Large compilation of extremely high quality material. Just awesome. A flawless piece consisting of beautiful lyrics, deep guitar solos and fierce drumming, and of course a solid bass wall.

Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin Box Set Vol.1 - Back in 1986 when I was 16 and just getting into rock/pop music I tried getting into Led Zep. I borrowed some records from my brothers. I thought they were okay, not outstanding. At that time I wasn't aware of the cult of Led Zep, they were just a 70s band with a good reputation. As the years went by and I read about all the Gods Of Rock hype surrounding them and people raving in music mags about how they were the best band ever. So I listened to them more carefully. For years. But I just heard a decent blues/folk-rock band. I never saw what was meant to be so extaordinary about them. I never thought they were bad, excepting Plant's annoying whining sometimes, and the abysmal The Crunge, but other bands that I later got into I thought were better listening. In the field of "hard rock" to me Black Sabbath have better riffs and a more distinctive sound, Rush are more musically interesting, Queen are more melodic and have a better singer, Deep Purple have a better guitarist and a better rock & roll feel ( Speed King!) Thin Lizzy and Motorhead have better guitar solos and Iron Maiden are good all-rounders. And that's just for older bands. Many bands today are making some good hard rock. It seems that the word "improvement" is lacking in many people's vocabulary. Yes, I think that some bands have - wait for it - improved on the sound of Led Zep. All those bands above might have been inconsistent in their careers, but all have, IMO, made some timeless stuff. To me Led Zep just have no stand out features in the year 2004. Even if you enjoy the sound of the electric guitar, Led Zep never seemed very heavy to me. On their first 5 albums the guitar often sounds twangy, which I don't like. Led Zep have some things about them which work. They were influential. They split before they'd sunk too low. Some bands just drag on too long and they wane. (Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple) And a band member died in tragic circumstances. Which might seem callous but there's no denying that an early death can add to the mystique. Think of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison. All cult figures. And also... John Bonham.


Maybe for some the power of suggestion is at work too. Years ago I saw a documentary where a group of children were shown a video showing the making of supposedly the most powerful perfume in the world. It showed a small vial being studied by serious faced scientists in white lab coats, and it being carefully shipped by air to London amid tight security. The small vial was then brought in with great seriousness into the studio. The presenter then announced that she would be opening the vial, and that the children would be able to smell the perfume within a matter of seconds, so fast were the scent molecules able to travel. The presenter then took the cap of the vial and asked the children if they could smell the pefume. Within a few seconds most raised their arms to indicate that they could smell it. Then the presenter said that the vial contained nothing more than distllled water, which has no scent at all. The powerful scent didn't exist. It was the power of suggestion. Now considering the mighty, mighty reputation of Led Zeppelin I think that some might also be subject to to the power of suggestion here. They hear wonderful things that aren't neccessarily there. The scent of the perfume was an illusion. Led Zeppelin's greatness is also sometimes an illusion. Whole Lotta Love is the song considered by many to be the epitome of metal. Plodding and monotonous with a dull guitar sound you'd have to pay me to listen to it today. It caused a stir in '69. Big deal. Let's all move on now and stop being stuck in the past. My brother actually said to me one day when he decided that maybe he had outgrown Led Zep, "If you think about it, not terribly good are they?" The key phrase there being "if you think about it" Which suggests that many don't actually think about it! I prefer to do my own thinking , not let others do my thinking for me.


Led Zeppelin started NOTHING. The Zeppelin "sound" had been done a year earlier on The Beatles' Helter Skelter. All Zep had was a better guitar player. They satisfied the public's desire for power blues since the demise of many 60s blues rock acts. They filled the vacuum and embarked on a lucrative (and ego expanding) career until they ran out of ideas. And that didn't take too long really. Led Zeppelin were NOT geniuses. And over half their stuff is lifted from old blues and folk, and the main guitar line to Stairway is taken from Taurus by Spirit. If originality was a sin then Zep really would be climbing the Stairway To Heaven.

Oh and Page practiced the occult! Whoa, how cool is that?! What a tosspot. Their fans like to lap that kind of nonsense up though.

I love music. In fact music is probably my main pastime or hobby. I own thousands of CDs and am constantly expanding my musical tastes. I believe in staying open-minded. I would like nothing better than to hear what's meant to be so exceptional about Led Zeppelin. But 18 years later I still can't! Led Zep remain to me a triumph of mystique over substance.


And personally I think all this breathless psuedo-religious raving about The Gods Of Rock is damn silly. Why do you all prostrate yourselves before a pop group? Page and Plant are laughing all the way to the bank.