What Dazed and Confused delivered in an unmistakable base line, Page lays out in a riff to open Whole Lotta Love that still gives me shivers every time I hear it - and then Jones takes it to another level when he adds the bass unison. The little sigh that precedes it is a nice touch, as if to say 'ok, let's get this fucker under way'. This too brings about an instrumental wank-fest which takes years upon years of listening to truly appreciate. Sound Engineer Eddie Kramer said they produced the song by "twiddling every knob known to man". Though they contractually had complete creative control, in 1969 an edited version of "Whole Lotta Love", was released as a single in the US against the band's wishes. It reached number four in the Billboard chart in January 1970, selling over one million copies helping to cement the their popularity. It was the highest charting single the band ever had.
What Is and What Should Never Be represents a complete change of pace from the frantic feel of the opening track. This song meanders along with Jones leading the way through the verses. This song produced a lot of 'what the fuck' moments when I first tried to interpret the lyrics. I have no idea what this one is about, but it doesn't matter really. I finally came to realize that this song just 'is', and that's the point. Page delivers a soulful solo, that is also greatly improved with the recent remaster.
The Lemon Song comes out with an overt sexual theme that is about as subtle as a crowbar to the face. I absolutely love the frantic instrumental sections - moreso here than on the opening track. I think I already said everything else that needs to be said in the intro to the album. The only other thing I'll say is DAT BASS! JPJ owns this bitch.
Thank You was the first set of lyrics entirely credited to Plant (in a dedication to his wife Maureen), and the song that Page realized he could turn over principal lyric writing to Plant. It's a simple ballad, and the first from the band. Nothing too special here, but it just goes to show the diversity the band had, and would continue to exude for their entire career. Plant used this as an intro to Crazy Little Thing Called Love at Wembley Stadium for Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992.
Some argue that Whole Lotta Love is the showcase of the album, but a case can certainly be made that it is actually Heartbreaker that is the flagship song from Zeppelin II. Though Page's contributions were not nearly as front and centre as they were for the debut album, Zeppelin II marked the introduction of his soon-to-be-legendary use of a 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar, this being the first song he used it on. This and Communication Breakdown were the only two songs that Zeppelin performed every year the band toured. Page claims that he laid down the legendary solo without so much as a second thought - the solo having been recorded in a totally different studio than the rest of the guitar mix. To hear that this solo, one of the most famous from the 70s and an influence on countless axemen to follow, was an 'afterthought' once the song was tracked is either amazing or shocking - I'm not sure which.
Reportedly Page's least favorite song from their catalog, Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) is driven by a very simple up and down melody that was the B-side to the Whole Lotta Love single edit. No one is really sure how this became 'act 2' of Heartbreaker, but you rarely hear the two songs without the other - and you never heard this at a Zeppelin concert/bootleg (save for a single show in Düsseldorf in 1970 which a short segment of the song was played right after Heartbreaker). It was originally published in the UK as "Livin' Lovin' Wreck (She's a Woman)".
Plant's love affair with fantasy lyrics, and Lord of the Rings in particular are first displayed on Ramble On. The opening lyric is also paraphrased from a Tolkein poem. One of my favorite Zeppelin tunes of all time, it's a simple acoustic melody with a dancing bass line that leads into a fantastic chorus. How the percussion sounds are produced is up for much debate, ranging from speculation they were even made with a small plastic waste bin.
Moby Dick - Often imitated, never duplicated. The origins of Moby Dick come from the live 30+ minute solos Bonzo would deliver from their previous tour, under the moniker "Pat's Delight" (as Jaq spoiled) . It is these solo's that made Bonham the legend he is/was, establishing the roots of arguably the best rock drummer in history. In the late 60s, there weren't too many individual studio release tracks that were drum solos. This goe to show the confidence the band had in Bonzo's capable hands and feet.
With musical contributions from Plant on the harmonica, Bring it on Home teases a blues theme from the intro, then abruptly turns into a very simple, straight forward rock tune. Page gives us yet another blazing, multi-layered guitar riff, and Bonzo's lays down some fantastic drum fills. There's even a muted trumpet effect thrown in there for the hell of it. For such a basic tune, there's a lot of complex subtleties going on.
Jingle.boy's ranking:
Ramble On
Whole Lotta Love
Hertbreaker/Living Loving Maid
The Lemon Song
Bring it on Home
What Is and What Should Never Be
Moby Dick
Thank You
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Topic: The Led Zeppelin Discography Discussion: v. Everything still turns to gold (Read 55844 times)