Not many sequels outdo the original — but those that do,
\nusually do so by treating the first in the series as a stepping-off
\npoint rather than a template.<\/p>\n
On their sophomore release, Led Zeppelin pays respect to the
\nindustrial-strength electrified blues that was the foundation of
\ntheir sound, but makes a quantum leap in terms of creativity,
\naudacity and pure musical charisma. It might not be the first true
\nheavy metal album, but it’s surely one of the most influential of
\nall time. More than another disc in their catalog,
\nLed Zeppelin II<\/i> is a mother lode of monstrously crunchy and
\ndelicious guitar riffs that slam into you like a sonic wave pool,
\none after another after another.<\/p>\n
The opening salvo, “Whole Lotta Love,” is a metal immortal built
\naround Jimmy Page’s dirty-sweet chugging riff, one of those
\ntimeless musical avatars that immediately burrows deep into some
\nprimal head-thumping corner of your subconscious. The psychedelic
\nmid-song breakdown, Robert Plant’s orgasmic cries and the
\nboom-boom-solo guitar explosion that kicks the song back into
\ngear\u2026 it’s hard to capture in mere words the impact music
\nthis bold must have had in 1969, but the historical record shows it
\nwas huge.<\/p>\n
The rest of side one (for those of you over 30) is a rich suite
\nof amped-up blues numbers that each start slow but keep revving the
\nengine until they explode into a chorus or a solo or some other
\nform of pyrotechnics, as Plant and Page work voice and guitar into
\na sexually-charged frenzy. A line like “The way you squeeze my
\nlemon \/ I’m gonna fall right out of bed” from “The Lemon Song”
\nmight sound a little goofy reading it on your screen, but under the
\nspell of a band this focused and charismatic, it sounds nothing
\nshort of revelatory. (And don’t miss John Paul Jones’ shining
\nmoment holding the entire song together with his intricate bass
\nline.)<\/p>\n
Side two is where the hooks take over completely. It’s hard to
\nimagine the beginning guitar player who hasn’t tried to learn the
\nriff that kicks off “Heartbreaker” by the end of his\/her first few
\nmonths on the instrument. (As for the solo\/jam that fill the song’s
\nrangy middle section. good luck with that\u2026!) Like a train
\nwith no brakes, “Heartbreaker” barrels right into the propulsive
\n“Living Loving Maid,” not one of the group’s most complicated tunes
\n— it’s basically the same fat hook repeated about 50 times — but
\ndefinitely one of their most hummable.<\/p>\n
“Ramble On” starts in with a palate-cleansing acoustic opening,
\na lilting verse that promises a wistful sweetness until drummer
\nJohn Bonham kicks in the bottom end and another thundering hook is
\nupon you. (Maybe the best thing Train has done in its short career
\nis to reintroduce this song to hordes of twenty-something
\nconcert-goers.) This track also cemented the band’s reputation for
\nfantasy-tinged lyrics with its multiple Tolkien references.<\/p>\n
And then there’s “Moby Dick,” which is a decent riff-rocking
\ninstrumental wrapped around — God help us all — a three-minute
\ndrum solo. In 30 years as a rock fan, the only times I have ever
\nfound a drum solo remotely interesting have been when I was
\nstanding within a few feet of the person playing it. Otherwise,
\nit’s a built-in bathroom break — a reasonable idea for a concert,
\nmaybe, but for a studio album, not so much\u2026<\/p>\n
The boys close out
\nII<\/i> with a more direct nod to their roots in “Bring It On
\nHome,” as Plant mumbles and wails over an opening
\nacoustic-and-harmonica traditional blues verse, before Page kicks
\nin with another thunderously fat electric riff that carries the
\nmiddle section to a brief acoustic reprise\/wrap-up.<\/p>\n
The discs that followed
\nII<\/i> would find Zeppelin exploring the outer limits of the
\nideas heard here — grinding blues, pastoral acoustic numbers, and
\nabstract fantasy-tinged lyrics. There were many high points to
\ncome, but perhaps only one or two albums as consistently memorable
\nas this one, and surely none with a greater impact on their musical
\npeers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":24713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5700],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-38475","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-led-zeppelin","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=38475"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=38475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}