August 15, 1979 - In Through The Out Door

Almost three weeks since my last release and a long three year gap since "Presence" in '76, Led Zeppelin released their eighth studio album "In Through The Out Door" on August 15, 1979. Jimmy Page was struggling with drug problems and John Bonham was dealing with intense alcoholism at this point, diminishing their input on this record. Robert Plant and John Paul Jones consequently wrote much of the material and there is a lot of different keyboards used. This is a big change from their last back-to-basics approach, but this is Led Zeppelin we're talking about, so I'm sure it will be great! Let's dive in!

The album starts with "In The Evening" and we hear some trippy noises in the background as Bonham plays some muted, but still solid drums. It's a very spacey opening for Zeppelin but once Plant comes in on vocals they settle into a more typical rock riff. Page plays a decent main guitar riff while Jones plays some backing organ and Bonham plays a nice drum beat. Plant's vocals are pretty good as always and the guitar is alright but I'm not used to this amount of organ yet. Jones plays some nice bass as well and I think it sounds way better than the boring organ he's playing. After the second "I need your love" chorus Page goes off for an extended guitar solo. It sounds pretty great as you'd expect and it fits the mood really well. The mood changes drastically though as the guitar solo continues into a much slower riff. Page continues to lead the way but we're back to a slightly spacey bit that has some good bass by Jones. It's not long before we're back to the main verse though as Plant takes the lead once again. After another chorus Plant rambles over the main riff as Page plays some slow, sweet guitar and this cool song slowly fades to an end. Up next is "South Bound Saurez" and Jones drives this main riff with some fast keyboards. Page's guitar makes things sound more Zeppelin-esque and Plant's vocals sound great in this song. Jones spices up the main verse with flashes of cool piano and when we hear just Plant in the chorus it sounds pretty sweet. Page solos overtop of the main riff and he plays some great guitar while Jones continues to drive the song with this interesting piano riff. They resume the verse and chorus one last time and then they jam out to the main riff with Plant doing some "shalalala" backing singing in addition to some nice rambling lead vocals. Jones spices up the piano a bit more in this closing part and this was another different, but certainly still good new song. Track 3 is called "Fool In The Rain" and they kick right into it as Page and Jones sync up their guitar and piano for a catchy main riff. Bonham's drumbeat is superb, as usual, as he expertly plays this slow but great beat. Jones' bass mimics the same riff and Plant's vocals sounds amazing as he sings the first verse, going high and low and sounding awesome. They play a few great verses with everyone taking turns spicing things up a bit in their own way. Around the two and a half minute mark we hear a loud whistle and Jones goes off on a new piano riff that sounds pretty sweet! Bonham plays some excellent drums in this new part as well as Plant holds some notes for a long time! They build up to a point where Bonham goes off for a few drum fills that sound awesome! He is a master on the kit and this leads right into an extended guitar solo for Page that is also pretty freaking great! Everyone seems on top of their game on this song as Page's wicked guitar continues into another great verse. They play out the chorus a few times at the end as Page continues to play some great guitar and Plant sings one final "love that I found". That was unlike typical Led Zeppelin, but I thought it was spectacular! The first side wraps up with "Hot Dog", another unique tune that starts with some nice guitar by Page but is driven by Jones playing some saloon-style piano. He plays some fast piano that sounds pretty wicked as the guitar keeps a speedy pace in the background. Plant sings very quickly along as this is another atypical riff, but this old western feel sounds pretty great! The chorus flows right in with the main verse and Plant and Jones continue to lead the way with great singing and some really good piano! Page goes off for a short guitar solo that sounds pretty great as well as this is one hoppin' song! They play another solid verse and chorus and Page delivers a bit more cool guitar before this short song is over. I thought that was a pretty great first side!

Side two starts with the longest song on the album, the ten-plus minute "Carouselambra". It's driven by another quick keyboard riff by Jones as Page and Bonham both play some rather tame stuff. We also hear Jones playing some pretty good bass but it's his organ that dominates this main riff as Plant sings along. Jones changes the key of his keyboard riff but it's mostly the same riff repeated over and over. It's not a bad main riff, the bass sounds pretty sweet but the guitar is very boring (something I never thought I would say about Jimmy Page) and I find the keyboards start to become stale. Jones does briefly break away with some new keyboards but it's not long before they resume the main riff again. After the 4-minute mark the mood finally seems to shift as things slow down and they move into a new part. Page plays some cool guitar that segues into a nice slow beat that sounds pretty epic. Plant does some light singing overtop this epic new riff and I think this part is much more attention-holding than the opening several minutes. After a few minutes of this slower part they move into another new section with Jones leading this almost funky beat. It's similar to the opening as he plays a keyboard riff as well as some solid bass but I think this funky riff is better than the first one. Jones plays lots of different keyboards in this section and he makes them sound pretty good together. Page plays some decent guitar overtop but this is definitely not Jimmy at his best on this one. Jones continues to play lots of interesting synths as they jam out this riff until the song finally fades to a close. Zeppelin's prog-y song was alright but I thought for a song over ten minutes it didn't have enough that jumped out. Track 6 is "All My Love" and Jones continues to be the main man as this song is driven by a sad-sounding but catchy organ riff. Bonham slowly drums along as Plant sings nicely in a softer voice and Page adds some breezy guitar that fits this mood well. This sappier love song has an easy sing-along chorus as Zeppelin show a bit of their softer side. They play another verse and chorus and then things quiet down to just Page's light guitar momentarily. From this quiet Jones begins a keyboard solo that isn't too flashy but sounds pretty great! Page continues his ocean-esque guitar playing but Jones plays some cool stuff for sure in this solo. They play the same connecting riff as earlier and bring it back to the chorus. They jam out the chorus with Plant doing some classic rambling vocals as he hits some nice high notes while this one also fades to an end. It was certainly a lighter song but I thought they did a good job on it. The final song on the record is "I'm Gonna Crawl" and Jones opens it with a nice little organ solo before they settle into a slow, blues-y beat. Jones' organ continues in the background as Page leads the way with another light guitar riff. Plant sings in his lower blues-y voice and I always think he sounds great. He does go high for one looong note in the chorus that he holds for a good amount of time! They play another nice slow verse and when we hear Plant's "Every little bit! Every little bit!" it sounds pretty good. The stage is set for Page and he delivers a smooth guitar solo that fits the mood perfectly. Nothing really flashy, but things sound great and Plant returns to sing a new part. I love his yells as you can hear the passion in his voice and he sounds so good. They slowly jam out the main riff as Plant delivers some pretty awesome rambling vocals. "She give me good lovin'". A solid way to end a solid second side.

That is the end of "In Through The Out Door" and I thought it was a pretty good album. It is certainly way different than anything else Led Zeppelin have done as John Paul Jones keyboards dominate this whole album. "Fool In The Rain" was my favourite but there was lots of great new music on this album even if it wasn't what you might expect. Compared to other music at this time this album is still top-notch stuff but how does it compare to their lofty standards? I previously thought "Led Zeppelin III" was their least great album (Led Zeppelin doesn't make bad music) as it is a step down from the other six(!) amazing albums but I think this newest offering takes the place of the bottom rung. I like their older style that is more blues-inspired and although Jones plays some great keyboards, I prefer a Zeppelin that uses way less of them and focuses more on guitar as the lead instrument. Even though I think this is their worst album yet, it's still way better than most bands could even dream of! That is just the nature of Led Zeppelin.