A lot has been said about the interplay between Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and there isn't a better example of this than on You Shook Me. It has a basic, straight ahead riff that propels the song, but for me the bright spot is when Plant and Page are trading the melody off one another, which is the definitive sound of Led Zeppelin. The song showcases both John Bonham's timing on the drums and John Paul Jones on Bass and Organ. I'm not gonna get into the whole Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page fued regarding the song. It's been told countless times already.

I love both Dazed and Confused and Your Time Is Gonna Come. Instant classics to my ears. But it's interesting in that Robert Plant has gone on record saying that the best version of Your Time Is Gonna Come is by Dread Zeppelin. As much as I love Zep's version, I absolutely have to agree with Plant's proclamation here. I actually find it hard to listen to Zep's version when I have Dread's version so deeply embedded in my DNA.

Black Mountain Side is a cool little acoustic ditty for Page to shine on. I kind of  have never looked at it as a stand alone song, but a nice bridge leading into Communication Breakdown. Ah, yeah. Communication Breakdown. Vintage Riff by Page and the banshee howling of Plant. It's just a great song with a cool groove to the song. Is it me, but when I listen to this song, I always hear where Axl Rose got some of his influences.

The rest of the album is just so kick ass with winners like I Can't Quit You Baby and How Many More Times. The great thing about Zep is that when you first get into the band, to the newcomer just discovering them for the first time, the songs can seem "chaotic" with the different arrangements and time changes. But the one thing you know is that the entire album works seemlessly as a whole. It's pure Zep, creating a style that is still be felt to this day.

It's still unbelievable to this day to think that the album was criticize by the public at large when came out. I guess if you were into folk music or whatever floated your boat at the time, that this wouldn't be your cup of tea. But still, come on, the arrangements were worlds ahead of anyone out there at the time. How can you find fault with the musicianship and songwriting back then?

The debut for Led Zeppelin is considered to be the true birth of Heavy Metal, no disrepect to Black Sabbath. Listening to the album now, you can't help but marvel at John Bonham's drumming and how he shaped the sound of Rock and Roll, just as much as Jimmy Page did. Pick any song on the album and you will hear exactly why their style of play was so incredible back then and why it's still emmulated by a lot of players today. Not a bad album to start off your legacy with that's still being felt to this day, huh?

Fave Songs:: Every single one of them. It's really hard to pick a single song over the rest because to me it's one giant song that ties nicely into each other. But if I had to pick a song, I'd go with Communication Breakdown as the Crown Jewel.

This is their first album? Pshawwww. They'll never make it.

Give 'em time. They are taking dancing lessons and will create all the moves necessary to go far.

I get tired of hearing people trashing Led Zeppelin III as being too "soft" for their taste. If you want a repeat performance, stick with any other artist out there that is hellbent on regurgitating the same thing over and over. For me, the folksie acoustic songs that are found throughout III are fantastic. I want to see a different side to them. We know what the band is already capable of doing. So let them spread their wings and try something different. Was this a departure? Of course. If you're looking for LZ I, you might wanna keep moving along. But if you did that, you'd be depriving yourself of rockers like Immigrant Song,and Out On The Tiles and Gallows Pole gives you a good banjo boogie stomper. As revered as LZ II is, I have to put this one slightly ahead of that one. It's just personal taste.

Out of all the songs here, I would say that my two favorite would be Out On The Tiles with Page's massive riff and Plant's vocal harmonies during the chorus. And Tangerine is just as awesome with it's arrangement and a showcase for Mr. Page. I also have a deeper connection to the song more so now because of it's inclusion in Almost Famous. It was the perfect song to close out the perfect movie to my eyes and ears. The song itself makes me want to watch the movie again, right now. Sh*t, now I gotta add That's The Way to the best of III. There's just so much to pick apart on this album because of it's diversity. Oh, and there is of course...

...Immigrant Song. Do I really need to say anything about this song? Instant classic and probably the most played song by guitar players out there, other than maybe Stairway To Heaven.

Fave Songs: Immigrant Song, Friends, Out On The Tiles, That's The Way, Gallows Pole and Tangerine.

I LOVE the album cover for III. The design work on the cover and the inner covers is just so damn cool.

I will probably be listening to this the rest of the day and will most likely post even more stuff on what I think about III as it hits me.

Yep. There's a Used Vinyl Shop just down the street. They have III on display with the sticker price of $100.

I think opening the album with Black Dog and Rock and Roll is one of the best one-two combinations in rock history. It throws down the gauntlet of what the album is and what's to come. It can't be topped.

Listening to Four Sticks, I can't help but hear the influence on early KISS. For a prime example of this, just listen to the percussion patterns for Four Sticks and you will hear it's DNA all over KISS' 100,000 Years. It's just so hair raising good for both these songs. What's odd about the two songs is that Peter Criss doesn't come from a Led Zeppelin/John Bonham background, so you know that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley both had a lot to say in crafting their song from Top to Bottom using Four Sticks as it's blueprint.

All of Led Zeppelin IV is nothing BUT a blueprint that every single band that has come after has used at one time or another. LZ IV can be viewed as a Greatest Hits Album if you want, which is how I come at it. So many amazing songs from Black Dog to Rock and Roll to The Battle Of Evermore to Stairway To Heaven to Misty Mountain Hop to Four Sticks to Going To California to the closure of When The Levee Breaks. I think why I hold IV in such high regard is the major leap forward in their playing and song writing from the first three albums to this one.

Has there ever been a more consistent and more cohesive album to date? I'd be hard pressed to name one that could surpass this one. Just an amazing achievement that a band only 2 years old has already produced 3 masterpieces and what's even more amazing is the best is yet to come. Wow. This is another album in which I disagree with where Rolling Stone place it in their Top 500 Greatest Albums list. This is top shelf material here and I have it in the Top 20 of all time.

Fave Songs: Every last one of them! There is no filler or clunker to be found anywhere on the album. Simply one of the greatest of all time.

As great as this ablum is, the Cover for me has always been one of the weakest in their entire career. Never liked it. Never will.

A lot of people either love this album or hate it. I think the majority of the people that say they hate it probably use the "Double LP" or it's "too long" as the excuse. Sure, it's got a lot more songs than what we have gotten up to this point and can be looked on as being overblown if you looking for an 8 song LP. More songs means more chances for the album to falter with potential filler tracks. I love this album and I'll be the first to say that it's not perfect, but it's damn near close. And I'm gonna try and convince you why this is an album that you should LOVE.

One of the coolest things about Physical Graffiti, other than the song arrangements themselves is John Paul Jones bass playing. There are some pretty kick-ass bass-patterns and bass-lines he is throwing in there with a ton of punch. Also, the way the bass itself was mixed sounds phenomenal here. It's actually one of the best sounding bass records ever to my ears. If you want to learn how to play bass and pick up on what to do within a song, this is definitely the one to study. Just listen to Custard Pie and The Rover for prime examples. But the entire album is just a good when looking for ways to add to your bass playing arsenal.

In My Time Of Dying has all the elements working seemlessly with each other and the drums in particular sounds incredible. Bonham is attacking the skins with such force. At a whopping 11 minutes, this is by far the longest track on the album and one of the longest ever for any band. Songs this long generally tend to fall apart, but here you're in it from start to finish. I Love it.

Trampled Under Foot is a really unique song for Zep with is funk-heavy bassline. It's different, but I like the different spin here and wouldn't necessarily think of Zep as being comfortabl doing. But they pull it off extremely well giving us a memorable song in the process.

Next up is not only the best song on this album, but it's without a doubt the greatest Zep song of all time. I speak of Kashmir of course. Not only is it their definitive song, I put this song in the Top 5 of all time in music history. It's that f u c k i n g  good!! From the arrangement to the melody that holds it all together to Robert Plant's vocals. It's just an amazing song where the stars were aligned perfectly to create a masterpiece that will stand the test of time. When I hear people criticize and say that Zep is overrated, I just point to this song and tell them to shut the  f u c k  up.

For those that don't want all rock anthems all the time, this has one of the coolest acoutic pieces by Jimmy Page. I speak of Bron-Yr-Aur. It's just a really cool song that everyone can enjoy. Down By The Seaside will also fill that role if you want to zone out to a song, which is heavily influenced by The Beatles. It's been said by the band themselves that Neil Young was its biggest influence, but it has always been a Beatles song to me more so than Young. To each their own..........Anyway, this is probably my 2nd fave song on this album with Night Flight trailing just by a smidgen, which is an awesome rock song, anchored by Jone's stellar bass playing. The entire song has a lush texture which gives me a sonic orgasm.

I can go on and on about how great Physical Graffiti is, but I will leave it up to you to make your way to the album and give it a try. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Along with awesome songs, it sounds amazing. Overall, I just loved the way the entire album is mixed, showcasing everyone from Jones to Page to Bonham to Plant. Everyone gets to shine here and there is no getting "buried in the mix" like most productions are prone to happening when egos get involved where each member wants to have the spotlight on him and him alone. I highly recommend this to anyone that's never gotten into Led Zeppelin. It's a must-own album and belongs in your collection.

Fave Songs: Custard Pie, The Rover, In My Time Of Dying, Kashmir, Bron-Yr-Aur, Down By The Seaside, Night Flight, Boogie Sue and Black Country Woman. Actually, you can just say that all the songs are my faves. MVP goes to Kashmir. Duh.

Album Cover is actually pretty cool for something so "simple" looking. I like it.

Taking a break from Zep right now. Not to gung ho to listen to the last two albums. Actually, I should have included Presence in that as well. Bah. So, with that I've already voted in the Poll. It came down to LZ III Vs. Physical Graffiti. In the end Physical Graffiti won.