Nice column, Nick. I agree with you, I go through the same thing with this band. I think a lot of it happened when I started finding all the old music that Zeppelin imitated or covered. There's nothing wrong with that, but something just seemed to not be as epic as it was before. Add to that the fact that I watched some of The Song Remains the Same a while back and was disgusted at the musical perversion Jimmy Page tried to pass off, it definitely turned me off. Having said that, their fourth album is still one of my ten favorite, and their music still sounds heavy to this day.
It's hard to think of The Song Remains the Same as not being a train-wreck. I also don't like how Jimmy Page, in retrospect, tries to paint Led Zeppelin as this "underground" phenomenon, like they were doing everything under the radar and avoiding the spotlight. Which is crap. Every album from Led Zeppelin II to In Through The Out Door went to No. 1, they sold out stadiums for a decade around the world and played for half a million people at Knebworth in '79. They were definitely not underground.
But, all that said, throw on any of the first 6 albums and it's hard to think anything other than "Man, this is kick ass!" And it does. My my.
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