100 Records That Shook The World, # 50

Led Zeppelin II (LP)

Led Zeppelin

This Jimmy Page-produced LP, the band's second (duh!) was the first of their LPs to get to Number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. Led Zeppelin II furthered the lyrical themes established on their debut album, creating a work that became more widely acclaimed and influential than its predecessor. With elements of blues and folk music, it also exhibits the band's evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar and riff-based sound. In 1999 the album became certified 12x platinum, with sales in excess of 12 million.

The album was recorded in various studios around the globe while touring. The band would play a concert, spend some time writing in hotels, book a local studio, and spend a couple of hours recording before playing another show. The resulting sound was one of urgency and spontaneity.

Some of the recording studios used by the band were not the most advanced. One studio in Vancouver, credited as "a hut", had an eight-track set up that did not even have proper headphone facilities. The group's lead singer Robert Plant later discussed the writing and recording process, stating "It was crazy really. We were writing the numbers in hotel rooms and then we'd do a rhythm track in London, add the vocal in New York, overdub the harmonica in Vancouver and then come back to finish mixing at New York."


Enjoy.