I’m more of a Sabbath and Purple fan than a Zeppelin disciple, as they were a lot easier for my brain to take as the riffs were a lot simpler and easier to digest. I do appreciate the influence the band have had on popular music and today. There are a raft of bands trying to be the new Zeppelin: Greta Van Fleet and Rival Sons to name two.
This album seems to be the forgotten album in the band’s catalogue as it often gets overlooked for their more popular releases. Other than The Crunge, with that huge Bonham groove, there are not a lot of heavy moments on this album. It’s a very laid back record, and they play around with differing styles like D’yer Mak’er bringing the reggae that just doesn’t work for me.
It’s the first three tracks that make this album shine: The Song Remains The Same, the beautiful Rain Song, and my favourite on the album, Over The Hills And Far Away where Plants voice is just wonderful. I can see why he doesn’t want to do this anymore as there is no way he could now give the performance these songs need.
Will there ever be bands like Zeppelin, Sabbath, and Purple again? I would say no, as the musical climate shifts so quickly and no band has the chance to grow and evolve anymore. Not their best, but still a solid album.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
