LED ZEPPELIN — Led Zeppelin II (review)

LED ZEPPELIN — Led Zeppelin II album cover Album · 1969 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Stephen
After successfully conquered America with their blues-laden debut, Led Zeppelin deployed a heavier touch to their music, and at the same time, puts on some folk influence, which also became the first prototype for their later masterpiece, "IV". This recipe was met with critical victory, and by the end of the 20th century, the band secured a total of 12 million sales worldwide and "II" was cited by many as one of the most influential heavy metal/hard rock records of all time.

The album kicks off with a groovy blues-based "Whole Lotta Love" with Plant's insane wail and Page's whirlwind shred, a timeless classic that was covered by many and later was brought on stage by American Idol finalist, Adam Lambert. This song's lyric and another bluesy-jam tune, "The Lemon Song" contained an explicit sexual theme, but the band explored a wide territory of writing, from The Lords of The Rings' fantasy epic of "Ramble On", the annoying groupie of "Livin' Lovin' Maid", to the husband-to-wife soundtrack of "Thank You".

The heartfelt ballad that's famed with the starting lines of "if the sun refused to shine” is an expressive and honest statement that's used by fans as their wedding song. However, as great as it goes, the greatest track on this album is definitely the mighty "Heartbreaker” with Page's infectious riffs and magical solos, and what makes this track so important is the influential tapping technique was developed by Eddie Van Halen after watching this song live.

Led Zeppelin's sophomore release is highly enjoyable, a crucial part of early metal development, an important piece of history, that should be listened and learned by all rock fans. This record, along with their fourth release, is my most favorite Zep album and in my opinion, is the pinnacle of their careers.
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