Led Zeppelin seemed to be a pretty versatile band as well. I
have been having a difficult time categorizing them under any one particular
genre of music. They mix together sounds from blues and hard rock together to
create an amazing blend. I don’t always like the swing-like sounds of blues,
but Led Zeppelin works with the music in a way that seems to highlight only the
best of each genre they fuse. Additionally, I noticed that individual songs
could be almost polar opposites from one another. Two of my favorite songs on
their first album were completely different from one another. The first song
showed a wild and crazed atmosphere while the latter had a softer blues
dominated sound. I thought that both were talent-filled songs on their own, but
the fact that they were adjacent on an album made me feel like I was going on a
little musical journey.
Led Zeppelin is a group of very talented musicians: there is
definitely no arguing this statement. They had a total of four band members;
one guitarist, one bassist, one drummer, and one vocalist. These four guys
usually each only played a single instrument yet they filled up so much space
with their music. I was truly impressed in the raw talent of Page and Jones
because they made their instruments make such a dynamic sound. In order to make
anything equivalent today in modern music, I think that they would have to
heavily edit it in the studios and computer-generate countermelodies. The fact
that they could just go on stage and play such insane chords and melodies is
wild to contemplate. Overall, it’s simply hard for me to articulate my
appreciation of their instrumental capacity because it is so astounding.
Despite being some of the best musicians around, they lack
some of the sustenance found in other bands because their lyrics are slacking
in a lot of their songs. They were no Bob Dylan! They had basic lyrics that
focused a lot on simply rhyming instead of making a fluid story. I didn’t
really hyper-focus on this issue, however, because it is negligible in the
entire listening experience. I doubt that any people listen to Led Zeppelin
because they want to be inspired by their powerful message. No! People listen
to Led Zeppelin because their songs have wild and insane instrumentals. This
band was saved by the fact that they were so good at playing their respective
instruments. It distracts me from the lack of lyrical depth and makes me
satisfied with the insane melodies.
I enjoyed Led Zeppelin’s first album more than their second
so I figured I would draw from some songs there to post. Referencing above when
I talked about two polar opposite songs, I’ll post them below. The first song
is called “Dazed and Confused” and I feel that the title is very representative
of the overall aura the song emits. Throughout the song, they are able to keep
a chaotic and wild sound present, while also maintaining a full musical arc and
organization. There is just overall strength and power oozing out of this song.
If rebellion had a theme song, I think it would be this one. Led Zeppelin
simply take the art of “in your face” hard rock to another level. It is
constantly insane and wild. It’s pretty great.
The very next song on the album is called “Your Time is
Gonna Come”. They start off with classical music with organs aiding a slow
introduction. They then gradually develop into a bluesy vibe and a great
contrasting swing beat and rhythm. This song is so much different than the
previous song that I probably wouldn’t even realize that I was listening to the
same band if they were played separately! This song is definitely filled with
talent, though. While still throwing in their amazing guitar skills, they
control their unleashed passion and anger from “Dazed and Confused” and package
it up nicely in a blues/softer rock tune. We can really see the vocals take a
commanding presence as well in this song. Check it out:
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