Album Thoughts
I've listened to a good bit of classic rock.
It’s what I cut my teeth on, musically, thanks to my dad. I’m no stranger to Led Zeppelin, but I don’t know that I’ve ever listened to an album all the way through.
Song Notes
Custard Pie
- I’ve never appreciated Zep’s drums enough, but having this kick the album off, I forget how distinctive their sound is, especially the drums.
- Yeah, it’s Led Zeppelin I’m listening to.
The Rover
- Not my favorite. Something about the descending arpeggios in the chorus doesn’t feel… satisfying?
- It’s not the chord progression, because the stuff behind it, especially during the solo, are quite good.
In My Time of Dying
- I like the use of slide guitar.
- There’s also some fantastic syncopation that really keeps some interest.
Houses of the Holy
- The way the main riff rolls along is fun, but even with the changes I feel it can be a bit repetitive.
Trampled Under Foot
- Now this one has a strong start! I love the urgency.
Kashmir
- This might be the single most powerful song for nostalgia for me.
- It’s the late 90’s. I’m seven or eight years old. I’m sitting in my dad’s dirty Jeep Grand Cherokee on a hot July day with the windows rolled down because he doesn’t like to use the A/C. I’m in a little league baseball uniform, a warming Gatorade between my legs, and a cheek full of sunflower seeds. We’re stuck behind a train that’s been going by forever, and this song is playing.
In the Light
- I’m discovering that I actually really enjoy a drone…
- The intro is something that should play from a remote mountaintop.
- Then there’s the interesting vocal harmonies following what sounds like a blues lick. Very psychedelic.
- Such an interesting track - I’d completely forgotten it, to be honest, but I shouldn’t have.
Bryon-Yr-Aur
- A vibe, and that’s about it.
Down by the Seaside
- I love the darker tone it takes about halfway through.
Ten Years Gone
- The way the bass plays beneath the gentle guitar before the whole thing opens up is immaculate, and I think it’s my very favorite piece of Led Zeppelin there is.
- The sound is so big and open, but restrained, it was inspirational to some fantasy writing I did, and it does in fact, make me want to pick some of it back up.
Night Flight
- I feel like I don’t have a lot to say about this one.
The Wanton Song
- This feels the most like the average of the Good Not Great that Led Zeppelin does.
- It’s very enjoyable, they hit their interesting chord progressions and strong riffs, there’s some psychedelic distortion, and strained vocals.
- It’s far from their best or most interesting, but it’s solid as fuck.
Boogie With Stu
- Well damn if that ain’t some boogie woogie blues happenin’.
- There’s a very tin-can-recording energy to this song that feels so appropriate. The atmosphere is smack dab on what it’s advertising.
Black Country Woman
- This really has a feel like a live performance. The unbalanced instruments, particularly the drums and the talking at the beginning lend a super casual feel.
- This is a really charming listen, especially with the harmonica.
Sick Again
- The drums are once again kind of overwhelming in an interesting way.
General Thoughts
- There really are some excellent songs on this one, looking at the track list. Kashmir, Ten Years Gone, Custard Pie, In the Light… No wonder it’s a proper classic.
- I also forgot how long their songs are.
- There’s a clarity to the guitar a lot of the time that gives a semi-country-western vibe, which I’d never really picked out in Zep before.
- Altogether, fewer thoughts than I expected to have, but the highs of this album are fuckin’ up there.