Some people argue that there were two important moments in rock and roll history. The first being when The Beatles formed as a group. The second is Led Zeppelin releasing their debut record. As much as The Beatles were, Led Zeppelin were trailblazers during their eight-record run that lasted 10 years.
The quartet of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham are a force to be reckoned with. Their marriage of hard rock and blues has inspired generations of fans. To this day, the band is cited as an influence across multiple genres. So, when they first blasted onto the rock scene with their self-titled debut record, they found success. It reached the No. 6 spot on the US Billboard 200 chart position and the Zeppelin officially took flight across the world.
So when their 1969 follow-up record Led Zeppelin II was released, there was a ton of pressure on the band to follow the success they captured with their debut. What would become of the nine songs on the record is timeless. In its own right, Led Zeppelin II is a “greatest hits” record. Each song has gone down in legend. Multiple songs on the record receive playing time on radio stations worldwide. The non-song album runs at a total time of 42 minutes of what would be classic Zeppelin tunes.
The album opens with “Whole Lotta Love.” At the start, the – now extremely familiar – Page guitar riff, Jones follows quickly on bass. It isn’t long before Plant jumps in on vocals and the hard rock onslaught begins. The call and response between Plant belting out the chorus and Page mimicking by bending the guitar string was unheard of at the time and has become the calling card for the song. Something the band did multiple times on this record was having sound crisscross speakers and headphones. If you listen to the breakdown halfway through the track, you’ll notice sounds jumping from headphone to headphone. This follows a minor page guitar solo that is heard in your right speaker or headphones.
Track two, “What Is and What Should Never Be” is softer than “Whole Lotta Love.” Plant incorporates jumpy lyrics to hop the song forward. This tune clocks in just shy of five full minutes. Due to the song’s slow crawl throughout, Jones takes center stage on bass as he accompanies Plant. Like “Whole Lotta Love,” towards the end of the tune, Page’s lone back-and-forth riff jumps from the left to the right and back. More bands need to incorporate this into their music, it creates a unique listening experience.
Track three, “The Lemon Song,” brings the band back to their blues roots. This six-minute song showcases that the band was built on standard blues tunes. This song is their head nod to the blues greats that came before them. If there was any doubt about Page’s ability as a guitar player, look no further than the 1:30 mark of the song. To create sound with the higher notes and go back down the guitar is bone-chilling.
The organ and acoustic ballad “Thank You,” leads the way to another classic song that is in the band’s top 10. “Heartbreaker” is s perfect hard rock song. Page being the producer was able to perfectly catch the rawness of the guitar and bass while implementing Plant’s beautiful voice into the mix. On almost every radio station, they play track track six immediately after “Heartbreaker.” “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman), is a nice and quick 2:30 song that helps transition the record to the back half. The band is in perfect unison creating a blissful wall of sound that only the mighty Led Zeppelin can do.
One of the most unique songs on the record appears as song seven. “Ramble On,” has lyrics inspired by the medieval age and Lord of The Rings. The song sounds like the band is taking you on a journey across England and the English countryside. I like how Jones’ bass is high up in the mix throughout the song. It showcases that he is the band’s secret weapon. Yet, in 2025, it’s not so much of a secret anymore how great Jones is.
At the time, in 1969, Zeppelin innovated rock music and live concerts with song eight, “Moby Dick.” the entire four-minute song starts as a jam before shining the light on Bonham on drums. The entire song is a drum solo. Bonham beats the daylights out of his drums as he incorporates all different kinds of sounds on his drum kit. From this moment on, drums solos became part of live concerts for bands, thanks to Zeppelin and Moby Dick.”
Finally, the record wraps up with the hard rock/blues-infused “Bring It On Home.” The song starts with a modest riff from Page while Plant wails away on the harmonica. If you first heard this song in 1969, you might think that Zeppelin was from the South in the United States with this song. Plant’s monstrous guitar solo gets stuck in listeners’ heads for days. “Bring It On Home” is the most underrated song on the entire record. But, it makes fans want more from the band and is a perfect closer.
On the back of their success with their self-titled debut record, Led Zeppelin blew away all expectations on Led Zeppelin II. This timeless record perfectly captures the raw and mighty sound that shaped one of the world’s greatest bands. I would put Led Zeppelin II up against any other Zeppelin record or any other band’s album for that matter… it’s that perfect.
Rating: 10/10
Tracklist:
1. Whole Lotta Love
2. What Is and What Should Never Be
3. The Lemon Song
4. Thank You
5. Heartbreaker
6. Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)
7. Ramble On
8. Moby Dick
9. Bring It On Home
Led Zeppelin Is:
Robert Plant – Lead Vocals
Jimmy Page – Guitars
John Paul Jones – Bass
John Bonham – Drums
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My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in New York/New Jersey and go to school in Connecticut majoring in Journalism and I am always looking for the next concert to attend.