Today in 1969 Led Zeppelin released their second album, the imaginatively titled “Led Zeppelin II”. This was the first of five albums that Zeppelin would record with the assistance of legendary producer Eddie Kramer. While Jimmy Page was also integral to the production, the influence of Kramer is dramatic and is evident with a simple side-by-side listening exercise between “Led Zeppelin I” and “II”.
“II” represented a colossal leap forward for the band, not just in production style and technique but also in song structure and focused craftsmanship. Where “I” had four songs clocking in at over six minutes, “II” only has one song at that length. Excessive noodling has been replaced with tight, iconic riffs. Not to minimize the seismic thunder of Bonham and Jones, but “II” is at its core a Jimmy Page record.
“II” is the heaviest and most forceful album in the Zeppelin catalog and perhaps their most overtly sexual record. The album was recorded in a hit and run style in numerous locations in both England and the United States and that is evident in its frantic pace. The opening song, “Whole Lotta Love”, was Led Zeppelin’s only top 10 single in the U.S. while the B-side, “Living Loving Maid” also charted in the top 100.
“Heartbreaker” kicks off side two and is one of the most influential songs Zeppelin ever recorded, largely due to Page’s riff and solo on the song. The interesting thing about the solo, in addition to it being one of the best put on wax, is that it was a late addition to the song. The song was already complete when Page added the solo and Page performed the solo in one take. Listen closely to the solo and you will notice the guitar tone is different than in the main body of the song. Virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai commented, “Heartbreaker had the biggest impact on me as a youth. It was defiant, bold, and edgier than hell. It really is the definitive rock guitar solo.”
We get our first taste of Zeppelin’s “mysticism” a few songs later on “Ramble On”. The J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired number makes reference to Gollum and Mordor, undoubtedly causing many a stoned teenager to lift the needle off the record and replay the song to make sure he heard what he thought he heard. Mystical themes would be revisited numerous times in later Zeppelin songs and Page would eventually buy and inhabit Aleister Crowley’s mansion. Don’t ask, man, it was the 70s.
The album ends with a reworked Willie Dixon classic, “Bring It On Home”. The song starts innocently enough with a wink and a nod to the original 1963 recording by Sonny Boy Williamson. The Williamson-inspired basic blues chords underpin muted vocals and some harmonica. The blues homage is shattered at the 1:41 mark with blistering guitar and a pounding rhythm section in the middle section of the song before returning to the form heard at the beginning.
“Led Zeppelin II” was released only nine months after their first album and helped the band capitalize on their initial success. Mixed and recorded in so many different locations while in the midst of a grueling touring schedule, it is amazing that it turned out as well as it did. “II” has sold over 12 million copies and is Zeppelin’s third most successful album in terms of sales (trailing “Physical Graffiti” and “IV”). Widely recognized as a blueprint of sorts for what would become heavy metal music, “Led Zeppelin II” would be a crowning achievement for virtually any other band on the planet. Led Zeppelin, however, was just getting started.
Here is “Bring It On Home”:
Original Sonny Boy Williamson recording of “Bring It On Home”:
