Published on Apr 3, 1998
Umm, a masterpiece you say. Why would I bother — or even dare
— to tackle an album that every rock fan and nut owns/holds
dear/worships right before coffee and Toaster Strudels are served?
Well, I’m bored and, while leafing through the Catt Collection
(nowhere near as big as the Pierce Archives), I realized it had
been a while since I spun this one.
Thanks to the wonder of digital remastering,
Led Zeppelin II has been cleaned up. Let me repeat that, it
is CLEAN. No longer will you hear the muddled mess of junk that
soiled this album. Congrats to Mr. James Page and crew — I say, it
was about long due when they did that.
Anyhow, everyone has heard this album. Following the underground
success of
Led Zeppelin, the band was somehow able to put most of this
album together on the road. That shows you the kind of talent and
level at which this band was playing.
First thing that struck me was the changes in the songs. Listen
to “Whole Lotta Love” and try to pick out how many times the song
takes another turn — right before returning to that sleazy riff.
Few singers could pull a song like this off right and Mr. Robert
Plant proves himself. Other rockers include “Leaving Loving Maid”
and “Heartbreaker.” Also, is it just me, or does Plant almost rap
in “What Is And What Should Never Be”? That’s what it sounded to me
the first few seconds whenever the pace picked up. He does it
faster than he sings the rest of the song. Oh well, maybe I just
need more sleep.
“The Lemon Song” proves John Paul Jones did something right on
bass. Listen to when Plant brings down the song to a slow groove —
it’s Jonesy’s bass work that keeps it moving. With work like that,
you would think John Paul Jones was a member of Parliament
Funkadelic (not really, but he could have done it). Of course,
everyone knows of the John Bonham rip-fest, “Moby Dick.” I doubt
Bonzo did this more than a couple of times. You can almost see him
just beating the drums senseless.
The last two songs I’ll mention clearly benefit from the
cleaning up, the first one being “Thank You.” The song is slow and
beautiful — one of the first rock ballads, and it shines so much
after being remastered. Play this one to your
girlfriend/wife/boyfriend/dog?/significant other. They’ll
appreciate it.
Finally, we have “Bring It On Home,” a slow, funky take on the
Mississippi Blues. Before, the slow beginning sounded muddled —
like the Mississippi. Now, it sounds like something you’ll find in
a blues bar. Then Page and company tear into it before bringing it
back down for its finish. Someone in this band was a genius — but
I’m not going to point fingers.
Led Zeppelin II. It may not be for everyone. But if you
enjoy rock ‘n’ roll in its purest form, try it.