Led Zeppelin
II

It's 1969 and the rock scene is populated by rock bands with strong jazz and blues influences. Fusion is born, progressive rock is born, but most importantly, hard rock is born. And those who have definitively introduced it are known to all: Led Zeppelin. In early 1969, Led Zeppelin released their first album, Led Zeppelin I, an album rich in blues-styled songs, where the screeching voice of Plant and the guitar of Page reign supreme. The album also includes covers of blues artists like Willie Dixon, such as I can't quit you. Let's not forget purely rock tracks like the song that opens the album, Good times bad times, and Communication breakdown. The group is already making a name for itself in the European music scene.

In October of the same year, that distant 1969 in which progressive and psychedelic rock still prevail, Led Zeppelin II, the band's second work, hits stores. The album might seem trivial because of its simple title, but it is anything but. The album opens with a heavy hitter, a song that will mark the history of rock, still sung today, Whole lotta love, famous for its catchy and insistent guitar riff. The lyrics have a sexual undertone, like many in Led Zeppelin's discography. In the middle of the track, Robert Plant, the band's singer and leader, succumbs to sexual moans and cries, leading into John "Bonzo" Bonham's drums and Page's electric guitar riff. This song is followed by What is and what should never be, a sweeter song at first, but which explodes with a frantic rhythm in the chorus. The third song on side a is a very rock piece, dominated by John Paul Jones's bass. The lyrics contain clear sexual allusions: not surprisingly, it's called The "lemon" song. Side a closes with a famous piece with a calmer atmosphere and very sweet lyrics, written by Plant and dedicated to his wife. The guitar introduces the track but will then be replaced by John Paul Jones's organ as the main instrument.

Side b opens with Heartbreaker, a hard rock song featuring Page's famous catchy guitar solo. The following song, Living loving maid (she's just a woman), is the most carefree track on the album. As the song starts, you hear Plant's voice shouting "With a purple umbrella and a fifty-cent hat, livin', lovin', she's just a woman ...". Ramble on is a piece of Tolkien inspiration (J.R.R. Tolkien - author of The Lord of the Rings). In the chorus, Robert Plant's voice explodes in a raspy song, while the verses are calmer. The penultimate track on the album is an instrumental that became famous in rock history for Bonzo's drum solo and Page's riff. A milestone of rock, a piece with a strong epic vein. The song closing the album is titled Bring it on home, a blues piece by Willie Dixon, a famous bluesman.

A purely rock album, an album that marks the history of rock, an album that introduces us to the magical world of hard rock, an album with no holds barred, an album where it is impossible to find a flaw. The listening experience is very pleasant, an album I recommend to everyone. Led Zeppelin II is an anthem for those who live for rock.