Customer Reviews

Led Zeppelin (Deluxe Edition)

After falling in love with Hendrix, being turned on to British styled blues by Jethro Tull, this was the album which woke me up to how powerful rock music can be! There's only a few times when an album, on first hearing, absolutely fires your being and you have to hear it constantly - maybe just to re-assure yourself that this is real rock music, or maybe just to be sent on a sonic roller coaster ride. My two favourites tracks are "Communication Breakdown" due to Page's guitar work, and played loud, still makes the hair on my neck stand, and their major work, "Dazed and Confused", so much more feel to it than "Stairway" and more akin to "Kashmir" for it's depth,darkness and power, but still stands as one of the finest showstoppers ever!!
I heard LedZep2 before hearing LZ1, and still think it's a more powerful statement of intent.
I still think most bands' first to third albums are often their best, even though they are considered less polished, or lack production values of their later offerings, but, Led Zep 1 is, for me their mightiest, rawest, and ultimately, the most satisfying of all the Led Zep collection, considering most of their albums are the best there's been. An awsome debut from an awsome band!!!! Start at the beginning then get the lot!

I just listened to this again first time for a couple of years. I've known and loved it since the mid seventies when I first explored Led Zeppelin. It sounds as fresh and new as the first time I heard it. It has stood the ultimate test, 'time'. I would rank it as one of the best first albums ever and I listen to all sorts of great bands and solo artists. Buy it and treasure it there may never be their like again.

led zeppelin opitomise heavy rock from the 70s. the original rockers led zeppelin paved the way for an entire genre inspiring some of the greatest bands in the world by making amazing music. you will struggle to find anything to beat this band today and this is the album that started it.
led zeppelin's debut is a mix of hard rock and blues and the opener 'good times bad times' is a great example. in the space of 2mins this song demonstrates immediatley the strong vocals of Plant and the amazing musicianship of the rest of the band, in particular Page on lead guitar. this is followed by the epic 'babe i'm gonna leave you' at over 6&1/2mins features a light acoustic touch in the verses only to explode into a flurry of guitars for the instrumental chorus, but despite its length it never drags. 'you shook me' follows, another epic featuring an amazing guitar solo, and finishes with Plant's vocals and Page's guitar working off each other brilliantly. the next track is the brilliant 'dazed and confused', which takes a while to get going but once the pace picks up after a slow build up the guitar soloing is amazing and the drums thunder. the next three songs are shorter, but no less impressive - 'your time is gonna come'& acoustic instrumental 'black mountain side' are a nice break from the hard rocking beginning of the album, while the short 'communication breakdown' picks up the pace again with its fast guitars and chorus. 'i can't quit you baby' is my least favourite song on the album, but good nonetheless. 'how many more times' finishes the album brilliantly. an instantly memorable tune and some of the best drumming you will ever hear (just how many different ways are there of playing that one section - you will know what i mean when you hear it).
every song on here is a winner, making it a classic album that still sounds groundbreaking today. those new to led zep, why not start here? its a perfect intrduction to the band. if you liked this then you will love the others and so if you ask me i would advise buying the albums in order of their release and you can see how their sound progressed over the years.

It all makes such perfect sense now in retrospect. You take two of the premier sessions artists in England rising from the ashes of the Yardbirds and pair them up with a couple of unknown 19 year olds from the Band of Joy and form one of the greatest rock groups of all time. Led Zeppelin's debut album remains a classic and its showpiece "Dazed and Confused" is the song I have listened to most often in my life; my favorite part is Bonzo's cascades on the drum as Jimmy Page loses the violin bow and finishes his guitar solo (I have learned from a reputable source that the song was originally written by Jake Holmes as a folk-rock type song, but uncredited on the album). One of the great things about the new Led Zeppelin double-DVD is that there are another four versions of "Dazed and Confused" on it, although admittedly you have to look for some of them. I finally get to see Bonzo do that bit on what, by contemporary standards, is a kiddie drum kit.
"Communication Breakdown" is the one "single" from the album because from the very beginning Led Zeppelin's best tunes were just too long for airplay. "Dazed and Confused" is 6:27, Page's acoustic arrangement of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is 6:40 (the second best track on the album) and the final track, the under-rated "How Many More Times" is a heck of a lot longer than the "3:30" that is listed in the liner notes (go figure). The album begins with the introductory hard chords of "Good Times Bad Times" but also features the acoustic guitar and tabla drums on the folksy "Black Mountainside" as the group mixes and matches music styles. At this point Robert Plant is just handling the vocals, with Page, Jones and Bonham responsible for the new songs. For good measure they toss a pair of Willie Dixon's blues tunes, "You Shook Me" and "I Can't Quit You Baby," to reveal the exact nature of the group's musical roots even as they were on their way to being the definitive heavy metal band.
Everything that comes afterwards in the musical career of Led Zeppelin all comes back to the ground they claim on this album. Future albums will vary the calculus in terms of how much hard rock, acoustic, or blues appears on a given album, but you will find the template for the group's success laid out on this self-titled debut effort where they establish their album-oriented perspective. This is guitar rock beyond what we had heard in the distorted electric blues of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton. Ultimately, what makes it a great debut album is that Led Zeppelin continues to build on those foundation in eight more classic heavy metal albums over the next dozen years. This is one of the few albums that I still as vinyl (object d'arte), cassette (emergency use if the CD player in the car breaks down), and CD. If I get stuck on a desert island, guess what album I want...

I have them all and this is still the one I keep listening to most of all. I don't think they ever bettered this. If all you know of Zeppelin is IV or Physical Grafitti (everybody seems to have those two albums!), then you should listen to this.

Zeppelin's debut is a superb feast of blues-inspired rock music. The opener 'Good Times, Bad Times' is one of the best opening tracks on a debut album ever - simple as that. This is followed by 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You' probably the track on this album which most points to the direction that Zeppelin would later follow, a mix of soft folky acoustics and hard rock. Then comes one of the album's blues cover versions, 'You Shook Me' a superb rendiditon with the great thumping drums of John Bonham. After that its the standout track to best all others. 'Dazed and Confused' is my favourite Zeppelin track of all. It just doesn't get any better than this. Lengthy, yes - but not a single second of this track leaves the mark, just completely sublime.

Then we have the feast of the second half of the album. The beautiful classical imagery of John-Paul Jones' keyboards on 'Your Time is Gonna Come' together with Plant's superb vocals, this is almost Gospel music! The acoustic 'Black Mountain Side' follows with Page proving he can play acoustic guitar with as much finesse as he plays the electric guitar. The commercial sounding 'Communication Breakdown' follows, probably my least favourite track on the album. Nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't stand comparison with the scope of the rest of the album. The album finishes on a bluesy note with 'I Can't Quit You Baby' and 'How Many More Times' which approaches 'Dazed and Confused' and almost makes it above it as the best track but it can't possibly be as good as that one!

A stunning album - one of the greatest ever.

Amid all the acclaim for their later albums, Zep's debut tends to be forgotten. Often held "responsible" for the rise of heavy metal, they were really a blues band who happened to play loud and with flamboyance. The folk tag is somewhat misleading. Although it was an influence, they played up to it later in what I believe was a reaction to the unwelcome heavy metal label. Having said that, blues in its original form is folk music so perhaps it's an appropriate observation after all.
As for the music, what I like most are the production, the coherence of the album as a whole and of course the playing.
The sound has a resonance which makes the album vibrant. There is a lovely balance between the predominant blues songs and the occasional diversion. The playing has the best of both worlds: virtuoso individuals playing off each other so that they work superbly as a unit.
Jimmy Page sets out his agenda within two minutes of the start with a blistering solo, while Robert Plant's aping of the guitar on "You Shook Me" gives you the shivers. "Your Time Is Gonna Come" features some spiritual organ playing by John Paul Jones on what is the nearest thing to a pop song on the album. Best of all however is "How Many More Times", which opens with a storming repeated riff and goes through several dramatic changes, including a quite psychedelic passage featuring some improvised vocal gymnastics, while even "Bolero" is thrown in. Great stuff.

Led Zeppelin (1969.) Led Zeppelin's first album.
In the latter half of the sixties, Jimmy Page was left without a band since his previous one, The Yardbirds, had disbanded. However, he wasn't about ready to be done rocking and rolling. He put together a new band with vocalist Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. He appropriately called this new band The New Yardbirds. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out this isn't a very good band name. Fortunately, the band received inspiration from The Who drummer Keith Moon. He had an expression - "This gig is going down like a lead Zeppelin." Liking this term, they changed their name to Led Zeppelin. And in 1969, one of the great years in rock and roll history, these four young men released their self-titled debut album. How does it measure up? Read on and see.
The first two Led Zeppelin albums are considerably more bluesy than the later ones, but this is not a bad thing. Good Times Bad Times opens the album. It's a solid, classic hard rocking tune, with a slight bluesy touch. The most underrated member of Led Zeppelin is John Paul Jones, and his bass here really must be heard to be appreciated. Babe Im Gonna Leave You is a slower, mostly acoustic tune about heartbreak. Every musical artist, regardless of genre, has to do a few heartbreak tunes - and here Led Zeppelin serves up one of the finest the world has ever seen. You Shook Me is a cover song. To put it simply, this is a slower track, but it's still a hard rocker. I'm not too crazy about this one, but it's still a decent song. Dazed And Confused features the band serving up an excellent example of classic psychedelic hard rock. This is one of the most popular songs that can be found on the band's debut album - and why not? This song ROCKS! Your Time Is Gonna Come kicks off with an organ solo by Jones, which is nothing short of excellent. It's not long before we have a melodic rocker that almost certainly won't fail to please. This here is what we call an underrated masterpiece. Black Mountain Side is short but sweet acoustic instrumental. Jimmy Page is a guitar god, but the acoustic stuff he does never seems to get the proper credit for some odd reason. Communication Breakdown is straight-up classic hard rock, this one is a premonition to the heavy metal that would slowly begin to surface in the seventies. This one is arguably my favorite song on the album. I Cant Quit You Baby is another cover song. This here is a slower, bluesy rocker featuring some excellent guitar riffs by the one and only Jimmy Page. The bass is also excellent, and it really makes me wonder why John Paul Jones is the most underrated person in the band! How Many More Times is yet another cover song. To put it in the simplest terms possible, this is a slow rocker - but it's still hard rock. It's a shame this track never got the proper credit, because the band couldn't have finished the album off with a better track!
There have been numerous issues of this album released over the years, but really, they're all the same other than their packaging. Don't bother shelling out the extra cash to get one of those foreign LP-style replica packages - it's just not worth it. The domestic versions are exactly the same and cost considerably less. Or better yet, just shell out the extra bucks and get the Complete Studio Recordings box set - it may appear pricey, but in actuality, it's a great value.
Led Zeppelin's self-titled 1969 debut is one of classic rock's essential masterpieces. Even after all these years, it still stands the test of time. If this little gem is missing from your rock and roll library, I suggest you add it as soon as possible. I don't know if I can call this the band's finest album (it's tough playing favorites with these guys), but it's damn fine nonetheless - and well worth purchasing.

Zeppelin's début effort is a remarkable achievement. The "knock-knock" wake-up call of the surprisingly commercial opener "Good Times Bad Times" gives way to the labyrinthine acoustics of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You". This is followed by Willie Dixon's blues tune "I Can't Quit You Baby", in an arrangement which steals from and improves upon the Jeff Beck Group's rendition. This segues into the moody, hallucenogenic "Dazed and Confused", a cornerstone of Zeppelin performances for years to come. What was side two opens with "Your Time is Gonna Come", in which a guitar figure pinched from Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy" complements JP Jones' organics perfectly. This track leads straight into Page's eastern-styled acoustic piece "Black Mountain Side", which is followed by the high-speed riffage of "Communication Breakdown". Back to the Dixon songbook for "I Can't Quit You Baby", and then onto the album's finalé, the histrionic "How Many More Times", which freely borrows from Howlin' Wolf, Booker T and the MGs and a host of other sources, whilst remaining defiantly Zeppelin. Recorded in a mere thirty hours, and more than thirty years on, this sounds fresh, vital and powerful.

Led Zeppelin 1 was created in a short time and on a shoestring budget. On listening to it, you'd think they had spent months perfecting it.It is quite simply an awesome debut.

For me the highlight is Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, a showcase for Plant's soulful vocals. Also the classic Dazed & Confused, with John Paul Jones's spine tingling intro and Jimmy Page's guitar work in the mid section. The blues based You Shook Me. Another great and hugely underrated song is Your Time Is Gonna Come, which, for me, is up with their best work

If you listen to Black Mountain Side, you can see why Page wanted John Bonham in the band. It's not Bonham's usual powerhouse style, it's
subtle and simple and meshes with Jimmy's work perfectly.

All in all a very good album and far superior to it's follow up.

Led Zeppelin's reputation as the world's premier rock band is richly deserved, and their debut album shows exactly why. Many bands drew upon the blues as the basis for their music; but few did it with the depth of feeling, conviction and understanding of Led Zeppelin. Their two Willie Dixon numbers that they covered on this album, You Shook Me and I Cant Quit You Baby, are a case in point. No effete and limp wristed attempt at the blues here, which typified the British blues boom at this time. Instead, they attacked the songs with a ferocity and depth of feeling that matches, in their own way, a true originator like Howling Wolf. They make the songs their own in a way a more reverential act, such John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, never could. Zeppelin never "ripped off the blues" as has so often been claimed: rather, they interpreted it in their own highly individual manner, and drew upon it for their own music.

What made them so good was that they were all so highly talented. Plant's range, volume and depth of feeling were amazing. Page's technique, both on acoustic and electric guitar, had been honed by years of session work until he reached the dazzling brilliance for which he became known. Bonham's awesome drumming is like nothing else before or since: thunderous, aggressive, but with such perfect and unusual timing. Bonham, more than anyone, defined the sound of Zeppelin. Then, ofcourse, you had John Paul Jones' subtle bass playing. Their talent is beautifully highlighted on the six minute forty-one second exercise in musical dynamics, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. Page's percussive and rhythmic acoustic guitar playing is continuously punctuated by sudden and unexpected attacks of the rhythm section with Bonham laying down the beat as if he was beating time for the Gods themselves. Plant's voice is an instrument of power and beauty itself and on this track, he displays it to full effect. I have played this track repeatedly and it never fails to astonish me. When they keep themselves tight and focused, no matter how long the song, they are the most powerful band in the world. When they experiment and improvise, as with Dazed and Confused, then maybe their power diminishes a jot. Also, the short acoustic piece, Black Mountain Side, beautifully played by Page, does sound a little too much like Blackwaterside by Bert Jansch and I did find myself wondering why Jansch didn't get a much deserved credit. However, these are small criticisms. On this album, they displayed their musical credentials as both musicians and songwriters. Greatness was to follow.