Led Zeppelin | Page 14 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

Spent most of the afternoon (off and on) drawing this, from memory:

…The things I spend my time on, when I could have been playing guitar or talking to other humans or eating food (though I more than made up for the last item later)

*WARNING: SUPERMASSIVE PWT RANT AHEAD*
*TURN BACK WHILST YET YA CAN*

I had to replay the beginning of ‘Immigrant Song’ over a few times. The tape hiss and someone (Jimmy Page?) counting up and then that massive riff (and I include the drums here, they are as much the riff as the guitars are) explodes over your head. I don’t need to rave about Plant’s majestic Viking screams, or the way his delivery alternates between bard-like and raging, but I just did anyway. The wind-down is as massive as the intro — truly an absolutely solid bullet of pure energy packed into not quite two-and-a-half minutes.

I love studio chatter. That and the rattling of the bottom string against the frets (because it’s tuned down to low C, so it’s pretty loose) in ‘Friends’ are little details that give me a powerful kind of satisfaction. As for the lines ‘I’m telling you now, the greatest thing you ever can do now/ Is trade a smile with someone who’s blue now’, well, I take them to heart. I also love the crescendo of strings — rising crescendos of strings and things seem to be a pattern on this album — fading into a swirling propeller-sound which swirls seamlessly into the most hilariously clunky country-western imitation I’ve ever heard. ‘Celebration Day’ is as fun in all respects as its title dictates it should be, but the thing that really caught my attention this time around was the bass. Wow. I mean, I already knew John Paul Jones is the coolest of dudes, but I like to be reminded.

As I said above, I wasn’t previously in the right frame of mind to appreciate ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’, but now I’m loving it. Since I’ve been loving it I’ve appreciated the slow tempo most — the way the kick drum drags heavily and almost ominously through Jimmy’s guitar lines which are by turns ponderous and as sexually frustrated as Plant’s vocal. Then there’s the organ part, which just compliments everything like butter on bread.

My only quibble is that there isn’t enough silence after that massive track to absorb what you’ve just witnessed before being tossed headlong into the wildly contrasting mood that is ‘Out On The Tiles’ — but that’s easily remedied enough, and not to take away from the experience of the latter, which is pure joy. It’s like a release after the drag, drag, drag, DRAAAAAAAAAAAAG that is the preceding track (I mean that complimentarily of course), like he’s shaken off chafing bonds and is desperately glad to be Rambling On once more, doing what he wilt. And toward the end, during the vocal improvisational stylings, I noticed one or two little things that are reminiscent of ‘When The Levee Breaks’ (the ‘Goin’ down’ part at the end) and ‘Four Sticks’ (also toward the end).

Side two (And great joy was beheld in the household of the Silly Girl, when she had to flip the record over, for she delights in the physical manifestation of what is a very natural division in her mind). I love the way ‘Gallows Pole’ starts with one very metallic-sounding guitar and a voice. And then the mandolins come in and it’s like the ground flowering out after a dry spell has been broken. Of course the stringsy crescendo yet again, but this time the tempo increases (accelerando I suppose), which gives me an incredible rush. At the end, there’s a rather gleeful maliciousness and a sort of delight in the macabre ending in Robert’s voice — gallows (pole) humor I suppose?

‘Tangerine’ is the most gorgeously sad and pastoral thing I’ve heard, with a deceptively happy-sounding chorus. I feel like Robert’s voice here, dripping with misery as it is, is a little much for the song and doesn’t express the melancholy anywhere as well or sincerely as Jimmy’s sobbing slide guitar solo. So short, so simple, but oh so effective. The acoustic guitar is on an otherworldly plane of pastoral perfection, as most of Jimmy’s acoustic guitar playing is… but especially ‘That’s The Way’.

There are days yet when I’d nominate this my favorite from the album; it’s got serious competition, but I think I can safely say it’s certainly my favorite from this side. The guitars/mandolins are so lush and pure, like falling rain, and the lyrics and melody are delivered so delicately, with a sincerity of sentiment that reminds me of ‘Wish You Were Here’ by That Other Band, but much gentler. I also love the mic clipping on ‘play’ and the way he spontaneously brings on the exaggerated English on ‘Don’tcha know now’ in the last chorus. There’s a mystery to this track, too, in that it suggests much but still mystifies, somehow, but still says all that really needs to be said — just like WYWH.

‘Bron-Y-Aur Stomp’ (I’m going with the spelling that’s on my record sleeve, incorrect spelling though it is) is quite possibly the purest track Led Zeppelin ever recorded. I’m not even a dog person and I could feel my nonexistent tail wagging to the joy of the song. It’s that infectious, but without really trying — it’s just a happy song.

I’m not sure I have too much to say about ‘Hats Off To (Roy) Harper’ except that I appreciate the shout-out (COME IN HERE DEAR BOY HAVE A CIGAAAAAAR!) and Jimmy’s slide guitar playing is so sloppy it makes me feel full. Even on an empty stomach. I’m not really too sure why I came up with that simile, but I am PW very T and that’s the best way I can express it… anyway, the whole track is gloriously sloppy, which I know was perfectly, deliberately crafted. They knew what was going on.

I’ll just say that Jimmy Page’s production is some of the most sensible and perfect I’ve heard, and that’s saying something, and my god that record sounds so good. Utterly sublime food for the ears!

All in all, it was an amazingly satisfying experience! Led Zeppelin is like sex, but better. (In my humble opinion. What do I know about that anyway? )

I’ll shut up now and go to bed.

Dark Overlord said
Good point but Led Zeppelin definitely have some heavy moments such as Immigrant Song.  

I didn’t say they didn’t…