10 Albums That Defined Rock And Roll
3. Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin
A lot of the greatest rock and roll of the early days tends to go back to the blues. For as much ground that the genre has covered in the period in between, there's nothing wrong with going back to the lowdown and dirty sounds of the Mississippi Delta to get your audience to really feel your pain. In the late '60s though, it turns out some of the most wild blues on Earth actually was being imported from England.
And yes, Led Zeppelin II is definitely a blues album no matter which way you slice it. Even though it touches on a lot of different themes, stuff like the Lemon Song and Bring It On Home still bring it back to the same guitar fireworks that got many rock aficionados started in the early days. The best parts of this album though are what Jimmy Page and co. are able to do with it, creating the genesis of riff-based rock on songs like Whole Lotta Love and Ramble On.
The real strength behind these tunes though have to be the musicians behind the riffs, from John Bonham's thundering bass drum stampeding across your ears on Moby Dick or John Paul Jones' immaculate arrangements on songs like Thank You. To this day, even some of the greatest bands in the world are still living in this record's shadow.