Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin II is the second album, recorded on the move between tours across studios wherever a room happened to be free. Between January and August 1969 the band worked at Olympic and Morgan in London, A&R and Juggy Sound in New York, Mirror Sound in Los Angeles and elsewhere, finishing songs as they went. Jimmy Page produced, and Eddie Kramer came in as engineer for the first time. Six of the nine songs are the band's own; the other three rework Chicago blues by Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf. It is also the first album to carry a writing credit for Robert Plant, whose earlier contract had prevented one. The opening “Whole Lotta Love” was the first song credited to all four members and reached number 4 as a US single, though its lyrics derive from Dixon's “You Need Love” — a 1985 lawsuit added his name to the credits. The immediate riff of “Heartbreaker,” the acoustic shadows of “Ramble On,” the softer reach of “Thank You” and Bonham's showcase “Moby Dick” keep the record from settling into one pattern. Peter Grant's policy meant no UK single ever appeared, yet the album itself went to number one in both the US and the UK. It captures the moment Led Zeppelin seized hard rock's initiative.