Ally gave me Led Zeppelin’s box set for my 47th birthday, which was a very thoughtful gift indeed.  Lovingly remastered by Jimmy Page, the box set recaptures the shades and textures of their work I’ve not heard since listening to them on the pressed vinyl back when I was Ally’s age.

All I can say is wow!   Although I was burned out on the few Zep tracks played relentlessly by the the pablum that passes for FM radio these days, there is nothing tired about this master work.  This 4 disc box set is selectively representative of Zeppelin’s best work and plays it in rough chronilogical sequence. 

Forget the stories of bullshit mysticism, Led Zeppelin was a group of 4 regular, albeit super talented, guys that loved the blues and possessed a singular desire to do the hard work required to write a good song and then work painstakingly together to craft it into a brilliant song.   These guys took pride in their work and it showed throughout their career.

Led Zeppelin was a band that helped to develop the album format in sharp contrast with the more singles oriented Beatles and Stones.  In their early days, Led Zeppelin toured relentlessly to build a following and became superstars without the aid of any top 40 singles.  Of course, Led Zeppelin 4 changed all that with “Stairway to Heaven” which remains one of the longest top selling songs of all time.

Cheryl gave me some awesome Bose headphones that really reveal the brilliance of this music.  Listening to those very nearly recaptures the feeling of being 16 years old and lounging on a bean bag chair in  a small bedroom covered with posters of the guitar heroes and villains of the day, listening to the vinyl recording while admiring the album cover and reading the liner notes as the music played.   

The other thing I enjoy about the Led Zeppelin box set is the discography and they have 3 outstanding essays about the band from respected rock journalists of the day.   It was fun to sit in my living room this rainy afternoon and listen to all four discs, tirelessly enjoying all 59 songs (yep, all in one sitting!!) that make up the Led Zeppelin box set.   Rediscovering old treasures and newer ones like,  In the Light , this is as close as one can get to reclaiming those original magic feelings of discovery and appreciation.  

What is your favorite Zep song?  Here is the the track listing for the box set:

Track listing
Side one
1. “Whole Lotta Love” (from Led Zeppelin II, 1969) Bonham, Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant 5:34
2. “Heartbreaker” (from Led Zeppelin II, 1969) Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant 4:14
3. “Communication Breakdown” (from Led Zeppelin, 1969) Bonham, Jones, Page 2:29
4. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (from Led Zeppelin, 1969) Bredon, Page, Plant 6:42
5. “What Is and What Should Never Be” (from Led Zeppelin II, 1969) Page, Plant 4:47

Side two
1. “Thank You” (from Led Zeppelin II, 1969) Page, Plant 4:50
2. “I Can’t Quit You Baby (live January 9th, 1970)” (from Coda, 1982) Dixon 4:43
3. “Dazed and Confused” (from Led Zeppelin, 1969) Page 6:27
4. “Your Time Is Gonna Come” (from Led Zeppelin, 1969) Jones, Page 4:41
5. “Ramble On” (from Led Zeppelin II, 1969) Page, Plant 4:23

Side three
1. “Travelling Riverside Blues (live at the BBC June 24th, 1969)” (previously unreleased, 1969) Johnson, Page, Plant 5:11
2. “Friends” (from Led Zeppelin III, 1970) Page, Plant 3:55
3. “Celebration Day” (from Led Zeppelin III, 1970) Jones, Page, Plant 3:29
4. “Hey Hey What Can I Do” (appeared on b-side to “Immigrant Song” single, 1970) Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant 3:55
5. “White Summer/Black Mountain Side” (recorded) Page 8:01

Side four
1. “Black Dog” (from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971) Jones, Page, Plant 4:55
2. “Over the Hills and Far Away” (from Houses of the Holy, 1973) Page, Plant 4:50
3. “Immigrant Song” (from Led Zeppelin III, 1970) Page, Plant 2:27
4. “The Battle of Evermore” (from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971) Page, Plant 5:52
5. “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” (from Led Zeppelin III, 1970) Jones, Page, Plant 4:20
6. “Tangerine” (from Led Zeppelin III, 1970) Page 3:12

Side five
1. “Going to California” (from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971) Page, Plant 3:31
2. “Since I’ve Been Loving You” (from Led Zeppelin III, 1970) Jones, Page, Plant 7:24
3. “D’yer Mak’er” (from Houses of the Holy, 1973) Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant 4:23
4. “Gallows Pole” (from Led Zeppelin III, 1970) trad., arr. Page, Plant 4:58
5. “Custard Pie” (from Physical Graffiti, 1975) Page, Plant 4:13

Side six
1. “Misty Mountain Hop” (from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971) Page, Plant, Jones 4:38
2. “Rock and Roll” (from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971) Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant 3:41
3. “The Rain Song” (from Houses of the Holy, 1973) Page, Plant 7:39
4. “Stairway to Heaven” (from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971) Page, Plant 8:02

Side seven
1. “Kashmir” (from Physical Graffiti, 1975) Bonham, Page, Plant 8:32
2. “Trampled Under Foot” (from Physical Graffiti, 1975) Jones, Page, Plant 5:37
3. “For Your Life” (from Presence, 1976) Page, Plant 6:24

Side eight
1. “No Quarter” (from Houses of the Holy, 1973) Jones, Page, Plant 7:00
2. “Dancing Days” (from Houses of the Holy, 1973) Page, Plant 3:43
3. “When the Levee Breaks” (from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971) Page, Plant, Jones, Minnie 7:07
4. “Achilles Last Stand” (from Presence, 1976) Page, Plant 10:25

Side nine
1. “The Song Remains the Same” (from Houses of the Holy, 1973) Page, Plant 5:32
2. “Ten Years Gone” (from Physical Graffiti, 1975) Page, Plant 6:32
3. “In My Time of Dying” (from Physical Graffiti, 1975) Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant 11:05

Side ten
1. “In the Evening” (from In Through the Out Door, 1979) Jones, Page, Plant 6:49
2. “Candy Store Rock” (from Presence, 1976) Page, Plant 4:11
3. “The Ocean” (from Houses of the Holy, 1973) Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant 4:31
4. “Ozone Baby” (from Coda, 1982) Page, Plant 3:35
5. “Houses of the Holy” (from Physical Graffiti, 1975) Page, Plant 4:02

Side eleven
1. “Wearing and Tearing” (from Coda, 1982) Page, Plant 5:31
2. “Poor Tom” (from Coda, 1982) Page, Plant 3:03
3. “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” (from Presence, 1976) Page, Plant 6:27
4. “Fool in the Rain” (from In Through the Out Door, 1979) Jones, Page, Plant 6:12

Side twelve
1. “In the Light” (from Physical Graffiti, 1975) Page, Plant, Jones 8:46
2. “The Wanton Song” (from Physical Graffiti, 1975) Page, Plant 4:07
3. “Moby Dick/Bonzo’s Montreux” (remix of previous two recordings) Bonham, Jones, Page 3:50
4. “I’m Gonna Crawl” (from In Through the Out Door, 1979) Jones, Page, Plant 5:30
5. “All My Love” (from In Through the Out Door, 1979) Jones, Plant 5:51