LED ZEPPELIN TAKES OFF!

Escassos 4 dias após o Professor Marcelo Caetano iniciar na RTP as suas “conversas em família” (que assiduamente iriam ser transmitidas durante cinco anos – a última foi pouco antes do 25 de Abril de 1974) era editado em Inglaterra, a 12 de Janeiro, o primeiro album de um novo grupo chamado Led Zeppelin. Confesso que, na altura, ambos os acontecimentos me passaram completamente ao lado. As “conversas”, por residir então em Moçambique e lá não haver televisão (só tomaria conhecimento dessas sessões de esclarecimento, "sem formalismos nem solenidades", como então rezava a publicidade do Governo Marcelista, quando vim de férias à metrópole nesse Verão de 69). Quanto aos Led Zeppelin continuaram sendo uns ilustres desconhecidos até à publicação do segundo album (a 22 de Outubro de 1969). Aí sim, o tema “Whole Lotta Love” levou o nome da nova banda aos quatro cantos do Mundo. Mas só depois de ter comprado o terceiro album, já em 1970, é que me decidi pela aquisição deste album de estreia.

Original released on LP Atlantic SD 8216 (stereo)

(US, 12/1/1969)

Gravado em 15 dias durante o mês de Outubro de 68, ainda antes do grupo ter adoptado o nome que os tornaria célebres (escolhido pelo guitarrista Jimmy Page que se lembrou de uma frase usada frequentemente na época por Keith Moon, o baterista dos Who: «Going down like a lead zeppelin»), este primeiro e explosivo album parece popularizar a exploração iniciada por Jimi Hendrix. Os sons muito saturados, os solos virtuosisticos inventados por Hendrix são aqui disciplinados pelo grupo, com ajuda de uma rítmica muito mais pesada, quadrada e simples: o martelar binário herdado do blues, o canto agudissimo de Robert Plant e as improvisações de Jimmy Page (ex-Yardbirds) compõem um conjunto que torna mais acessíveis ao grande público as inovações de Jimi Hendrix. Influenciados pelo empresário Peter Grant, os Led Zeppelin tomaram a decisão de não editarem singles no Reino-Unido, o que os levou a serem banidos da rádio e a aparecerem raras vezes na televisão. Apesar desse boicote, o album alcançou o 6º lugar na Grã-Bretanha e o 10º lugar nos EUA. Uma curiosidade: Glyn Johns, engenheiro de som dos Led Zep, tocou um acetato do LP para Mick Jagger, visando a inclusão do novo grupo no Rock and Roll Circus, show a cargo dos Rolling Stones. A resposta foi um rotundo não! O mesmo aconteceu com George Harrison, que não viu qualquer interesse naquela música. O mesmo aconteceu com outros músicos, promotores e críticos da época, o que hoje só prova o quanto adiantados os Led Zeppelin se encontravam naquela época. Como complemento disponibiliza-se também o CD do concerto no Olympia de Paris, levado à cena no dia 10 de Outubro de 1969 - uma pequena amostra do fantástico acontecimento que era nessa altura ver actuar os Led Zeppelin em cima de um palco.

DISCOGRAPHY

Formed July 1968, London, United Kingdom

Disbanded December 1980

Jimmy Page (born 1944): guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, backing vocals

Robert Plant (born 1948): vocals, harmonica, tambourine

John Bonham (born 1948 > died 1980): drums, percussion, backing vocals

John Paul Jones (born 1946): keyboards, bass, mellotron, mandolin, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

1969-01-12 LP LED ZEPPELIN (US Atlantic SD 8216): A1. Good Times Bad Times; A2. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You; A3. You Shook Me; A4. Dazed and Confused; B1. Your Time Is Gonna Come; B2. Black Mountain Side; B3. Communication Breakdown; B4. I Can’t Quit You Baby; B5. How Many More Times

1969-10-22 LP LED ZEPPELIN II (US Atlantic SD 8236): A1. Whole Lotta Love; A2. What Is and What Should Never Be; A3. The Lemon Song; A4. Thank You; B1. Heartbreaker; B2. Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman); B3. Ramble On; B4. Moby Dick; B5. Bring It On Home

1970-10-05 LP LED ZEPPELIN III (US Atlantic SD 7201): A1. Immigrant Song; A2. Friends; A3. Celebration Day; A4. Since I’ve Been Loving You; A5. Out on the Tiles; B1. Gallows Pole; B2. Tangerine; B3. That’s the Way; B4. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp; B5. Hats Off to (Roy) Harper

1971-11-08 LP LED ZEPPELIN [IV] (US Atlantic SD 7208): A1. Black Dog; A2. Rock and Roll; A3. The Battle of Evermore; A4. Stairway to Heaven; B1. Misty Mountain Hop; B2. Four Sticks; B3. Going to California; B4. When the Leeve Breaks

1973-03-28 LP HOUSES OF THE HOLY (US Atlantic SD 7255): A1- The Song Remains the Same; A2. The Rain Song; A3. Over the Hills and Far Away; A4. The Crunge; B1. Dancing Days; B2. D’yer Mak’er; B3. No Quarter; B4. The Ocean

1975-02-24 LP PHISICAL GRAFFITI (UK Swan Song SSK 89400): A1. Custard Pie; A2. The Rover; A3. In My Time of Dying; B1. Houses of the Holy; B2. Trampled Under Foot; B3. Kashmir; C1. In the Light; C2. Bron-Yr-Aur; C3. Down by the Seaside; C4. Ten Years Gone; D1. Night Flight; D2. The Wanton Song; D3. Boogie With Stu; D4. Black Country Woman; D5. Sick Again

1976-03-31 LP PRESENCE (US Swan Song SS 8416): A1. Achilles Last Stand; A2. For Your Life; A3. Royal Orleans; B1. Nobody’s Fault But Mine; B2. Candy Store Rock; Hots on for Nowhere; B4. Tea for One

1976-10-22 LP THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME (LIVE) (UK Swan Song SSK 89402): A1. Rock and Roll; A2. Celebration Day; A3. The Song Remains the Same; A4. The Rain Song; B. Dazed and Confused; C1. No Quarter; C2. Stairway to Heaven; D1. Moby Dick; D2. Whole Lotta Love

1979-08-15 LP IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR (US Swan Song SS 16002): A1. In the Evening; A2. South Bound Saurez; A3. Fool in the Rain; A4. Hot Dog; B1. Carouselambra; B2. All My Love; B3. I’m Gonna Crawl

1982-11-19 LP CODA (Archival) (US Swan Song 7.90051-1): A1. We’re Gonna Groove; A2. Poor Tom; A3. I Can’t Quit You Baby; A4. Walter’s Walk; B1. Ozone Baby; B2. Darlene; B3. Bonzo’s Montreux; B4. Wearing and Tearing

1997-11-18 CD BBC SESSIONS (LIVE, Archival) (US Atlantic SD 83061-2): 1.1. You Shook Me; 1.2. I Can’t Quit You Baby; 1.3. Communication Breakdown; 1.4. Dazed and Confused; 1.5. The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair; 1.6. What Is and What Should Never Be; 1,7. Communication Breakdown; 1.8. Travelling Riverside Blues; 1.9. Whole Lotta Love; 1.10. Somethin’ Else; 1.11. Comunication Breakdown; 1.12. I Can’t Quit You Baby; 1.13. You Shook Me; 1.14. How Many More Times; 2.1. Immigrant Song; 2.2. Heartbreaker; 2.3. Since I’ve Been Loving You; 2.4. Black Dog; 2.5. Dazed and Confused; 2.6. Stairway to Heaven; 2.7. Going to California; 2.8. That’s the Way; 2.9. Whole Lotta Love (Medley): Boogie Chillun’- Fixin’ to Die – That’s Alright Mama – A Mess of Blues; 2.10. Thank You; [DeLuxe Edition]: 3.1. Communication Breakdown; 3.2. What Is and What Should Never Be; 3.3. Dazed and Confused; 3.4. White Summer; 3.5. What Is and What Should Never Be; 3.6. Communication Breakdown; 3.7. I Can’t Quit You Baby; 3.8. You Shook Me; 3.9. Sunshine Woman

2003-05-27 CD HOW THE WEST WAS WON (LIVE) (US Atlantic 83587-2): 1.1. LA Drone; 1.2. Immigrant Song; 1.3. Heartbreaker; 1.4. Black Dog; 1.5. Over the Hills and Far Away; 1.6. Since I’ve Been Loving You; 1.7. Stairway to Heaven; 1.8. Going to California; 1.9. That’s the Way; 1.10. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp; 2.1. Dazed and Confused (Walter’s Walk-The Crunge); 2.2. What Is and What Should Never Be; 2.3. Dancing Days; 2.4. Moby Dick; 3.1. Whole Lotta Love (Boogie Chillun-Let’s Have a Party-Hello Mary Lou-Going Down Slow; 3.2. Rock and Roll; 3.3. The Ocean; 3.4. Bring It On Home (Bring It On Back)

2012-11-19 CD CELEBRATION DAY (LIVE) (US Swan Song 8122-79709-9): 1.1. Good Times Bad Times; 1.2. Ramble On; 1.3. Black Dog; 1.4. In My Time of Dying; 1.5. For Your Life; 1.6. Trampled Under Foot; 1.7. Nobody’s Fault But Mine; 1.8. No Quarter; 2.1. Since I’ve Been Loving You; 2.2. Dazed and Confused; 2.3. Stairway to Heaven; 2.4. The Song Remains the Same; 2.5. Misty Mountain Hop; 2.6. Kashmir; 2.7. Whole Lotta Love; 2.8. Rock and Roll

The Craziest Video I've Ever Seen!

LED ZEPPELIN: "Presence"

Original released on LP Swan Song SSK 59402

(UK 1976, March 31)

"Presence" is the seventh studio album by Led Zeppelin, released by Swan Song Records on 31 March 1976. The cover, inside sleeve and back of the album features various images of people with a black obelisk-shaped object. Inside the album sleeve, the item is referred to simply as "The Object" aka "The Obelisk". It was intended to represent the "force and presence" of Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page explained: «There was no working title for the album. The record-jacket designer said 'When I think of the group, I always think of power and force. There's a definite presence there.' That was it. He wanted to call it 'Obelisk'. To me, it was more important what was behind the obelisk. The cover is very tongue-in-cheek, to be quite honest. Sort of a joke on [the film] 2001 A Space Odyessy. I think it's quite amusing.» Jimmy Page made the decision to record the album after Robert Plant sustained serious injuries from a car accident on the Greek island of Rhodes on 5 August 1975, which forced the band to cancel a proposed world tour that was due to commence on 23 August. At this point, Led Zeppelin were arguably at the height of their popularity. When he was taken to a Greek hospital after the accident, Plant recalled: «I was lying there in some pain trying to get cockroaches off the bed and the guy next to me, this drunken soldier, started singing "The Ocean" from "Houses of the Holy".» The background used in the cover photograph is of an artificial marina that was installed inside London's Earl's Court Arena for the annual Earl's Court Boat Show that was held in the winter of 1974–75. This was the same venue where the band played a series of concerts a few months after the boat show, in May 1975. In 1977 Hipgnosis and George Hardie were nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of best album package. (in Discogs)

Created at a time of intense turmoil for Led Zeppelin - they scrapped a planned international tour in the wake of Robert Plant's car accident in Greece in August 1975 - "Presence" is a strange, misshapen beast of a record that pulls upon its own tension. With Plant somewhat on the sidelines - he recorded many of the vocals while in a wheelchair - Jimmy Page reasserted himself as the primary creative force in the band, helping steer "Presence" toward a guitar-heavy complexity, perched halfway between a return to roots and unfettered prog. This dichotomy means it feels like "Presence" sprawls as wildly as "Physical Graffiti" even though it's half its length: the four epics tend to overshadow the trio of lean rockers that really do hark back to the Chess boogie and rockabilly that informed Zeppelin's earliest work. Each of these three - "Royal Orleans," "Candy Store Rock," "Hots on for Nowhere" - plays as snappily as the throwaways on the second half of "Physical Graffiti", containing a sexy insouciance; the band almost seems to shrug off how catchy Page's riffs and how thick the grooves of John Bonham and John Paul Jones actually are. No matter how much fun this triptych is, they're lost underneath the shadow of "Achilles Last Stand," a ten-minute exercise in self-styled moody majesty and the turgid blues crawl of closer "Tea for One." In between, there are two unalloyed masterpieces that channel all of the pain of the period into cinematic drama: a molten blues called "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and "For Your Life," as sharp, cinematic, and pained as Zeppelin ever were. Added together, "Presence" winds up as something less than the sum of its parts but its imbalance also means that it's a record worth revisiting; it seems different upon each revisit and is always compelling. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

LED ZEPPELIN IV

Original released on LP Atlantic SD-7208

(US 1971, November 8)

Encompassing heavy metal, folk, pure rock & roll, and blues, Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album is a monolithic record, defining not only Led Zeppelin but the sound and style of '70s hard rock. Expanding on the breakthroughs of III, Zeppelin fuse their majestic hard rock with a mystical, rural English folk that gives the record an epic scope. Even at its most basic - the muscular, traditionalist "Rock and Roll" - the album has a grand sense of drama, which is only deepened by Robert Plant's burgeoning obsession with mythology, religion, and the occult. Plant's mysticism comes to a head on the eerie folk ballad "The Battle of Evermore," a mandolin-driven song with haunting vocals from Sandy Denny, and on the epic "Stairway to Heaven." 

Of all of Zeppelin's songs, "Stairway to Heaven" is the most famous, and not unjustly. Building from a simple fingerpicked acoustic guitar to a storming torrent of guitar riffs and solos, it encapsulates the entire album in one song. Which, of course, isn't discounting the rest of the album. "Going to California" is the group's best folk song, and the rockers are endlessly inventive, whether it's the complex, multi-layered "Black Dog," the pounding hippie satire "Misty Mountain Hop," or the funky riffs of "Four Sticks." But the closer, "When the Levee Breaks," is the one song truly equal to "Stairway," helping give IV the feeling of an epic. An apocalyptic slice of urban blues, "When the Levee Breaks" is as forceful and frightening as Zeppelin ever got, and its seismic rhythms and layered dynamics illustrate why none of their imitators could ever equal them. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

LED ZEPPELIN: "Physical Graffiti"

Original released on Double LP Swan Song SSK 89400

(UK 1975, February 24)

Led Zeppelin returned from a nearly two-year hiatus in 1975 with the double-album "Physical Graffiti", their most sprawling and ambitious work. Where "Led Zeppelin IV" and "Houses of the Holy" integrated influences on each song, the majority of the tracks on "Physical Graffiti" are individual stylistic workouts. The highlights are when Zeppelin incorporate influences and stretch out into new stylistic territory, most notably on the tense, Eastern-influenced "Kashmir." "Trampled Underfoot," with John Paul Jones' galloping keyboard, is their best funk-metal workout, while "Houses of the Holy" is their best attempt at pop, and "Down by the Seaside" is the closest they've come to country. Even the heavier blues - the 11-minute "In My Time of Dying," the tightly wound "Custard Pie," and the monstrous epic "The Rover" - are louder and more extended and textured than their previous work. Also, all of the heavy songs are on the first record, leaving the rest of the album to explore more adventurous territory, whether it's acoustic tracks or grandiose but quiet epics like the affecting "Ten Years Gone." 

The second half of "Physical Graffiti " feels like the group is cleaning the vaults out, issuing every little scrap of music they set to tape in the past few years. That means that the album is filled with songs that aren't quite filler, but don't quite match the peaks of the album, either. Still, even these songs have their merits - "Sick Again" is the meanest, most decadent rocker they ever recorded, and the folky acoustic rock & roll of "Boogie with Stu" and "Black Country Woman" may be tossed off, but they have a relaxed, off-hand charm that Zeppelin never matched. It takes a while to sort out all of the music on the album, but "Physical Graffiti" captures the whole experience of Led Zeppelin at the top of their game better than any of their other albums. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

"Whole Lotta Love" By LED ZEPPELIN

LED ZEPPELIN: "Houses Of The Holy"

Original released on LP Atlantic SD 7255

(US 1973, March 28)

"Houses of the Holy" follows the same basic pattern as "Led Zeppelin IV", but the approach is looser and more relaxed. Jimmy Page's riffs rely on ringing, folky hooks as much as they do on thundering blues-rock, giving the album a lighter, more open atmosphere. While the pseudo-reggae of "D'Yer Mak'er" and the affectionate James Brown send-up "The Crunge" suggest that the band was searching for material, they actually contribute to the musical diversity of the album. "The Rain Song" is one of Zep's finest moments, featuring a soaring string arrangement and a gentle, aching melody.

"The Ocean" is just as good, starting with a heavy, funky guitar groove before slamming into an a cappella section and ending with a swinging, doo wop-flavored rave-up. With the exception of the rampaging opening number, "The Song Remains the Same," the rest of "Houses of the Holy" is fairly straightforward, ranging from the foreboding "No Quarter" and the strutting hard rock of "Dancing Days" to the epic folk/metal fusion "Over the Hills and Far Away." Throughout the record, the band's playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of Page and Robert Plant's songwriting sound coherent and natural. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

WALLPAPER: "The Zep"

WALLPAPER: "What Zep Wants?"

LED ZEPPELIN III

Original released on LP Atlantic 

K 50002 (UK) / SD 7201 (US)

(1970, October 5)

On their first two albums, Led Zeppelin unleashed a relentless barrage of heavy blues and rockabilly riffs, but "Led Zeppelin III" provided the band with the necessary room to grow musically. While there are still a handful of metallic rockers, III is built on a folky, acoustic foundation that gives the music extra depth. And even the rockers aren't as straightforward as before: the galloping "Immigrant Song" is powered by Robert Plant's banshee wail, "Celebration Day" turns blues-rock inside out with a warped slide guitar riff, and "Out on the Tiles" lumbers along with a tricky, multi-part riff. Nevertheless, the heart of the album lies on the second side, when the band delve deeply into English folk. "Gallows Pole" updates a traditional tune with a menacing flair, and "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is an infectious acoustic romp, while "That's the Way" and "Tangerine" are shimmering songs with graceful country flourishes. The band hasn't left the blues behind, but the twisted bottleneck blues of "Hats off to (Roy) Harper" actually outstrips the epic "Since I've Been Loving You," which is the only time Zeppelin sound a bit set in their ways. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

LED ZEPPELIN II

 Original released on LP Atlantic SD 8236 (US) / 588 198 (UK)

(22 October, 1969)

Recorded quickly during Led Zeppelin's first American tours, "Led Zeppelin II" provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed it. Since the group could only enter the studio for brief amounts of time, most of the songs that compose II are reworked blues and rock & roll standards that the band was performing on-stage at the time. Not only did the short amount of time result in a lack of original material, it made the sound more direct. Jimmy Page still provided layers of guitar overdubs, but the overall sound of the album is heavy and hard, brutal and direct. "Whole Lotta Love," "The Lemon Song," and "Bring It on Home" are all based on classic blues songs - only, the riffs are simpler and louder and each song has an extended section for instrumental solos. Of the remaining six songs, two sport light acoustic touches ("Thank You," "Ramble On"), but the other four are straight-ahead heavy rock that follows the formula of the revamped blues songs. While "Led Zeppelin II" doesn't have the eclecticism of the group's debut, it's arguably more influential. After all, nearly every one of the hundreds of Zeppelin imitators used this record, with its lack of dynamics and its pummeling riffs, as a blueprin (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

LED ZEPPELIN - Stairway To Heaven (1971)