Led Zeppelin (1969)

I'm cheating a bit here and discussing a well known album from one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s, a group with songs that remain a staple of classic rock and FM radio (they even had their own satellite radio station on XM and Sirius from 2007-2008). However, despite being one of the mammoth hard rock groups in history, it is still important to discuss their first few albums in the develop of heavy rock and metal.

The members of Led Zeppelin came together when guitarist Jimmy Page sought to fulfill the touring obligations of the Yardbirds (performing as the New Yardbirds), as the previous incarnation had called it quits earlier. Following the tour, the group recorded a record, and, as Led Zeppelin, released their self-titled debut. From the devastating chords of the opening track, Good Times Bad Times, it was clear that something special was in the works.

Although the album had a number of blues songs as would be expected given Page's background, the protometal songs definitely stand out. The furious riffs of "Communication Breakdown" were famously compared with Black Sabbath's Paranoid over the ensuing decades, and the bombastic singing of Robert Plant clearly foreshadowed future acts like Van Halen and Aerosmith. The frenetic rhythm work of drummer John Bonham and John Paul Jones was certainly influential as well, and the debut shows a hardness to their work.

Rob Halford may have popularized the high and soaring vocal styling that many metal groups adopted over the decades, but he wasn't the first to do so, and Robert Plant's voice may have set the blueprint. Ballsy and earthy at lower registers, Plant could make his voice reach amazing heights, and the interplay with Page's licks and solos was impressive, both on the debut and on future releases.

With songs like "You Shook Me," a cover of a blues song first published by Earl Hooker with vocals by Muddy Waters, Zep's first release is a perfect bridge between the heavy blues of a Cream and the metal attack of a Judas Priest. The sonic salvo of "How Many More Times" was a promise of things to come.

I end this with "Dazed and Confused," which to my ears is a sinister sounding number and a great representation of the album as a whole.