Led Zeppelin's self titled debut album, mostly referred to as Led Zeppelin I, is, easily one of the greatest Debut albums of all time, track by track it has a huge variety of songs.
1 - Good Times, Bad Times,
Right from the off Led Zeppelin show ther musical superiority to any band before the time. The start stop dynamics of the opening along with John Paul Jones' Bass breaks and Jimmy's Solo's make this song a fast paced, in your face song, exactly what like an opener should be.
2 - Babe I'm Gonna leave You,
And from that - to this, a calming, acoustic intro, with Robert Plants phenominal vocals over. Then when the rest of the band come in they do so in a way wher they don't ruin the mood of this beutiful song. Although 6:41 long, the changes and variety in the song make it very listenable.
3 - You shook me,
Opens with Classic Page Lead guitar playing and Bonham 'n' Jones bass/drum dynamics. again, a lenghty 6:27, but in Zep style they make it damn bearable! Through the use of Harmonica and Keyboard parts.
4 - Dazed and Confused,
John Paul Jones' iconic Bass line opens this song with a real satanic, menacing vibe, and Jimmy's bent notes enchance this. The solo in the middle section is phenominal - and without stretching too far away from the main riff. John Bonham makes the song with his drum playing in the up-tempo parts. Yet again, this song is 6:26, but like all Zeppelin long songs - completely bearable. A mosh classic!
5 - Your time is gonna come,
John Paul Jones' Organ opens this song superbly, giving it a real ambient feel, which is helped along by Page's Acoustic guitar an Bonzo's drum beat. The mid section and end sections repetition of "Your time is gonna come" is very karaoke.
6 - Black mountain side,
This acoustic instrumental lets you have a rest before the next song. This is as relaxing as it gets and John Bonhams Bongo drumming gives it a tribal groove.
7 - Communication Breakdown,
The riff played by Page and mimicked by JPJ is in classic Led Zeppelin style. It keeps you waiting for the solo, one of Jimmy Page's best, the speed and tecnicality rather blinding. Again, the last 30 seconds are rather Karaoke - a party song.
8 - I can't quit you baby,
This song is great for many reasons, but the best is the way Jimmy Page's Guitar playing and Plant's vocals just go, and merge together. A nice song with a great upbeat part in the middle.
9 - How many more time,
Another great example of JPJ and Jimmy's parts being in complete sync with each other. This song with it's length, abstract musical parts, drum interlude and the use of a violin bow on Page' Les Paul, helped open the doors and paved the way for Prog music today.
This album has been said to do many things, but the ones I believe it does is:
- shows people that Led Zeppelin are all they where said to be,,
- Founds Metal music,
- Contributes to the evolution of Prog,
- And takes you on an adventure.
This is a classic album and one of my all time favourite albums, and the greatest debut album ever showcasing the amazing skills and talents of the best band in the world.
