You need coolin', baby, I'm not foolin'

Led Zeppelin - II - 1969

A couple of days ago, talking about Pink Floyd, I mentioned how it takes some time for some bands to achieve their "trademark sound". 

Well, that certainly doesn't seem to be the case with Led Zeppelin. While their first album was more rooted in blues than any other they would release after that one, it seems clear that in this one they were already the band they would always be: an amazing mixture of blues rock and folk rock with the most brilliant heavy guitar riffs that you can think of.

I have a lot of trouble trying to choose a favourite Zep album, there are a lot that are worthy contenders. But I think this one was the first one that got me into them. It actually took me a while, when I first heard them, to get into them. And when it happened, it was this album that did it. I can't remember what it was, if it was just a song or the whole album, but I do remember that at some point i "really got it". And haven't looked back ever since.

Now, this is not an album that will shine because of its originality: actually they "borrowed" a lot from a lot of people. But what they did with the material is jaw-dropping. I listen to this one again and I can't help but think that these guys were doing whatever the hell they wanted to do pretty much from the beginning, and everything here is so loud, so raw, it distills so much energy, that it's easy to understand why it's become one of the most influential heavy metal albums.

Pretty much a fundamental album for any music fan.

• Among the "borrowed" items, the lyrics of "Whole Lotta Love", are pretty much the lyrics of "You Need Love", recorded in 1962 by Muddy Waters. They actually had to pay to Willie Dixon, who had written the lyrics, in 1985, and subsequent releases of the album credit him with the lyrics.
• Pretty much the same thing happened with "The Lemon Song", inspired in Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor". And, also, they had problems with "Bring it on Home", originally also written by Willie Dixon. Rinse and repeat the suing and settling steps. 
• The guitar solo on "Heartbreaker" is beyond amazing. I love the way the music stops suddenly to give way to Page to do, well, magic, of course. The opening riff reminds me a lot of something but I can't figure out what.
• Talking about "borrowing", the lyrics of "Ramble On" also borrow quite heavily not on a musician this time, but on J.R.R. Tolkien, namely the "Namárie" poem in The Lord of the Rings.
• I am not usually a fan of drum solos, but the solo on "Moby Dick" is so brilliant and so epic that it deserves a mention.
• Borrowed lyrics or not, one thing is true: The opening riff of "Whole Lotta Love" was not borrowed from anyone, and it's a thing of beauty.

Neurosurgeons scream for more

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King - 1969

The debut album by King Crimson was, without a doubt, one of the key moments in the history of progressive rock. Let's keep in mind that while for many of us the genre reminds us mostly of Pink Floyd, at the time they were still trying to figure out what they would do in the future.
Listening to this album again, after a very long time, one of the things that surprised me was precisely that: How much like Pink Floyd they sometimes sound. See? There I did it again. It's the other way around, actually, of course, and one of the advantages of listening to music in chronological order is the ability to realise some things like this: I don't think I had ever noticed that these guys were doing really prog stuff by the time PF were still trying to figure things out.
In my opinion, King Crimson have always been much better the crazier they are, and in that respect this is not really a perfect album. "I talk to the wind" sounds too much like an almost Beatles-like ballad for my taste, for example.
But, without a doubt, this is a brilliant example of early progressive rock, and it's probably a much more influential album that I had ever realised.

• The opening track, "21st Century Schizoid Man", which is my favourite in the album, is a strange mix of a free jazzy section in the middle and straightforward 4/4 for most of the rest of the song, with Greg Lake singing loudly through a distorted filter. It's almost heavy, in a way, and it surprises me that they managed to sound heavy even amongst a lot of brass instruments.
• "Moonchild" is very Floyd-like, and has a long free-form section starting at about 2 minutes. One of the things I think PF always did better is that those free-form sections (which they were already doing by this time) would always have a sort of "climax" in which the song somehow resolves. This one doesn't and it feels a bit lacking.
• The self titled closing track could actually be in Atom Heart Mother, the main difference being the almost folk ballad quality of the sung parts. It's a brilliant song. 
• Can't find any studio versions of "21st Century..." So here's a live one, with Adrian Belew singing (I think). It's a great version, though.

I see reflections in the water

Deep Purple - Deep Purple - 1969

I'm going to try to be brief here: I have already said that I didn't really enjoy the first two albums by DP all that much, and mostly I didn't like Rod Evans singing because he sounded emotionally tone-deaf.
I stand by it. I can't really describe how much he annoys me.
When I first new Deep Purple it was with the Mark II and Mark III formations. And for me, the main difference was the singers, and I remember hearing people who "knew" about music debating over whether Gillian or Coverdale. So I was surprised when I learned they had a previous singer. I was even more surprised when I realised that they had 3 albums with him. So why would people not really talk about him, while, for example, Syd Barrett was such a legend.
Well, here you have it. The guy pretty much ruined everything he sang.
Also, this album has a more "progressive" vibe, but instead of sounding cool and edgy (like all more prog elements would sound in DP), this sounds like cheap movie classical music.

• Today, when listening to Evans singing "Blind", I couldn't help but thing that he sounded just like an old posh British lady. Listen to how artificial the inflection and pronunciation are. Does that sound like a hard rock singer to you?