In anticipation of tomorrow's release of newly remastered versions of Led Zeppelin's first three albums, I thought I would make this month's pick my favorite of these: Led Zeppelin II. It's a far more streamlined version of its predecessor; while the first album relies on extended blues explorations like "Dazed and Confused" and "How Many More Times", Zeppelin II is far more direct in its approach and the band mission statement couldn't have been more clear in "Whole Lotta Love"; a plodding dirge of pure sex. In addition, "Thank You" might well be the first 'Power Ballad' and "Heartbreaker" was probably the best riff Jimmy Page ever wrote (and that's saying A LOT). Also, I would be remiss on a blog dedicated to general geekery if I didn't mention the casual reference to Gollum and Mordor in the excellent "Ramble On". It was this album that laid the foundation of hard rock for the next 40 years.
Key Tracks: "Whole Lotta Love", "Thank You", "Heartbreaker", "Ramble On"
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