FEATURE:
Second Spin
Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door
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IT is inevitable that groups…
IN THIS PHOTO: Led Zeppelin in 1979
go through a period of decline, or at least they reach a peak and there is a certain expectation on their shoulders. Led Zeppelin’s six studio album, Physical Graffiti, was released in 1975, and it is debatably their very best. Until that point, the band had not really put a foot wrong. Seemingly growing and strengthening with every album, 1975 was a real peak for the legendary band. 1976’s Presence was an altogether patchier affair than Physical Graffiti, and the songwriting was less consistent. In Through the Out Door followed in 1979, and it was the final album from the band. Recorded in three weeks between November and December 1978, In Through the Out Door was released a year before the death of the group’s drummer, John Bonham. To its credit, In Through the Out Door was a massive critical success, and it reached the top of the album charts in the U.S. The band’s title is named after the struggles Led Zeppelin were experiencing. Robert Plant’s son, Karac, died in 1977, and the band took a tax evasion exile from the U.K. The band were not able to tour in Britain for two years, hence the feeling they were castaways. That title might suggest a defeatist album with the band on their final legs, but there are some fantastic songs on the album. In terms of sound and direction, frontman Robert Plant and bassist John Paul Jones exude more influence than guitarist Jimmy Page and John Bonham.
To be fair, there were definite cracks in the band during the album’s recording. Both Page and Bonham were struggling with drug addiction, and Jones and Plant were working more closely together than ever before. Because of this, the music is not defined with heavy riffs and the same sort of sounds that were present on classics like Physical Graffiti and the band’s first couple of albums. In Through the Out Door does not have as many instant hits as other Led Zeppelin albums, but I think the album is really solid and warrants more acclaim than it has received. There have been some positive reviews but, even after the album was reissued in 2015, some were a little hostile. I think In Through the Out Door has gained more respect as the years have ticked by, but it is still considered a rather disappointing finale for the band. Songs like In the Evening, and Fool in the Rain are stunning – these tracks were written by Jones, Plant, and Page, where two other songs from that first side, South Bound Saurez, and Hot Dog, were written in pairs – the former by Jones and Plant; the latter from Page and Plant. I think the first side is really strong, and In the Evening must sit alongside the most accomplished Led Zeppelin tracks! Although In Through the Out Door contains only seven tracks, most of the songs are over five minutes – the second side opens with a real epic!
Carouselambra clocks in at over ten minutes, and I love the energy of the track – and Bonham’s drumming is, as usual, brilliant! All My Love is a wonderful track. Written by Plant and Jones, there is a sensuousness and groove that is impossible to ignore. Whilst In Through the Out Door is not as memorable and impactful as other albums, I think it is still massively underrated, and a lot more than a band knowing that the end was nigh. Even with problems and drug abuse within the ranks, they managed to put together an incredible album with more than a couple of truly amazing tracks. I think In Through the Out Door requires new investigation. I did mention how there have been some great reviews, but many are quite mixed. This is what AllMusic wrote in their review:
“Marshalling their strength after the dark interlude of Presence -- a period that extended far after its 1976 release, with the band spending a year in tax exile and Robert Plant suffering another personal tragedy when his son died -- Led Zeppelin decided to push into new sonic territory on their eighth album, In Through the Out Door. A good deal of this aural adventurism derived from internal tensions within the band. Jimmy Page and John Bonham were in the throes of their own addictions, leaving Plant and John Paul Jones alone in the studio to play with the bassist's new keyboard during the day.
Jones wound up with writing credits on all but one of the seven songs -- the exception is "Hot Dog," a delightfully dirty rockabilly throwaway -- and he and Plant are wholly responsible for the cloistered, grooving "South Bound Saurez" and "All My Love," a synth-slathered ballad unlike anything in Zeppelin's catalog due not only to its keyboards but its vulnerability. What's striking about In Through the Out Door is how the Plant-Jones union points the way toward their respective solo careers, especially that of the singer's: his 1982 debut Pictures at Eleven follows through on the twilight majesty of "In the Evening" and particularly "Carouselambra," which feels like Plant and Jones stitched together every synth-funk fantasy they had into a throttling ten-minute epic. With its carnivalesque rhythms, "Fool in the Rain" also suggests the adventurousness of Plant, but it's also an effective showcase for Bonham -- it's a monster groove -- and Page, whose multi-octave solo is among his best. Elsewhere, the guitarist colors with shade and light quite effectively, but only the slow, slumbering closer "I'm Gonna Crawl" feels like his, a throwback to Zeppelin's past on an album that suggests a future that never materialized for the band”.
It is a bit unfair that In Through the Out Door did not receive the praise it deserved. In a review from 1979, this is what Rolling Stone offered:
“As you might suspect, In through the Out Door‘s best number is the one in which you can understand the least words. This is “In the Evening,” a classic Zeppelin orchestral guitar rumble halfway between “When the Levee Breaks” and “In the Light.” The only line I was able to understand was “Oh oh I need zoo love.” Judging by Plant’s convincing orgasmic moans on the rest of it, I would rather guess at the remaining lyrics.
Back when Led Zeppelin was setting the heavy-metal standard (LPs I through IV) for all time, Jimmy Page was coming up with two or three great guitar riffs on damn near every tune. A lot of them were copped from Mississippi Delta blues masters like Robert Johnson, but knowing where to steal is every great artist’s dirty little secret. Page now appears to have fallen victim to the law of diminishing returns, because “In the Evening” has the only great guitar riff on the entire album. The rest of the songs are based on John Paul Jones’ keyboard work. Though an excellent musician, Jones functions best behind Page, not in front of him”.
I will leave things there, but I want to encourage people to listen to In Through the Out Door. Whilst my favourite Led Zeppelin albums are Led Zeppelin II, and Physical Graffiti, I really like In Through the Out Door, and it is an album that has plenty to keep you hooked! It is a shame that the band broke up and things ended how they did, but I think In Through the Out Door is a final studio album. It is definitely a great album that…
SHOULDN’T be forgotten.