Review:

on 2011-03-22 CharlesMartel Said:

Of all the studio albums Led Zeppelin put out while they were still an active band, this one is by far the least enjoyable. In some ways, this album marks the beginning of the end for the band. As Robert Plant said at the end of the set at Knebworth, thanks for eleven years. It was almost as if the band was on the verge of packing it in before Bonham's death took that option away from them. The reasons for the decline are not hard to fathom. Jimmy Page was out of his head most of the time on whatever he was on. Bonham was also a bloated, corpulent alcoholic needing vast quantities of vodka to get him through the day. You cannot abuse your mind and your body in this way and still expect to remain at your creative best.

However, it is not all bad. The weaknesses of Page meant that John Paul Jones came more to the fore. This was a guy who had been offered (and turned down) the post of chief organist at Winchester Cathedral in the early seventies so ability is in no doubt. The first thing that strikes you about this album is the prominence given to the keyboards. With Jones carrying the band, this was inevitable.

The album opens with "In the Evening". In some ways this harks back to the rock of "Physical Graffiti" but is actually quite different from anything else the band ever did. For a start the synthesisers are more apparent and compete with the guitar throughout. If that promised much, then "South Bound Suarez", which immediately followed, proved to be a significant let down. Jones piano rock takes over but the style is not Led Zeppelin. It is much more pop than rock and really does not create any energy at all, despite the driving guitar and drum combination. Then comes "Fool In The Rain". I confess to a sneaking affection for this track and that is all down to the lyrics. Here is a guy, wondering about what he did wrong for his date not to show up and then realises he's in the wrong place. Again, the piano is to the fore on this, but that is not to the detriment of the song overall. However, again, this is not Led Zeppelin. The title reminds me of the Beatles, and in some ways it is almost a song that could have been written by Bernie Taupin and Elton John. The side closes with "Hot Dog". Now I am not sure whether to take this seriously or not. Led Zeppelin doing country music, come on. I suppose it is symptomatic of the personal problems of some of the band members that this ever got anywhere near an album. In some ways it is almost a parody of an entire genre - just listen to the lyrics and you will see what I mean.

Side two opens with "Carouselambra". Once again, keyboards are at the front of the offering. "Carouselambra" has been described as one of the longest pop songs ever written. That may be a tad over exaggerated, but I can see where the similarity is. However, it is too hard rock to be a pop song. From here on in, the album degenerates quickly. "All My Love" deserves all the criticism it gets. I know it has special meaning for Robert Plant, being a lament for his dead son, Karac, but it is just plain awful. The album closes with "I'm Gonna Crawl" which is another shocker.

In short, the album is a severe disappointment from the greatest rock band in the world. Whether it was the substance abuse of Page and Bonham which caused it, or whether it was just time for Led Zeppelin to make an awful album, and this was it, I do not know. In places it has its moments, but these are not as many as you would expect. At times, it is just plain awful.

The question is, did this album represent a new musical direction for the band. It is a question we will never answer, because John Bonham's untimely death robbed the band of its drummer and the world of a true rock genius. For my part, I would just love to know what Led Zeppelin would be producing today if Bonham had not drunk himself to death that night in 1980. It could well be that this sort of melodic soft rock, a mixture of pop with some influences from other musical genres would have been the direction Led Zeppelin had chosen to take. Alas we will never know.
Rating: 6/10