10 Best Classic Rock Albums Of The 1960s
6. Led Zeppelin - II
What’s most remarkable about this album is how fresh it sounds - not just because of its age, but because of how much Jimmy Page’s inventive studio technique was pilfered the following decade (which, as one of rock’s biggest thieves, serves him right).
The first five Led Zep albums are great, but none is quite so airtight as the second. It has two of the definitive riff-rock songs in “Hearbreaker” and “Whole Lotta Love”. It has epic technique in “Moby Dick”, unbeatable throwback blues in “Bring It On Home”, and charming Tolkein silliness for those who like that kind of thing in “Ramble On”.
The first few Zeppelin albums are all about that sound, thick and warm but massively heavy, written and partially produced on tour but maintaining a superb, consistent feel. Jimmy Page may be a difficult kind of person, but the control he exerts over this album makes for a defining statement in the early days of the band.
Later albums may have a few better individual songs but none hang together like this one, and without wasting a moment of your time, either.