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46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Juggernaut Classic!!!, March 21, 2008
This album is a prime example of why Bonham, Jones, Page, & Plant are legends in the Rock & Roll industry. It has everything a R & R fan could possibly want. A bluesy feel, tight Guitar riffs, solos from the soul, well constructed songs, layers of music, & passionate vocals. For me the true cohesion comes from the rythym section. Bonham's drums drives the band ever forward while JPJones is ethereal on the keyboards & perfect on the bass Guitar. There are no duds on this their Sophmore album.
These are my seven favorites in no particular order. "Heartbreaker," opens with a classic riff. The midsection flows to an improvisational section with a fine Guitar solo. Here the lyrics & music blend easily. I have always liked this one more than the more publized "Whole Lotta Love." "Moby Dick," is a fine instrumental with Bonham's drum midsection carrying it. "Living Loving Maid," is often paired in direct succession with "Heartbreaker." It's an upbeat rocker with a memorable riff & a contagious melody. "The Lemon Song," has one great bass line as JPJones moves smoothly throughout as the crescendo than picks up & takes flight. "What Is And What Should Never Be," is a very different type of song that is hard to classify. I have been told by musicians that this is one of the harder Zeppelin songs to learn. Here the interesting lyrics play as a melodic counterpoint to Plant's vocals. "Ramble On," is the driving other side of the latter song representing moving on from the angst of love. This is one of the most underated of Led Zeppelin's songs. "Thank You," clearly is the bands best ballad until "In Through The Outdoor's All My Love." This one is smooth & brings out the romantic in the listener. This is one of their three best albums. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As hard-rocking as it gets. Led Zeppelin's best album., May 28, 2007
Led Zeppelin's second album is sure to please all music fans of any genre. Led Zeppelin II, released in the same year as the first album in 1969, is as hard-rocking as it gets when it comes to Zeppelin. All nine tracks are Led Zeppelin at their best, whether it's world-renowned blues rock ("Whole Lotta Love"), racing guitar play ("Heartbreaker"), or awesome, creative drum solos ("Moby Dick"). This album is a representative of late-60s rock, and I find it quite similar to Axis Bold As Love, by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The album starts to amaze you with the recognizable blues-rocker "Whole Lotta Love," which has a creative interlude consisting of distorted radio waves; after said song, Zeppelin attempts to cool you down a bit with the bluesy ballad "What is and What Should Never Be," which, like "The Rain Song" from the Houses Of The Holy album, is where you'll find Robert Plant's vocals at their peak. This is followed by "The Lemon Song," which actually sounds like something Jimi Hendrix would play. "Thank You" is also a very nice Led Zeppelin song and is a very easy listen. The album's turning point is at track five, which happens to be the instant rocker "Heartbreaker". It's definately one of the band's greatest songs, and Jimmy Page is at his best in it. The hard-rocking Sabbath-like main riff is a great combination with John Bonham's rapid drumming, and the solo is easily one of the best of all time, as it is not only awesome and awestriking, but it was improvised; that proves Page can ad-lib his way through solos and STILL make it sound good. "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" is also a very easy listen, and quite catchy at that. "Ramble On," yet another acoustic song, also contains great vocals and guitar playing. "Moby Dick" is probably where drummer John Bonham is putting forth his best effort, as the song starts out with a guitar and drum combination and then drops into a complete drum solo where at first, Bonham plays with his hands, and about two and a half minutes into the song he picks up the sticks and delivers a heavy rain of thunderous drumming. The outro of the song is when Jimmy Page comes in again and finishes it off with John, making the song a very powerful instrumental. The last song, "Bring it on Home," is very convenient for the album, as it first leaves you with a blues impression, but later picks up in a hard rock style, just as Zeppelin would do. Overall, Led Zeppelin's second album is what I think is the crown jewel in their albumography. Whenever you get the chance, buy it--you'll be pleasently surprised.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whole Lotta Led, April 17, 2001
After their ground breaking debut album, Led Zeppelin quickly followed the album up with Led Zeppelin II. Whereas their debut contained a few blues covers and longer jams, II is a much tighter affair. Jimmy Page was a master at coming up with memorable guitar riffs and they abound throughout II. "Whole Lotta Love" opens the album with a earth moving riff and then guitars soar and come crashing down throughout the song that is marked by a glass shattering vocal from Robert Plant. The song became a big hit and their only top ten single peaking at number 4 in early 1970. "The Lemon Song" is a bluesy jam that finds Mr. Plant scatting along with some memorable lyrics. "Ramble On" is perfectly titled as the song just kind of scuffles around with a chooglin guitar riff as its backbone. John Bonham gets to show off why they call him Bonzo on the drum workout "Moby Dick". "Thank You" has to rank as one of the prettiest songs in rock and probably the most tender number the band has ever recorded. Mr. Plant provides an almost whisper like vocal that is framed by ethereal keyboards from John Paul Jones. The song's quiet beauty merges into the stinging guitars of "Heartbreaker" which merges seamlessly into the rollicking "Living Loving Maid". Led Zeppelin II became the band's first number one album.
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