Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II (Atlantic, 1969)
I listened to Led Zeppelin II in the car while on my way home from beautiful Lake Ossipee, New Hampshire, on a beautiful, fall-tinged evening, driving south on NH Route 16 towards the Seacoast. The sun was setting faster than I wanted it to, but when that guitar riff starts and Whole Lotta Love takes off, I was immediately transformed onto a racetrack with me sitting in pole position, ready for anyone to try and pass.
What a way to open up your sophomore album — full throttle — and I was prepared. After the last notes of Led Zeppelin’s debut album, I was already thinking about relistening to the next record. I have many memories of this album, and I just needed some uninterrupted time alone to really pay attention. The ride home from the lake was exactly what I needed to totally absorb this album. My hands banged the steering wheel, as they did on the first record (John Bonham has that effect on me), and I began to sing to an audience of one as I passed the Beaver Hollow Campground.
Led Zeppelin II was recorded in the summer of 1969 in more than one studio. I believe they recorded this album between live shows in North America and the UK. Jimmy Page produced it, with Jimi Hendrix producer Eddie Kramer as the engineer. The album was released that fall, in late October, on Atlantic Records.
My Top Tracks on Led Zeppelin II
Whole Lotta Love
I mentioned the opening track already: ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ which was made for headphones. The panning vocals, the backward guitar, hi-hats holding time, and the echo effect, which is not reverb but the repeated lines echoing louder, followed by Bonham’s drum attack and that familiar guitar riff once again make this song, along with a reference to Willie Dixon’s ‘Back Door Man’, complete.
The steady, fast beat and that gorgeous bass line by John Paul Jones carry this song, and in fact, his bass line is the melody here. Give it another listen, concentrate on the bass and you’ll think the same thing. Without that bassline, the song isn’t a classic. Yes, Page is tremendous, once again, his guitar work is arguably the best in rock at this point, but Jones’ bassline is what makes this song work for me. That and the J.R.R. Tolkien reference to Mordor and Gollum creeping up and stealing his girl. Remember, Plant loved the Lord of the Rings books as a kid and put many references in his lyrics. We’ll see more Led Zeppelin IV…
Thank You
I get slightly teary-eyed each time I hear this song. It’s absolutely gorgeous. The lyrics Plant wrote to his then-wife are poetry. The attractive Hammond organ, played by John Paul Jones, flows throughout and ends with a faded crescendo… into Heartbreaker.
Moby Dick
Lastly, I want to mention Moby Dick, because it has special meaning to me. It starts and ends with a nice blue guitar riff, but in between is an incredible drum solo that was actually much, much longer, but during production, they cut it down to fit on the record. One of the first times I heard this solo was in the garage with my dad, while working on a car. I was probably 14 years old, and we put the cassette into the car he was working on and blasted it. The look on my dad’s face was pure joy. He loves the drums, as I have, and he loves a great drum solo. It’s a memory I’ll never lose, and it was one of many times my dad and I connected over music.
Just like Led Zeppelin I, I bought this cassette at The Musicsmith in the Newington Mall around the spring of 1986, right after getting a pretzel and Orange Julius. It wasn’t until college and beyond that I learned The Lemon Song was based on Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Killing Floor,’ or that ‘Whole Lotta Love’ was from Willie Dixon’s ‘You Need Love,’ and that many have said Led Zeppelin was perhaps the best cover band. I disagree—they were top-notch musicians and songwriters, but yes, they did borrow from their influences and, when tasked, did give proper credit to the originals. Could it be similar to hip-hop sampling earlier work, as they did here?
I no longer have that cassette; not sure what happened. I think my mom threw out a bunch of tapes from high school and college, sadly. I can’t find them, and I don't remember getting rid of them. I don’t throw away music. I do own the remastered compact disc and a reissue of the album on 180-gram white vinyl.
What format do you have of Led Zeppelin II? Is this your favorite album of theirs? What are your favorite tracks? Tell me more in the comments below!
Next up, Led Zeppelin III, featuring one of my absolute favorite songs of all time. I’m looking forward to this one as Zeptember continues…
Thanks for reading!