Getting the Led out: 'Led Zeppelin II'

My health-induced confinement kept me from checking out Iowa City’s Downtown Block Party Saturday night, so I did the next best thing (not!): continue my effort to get the Led out. This time, I got comfortable and listened to Led Zeppelin II.

Released nine months after the band’s debut album, Led Zeppelin II picks up where Led Zeppelin ends with “Whole Lotta Love.” It’s psychedelic and imaginative, heavy and thundering—another tune that has stood the test of time. It is followed by another classic, “What Is and What Should Never Be.” (The hits just keep coming!) It makes me think of aimlessly driving around Iowa City at night with friends when I was in high school. It is dreamy and a little bluesy, but the tempo is too fast and the sound too heavy for it to be mellow porch-drinking music. Listening to it Saturday night made me realize that Led Zeppelin is like a heavy version of The Beatles, at least in both of their early periods: every song is either love or heartbreak. Actually, that can describe a lot of songs regardless of the artist.

The same goes for the third song, “The Lemon Song.” The blues influence is noticeable, but it is not as mellow as the tunes on Led Zeppelin. Everyone contributes something spectacular to this song, but it is too fast at times for my liking. It is almost cheerful, which makes it very weird. The lyrics played in my head today, so it does have staying power.

“Thank You” is a sweet serenade. It is beautiful, and Jones’s work on the Hammond organ makes it church-like. According to the song’s Wikipedia page, Plant wrote it as a tribute to his wife at the time. It is very heartfelt. Lines like “If the sun refused to shine / I would still be loving you / Mountains crumble to the sea / There will still be you and me” are amazing and tug at one’s heartstrings.

Ironically, “Thank You” is followed by “Heartbreaker.” As I said, it is either love or heartbreak, feast or famine. It is heavy and provides a great change of pace, reverberating through one’s body. (On vinyl, “Heartbreaker” is the first track on side two, so the change from “Thank You” is not so drastic.) There is a great segue to “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman),” a song that is infectious and driving. It includes lyrics that are stuck in my head: “When your conscience hits, you knock it back with pills.” (I always thought the comma was on the other side of you, making the line a command: “When your conscience hits you, knock it back with pills.” It is descriptive with the comma before you.)

“Ramble On” is a wonderful musical journey that conjures images from every movie about bands in the early seventies. Well, mostly just Almost Famous. “Moby Dick” is another showcase for the mastery of Bonham and Page, though it is not my favorite song in the world. The album’s final tune, “Bring It On Home,” finally brings the blues into the mix ... at first. The pace quickens and the sound becomes aggressive. It has a lot of rhythm, but I feel like the song ends too soon, almost abruptly.

Overall, Led Zeppelin II is a good album, but it falls short of the band’s debut IMHO. Though it is less bluesy, it is more aggressive and features some classic tracks. Unfortunately, it is not ideal for a late-night session on the porch with an adult beverage—at least for me.