The performances here simply cannot be faulted.
With its intriguing and now iconic artwork, Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut album must have made an arresting sight for any patchouli-doused flower child sifting through record store racks back in January 1969. The Summer of Love was over, Altamont was just a few months away and the times they were a-changin’. Zeppelin may have been a product of the 60s, but their often bombastic style signposted a new decade and the arrival of a new breed of rock bands.
Fortunately for Zeppelin, their first effort was every bit as dramatic, dynamic and compelling as the sleeve which bound it. Recorded at London’s Olympic Studios during October 1968, it showcased an ambitious and inventive fusion of blues and rock which paved the way for virtually every big-riffing outfit of the 70s. It wasn’t heavy metal, but it sure was heavy.
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Source: BBC Music