Coda

Presence Presence is one of Led Zeppelin's more overlooked albums, languishing in the monstrous shadow of its predecessor, Physical Graffiti. It's more noted in Zeppelin mythology for the circumstances in which it was recorded, in double-quick time with vocalist Robert Plant's leg in plas...	In Through the Out Door Though the band likely didn't know it at the time, this would prove to be the last studio record by one of the most famous rock & roll bands in the world. Drummer John Bonham died shortly after its release. Although nothing compares to early Led Zeppelin--and they lost many long...	Physical Graffiti No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: LED ZEPPELINTitle: PHYSICAL GRAFFITIStreet Release Date: 08/16/1994	Houses of the Holy Buoyed by the runaway commercial success of Led Zeppelin IV, Jimmy Page used this 1973 follow-up to hone his already impressive production skills, and the result was a collection sporting an impressively expansive sound. Benefiting--especially on tracks such as "Dancing Days Are ...	Led Zeppelin III After plundering the Yardbirds' legacy and Willie Dixon (among others) for their blues-riff-heavy first two albums, Jimmy Page and company surprised many listeners with the strong acoustic/folk sensibility displayed on III. Page aficionados shouldn't have been caught off guard; t...
Led Zeppelin II No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: LED ZEPPELINTitle: LED ZEPPELIN 2Street Release Date: 06/21/1994	Led Zeppelin 1 No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: LED ZEPPELINTitle: LED ZEPPELINStreet Release Date: 06/21/1994	Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO) Also known as the "rune" album or Zoso because of the medieval symbols adorning the inner sleeve, Led Zeppelin's fourth album, released in 1971, turned them from mere superstars into giant behemoths of the rock world. On tracks like "Black Dog," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "Rock an...	BBC Sessions \N	How the West Was Won For a band with such an overarching legacy, the official record of Led Zeppelin's legendary--and unpredictable--live act has heretofore been poorly represented by the disappointing, scattershot soundtrack to The Song Remains the Same. But this triple-disc live set (culled from 19...

Zeppelin's Coda is the band's Let it Be with many great gems 25 plus years on
Led Zeppelin's odds and ends album Coda was released in November of 1982. How this album came to be, let's set the stage shall we. In 1980, Led Zeppelin were riding high on the success of In Through the Out Door which was on its way to selling 7 million copies in the US alone (not bad for Zep standards and outsold Led Zeppelin 3 and Presence). The band toured Europe and were selling out venues nightly but then tragedy struck, drummer John Bonham passed away on September 25, 1980 as the band was rehearsing for a US tour. Over two months later, the band broke up after the death of Bonham whose style was hard to replicate and deemed him irreplaceable. Throughout 1981 and 1982, guitarist Jimmy Page worked on the soundtrack to Death Wish II and Robert Plant released his solo debut Pictures at Eleven (which hit #3 in the US) whilst bass player John Paul Jones went into soundtrack work. Also, Page went through the Zep vaults to cobble together a final Led Zeppelin album which would be called Coda. The recordings were from between 1970 and 1978 with some fresh overdubs by Plant and Page where required as followed. We open with the rocker "We're Gonna Groove" which is the same version as it would appear on the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD and recorded at The Royal Albert Hall in January, 1970 (not Morgan Studios like the notes stated). It's the same version as on the DVD but Page overdubbed guitar solos in 1982 to fill out the song (the overdubs were removed on the DVD version) and Plant's voice went through a phaser (unlike the version on the Led Zeppelin DVD). Next is "Poor Tom" which is a great countryish outtake from Led Zeppelin III. The song has Page playing acoustic guitar over a classic Bonzo drum pattern with Jonesy filling out the bass and Plant singing and playing harmonica. Next is "I Can't Quit You Baby" which is the same song as on Led Zeppelin I, but on steroids. Harder drumming and more furious guitar and singing than on the original. It has a very raw feel to it. This track is also on the Zep DVD from Royal Albert Hall but shortened for vinyl constraints (and not a rehearsal like the liner notes state). The first half ends with the Houses of the Holy outtake "Walter's Walk". This rocker just rocks and would have appeared on Houses save time constraints and there were no lyrics so Plant recorded the vocals in 1981/82 with fresh lyrics. The album's second half consists of the outtakes from In Through the Out Door except as noted. The rocker "Ozone Baby" is from the ITtOD sessions and was one of the rock radio hits from the album. "Darlene" is next and is one of the album's best tracks and the biggest rock radio hit from the album. Another ITtOD outtake which just rocks. Next is "Bonzo's Montreux" which is a John Bonham drum workout that was recorded in Montreux in 1976. It just features Bonham and Page messing around in the studio one day and Page later added some electronic stuff to it. The closing "Wearing and Tearing" is Zeppelin's answer to the punk music movement that was popular in Europe at the time (it didn't get big in the US until years later) and is from the ITtOD sessions. It has a very fast-paced beat and is a killer rocker. Coda, when released, quickly stormed to #4 on the Billboard album chart and went Platinum quick but by then Men at Work, Michael Jackson, A Flock of Seagulls and later Duran Duran were all dominating the US music scene. In 1993, this album was re-issued on The Complete Studio Recordings box set (see review) with the four bonus tracks that appeared on Led Zeppelin's 1990 and 1993 box sets. If you are an unbiased Zep fan (like myself), pick this up, if not your loss. Recommended!

Nothing memorable except...
Honostly, the tracks here are somewhat forgetable and this album is probably marketed towrds completists. Bonzo's Montreux for me is the stand out track. It has an unusual, added futuristic, Japanese drums, kettle drum sound. Showcases Bonham but the additional electronic effects make this track very memorable and original.

Nothing Extra...
The music gets 5 stars. Let's face it-(ALL ZEPPELIN MUSIC GETS 5 STARS)! This particular packaging(mini lp)gets 5 stars. There is no new remastering here, so I take away 2 stars. There are no "extra tracks", like on the "CODA" disc in the "Complete Studio Recordings" box set. So, minus 2 more stars. Then, I just HAVE to give back 1 star, again, for the packaging! Sorry, but in mho, mini lp packaging should have been the industry standard, from the beggining!

We're Gonna Groove
(The following review is written by Karyn's husband, Ted) Zeppelin's CODA marked a milestone in the phenonmenal career of the world's biggest band at that time. Widely regarded as their weakest album, it has grown a bad reputation over the years since its release: (1982)-Two years after the untimely death of John Bonham, probably the world's greatest rock 'n roll drummer, it marks the end of an era of excess which has never been seen since. Zeppelin is still legendary in the power of what they did onstage as well as off-stage. Private jets, destroyed hotel rooms,underage girls, and baked-bean orgies are only some of the indulgences that can be mentioned here. Most infamous is probably the 'Shark Incident' which involved a real shark and a real girl! Anyway, that was the 70's and back then Zep set the standard in debauchery. Their music never suffered, and I think CODA isn't as bad as people have been led to believe.'Wearing and Tearing' is the finest track on the CD and yes, overall, CODA is a mashed up helping of leftovers. However, these leftovers still taste great. 'Ozone Baby' is my favorite track and 'Darlene', even though it sounds like they never finished the lyrics, is a great song.In 1980, Bonham was furious that Zep was expected to go back on the road to the USA and tour. They had finished a European Tour at that time ( Bonham collapsed during a show in Germany and the concert was cut short) and he clearly needed some time off. Bonham unfortunately drowned his anger in booze and it's been said he slammed 40 shots of Vodka the night he died. The surviving members of Zeppelin agreed to call it quits, choosing not to replace the legendary drummer. CODA literally means 'The End' and it's a fitting title to the end of an amazing roller-coaster ride of popularity that the band enjoyed all over the world. Let's hope for a Live CD/DVD of their 'Reunion' show in London coming up soon with Jason Bonhamm on drums.

Zeps Last Goodbye
I am saddened in writing this even though years have passed since John death brought the band to end their reign of the Master of Rock. Kings? Perhaps. John is missed to this day. CODA was a last treasure released by Led Zeppelin, a compilation of previously unreleased material. Like a "lets give them the rest" type deal. many of the songs aren't great but we true Zeo fans never were ones for lacking the desire for wanting anything and everything they did. Not disappointing by no means but it is just a collection of songs over the years that were not put on any other album. I never did understand why the crunge was put out when there were clearly better songs to take its place.