PREAMBLE

Welcome to my series in which I explore the history of hard rock, heavy rock, and heavy metal—including metal’s many subgenres. In it, you will find, and hopefully discover, key artists and records that will allow you to better understand and appreciate this fascinating facet of potent and often rebellious rock. The selections will be presented in chronological order based on their original release date. I will not go into great detail about the recordings’ sound quality; suffice to say that these types of rock releases are at times edgy and aggressive, which is apropos considering the nature of the beast. So don’t expect perfectly polished Steely Dan, Supertramp or Eagles demo-worthy sonics. Sound quality did not factor into my choices for inclusion in this series, which means it will run the gamut from very bad (often due to over-compression or bad EQ choices) to quite impressive, exciting, and engaging.

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Eric Clapton (see Cream in episode 1) and Jeff Beck were not the only musicians to have once shared the Yardbirds nest. So did future guitar superstar Jimmy Page. But by the spring of 1968—following key departures, declining record sales, and diverging interests—the group fell in disarray. In response, Page and (manager) Peter Grant put together a new group for touring purposes, briefly called The New Yardbirds, which included singer Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham—both from Band of Joy—as well as bassist John Paul Jones. The band was soon renamed Led Zeppelin and became, along with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, one of rock’s all time biggest bands. Led Zeppelin blew down the doors of the music industry with their self-titled debut released in January 1969.

7- Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin. Atlantic – 588171 (UK) (1969, Jan.), Classic Records – SD 8216 (2003), 33 1/3 rpm, 200g. Genre: heavy rock, heavy metal, blues rock, acid rock, proto-punk, English folk music, raga rock.

Led Zeppelin exploded onto the scene, but thankfully not like the zeppelin on their album cover. Led Zeppelin did it by packing their debut with a whole lotta punch! Borrowing heavily from Beck’s debut album Truth, the nine tracks on Led Zeppelin traverse the universe of heavy rock, heavy metal, acid rock, proto-punk, folk rock, and raga rock with a very strong backing of the blues. The album roars out of the gate with “Good Times Bad Times”, the band’s debut single and arguably the least interesting song on the album. This vibe soon changes with an incredible cover of “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”—originally an Anne Bredon folk song first sung by Joan Baez in 1962—which combines acoustic with electric guitar. As a side note, the following year, Chicago seemed to have used Page’s main guitar riff in “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” for their mega hit “25 or 6 to 4”. Things slow down considerably with the band’s take on the blues-filled “You Shook Me”, a Willie Dixon original previously covered on Beck’s Truth. “Dazed and Confused” was originally composed and recorded by Jake Holmes in July 1967, blending folk and psychedelic elements. A month later, he sang it at the Village Theater in New York City where it caught the attention of Jim McCarty, the drummer for the Yardbirds, who were headlining that night. McCarty shared the song with his bandmates, including Jimmy Page, and the Yardbirds transformed it into a great track of their own, which they played during their live sets but never put to wax. Page finally recorded it with his new band, Led Zeppelin, making it the definitive version and, for me, the centerpiece of the album, and one of my all-time favorite Led Zeppelin tracks. The group maintained most of the Yardbirds’ innovative arrangements, while improving substantially with Plant’s emotional vocals and Bonham’s dynamic drumming. It starts out with a hauntingly descending chromatic bass line plus sparse guitar harmonics, later augmented by the drums being dragged in a heavy 12/8 blues rhythm. Then there is a call and response between Plant and the band, before the song launches into a frenetic chase fusing metal with psychedelics, while Telecaster and violin bow belt it out in the fast lane. After crash landing, the band executes a rallentando back to heavy blues rock for the coda. A solo organ introduces side B in “Your Time Is Gonna Come”, while “Communication Breakdown” breaks loose from the blues with Page’s captivating guitar riff cutting through the noise in proto-punk-metal fashion. This is followed by two blues rock tracks: “I can’t Quit You Baby”, a Willie Dixon composition, first sung by Otis Rush in 1956, and the Howlin’ Wolf inspired “How Many More Times” that integrates psychedelic and heavy metal elements and makes the song a solid closer. Page produced the album, which was engineered and mixed by Glyn Johns at Olympic Studios in London. Your best bet for sound quality seems to be the 2003 Classic Records 200g version remastered and cut by Bernie Grundman.

Your Honour, may I approach the bench…

8- King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King. Island Records – ILPS 9111 (UK) (1969, Oct.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: progressive, art rock, symphonic rock, proto-prog metal, heavy metal, jazz rock, folk, classical, avant-garde.

What’s this… ? A King Crimson record inserted into a heavy rock series? I might as well be writing my own “epitaph”. Of course, King Crimson’s debut album from October 1969 belongs in every progressive compendium ever published, being one of the first and most important releases of its genre, along with the Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed released in November 1967. But within ITCOTCK‘s five compositions that span the gamut from progressive to symphonic rock, folk, classical, and avant-garde, one must not forget that the opening track—the terrifying and twisted “21st Century Schizoid Man”—merges metal madness with highly precise, progressive, jazz rock rhythms into a fusion that is utterly original. The superb musicianship between bassist and vocalist—and future ELP member—Greg Lake, guitarist Robert Fripp, woodwind and keyboardist Ian McDonald, and drummer and percussionist Michael Giles, gives us a hell of a ride culminating in a chaotic crash. Abrasive, dramatic, and dissonant—as well as metric modulated—the track combines all the right ingredients for a great heavy metal/prog metal track. The remaining songs, “I Talk to the Wind”, “Epitaph”, Moonchild”, and the title track are all very different in style and substance, and merit one’s full attention as well. Self-produced by the band, the sessions were engineered by Robin Thompson and Tony Page at Wessex Sound Studios in London. For best sound, seemingly the original UK “pink i” label is the one to look for. I have the second UK “pink rim” pressing which is excellent, though slightly lean in the bass region.

9- Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II. Atlantic – 588198 (UK), Atlantic – SD 8236 (‘RL cut’), Atlantic – SD 8236 (CAN.) (1969, Oct.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: heavy rock, hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal, psychedelic, folk rock, raga rock.

Hot on the heels of the success of its self-titled debut, Led Zeppelin decidedly hit their target musically, though sonically there was room for improvement. The question now was: who best could capture Britain’s premiere rock band in all its bombastic glory? Enter engineer extraordinaire Eddie Kramer. Kramer had just made a name for himself crafting Hendrix’s experiences in the studio for the guitar virtuoso’s first three albums. Side one of Zeppelin’s second effort—recorded between April and August 1969, and released that October—starts out with “Whole Lotta Love”, a hybrid heavy rock psychedelic song, featuring one of the band’s most original and memorable music riffs. The song is so strong that the following three tracks sound underwhelming in comparison. Side two rectifies this in a flash, showcasing the best combination between the band’s music and sound ever recorded. “Heartbreaker”, “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)”, “Ramble On”, “Moby Dick”, with its legendary drum solo by Bonham, and the bluesy “Bring It On Home”, a Willie Dixon original composition first covered by Sonny Boy Williamson in 1963. It just doesn’t get any better than this! Jimmy Page produced the album. In addition to Eddie Kramer working his magic at A & R, Juggy Sound, and Atlantic studios in New York City, other engineers participated, including George Chkiantz at Olympic Studios in London, and Chris Huston at Mystic Studios in Los Angeles. For best sound, get the Canadian ‘red label’ first pressing cut at RCA Victor Studios in Montréal, Québec. The sound is incredibly warm and dynamic, and superior to my 180g and 200g Classic Records reissues cut by Bernie Grundman circa 2000-2001. I never got to hear the short-lived original Robert Ludwig ‘RL cut’ U.S. pressing, nor the original UK one.

For more from Claude Lemaire visit…

http://soundevaluations.blogspot.ca/

Reference List (Singles, albums, and labels):

7- Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin.                                                         
Atlantic – 588171 (UK) (1969, Jan.), Classic Records – SD 8216 (2003), 33 1/3 rpm, 200g. Genre: heavy rock, heavy metal, blues rock, acid rock, proto-punk, English folk music, raga rock.

8- King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King.                                                        
Island Records – ILPS 9111 (UK) (1969, Oct.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: progressive, art rock, symphonic rock, proto-prog metal, heavy metal, jazz rock, folk, classical, avant-garde.

9- Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II.                                                      
Atlantic – 588198 (UK), Atlantic – SD 8236 (‘RL cut’), Atlantic – SD 8236 (CAN.) (1969, Oct.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: heavy rock, hard rock, blues rock, psychedelic, folk rock, raga rock.