Led Zeppelin
In Through the Out Door
Tracklist:
1. In the Evening (6:51)
2. South Bound Saurez (4:13)
3. Fool in the Rain (6:10)
4. Hot Dog (3:18)
5. Carouselambra (10:34)
6. All My Love (5:55)
7. I�m Gonna Crawl (5:29)
Total: 42:33
Introduction
By the time this album came out in 1979, Led Zeppelin had changed since their debut. Robert Plant blew out his voice, resulting in deeper vocals and less high-pitched wails. Jimmy Page was experimenting with drugs. John Bonham divulged to alcohol. So, John Paul Jones, who in the past was somewhat of an overlooked member, stepped up to the forefront, and had a large influence on this album�s sound; he composed 6 out of 7 songs on the album and his keyboards have a large presence on nearly all of the songs.
This unfortunately would be Led Zeppelin�s last album, as drummer John Bonham died of asphyxiation in 1980. Knowing that Bonham was such a powerful force in the band and was simply irreplaceable, the remaining members disbanded.
Synopsis
The song �In the Evening� begins the album. It�s a very good song with a catchy guitar riff with accompanying synths from Jones�s keyboard. Bonham also keeps a nice, steady drumbeat throughout the song, and Plant sings very well. This is also a song in which Page uses the violin bow technique on his guitar.
�South Bound Saurez� has a memorable ragtime piano line, and has some really good vocals from Plant. Bonham keeps another constant drumbeat, and Page while here in the song, doesn�t have much of a large presence, other than that killer guitar solo in the middle of the song. The song ends with a nice little �sha la la la� melody from Plant.
The next track �Fool in the Rain�, like the track before it, has a catchy piano line from Jones. Page takes the backseat again for a majority of the song. After the 2:25 mark or so, a whistle blows, and the song goes into a Caribbean inspired melody with some fast, south of the boarder-type drumming and keyboard sounds. I really like that short little section, as it�s different but somehow fits in with the song really well. Shortly after a cool guitar solo, the song fades out.
The song �Hot Dog� is the only song that Jones did not compose, although he does add in more ragtime inspired keyboard melodies. This is a song that you�d think you�d hear at a southern hoedown of some sort, with quick, constant drumbeats that make you want to get up and dance. It�s the shortest song on the album, clocking in at a little over 3 minutes.
Next up is �Carouselambra�, a 10+ minute tune that�s very keyboard heavy. In fact, the major contributions in the song are the synthesizers from Jones and the fine drumming skills of John Bonham. I mean, Page and Plant are here, but you can�t really hear Page�s guitar riffs over the synth line, and you can barely hear let alone understand Plant unless you turn the volume up. After a buildup, the song goes into a slow part, with Page providing an audible guitar riff with Plant singing some bluesy vocals. Then the tempo picks up a bit and the song goes into a part in which Jones provides some strange noises on his keyboard, with Plant singing the last few lines, and the song fades away.
�All My Love� is a song written for Robert Plant�s song Karac, who died in a tragic car accident. Plant�s vocals are exceptional here, and you�d think he was actually singing this song with his son on his mind. Good drumming and guitar riffs, a nice little synth line, and a great keyboard solo make up this great, slow track and it�s definitely one of the best songs on the album.
The final track on the album is �I�m Gonna Crawl�. Featuring soft synth lines, blues-inspired guitar riffs, light drumming, and very gloomy vocals from Plant, this song is so fitting to the end of the Led Zeppelin legacy, as it�s even slower and depressing than �All My Love� was. In the middle of the song, Plant�s vocals build up, leading to an excellent guitar solo, and heavier drumming, and then the song slowly fades away.
Highlights
�In the Evening�, �Fool in the Rain�, �All My Love�
Bottom Line
Though a majority of the band was exhausted, that didn�t stop the band from releasing a very good album. Overall, In Through The Out Door is a great Led Zeppelin album featuring some very good tunes.
Final Grade: B+
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Last Updated ::
5/5/2005
Album: In Through the Out Door
Album line-up:
Robert Plant (Vocals)
Jimmy Page (Guitars)
John Paul Jones (Keyboards, Bass)
John Bonham (Drums and percussion)
Additional Personnel:
N/A
Release Year: 1979
Label: Swan Song
Produced by: Jimmy Page