Published on Aug 16, 2005
Not many sequels outdo the original — but those that do,
usually do so by treating the first in the series as a stepping-off
point rather than a template.
On their sophomore release, Led Zeppelin pays respect to the
industrial-strength electrified blues that was the foundation of
their sound, but makes a quantum leap in terms of creativity,
audacity and pure musical charisma. It might not be the first true
heavy metal album, but it’s surely one of the most influential of
all time. More than another disc in their catalog,
Led Zeppelin II is a mother lode of monstrously crunchy and
delicious guitar riffs that slam into you like a sonic wave pool,
one after another after another.
The opening salvo, “Whole Lotta Love,” is a metal immortal built
around Jimmy Page’s dirty-sweet chugging riff, one of those
timeless musical avatars that immediately burrows deep into some
primal head-thumping corner of your subconscious. The psychedelic
mid-song breakdown, Robert Plant’s orgasmic cries and the
boom-boom-solo guitar explosion that kicks the song back into
gear… it’s hard to capture in mere words the impact music
this bold must have had in 1969, but the historical record shows it
was huge.
The rest of side one (for those of you over 30) is a rich suite
of amped-up blues numbers that each start slow but keep revving the
engine until they explode into a chorus or a solo or some other
form of pyrotechnics, as Plant and Page work voice and guitar into
a sexually-charged frenzy. A line like “The way you squeeze my
lemon / I’m gonna fall right out of bed” from “The Lemon Song”
might sound a little goofy reading it on your screen, but under the
spell of a band this focused and charismatic, it sounds nothing
short of revelatory. (And don’t miss John Paul Jones’ shining
moment holding the entire song together with his intricate bass
line.)
Side two is where the hooks take over completely. It’s hard to
imagine the beginning guitar player who hasn’t tried to learn the
riff that kicks off “Heartbreaker” by the end of his/her first few
months on the instrument. (As for the solo/jam that fill the song’s
rangy middle section. good luck with that…!) Like a train
with no brakes, “Heartbreaker” barrels right into the propulsive
“Living Loving Maid,” not one of the group’s most complicated tunes
— it’s basically the same fat hook repeated about 50 times — but
definitely one of their most hummable.
“Ramble On” starts in with a palate-cleansing acoustic opening,
a lilting verse that promises a wistful sweetness until drummer
John Bonham kicks in the bottom end and another thundering hook is
upon you. (Maybe the best thing Train has done in its short career
is to reintroduce this song to hordes of twenty-something
concert-goers.) This track also cemented the band’s reputation for
fantasy-tinged lyrics with its multiple Tolkien references.
And then there’s “Moby Dick,” which is a decent riff-rocking
instrumental wrapped around — God help us all — a three-minute
drum solo. In 30 years as a rock fan, the only times I have ever
found a drum solo remotely interesting have been when I was
standing within a few feet of the person playing it. Otherwise,
it’s a built-in bathroom break — a reasonable idea for a concert,
maybe, but for a studio album, not so much…
The boys close out
II with a more direct nod to their roots in “Bring It On
Home,” as Plant mumbles and wails over an opening
acoustic-and-harmonica traditional blues verse, before Page kicks
in with another thunderously fat electric riff that carries the
middle section to a brief acoustic reprise/wrap-up.
The discs that followed
II would find Zeppelin exploring the outer limits of the
ideas heard here — grinding blues, pastoral acoustic numbers, and
abstract fantasy-tinged lyrics. There were many high points to
come, but perhaps only one or two albums as consistently memorable
as this one, and surely none with a greater impact on their musical
peers.