January 12, 1969 - Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin

Happy New Year! Only 12 days into the new year, a new band is making it's debut, the self-titled "Led Zeppelin", released on January 12, 1969. But who are Led Zeppelin? They were a four-piece rock band from London, England consisting of founder and guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones. The foursome had not even signed a record deal when they recorded their debut album, their manager Peter Grant and the band paid for it all themselves and it was all produced by Page. The band had played several shows and knew their songs very well, so it only took 36 hours of studio time to record. It features six original songs and three covers.

Side 1 begins with the only single released off the album, "Good Times Bad Times". It is driven by a cool guitar riff and has some great bass. It shows off the abilities of all four members, including an awesome guitar solo from Page. It's about a woman who said she would always be there, but then of course she leaves. Track 2's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is a reworking of a 1950s Anne Bredon song, but it's the cover by Joan Baez that inspired Page to write this version. It's carried by a slow but great-sounding guitar riff,  which is sped up at times and it also has our first case of Plant's signature vocal style. The next track is another cover, this time of Willie Dixon with the blues track "You Shook Me". A very slow blues song, it has an organ solo from Jones, a harmonica solo from Plant, which is not my favourite instrument but the solo is pretty cool, and finally an even better guitar solo from Page. Side 1 ends with the epic "Dazed And Confused", which has Page using a violin bow on his guitar for a very cool effect. The song starts with some slow bass that sends chills down your spine. The bow-on-guitar sounds excellent and Bonham provides some superb drumming as well. Plant is really letting loose as well and all 4 members truly show their talents on this song. It gets quiet as Plant echoes Page's guitar with his voice, in a call-and-response effect that would become a staple for Led Zeppelin. Some more great bass carries the song as the guitar wanders and makes some trippy effects. Bass, drums and guitar all go full steam during the "guitar solo" and this extended instrumental part is really really effing good. It all returns to the awesome original riff, as well as some really great drum fills from Bonham. What a fantastic 6 and a half minutes. Definitely my favourite song off the album so far, this kind of awesomeness just seems to flow naturally for these 4 very talented guys.

Side 2 opens with "Your Time Is Gonna Come" which begins with a Jones organ solo. It has some slow trippy organ throughout and Bonham has some more great drum fills. The lyrics are about a woman who is always lying and cheating and karma is due. It segues into "Black Mountain Side", a short little instrumental song. Page plays some quick acoustic guitar that sounds pretty cool and Bonham does some great quiet drumming. Track 7 is "Communication Breakdown", a short song with a lot of awesome packed into it. It's driven by a simple riff and Plant especially sounds like he's really enjoying himself. Another great solo from Page is quickly becoming the norm. Led Zeppelin continue to show their blues influence with another Willie Dixon cover, this time "I Can't Quit You Baby", where Page really shows off on guitar. Each verse he seems to play something a little more complicated and it is certainly great stuff to listen to. The album ends with the longest song at just under 8 and a half minutes, "How Many More Times", which is driven by a really catchy, very cool bass riff. Around the 4 minute mark it gets very quiet and Bonham plays some more cool drums while Page plays trippy background guitar. Later on Plant let's out a very long and high-pitched "ohhhh", before it comes thundering back to the original riff. It all ends with a classic rock and roll finish, with everyone going crazy. A very good song indeed and the end of a really great debut album. 

That is the end of "Led Zeppelin", a truly rockin' debut album and my first of the year. All four band members seem to be at the top of their game, and if they can improve on this record, then wonderful things are waiting for all of us. My library continues to expand with another new (to me) artist in a few months. See ya then!