In popular music, each decade brings its highs and lows wherein quality exists independently of popularity. A classic song or artist often stands next to something and someone from the same time period best forgotten out of the sheer embarrassment that people should feel for having bought this stuff. For example, the 1970s subjected us to disco, “Feelings,” and “Desiderata.” It apologized for this with Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin’s mix of heavy blues, acidic psychedelia, and pastoral English folk worked seamlessly with lyrical perusals of topics such as Tolkien’s contemporary mythology alongside more standard fare of love and love lost. Channeled through the ferocious guitar of Jimmy Page and soulful wail of Robert Plant’s vocals, with invaluable enablement from John Paul Jones’ bass and keyboard work locked in with John Bonham’s nimble…
