1003. Led Zeppelin / Led Zeppelin II. 1969. 3.5/5

I suppose you can talk about the legacy that Led Zeppelin has until you are blue in the face, but if the style of music just isn’t what you enjoy you still aren’t going to rate a song, an album or a band as highly as those who are obsessed with that artist. Led Zeppelin II is one of those albums that the fans insist you must listen to, and in essence that you must love as much as they do, and immediately. No doubt it is fine to say that you must listen to this album because you must love it, but not everyone will. That said, this is an important album in the history of music, and while my ‘love’ of the album will not reach the heights of those biggest fans of the band, I can fully appreciate its relevance and position in the history and development of music.

For me, this is a pleasing next step in the band’s growth, and given that the first two albums are only separated by a matter of months in regards their release, it is interesting to note the progression made between the two releases. The heavy blues influence is still there for all to hear, especially in songs such as “The Lemon Song” and “What Is and What Should Never Be”, but the take on songs such as “Ramble On” and “Heartbreaker” is more progressive in that they still have that blues base but they have moved to a further rock influence – not completely mind you, but further along that track that they had been.
Listening to the album it very much feels as though it was written ‘on the run’, with most of the songs having the feel that it’s a freeform writing style, stopping and starting into solo breaks for all members. It’s a style very much of that age, where bands on stage happily jutted away between songs or even in the middle of songs, making it up as they went. Many of the songs here sound like that is just what they are doing, with a flowing structure rather than anything concrete. In the long run, it must have been almost impossible to tame and keep in check the four musicians in the band as they move towards the new decade. John Bonham just wants to hit those drums hard and fast and in a seemingly random order that falls into place perfectly. “Moby Dick” gives him that outlet, once both John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page have completed their own riffing at the start of the song. Both of these two musicians also sound like they are looking for greater outlets for their talents, and the morphing from straight blues backed songs to something a bit harder comes through. Combined with those honeyed vocal chords of Robert Plant you have a band that is bursting out of its original cocoon.
“Whole Lotta Love” is still the star of the show with that Page guitar riff, Jones’s cool bass line underlying the song, Bonham’s wonderful drum rolls along with Plant’s super vocal performance. It feels heavier than it actually is, but has wider musical appeal regardless. “What Is and What Should Never Be” has Beatles-ish qualities throughout, perhaps not a huge surprise given the era and the origin of the band. “Thank You” has both Deep Purple and Pink Floyd similarities, again no surprise given the heritage of all of those bands, and having all come from the same era, while “Heartbreaker” is dominated by the Page riff and the Plant vocal line.

I am happy to admit in reviewing and rating here that I can appreciate the great qualities of Led Zeppelin, especially the first half of their albeit shortened career, but I have never been a huge fan overall. That’s just my own taste, and much of their music retains a lot of their blues roots that doesn’t excite me. When they break out and reveal those songs that show more of a hard rock or even heavy basis, I can appreciate them more. Led Zeppelin II is for me a much more accessible album than their debut, and given the right mood I can listen to it from start to finish without any qualms whatsoever.

Rating:  “Hey fellas, have you heard the news?”  3.5/5