Overview:
Led Zeppelin II was the first number one album they had in both the U.K. and the states. Their first hit also came from this album, Whole Lotta Love. This album became the blueprint for innumerable hard rock and heavy metal album from the 70s and on.
When an artist sites Zeppelin as an influence, they almost universally site Led Zeppelin II as the source. Even 90s star Kurt Cobain said, ’’There are just some albums I love, where every song is a masterpiece and I never skip songs. Those albums are Nevermind The Bollocks (Sex Pistols), Toys In The Attic (Aerosmith), and Led Zeppelin II.’’ But moving away from the mystic, what does this album really offer? The answer, the most infectious album ever made.
Tracks:
1) Whole Lotta Love - Zeppelin usually waits till later in an album to display an album’s best song. However, the first song captures all the aspects of Zeppelin in 5 minutes and 35 seconds. It’s longer than a standard song (based on the average song lengths of the time), something the band liked to do with their music.
It has a fantastic Jimmy Page solo. It rocks hard like most of their album openers do. And after all that, its really a ballad of sorts about love. The song was so huge when it was released in 1969 that it helped the album beat out some very strong competition. The Rolling Stones and The Beatles both controlled the charts prior to Led Zeppelin II’s release, but the album pushed both aside, on both sides of the atlantic, to claim the number one spot.
Whole Lotta Love was also one of the few songs from Zeppelin released as a single. The single made it higher than any other Zeppelin song ever did by reaching the number 4 slot (noting their most popular work was only released with the song’s respective album). In the 80s, bluesman Willie Dixon sued the band claiming they had used some material from him to make Whole Lotta Love. As it turns out, the line, ’’Shake for me girl, I want to be you’re backdoor man, ’’ is lifted from Dixon’s song, ’’You Need Loving.’’ The rest of the song, both lyrically and musically, was original.
The band paid Dixon for the borrowed material, and Dixon turned around and donated the money to a music for schools fund. The song also became a concert favorite. Often, the song was extended into a medley, including a section for Jimmy Page to use his ’’bowing’’ technique to impress the crowd. While other Zeppelin songs sometimes get more praise, this song is simply their best. To sum it all up, Whole Lotta Love is a timeless classic. (10/10)
2) What Is And What Should Never Be - The band keeps up the tempo with this song. It starts out slow, but then suddenly kicks into high gear. Another fine song, and a good choice after the monstrous opener. (9.5/10)
3) The Lemon Song - This song is an interesting take on a blues classic, ’’Killing Floor.’’ The song, however, is different enough that no one ever tried to accuse the band of stealing material. It’s another quality song that keeps the hard rock feel flowing. (8.5/10)
4) Thank You - A lovely love ballad that relaxes the listener after 3 harder edged songs. This song is the first Zeppelin song ever that shows the bands softer side. Another quality track. (8.5/10)
5) Heartbreaker - While Heartbreaker does not get a lot of attention, it’s a very hard rocking track. It contains another infamous Jimmy Page riff, and a very good guitar solo. The song is somewhat of a hidden Zeppelin gem. (10/10)
6) Living Loving Maid (She’s Just A Woman) - Another hard rocking song like Heartbreaker, the song contains, like the previous track, a memorable Jimmy Page riff. (9/10)
7) Ramble On - A classic example of Zeppelin’s ’’light and shade’’ tactics. The song starts out slowly, and then picks up the beat. This song also was the first Zeppelin song to contains Lord Of The Rings references. This song balances out the album by giving it a latter half song to compliment Whole Lotta Love. (10/10)
8) Moby Dick - This song gave drummer John Bonham his moment to shine. The track contains no vocals, only instrumentals. While the song starts off with guitar, bass, and drums, the first two disappear and allow Bonzo to show why he is the best hard rock drummer of all time. (9/10)
9) Bring It On Home - The song starts off strangely, making you think it’s going to be a light sendoff. This is hardly the case. After the slow introduction, the band in its own typical style, puts the song into overdrive for a powerful, perfect ending. (9/10)
Conclusion:
So many argue which album is Zeppelin’s best effort. Most claim it’s one of the first six albums. Let’s set the record straight, they are all great albums. I, III, IV, Houses Of The Holy, and Physical Graffiti all make compelling arguments, and Led Zeppelin II is no exception. (10/10)