Logan Review: Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I

 There are so many amazing classic artists who have songs that we hear on the radio all the time, but many people, including myself, have never really taken the time to seek out and listen to the full albums, curious to know how many great songs we could be missing out on because they’re not played on the radio.  I, Logan Phillips, have taken on the task of sitting down and listening to the full records so you don’t have to.  The album that is under the microscope in this post is Led Zeppelin:  Led Zeppelin I.

Led Zeppelin I is their very first, self-titled, album released in 1969.  The music is a perfect blend of blues and rock, and unique sound.  The band immediately achieved commercial success in the US and the UK, reaching number six in the UK and number ten in the US on the Billboard Top 100!

So how did I like this record?  Here’s my review:

Good Times Bad Times:  My first opinion of this song comes out with a sound that immediately grabs your attention. Then the band blows you away with an amazing guitar solo from Jimmy Page.  It’s impactful and a great first impression with the first song on a first album.

Babe I’m Going to Leave You: Starts slow with the beautiful plucking of the acoustic guitar and Robert Plants’ melodic singing.  While building up, the song with John Bonham on drums that make you believe the song is ready to kick off but then bounces back to that slow melody, until finally, the song takes off with guitars and drums and strained screams that echo the pain of Robert Plant.  This is one of those songs that sounds so amazing but when you really listen, it punches you in the gut.  I truly love how this song doesn’t leave you in one spot too long. The melody and the tone change so often that you don’t grow bored with this almost-7-minute song.

You Shook Me:  This song really plays into that bluesy sound that was the basis for Led Zeppelin.  I am truly obsessed with how Jimmy Page uses the guitar to match Robert Plant’s tones throughout this song.   Mixing the traditional blues cadences with their unique sounds really drives this song.  It doesn’t try to take you on some complex ride with how creative they can be, but shows you how they can still kill it by keeping it simple.

Dazed and Confused:  This song is properly named; the early parts of this song have such great guitars and drums.  But the song grows stale as there is a very long lull in sound.  But then out of know where comes back very fast-paced with nothing to really grab ahold of.  Before it finally comes full circle bringing back the sound that the beginning of this song.

Your Time Is Gonna Come:   The keyboard in the beginning, gives this a real Sunday church sound that provides this song with a happy, hopeful sound.  Which for myself makes it that much funnier when you listen to the lyrics and figure out it’s about an unfaithful girl who is going to pay for her deceitful ways.

Black mountain side:  A simple interlude.  Solo guitars with very slight acoustics behind it.

Communication Breakdown:  A classic, fast-paced Zeppelin sound.  It clocks in at only 2 minutes 30 seconds, but it’s a great song for when you want to listen to Led Zeppelin and don’t have seven minutes to spare.

I Can’t Quit You Baby:  This song for me might require another listen-through.  It’s not a bad song by any means as it still has all the things that you come to expect and love in a Led Zeppelin song.  But it doesn’t add any real excitement to it, as much as the earlier tracks did.

How Many More Times:  In my opinion, this could have easily been a three-minute song that could have rounded this album out perfectly.  Instead, the first 6 minutes of this track are slow and boring with many long moments of almost quiet guitar and Robert Plant yelling.  This track doesn’t pick up until 6 minutes in and while it ends nicely I would not listen to this track just for the last three minutes.

When it comes to Led Zeppelin:  Led Zeppelin I it is very easy to comprehend how this English rock group came out of nowhere with this album and took the world by storm.  The unique sound that they brought to the world of rock is incredible.  I personally am a fan of Led Zeppelin, but I may have found out today that I can listen to them in smaller chunks instead of a full album because this Album is impressive with how everything is composed and put together.  But I personally found myself fatigued after a while.  Because while there were songs that take you on a trip with how much energy and flow they had, there were also tracks that felt drawn out and dry.

Now some of the songs that I will take with me from this album include Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, You Shook me, Your Time Is Gonna Come, and I Can’t Quit You Baby.   Overall, I would give this album 4 out of 5 stars.  Even though I wasn’t captivated the whole time listening through.  I can’t deny how impressive and groundbreaking everything in this album is.

At the end of the day, this is all just my first opinion, the beautiful thing about music is subjective. The critiques I have of this album might very well be something that you would appreciate in it.  so, if you have the time sit back relax give this album a listen, and form your own opinion.