Led Zeppelin [Remaster] (CD - 1969)

Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica); Jimmy Page (acoustic, electric, & pedal steel guitars, background vocals); John Paul Jones (organ, bass, background vocals); John Bonham (drums, tympani, background vocals).

Additional personnel: Viram Jasani (tablas).

Recorded at Olympic Studios, London, England in October 1968.

Personnel: Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica); Sandy Denny (vocals); Jimmy Page (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, background vocals); John Paul Jones (organ, keyboards, background vocals); John Bonham (drums, tabla, timpani, background vocals); Viram Jasani (tabla).

Recording information: Olympic Studios, London, England (10/1968).

Photographer: Chris Dreja.

Led Zeppelin had a fully formed, distinctive sound from the outset, as their eponymous debut illustrates. Taking the heavy, distorted electric blues of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Cream to an extreme, Zeppelin created a majestic, powerful brand of guitar rock constructed around simple, memorable riffs and lumbering rhythms. But the key to the group's attack was subtlety: it wasn't just an onslaught of guitar noise, it was shaded and textured, filled with alternating dynamics and tempos. As Led Zeppelin proves, the group was capable of such multi-layered music from the start. Although the extended psychedelic blues of "Dazed and Confused," "You Shook Me," and "I Can't Quit You Baby" often gather the most attention, the remainder of the album is a better indication of what would come later. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" shifts from folky verses to pummeling choruses; "Good Times Bad Times" and "How Many More Times" have groovy, bluesy shuffles; "Your Time Is Gonna Come" is an anthemic hard rocker; "Black Mountain Side" is pure English folk; and "Communication Breakdown" is a frenzied rocker with a nearly punkish attack. Although the album isn't as varied as some of their later efforts, it nevertheless marked a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rising from the ashes of his old band the Yardbirds, session guitarist Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin, one of the most powerful, influential, and enduring British bands to emerge in the '60s. Despite the presence of such classic thrash-o-ramas as "Good Times Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown," what set Led Zeppelin apart was the depth and range of their music. Their sound was bathed in the blues, from rootsy covers of Willie Dixon's "You Shook Me" and "I Can't Quit You Baby," to the crunching rhythm changes of "Dazed And Confused."

Few guitarists before or since possessed Page's sense of pacing and dynamics, as exemplified by the traditional acoustic folk elements framing the arena gestures on "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," and the raga-flavored acoustic mystery of "Black Mountain Side." These elements would continue to evolve on subsequent albums, leading to some of Led Zeppelin's greatest moments. minimize