Getting the Led Out

Taking just 36 hours to record, Led Zeppelin’s debut album is a fusion of blues and rock and their spin on hard rock helped set the stage for years to come. Produced by guitarist Jimmy Page, the album was a mix of their own stuff, some old Yardbirds material and cover songs. It was released in the U.S. on this day in 1969.

Kicking off with the fantastic “Good Times, Bad Times” the tone is set. As commercial as you could get at the time - the band released it as the first and only single in the U.S. With a catchy chorus and straightforward rock sound, the track is a favorite of Zeppelin fans.

“Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” is a re-arrangement of a song composed by Anne Bredon, an American folk singer. Joan Baez loved the song so much, she included it on her 1962 album, which caught the attention of Jimmy Page. Robert Plant’s singing is gorgeous wailing, plain and simple.

Another favorite is “Your Time Is Gonna Come” which kicks off side two (if you were listening to the vinyl version). It opens with bass player John Paul Jones playing an unaccompanied organ solo. There’s a folk-rock feel to it and the band harmonizes so well on the chorus. The track has a crossfade into “Black Mountain Side,” an acoustic instrumental based on Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch’s arrangement of a traditional folk song.

It was back to rock with the track “Communication Breakdown” which reminds me so much of what Zeppelin carried throughout their career. Powerful guitars, tight, solid rhythm section along with the wailing vocals of Robert Plant.

The album was advertised in selected music papers under the slogan/headline: “Led Zeppelin - The only way to fly”. And while the reviews were not the strongest, mostly comparing the band to the Jeff Beck Group or that they were simply around to fill the void of the band Cream, the album did sell well. It capitalized on the band’s first North American tour and the rest, as they say, is history.

Thus began the horrible trend of radio dee-jays everywhere spouting the phrase, “It’s time to get the Led out.”