Un esordio col botto, inutile negarlo. Non vorrei addentrarmi nella solita polemica riguardante se i Led Zeppelin abbiano inventato qualcosa o no. Forse non hanno inventato nulla ma hanno saputo unire il blues al rock come nessuno aveva fatto prima, reinventando un genere in crisi creativa e rendendolo devastante, viscerale e certamente più complesso. E' un album quasi tutto composto da cover o rifacimenti (specie da Willie Dixon) ma non importa: il risultato è geniale, arriva al cuore, all'anima e al cervello come un fulmine a ciel sereno.

"Good Times Bad Times", dal riff introduttivo memorabile, alza il sipario su questo capolavoro, un perfetta sintesi di come sarà il sound degli Zeppelin da lì in poi, almeno nei successivi 3 albums.
"Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You": brano folk tradizionale caratterizzato da momenti di struggente malinconia e da improvvise esplosioni di chitarra.
"You Shook Me" è il terzo brano, splendido blues di Dixon, il quale, grazie ai virtuosismi di Page e alla sensualissima prova vocale di Robert Plant, viene notevolmente valorizzato.
E veniamo a "Dazed and Confused" uno dei pezzi più sperimentali e all'avanguardia per l'epoca: Jimmy Page suona la chitarra con l'archetto del violino e il brano diventerà in seguito uno dei cavalli di battaglia del grande chitarrista inglese, creando con questa originalissima tecnica suoni demoniaci, angoscianti e suggestivi.
"Your Time is Gonna Come", una ballata con un'impronta folkeggiante, è forse il pezzo meno interessante e più debole dell'intero album, molto gradevole ma nulla di più.
"Black Mountain Side" è una felice parentesi strumentale, un eccellente assolo acustico di Page, a parer mio, il migliore di tutti.
"Communication Breakdown": un classico dal riff devastante e frenetico, accompagnato da una batteria superba. Il canto urlato dell'angelo biondo Robert Plant è grintoso e passionale, come una sorta di Janis Joplin al maschile.
"I Can't Quit You Babe" è di nuovo un mirabile esempio di blues/rock di pregevole fattura.
L'ultimo pezzo, "How Many More Times", basso e batteria mozzafiato, è quello che preferisco. Forse per il suo ritmo crescente e incalzante, per la sua assoluta durezza, per essere così piacevolmente ossessiva.

Fortemente rivoluzionaria e innovativa, quest'opera prima del celebre gruppo britannico è una ventata di aria fresca e nuova, un toccasana rigenerante, un elisir di lunga vita per un rock stagnante e ripetitivo. Lascia intravedere senza ombra di dubbio il futuro roseo dei Led Zeppelin, questa band immensa che tanto ha dato alla musica contemporanea per quasi 4 decenni. Uscì nel '69, stesso anno di "In the Court of the Crimson King" : era iniziata una nuova era e il dirigibile cominciò a volare...

Elenco tracce testi samples e video

01   Good Times Bad Times (02:46)

02   Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (06:42)

Babe, baby, baby, I'm gonna leave you
I said baby, you know I'm gonna leave you
I'll leave you when the summertime
Leave you when the summer comes a-rollin'
Leave you when the summer comes along

Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, I don't wanna leave you
I ain't jokin' woman, I've got to ramble
Oh yeah, baby, baby, I be leavin'
We really got to ramble
I can hear it callin' me the way it used to do
I can hear it callin' me back home, whoa-oh

Babe, oh, babe, I'm gonna leave you
Ohh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you
Oh, I can hear it callin' me
I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?
Ohh

I know, I know, I know I never never never never never gonna leave you babe
But I got to go away from this place
I've got to quit you, yeah
Oh, baby, baby, baby, baby
Baby, baby, baby, oh
Don't you hear it callin' me?

Oh, woman, woman, I know, I know
Feels good to have you back again
And I know that one day baby, it's gonna really grow, yes it is
We gonna go walkin' through the park every day
Come what may, every day
Oh, mama, baba, mama babe
I'm gonna leave you, go away, ohh

So good, sweet baby
It was really, really good
You made me happy every single day
But now, I've got to go away
Oh! Oh! Oh!

Baby, baby, baby
That's when it's callin' me
I said that's when it's callin' me back home

03   You Shook Me (06:28)

You know you shook me
You shook me all night long
You know you shook me, baby
You shook me all night long
You shook me so hard, baby
Baby, baby baby, please come home

I have a bird that whistles
And I have birds that sing
I have a bird that whistles
And I have birds that sing
I have a babe, won't do nothing
Oh-oh, oh-oh, buy a diamond ring, yeah

You know you shook me, babe
You shook me all night long, I know you really really did, babe
I said you shook me, baby
You shook me all night long
You shook me so hard, baby
Babe! Ah-ahh! Ah-ahh! Ah-ahh! Ah-ahhh!
Ah-nah-nahh! Ah-ah-ah-nah-nahh!
You shook me oh ooh oh ooh oh ooh oh ooh oh ooh oh ooh oh ooh oh all night long

04   Dazed and Confused (06:28)

Been dazed and confused for so long it's not true
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you
Lots of people talk and few of them know
Soul of a woman was created below, yeah

You hurt and abuse tellin' all of your lies
Run 'round sweet baby, Lord how they hypnotize
Sweet little baby, I don't know where you've been
Gonna love you baby, here I come again

Every day I work so hard, bringin' home my hard earned pay
Try to love you baby, but you push me away
Don't know where you're goin', only know just where you've been
Sweet little baby, I want you again

Ah ahh...
Oh yeah, alright
I don't want your lovin' this time yeah
Oh don't leave me so confused, ah
Ohh baby

Been dazed and confused for so long it's not true
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you
Take it easy baby, let them say what they will
Tongue wag so much when I send you the bill?
Oh yeah, alright

Oh oh...

05   Your Time Is Gonna Come (04:34)

06   Black Mountain Side (02:12)

07   Communication Breakdown (02:31)

Hey, girl, stop what you're doin'
Hey, girl, you'll drive me to ruin
I don't know what it is that I like about you, but I like it a lot
Oh, won't you let me hold you, let me feel your lovin' touch

Communication breakdown
It's always the same
Havin' a nervous breakdown
Drive me insane

Hey, babe, I got something I think you ought to know
Hey, babe, I wanna tell you that I love you so
I wanna hold you in my arms, yeah
I'm never gonna let you go, 'cause I like your charms

Communication breakdown
It's always the same
Havin' a nervous breakdown
Drive me insane
Oh suck it!

Communication breakdown
It's always the same
Havin' a nervous breakdown
A-drive me insane, yeah

Communication breakdown (Yeah, I want you to love me all night, I want you to know that)
Communication breakdown (I want, hey, I want, oh)
Communication breakdown (I want you to love me, I want you to love me babe)
Communication breakdown (I want you to love, yeah, I want you to love)
Communication breakdown (Hey, I want you to love yeah)

08   I Can't Quit You Baby (04:42)

Ah, ah
I can't quit you, babe
So I'm gonna put you down for awhile
I said I can't quit you, babe
I guess I got to put you down for awhile
Said you messed up my happy home
Made me mistreat my only child
Yes you did babe, oh

Said you know I love you, baby
My love for you, I could never hide
Oh, you know I love you, babe
My love for you, I could never hide
A-when I feel you near me little girl
I know you are my one desire
Whoa, oh, oh yeah

When you hear me moanin' an' groanin, babe
You know it hurts me deep down inside
Oh, when you hear me moanin' an' groanin', babe
You know it hurts me deep down inside
Oh, when you hear me, honey baby
You know you're my one desire
Yes, you are
Oh, you are

09   How Many More Times (08:28)

How many more times
Treat me the way you wanna do?
How many more times
Treat me the way you wanna do?
When I give you all my love, please, please be true

I'll give you all I've got to give
Rings, pearls, and all
I'll give you all I've got to give
Rings, pearls, and all
I've got to get you together baby, I'm sure, sure you're gonna crawl

Oh! Wanna love some other man too?

I was a young man, I couldn't resist
Started thinkin' it over, just what I had missed
Got me a girl and I kissed her and then and then
Whoops, oh Lordy, well I did it again
Now I've got ten children of my own
I got another child on the way that makes eleven
But I'm in constant heaven
I know it's alright in my mind
'Cause I got a little schoolgirl and she's all mine
I can't get through to her 'cause it doesn't permit
But I'm gonna give her everything I've got to give

Oh Rosie, oh girl
Oh Rosie, oh girl
Steal away now, steal away
Steal away baby, steal away
Little Robert Anthony wants to come and play
Why don't ya come with me baby?
Steal away
Alright, alright

Well they call me the hunter, that's my name
Call me the hunter, that's how I got my fame
Ain't no need to hide, ain't no need to run
'Cause I've got you in the sights of my gun

How many more times
Barrelhouse all night long, all right
How many more times
Barrelhouse all night long
Well I've got to get to you, baby
Girl, please come home

Why don't you listen to me babe?
Why don't you please come home?
Why don't you please come home?
Why don't you please come home?

Carico i commenti...  con calma

Altre recensioni

Di  claudio carpentieri

 "Led Zeppelin è icona imperitura per le generazioni a venire."

 "Good Times Bad Times mostra sin dall’attacco una stupenda miscela di suoni incandescenti."


Di  paolofreddie

 “La magia di Page & Co non sta nella loro originalità musicale, ma nel loro aver creato una fusione alchemica, che non è la semplice somma delle parti.”

 “Nel ’69 erano la 'next big thing', ma col tempo hanno dimostrato di essere qualcosa di più, di molto di più.”


Di  Cialtronius

 Led Zeppelin: uno dei gruppi più sopravvalutati nella storia del rock.

 Bravi oh come suonano bene ma NO-IO-SI. Davvero scadenti al livello di creatori di melodie.