Whilst we all recognise Plant’s voice as soon as he opens up, and the makeup of the band’s output collectively, to me some of the finest output belongs to their quieter, acoustic based offerings. If you like Led Zep, you will undoubtedly like the heaviness of their output. Not heavy in terms of heavy rock and roll, just the deep throbbing bass and drum combination. Was there ever a better drummer than John Bonham plying this type of music? But it’s on tracks such as Gallows pole; That’s the way and Bron-Y-Aur’s stomp which make up the majority of the second side, which make you really listen to the output.
No wonder they were an LP band because each track gave you a different insight into their make up. Crashing out a hit single was not their style and I suspect was almost considered a lazy way of attracting attention. This LP, like many, was crafted in such a way that if you stopped listening for any given moment in time, you missed something different. No heavy metal thrash here, and whilst they were classified as rock musicians it is fair to say there was much, much more to it than that. Perhaps that is highlighted in later years through Plant’s later output as a solo artist and with other bands he helped form.
I bought hundreds of LP’s throughout the 70’s and 80’s but never once did I buy a Led Zep LP. If you are coming to the show very late in the day, like me, pick this up, give it a listen and I guarantee one thing - it not only gives you a great introduction into a band who were, for many, the greatest rock and roll band in the history of music, but it will leave you gasping for more, with a desire to go and seek out their other material. You cannot get enough of Led Zeppelin and it is no wonder, 50 years later the public are still crying in the aisles and wishing that one day, the remaining members will re-unite once again. Magical, inspirational and a different class.
