Tuesday, April 12, 2011

#88. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin


88. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin (1969) 98/100.  I decided to put on Houses of the Holy and listen to it in its entirety this morning.  After I had listened to the entire album, I came into the office and looked at my 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list and saw it wasn't on there.  While I was in a moment of shock and awe, I decided to persevere and put in Led Zeppelin I since that WAS on the list. 

I am not even going to sort of lie and say that Led Zeppelin is not one of my favorite, if not my favorite, band since I was in high school.  None of the Zeppelin albums will be even remotely a hundredth time listen let alone a first time listen.  I thought I would start simple with the first album.

I happened to be re-reading Hammer of the Gods as well so thought the timing was perfect.  It was strange for me, years later, to read that Page was still contemplating after Led Zeppelin I removing Plant from the band.  In hindsight, what an enormous disaster that would have been.  As for the first Zeppelin album, it isn't my favorite Zeppelin album but  it is still better than 98% of the albums I have heard thus far for this little project.  What is there really to say but look at the track listing alone - Good Times, Bad Times; Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You; You Shook Me; Dazed and Confused; You Time is Gonna Come; Black Mountain Side; Communication Breakdown; I Can't Quit you Baby; How Many More Times.  If you can name one bad song from that list, you are much more critical than I. 

I would say that this is the rawest of the Zeppelin albums (not counting Song Remains the Same) as Page explained that all of the tracks were performed live (in studio) with a little overdubbing in production.  This was the album that started the careers of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, how can it not be good?

TIL, Page listed How Many More Times as 3:30 to trick radio stations into playing it.
Listened: 4/17/2011
Favorite Tracks: All of it

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