Review Summary: Led Zeppelin takes on the lighter side of their name!
This album is definitely underrated, I don't see it come up a lot in discussions on their best albums, which is a shame because besides the absolute dog water that is their worst song ever released on a studio album, "Hats Off (To Roy Harper)", it's an amazing one. There are heavier songs that are fantastic such as "Immigrant Song", "Out On The Tiles", and "Celebration Day", and possibly Robert Plant's most incredible vocal performance on an album with genuinely deep lyrics as with drumming and keyboard work that intertwines perfectly with the heart-wrenching riff on "Since I've Been Loving You", plus the acoustic songs are all incredible too besides "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" which is just ok.
This is typically seen as Zeppelin's folk album, and honestly, I can see it. While you got the usual heavy stuff, this is much more on the lighter side of their name (the name of the band actually came from "Led" representing the heavy side, like metal, while "Zeppelin" is the softer, floating on air side.) This album marks the first time we see genuinely fantastic lyricism from Robert Plant whether it be on the opening song, "Immigrant Song", or "That's The Way". For an absolute genius riffmaster that's known for his electric guitar work, Jimmy Page can really go all out emotionally or have a great groove with an acoustic. Despite the contrast in heavy and light, the album still manages to be mostly cohesive, and maintain a relatively good flow from one track to the next!
"Tangerine" is one of the most beautiful songs ever, Page wrote the main melody while he was still part of The Yardbirds, but perfected it here. Plant's painstaking vocals provide a genuine tug at the heartstrings and the way these two work as a duo is unmatchable to this day. This may be down a bit on the best-of-all-time list, much lower than their actual peaks like
Physical Graffiti,
Led Zeppelin IV,
Led Zeppelin II, and
Houses of the Holy but it's still on there for sure!
If only it didn't end with "Hats Off to (Roy Harper)", where Robert Plant's voice is filtered through what sounds like a malfunctioning tire pump and Page gets sloppier than a high school cafeteria, and "Friends" and "Celebration Day" were a bit stronger as songs, it'd be a completely perfect album.
Track by Track:
Immigrant Song: ★★★★★
Friends: ★★★
Celebration Day: ★★★
Since I've Been Loving You: ★★★★★ 🎖️
Out On The Tiles: ★★★★★
Gallows Pole: ★★★★
Tangerine: ★★★★★
That's the Way: ★★★★★
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp: ★★★
Hats Off To (Roy) Harper: 💣
