Well talk about the sum is greater than the parts. There is perhaps no other rock band that uncapsulates that idea more than Led Zeppelin. This is the album that started it all. As one of the reviewers stated, the band's sound was fuller formed here. This isn't a get your feet wet type of thing. Not that they didn't grow and explore with each album, but there is nothing here that lacks in any way. One of the things that I have always loved about this band is their ability to make 'albums'. Each one is different from the last. You can't really move songs around from one to the other. Each album stands on its own and is great in it's own way. Yet through it all and through att of the changes from record to record, it still sounds like Led Zeppelin. So much so that when John died, they called it quits. For good. They knew that there was no way to make Led Zeppelin records without one them. They could make music together and apart sure, but not Led Zeppelin records. You have to respect that.
Aside from that this album was never one of my favorites. I haven't heard it in years. Like maybe 15 to 20 years, so going back and listening to it with older more mature ears was an experience. Not that I didn't have every single note, turn, word and lick memorized. There were no surprises as far as that goes. But, it was a different level of appreciation for the musicianship contained. For one thing, I have always thought of Jimmy as a sloppy guitar player, he actually is, but now I hear the lyricalness in his playing. The brilliant lines that he came up with. All of them pretty much improvised. Jimmy didn't read or write music and has said that he never plays the same solo twice. He really is an improvisational musician. You can hear the spontenaety in the music.
When you watch them play it's like they are all on a different planet. They are lost inside their own lines, but somehow play together. There is a special chemistry here that is extremly rare.
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