10 Best Debut Rock Albums

Towards the late 60's, rock culture was immersed in psychedelia. It seemed that everyone was interested in the art of jamming rather than songwriting. On the other side of the coin was blues rock, which Led Zeppelin were birthed from.

Fresh out of the blues-rock outfit the Yardbirds, guitarist Jimmy Page assembled a four piece with bassist John Paul Jones, vocalist Robert Plant, and drummer John Bonham. On their debut, the riffs from Page and Jones make for some spellbinding moments on "Communication Breakdown" and "Good Times Bad Times." Right behind them, Bonzo punishes the skins with precision and one of the most intense grooves ever heard. As Plant wails his way through these tracks, he laid the groundwork for what would become the prototype for a rock frontman.

The album shifts between slower acoustic material and rockers while still staying true to the band's bluesy roots. As the years went on, Zeppelin would continue to expand upon their sound to take rock to places it had never been before. But it was this record where the group showed every other band what the standard for the rock band would become in the years that followed.