on the album. Zeppelin would never top the overall consistency of this album, it is a true landmark in rock history and should be in every fans' collection.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of a legendary sound, April 15, 2000

By 

Sal Nudo (Champaign, Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Led Zeppelin 1 (Audio CD)

The short guitar bursts on "Good Times Bad Times" that open this firecracker debut in 1969 could be viewed as a forewarning of great songs to come, some of the most historic moments in rock and roll. These four guys were actual musicians who, as a collective unit, created a sound that was unmatchable at the time. And they didn't just blast away at their instruments, either. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" showcases gentle acoustic guitar at first, then later driving riffs that could inspire anyone to play air guitar. Even on their first record, Zeppelin weren't afraid to draw out their songs (some would say overstay their welcome), and four of the nine tunes last (and blast) for over six minutes. Like The Doors, Zeppelin had a keen interest in the blues; underneath all the raw rock on this album is a soulful, bluesy sound and aura with two Willie Dixon covers that the band "Zeppelinizes" to the max. Nothing, however, tops the segway from "You Shook Me" to the blazing "Dazed and Confused," which sounds amazing, raw and blistering. The organ work of John Paul Jones on "Your Time is Gonna Come" is truly beautiful, sounding like a church hymn on a rough-and-tumble rock and roll album. Undoubtedly, these British lads mixed sonic beauty and thrashing rawness to create an art form that still resonates today. "Black Mountain Side" is a busy acoustic ditty that sounds positively charming next to its follower, "Communication Breakdown," but that's Zeppelin's style in a nutshell -- heartlifting to raw in a matter of seconds. These rocking songs come off as urgent and passionate. Lyrically, the album is all blues as Plant wails majestically about one heartbreak after the other, moaning about his lost women and unabashedly feeling lonesome and sorry for himself. No matter, he'd have plenty of time to attain more women in the future. This is the work of a band ready to take on the world -- on its own terms.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thundering Debut, August 27, 2001

By 

WILLIE A YOUNG II "willow" (Houston, TX.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Led Zeppelin 1 (Audio CD)

"From the chunky, hard riff that opens "Good Times, Bad Times" (listen to how John Bonham triples up on his bass drum during the first verse) Led Zeppelin introduced the music world to something entirely new. The zest, fervor and passion that they'd put into thier final performances as the "New Yardbirds" was heightened on this first album, and perfected with relentless touring and concentrated studio time. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" perfectly showcases Robert Plants' staggering vocal prowess (remember he was still a boy of 21 at the time) and the groups' brilliant arranging and playing. The two sprawling, bluesy excursions these blokes take on have become classics in thier own right (the pummeling "Dazed & Confused" and the album closing "How Many More Times" give the album it's epic feel and are perfect examples of how the blues informed and influenced the band from the very beginning. The shorter songs are oustanding as well, the punkish attack of "Communication Breakdown" provides a quick burst of energy for the listener, while "Your Time Is Gonna Come" is perfect acoustic pop that still doesn't sound dated or contrived. "Black Mountain Side" owes a debt to the Beatles in the middle 60's experimental period with it's use of tabla, acoustic instruments and somewhat unusual arrangement (no vocals). The entire band seemed to really coalesce into a tight, ferocius and intuative unit in a very short time as this debut album is completely lacking in any of the awkwardness or timidity usually associated with a new band. Throughout, Jimmy Pages' guitar (electric and acoustic) whips and soars over the heavy blues rock like a bird in flight, he essentialy rewrites the book on hard rock guitar playing here. John Bonham (THE GREATEST ROCK DRUMMER EVER, PERIOD) and John Paul Jones are an astounding rhythm section incapable of ever losing the groove and they stretch out to wondrous effect here on several selections. Led Zeppelin were a true band who only got better with time. Though their sound became more streamlined with subsequent releases, they never lost the fire that they started with in '68. This is a classic whose influence has been far reaching , but the years have only made it sound fresher and more vital. ...