ITTOD

[elKZacha]

Now I know the easiest album to attack in the band’s discography is ITTOD, but I feel there’s a reason for it.

I feel that it just fails to exhibit any of the impressive qualities that Led Zeppelin were built on, which is each member’s individual prowess, interesting mixing nuances and so forth.

It’s a very one dimensional album and some like that, some don’t. A fair few of their albums such as LZ I, II and especially Presence are also very one dimensional, but they are in my opinion still outstanding records with endless replay value.

The same just can’t be said for ITTOD. 

Some tracks are obviously expendable, such as SBS and FITR. Whilst other albums like PG also had throwaway tracks like BWS, there was always a degree of musicality which at least made the songs fun. The same can be said for Hot Dog, it’s a fun little ditty, yet the difference is that PG’s other stronger songs could back up the more expendable material. ITTOD just doesn’t have enough strong material on it. IGC is one of the few tracks on the album which holds my attention all the way through, the lyricism is on point as is the musicianship, despite its length.

On the other hand, Carouselambra is a bloated mess of half arsed ideas that blend together to make a boring flop of a tune. There’s no direction, it just holds on to one thing, be it the jarring keyboard riff or the nonchanlant chord strums. It’s simply too long for it’s own good.

All My Love is a fantastic tune, for what it is. It’s heartfelt and it comes together beautifully, excusing the dreadful keyboard break. The song really exemplified what Plant was feeling, and that’s what makes it so good.

I suppose that’s the bottom line really, purpose. Most of the songs, if not the entire album just seem unnecessary. 

 

I’d love to enjoy it, but to me it just pales in comparison to so many other albums in Zeppelin’s discography. 

 

 

Your thoughts?

[EaglesOfOneNest]

I completely and respectfully disagree. It's much more synth / keyboard heavy than earlier albums, so I don't disagree with your comment that it doesn't showcase each individual member's prowess, but it's still a fantastic example of great composition and creativity. 

With the exception of "In the Evening", I can't say any of the tracks make my list of "all time favorite" Zep songs, but they're all great songs. I think if fans were not comparing ITTOD to earlier works, it would hold up much better, but it's still an album that any other band would kill to have in their CV.

[IpMan]

I also must respectfully disagree. ITTOD is a very diverse album and thus why it is often compared to HOTH. You have the album start off with ITE, a hard rocker with an ingenious intro and overall arrangement. SBS is another attempt at New Orleans boogie as Royal Orleans was on the previous album except SBS is much more piano driven and wow, what a piano, Jones really shines on this tune as does Jimmy's solo and Bonzo's drumming. The only weak point is Plant's lyric which like Carouselambra is too far down in the mix. Fool in the Rain is, IMO, the best track on the album for many reasons. It has Bonzo playing one of the most complex rhythm patterns ever put to vinyl, has a simply fabulous Page solo, great lyrics and delivery by Plant, and again, Jones is all over this and his bass playing is complex and unique, the arrangement flawless. This is also, IMO, their first real attempt (good or bad), for a truly radio friendly tune. Side one closes with a song Zeppelin gets seriously bashed for...Hot Dog. Again, the only reason why I can think of is because the song is just too far removed from Zep's traditional wheelhouse it just freaks people out. Zep goes boogie-country??? Well, it works and works brilliantly in fact. Between Jones excellent piano and Jimmy's psycho-billy guitar the track does not disappoint if looked at as a song detached from the Zep mythos. I have always loved HD and exemplifies why Zep were so damn good, always moving, always changing.

Carouselambra opens side two and it is not a mess, it goes into several different directions, has an interesting arrangement, and quite possibly one of Plant's best lyrics. It is the original production which torpedos the song. Way too muddy and no one can understand a word of what Plant is singing. The recent deluxe release cleaned up this track beautifully and its alternative, The Epic, it the way the song should have been released on the album with guitar & synths working together instead of the synths drowning out the guitar which is what we got on the original 79' release. But The Epic is just, well, EPIC! All of my Love is one of the few Zep tunes I never really liked however again I give them props for what they were trying to do (radio friendly ballad #2). The lyrics are good, Plant's delivery is just superb but...where the hell is Jimmy? The synths are just too damn pervasive on this tune due to the mix but even so...not enough Jimmy to balance out the song. Closing out the album is what has been described as Zep's greatest and possibly perfect blues song IGC. I agree with this assessment (by a RS critic of all people in 79'), this is Zep's quintessential blues tune. As I mentioned before, this is not a typical blues, my baby done me wrong, song but instead turns the blues inside out. Robert is the ass-hat in the narrative, not his lady and he is willing to do anything to win her back. Jimmy constructs what is without any doubt, his greatest blues solo ever, completely original and borrowing from no-one. This has got to be Jimmy's most emotional construction hands down and Robert gives the greatest, most balances yet transcendent vocal performance of his career on this song. Of course the band did not realize this would be there very last statement on record but hells bells, what a way to end a career with a closer like IGC.

So, no, ITTOD is not only NOT disappointing, it is refreshing, adventurous, and brilliant. It's Achille's Heal being in it's original production on several of the songs. A few tweaks and ITTOD would have been perfect IMO.

[elKZacha]

5 minutes ago, IpMan said:

I also must respectfully disagree. ITTOD is a very diverse album and thus why it is often compared to HOTH. You have the album start off with ITE, a hard rocker with an ingenious intro and overall arrangement. SBS is another attempt at New Orleans boogie as Royal Orleans was on the previous album except SBS is much more piano driven and wow, what a piano, Jones really shines on this tune as does Jimmy's solo and Bonzo's drumming. The only weak point is Plant's lyric which like Carouselambra is too far down in the mix. Fool in the Rain is, IMO, the best track on the album for many reasons. It has Bonzo playing one of the most complex rhythm patterns ever put to vinyl, has a simply fabulous Page solo, great lyrics and delivery by Plant, and again, Jones is all over this and his bass playing is complex and unique, the arrangement flawless. This is also, IMO, their first real attempt (good or bad), for a truly radio friendly tune. Side one closes with a song Zeppelin gets seriously bashed for...Hot Dog. Again, the only reason why I can think of is because the song is just too far removed from Zep's traditional wheelhouse it just freaks people out. Zep goes boogie-country??? Well, it works and works brilliantly in fact. Between Jones excellent piano and Jimmy's psycho-billy guitar the track does not disappoint if looked at as a song detached from the Zep mythos. I have always loved HD and exemplifies why Zep were so damn good, always moving, always changing.

Carouselambra opens side two and it is not a mess, it goes into several different directions, has an interesting arrangement, and quite possibly one of Plant's best lyrics. It is the original production which torpedos the song. Way too muddy and no one can understand a word of what Plant is singing. The recent deluxe release cleaned up this track beautifully and its alternative, The Epic, it the way the song should have been released on the album with guitar & synths working together instead of the synths drowning out the guitar which is what we got on the original 79' release. But The Epic is just, well, EPIC! All of my Love is one of the few Zep tunes I never really liked however again I give them props for what they were trying to do (radio friendly ballad #2). The lyrics are good, Plant's delivery is just superb but...where the hell is Jimmy? The synths are just too damn pervasive on this tune due to the mix but even so...not enough Jimmy to balance out the song. Closing out the album is what has been described as Zep's greatest and possibly perfect blues song IGC. I agree with this assessment (by a RS critic of all people in 79'), this is Zep's quintessential blues tune. As I mentioned before, this is not a typical blues, my baby done me wrong, song but instead turns the blues inside out. Robert is the ass-hat in the narrative, not his lady and he is willing to do anything to win her back. Jimmy constructs what is without any doubt, his greatest blues solo ever, completely original and borrowing from no-one. This has got to be Jimmy's most emotional construction hands down and Robert gives the greatest, most balances yet transcendent vocal performance of his career on this song. Of course the band did not realize this would be there very last statement on record but hells bells, what a way to end a career with a closer like IGC.

So, no, ITTOD is not only NOT disappointing, it is refreshing, adventurous, and brilliant. It's Achille's Heal being in it's original production on several of the songs. A few tweaks and ITTOD would have been perfect IMO.

I appreciate the response,

Are there any remasters of this album other than Page’s that you know of?

[elKZacha]

54 minutes ago, EaglesOfOneNest said:

I completely and respectfully disagree. It's much more synth / keyboard heavy than earlier albums, so I don't disagree with your comment that it doesn't showcase each individual member's prowess, but it's still a fantastic example of great composition and creativity. 

With the exception of "In the Evening", I can't say any of the tracks make my list of "all time favorite" Zep songs, but they're all great songs. I think if fans were not comparing ITTOD to earlier works, it would hold up much better, but it's still an album that any other band would kill to have in their CV.

That’s exactly it, if it were any other band then I’d probably enjoy it, but the idea of LZ making the album makes me uncomfortable..

[nemophilist]

2 hours ago, elKZacha said:

Now I know the easiest album to attack in the band’s discography is ITTOD, but I feel there’s a reason for it.

I feel that it just fails to exhibit any of the impressive qualities that Led Zeppelin were built on, which is each member’s individual prowess, interesting mixing nuances and so forth.

It’s a very one dimensional album and some like that, some don’t. A fair few of their albums such as LZ I, II and especially Presence are also very one dimensional, but they are in my opinion still outstanding records with endless replay value.

The same just can’t be said for ITTOD. 

Some tracks are obviously expendable, such as SBS and FITR. Whilst other albums like PG also had throwaway tracks like BWS, there was always a degree of musicality which at least made the songs fun. The same can be said for Hot Dog, it’s a fun little ditty, yet the difference is that PG’s other stronger songs could back up the more expendable material. ITTOD just doesn’t have enough strong material on it. IGC is one of the few tracks on the album which holds my attention all the way through, the lyricism is on point as is the musicianship, despite its length.

On the other hand, Carouselambra is a bloated mess of half arsed ideas that blend together to make a boring flop of a tune. There’s no direction, it just holds on to one thing, be it the jarring keyboard riff or the nonchanlant chord strums. It’s simply too long for it’s own good.

All My Love is a fantastic tune, for what it is. It’s heartfelt and it comes together beautifully, excusing the dreadful keyboard break. The song really exemplified what Plant was feeling, and that’s what makes it so good.

I suppose that’s the bottom line really, purpose. Most of the songs, if not the entire album just seem unnecessary. 

 

I’d love to enjoy it, but to me it just pales in comparison to so many other albums in Zeppelin’s discography. 

 

 

Your thoughts?

I agree on your premise. I think the album is lacking because Zeppelin had a certain depth to their music that has represented ancient styles of music, and you can hear it all over Jimmy and Jonesy's styles, it's not just blues influence and it's not even limited to just their acoustic songs. In through the out door has none of that, nor does it have that consistently magical energy to it. It's represented by the synth which was a trend, trends aren't timeless like Led Zeppelin and their great music is, they are stuck in an era and people don't feel that really strong emotional and energetic connection to them unless it's a sense of nostalgia for a brief moment. That is why I don't care for In through the Out Door. It has some nice moments on it but it lacks the consistency of what made Zeppelin what they were. There's a reason why Robert Plant said that the band didn't do anything truly great past 1975, or something along those lines, but it's true and I think the three of them know that. Just look at Jimmy, he'll hardly even mention the album unless he's asked about it.

I mean the album was produced and recorded at ABBA's recording studio wasn't it? Doesn't that just about say it all? Zeppelin is represented by places like Headley Grange, Bron Yr-Aur, the misty mountains, inverness that which defies trends, is timeless and makes us feel connected to them on a very subconscious level because it touched us on the deep energetic or eternal level. I bring up the studio because when you think about it the Abba recording studio represents that the band was in a transitory stage, Jonesy had a new toy (Jimmy wasn't able to manifest too much creatively because of rough times he was going through, Robert seemingly wanted to go in a poppy direction)  and he loves all different kinds of sounds so I definitely wouldn't say it was gimmicky for the sake of fitting in with the times but it lacks the timelessness of the other material because synths of the 80's lack depth which makes them sound very limited and gimmicky, they only have relevance to their particular time period and the nostalgia associated with them. In addition they aren't organic sounding at all.

Like you said, I agree about All of my Love. I really only feel that Zeppelin energy on songs like Fool in the Rain and All of my Love, while I usually would feel that enchanting energy throughout the entire album, especially from Led Zeppelin I through Physical Graffiti.

[Bozoso73]

6 hours ago, IpMan said:

ITTOD is a very diverse album and thus why it is often compared to HOTH.

Ive never heard this about these two albums. . I would think III before HOTH. .  

 

6 hours ago, IpMan said:

Closing out the album is what has been described as Zep's greatest and possibly perfect blues song IGC.

Ill disagree with this IP. . SIBLY and ICQYB IMO:) 

 

5 hours ago, nemophilist said:

I mean the album was produced and recorded at ABBA's recording studio wasn't it? Doesn't that just about say it all?

No what does that say? Are you implying that ABBA had something to do with ITTOD? Or b/c they were at Polar that they had some responsibility to play synth? Im sure most ideas did not come from Polar as they were there less than 3 weeks. 

Its amazing how much flak ITTOD gets. The band IMO was on trajectory to crash to Earth so we were lucky to get this at all.  Percy has stated that their time was up and it was a matter of time. Ive even heard that this was a proto-type Percy solo album. At some point those who would give it a thumbs down will come back to it and see it for what it really is. A GREAT ALBUM. . 7 weeks at #1 tied with II for most speaks volumes. I try not to monday morning QB this album b/c its not my favorite but it still is LED ZEPPELIN. 

[nemophilist]

38 minutes ago, Bozoso73 said:

 

No what does that say? Are you implying that ABBA had something to do with ITTOD? Or b/c they were at Polar that they had some responsibility to play synth? Im sure most ideas did not come from Polar as they were there less than 3 weeks. 

Its amazing how much flak ITTOD gets. The band IMO was on trajectory to crash to Earth so we were lucky to get this at all.  Percy has stated that their time was up and it was a matter of time. Ive even heard that this was a proto-type Percy solo album. At some point those who would give it a thumbs down will come back to it and see it for what it really is. A GREAT ALBUM. . 7 weeks at #1 tied with II for most speaks volumes. I try not to monday morning QB this album b/c its not my favorite but it still is LED ZEPPELIN. 

I meant it to be more of a microcosm of the entire project or creation of the album. In all reality if i recall correctly I think they wanted it partially because it had all of the latest recording technology, which isn't always a good thing. I also pointed out that it directly had to do with the entire lifestyle of the band at the time, Jimmy going through rough times, Robert wanting to change his musical direction, and John Paul Jones playing around on his new synth, probably with some enthusiasm from Robert for him to do so.

I actually think that most people quite like the album, especially on here, and Led Zeppelin is my favorite band, I don't dislike a single song they recorded up until in through the outdoor. I've been listening to the band for many years, have given the album a listen tons of times and although I truly don't hate it I actually just think people overrate on here which sort of devalues the greatness of their prior work which can never be matched by anyone. I think it lacks what Led Zeppelin was all about, but I DO like it over what most other bands produce. The reason I don't enjoy it as much as the other is because it lacks the timelessness of the bands previous work. My intention isn't to be a monday morning QB, I am grateful that they even made the album. I just wanted to give my take on it, I didn't intend to come off as being harsh or pompous.

[tmtomh]

I really like ITTOD. I don't rate it among my favorite Zep albums, but I don't see it as nearly as much of a drop-off from their very best work as some seem to.

On the other hand, in my view no reasonable person can deny that the album is more popular here - on the LZ forums, after all! - than among the general rock-fan public.

To me, it's clearly a transitional album as much as a "death throes" album. There's a lot of interesting stuff there, and had the band kept going and achieved a new kind of success in the '80s, ITTOD would be viewed differently and I think a bit more favorably today.

More specifically, I think the album polarizes fans because it's got some stuff on it that just never had appeared on a Zep album before: South Bound Saurez, Hot Dog, Fool in the Rain, and All My Love are all real curveballs in the catalogue. Personally I think FITR and All My Love are undeniably solid musical pieces, and there's a difference between them being bad or disposable songs (which they most certainly are not) on the one hand, and not every Zep fan's cup of tea (which for many is the case) on the other. Hot Dog and South Bound Saurez are in my view more of a lark, not unlike D'yer Maker and The Crunge on Houses - which BTW I think is a great album but also Zep's most overrated album.

For the remaining tracks, In the Evening is a great song and fantastic opener. The only reason it's not considered one of the all-time best album openers is that Zep already is responsible for at least five other all-time great openers (Good Times Bad Times, Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song, Black Dog, and Achilles Last Stand). 

I'm Gonna Crawl has been lauded and defended in another thread. I'll just agree that it's a great track and every bit the equal of Tea for One.

That leaves Carouselambra, which is a very typical Zep epic, except with Page having made a rare bad mixing decision, probably from a good-faith spirit of teamwork, highlighting Jones' creative work with his new toy. The ITTOD Deluxe reissue companion disc is very eye-opening for this song, because the rough/alt mix makes the vocals a bit clearer and pushes the guitar up in the mix, making for a much better effect in my view. What Page did with In the Evening, making the final mix more murky, worked very well. But for this track it backfired in my view - no one wants to listen to murk for 11 minutes.

[rm2551]

I'll agree with The Epic being miles in front of Carouselumbra. Night and day for what the remix does. I'd even go so far as to say Percy could even be pushed a tad more out front, such is the quality of his singing and writing. Not overly, but definitely a bit more.

The album demonstrates to me that even as a pivot of change, and something unfamiliar to Zep fans as they always loved to do, it is still a great album to listen to as an album.

tmtomh summs it up pretty well...

6 hours ago, tmtomh said:

To me, it's clearly a transitional album as much as a "death throes" album. There's a lot of interesting stuff there, and had the band kept going and achieved a new kind of success in the '80s, ITTOD would be viewed differently and I think a bit more favorably today.

100% this. It is a little sad to think this seemed to be an album that joined the 70's Zep to what was likely to be a very different 80's Zep. Unfortunately, the other side of the link was never to be.

I enjoy listening to this as much as the others. Each album is it's own (although 1 and 2 could almost be a single double LP release). This no different.

[babysquid]

I really don’t get the OP,s opinion that ITTOD is a one dimensional record! There’s loads of tone colours in there if you listen , Jimmy’s acoustics on FITR and AML, Jonesy’s mandolin is back, the Gizmatron, Samba, prog, blues, a ballad and even a hoe down! And yes the Synths! Am I the only one here who doesn’t have a problem with synthesizers? Whoever on this forum said that 80’s Synths are thin and unorganic doesn’t know what they are talking about, it’s about as ignorant as saying that you can’t play blues with a fender strat. As has been said they were a band in transition, still looking forward and trying new things. 

I also don’t get LZ1 and 2 being described as one dimensional. Ok neither are the pot puri of styles of say sgt Pepper but there’s still plenty of light shade and the grey bits in between to chew through.

[fwb]

I might be like most of you, I go through times were I listen to only one album for awhile.  Times when I only listen to live or bootleg stuff.  I don't seem to mix it up as much.  Like Presence before it, maybe ITTOD suffers from a lack of overall variety we got use to on the first 6 studio albums.  Would ITTOD be felt of differently if an acoustic number (perhaps a finished swan song) and/or wearing and tearing were on it?  Maybe.  Regardless, its a great album.  I do wish Carouselumbras vocals were more audible (like on companion cd).  But Fool in the Rain has become when of  my favorite songs.  That whole middle part is genius.  Really good.  AML, though overplayed on radio, has some of the most beautiful orchestration - especially when you factor in what its all about.  I think a lot of us think of this album and think about what the next step might have been.  But, its enjoyable for me and what I have been playing the last few weeks. Bad Zeppelin is great work by most artists standards.  The fact that the band always tried to move on and not just do the same thing is key for me.

[The Dark Lord]

Wrong.

An excellent album from soup to nuts. One of my faves and a solid 10/10. 

[SamoKodela]

7 hours ago, fwb said:

I might be like most of you, I go through times were I listen to only one album for awhile.  Times when I only listen to live or bootleg stuff.  I don't seem to mix it up as much.  Like Presence before it, maybe ITTOD suffers from a lack of overall variety we got use to on the first 6 studio albums.  Would ITTOD be felt of differently if an acoustic number (perhaps a finished swan song) and/or wearing and tearing were on it?  Maybe.  Regardless, its a great album.  I do wish Carouselumbras vocals were more audible (like on companion cd).  But Fool in the Rain has become when of  my favorite songs.  That whole middle part is genius.  Really good.  AML, though overplayed on radio, has some of the most beautiful orchestration - especially when you factor in what its all about.  I think a lot of us think of this album and think about what the next step might have been.  But, its enjoyable for me and what I have been playing the last few weeks. Bad Zeppelin is great work by most artists standards.  The fact that the band always tried to move on and not just do the same thing is key for me.

It's very creative and eclectic actually yeah! I think it's great! The synths sound better on the remastered version, but that's how they sounded then and Zeppelin created some very playful and entertaining but also very artistic and serious and emotional music. Always trying something new! It's actually in my top five and actually I have to put it above Houses of the holy! We might all agree that some of the creative spark, variety and interactive energy of Physical graffiti and IV is just missing, but it's a great album!

[John M]

On 12/17/2017 at 9:58 AM, elKZacha said:

It’s a very one dimensional album

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on how it is a one dimensional album.

[BUK]

On December 17, 2017 at 12:29 PM, IpMan said:

I also must respectfully disagree. ITTOD is a very diverse album and thus why it is often compared to HOTH. You have the album start off with ITE, a hard rocker with an ingenious intro and overall arrangement. SBS is another attempt at New Orleans boogie as Royal Orleans was on the previous album except SBS is much more piano driven and wow, what a piano, Jones really shines on this tune as does Jimmy's solo and Bonzo's drumming. The only weak point is Plant's lyric which like Carouselambra is too far down in the mix. Fool in the Rain is, IMO, the best track on the album for many reasons. It has Bonzo playing one of the most complex rhythm patterns ever put to vinyl, has a simply fabulous Page solo, great lyrics and delivery by Plant, and again, Jones is all over this and his bass playing is complex and unique, the arrangement flawless. This is also, IMO, their first real attempt (good or bad), for a truly radio friendly tune. Side one closes with a song Zeppelin gets seriously bashed for...Hot Dog. Again, the only reason why I can think of is because the song is just too far removed from Zep's traditional wheelhouse it just freaks people out. Zep goes boogie-country??? Well, it works and works brilliantly in fact. Between Jones excellent piano and Jimmy's psycho-billy guitar the track does not disappoint if looked at as a song detached from the Zep mythos. I have always loved HD and exemplifies why Zep were so damn good, always moving, always changing.

Carouselambra opens side two and it is not a mess, it goes into several different directions, has an interesting arrangement, and quite possibly one of Plant's best lyrics. It is the original production which torpedos the song. Way too muddy and no one can understand a word of what Plant is singing. The recent deluxe release cleaned up this track beautifully and its alternative, The Epic, it the way the song should have been released on the album with guitar & synths working together instead of the synths drowning out the guitar which is what we got on the original 79' release. But The Epic is just, well, EPIC! All of my Love is one of the few Zep tunes I never really liked however again I give them props for what they were trying to do (radio friendly ballad #2). The lyrics are good, Plant's delivery is just superb but...where the hell is Jimmy? The synths are just too damn pervasive on this tune due to the mix but even so...not enough Jimmy to balance out the song. Closing out the album is what has been described as Zep's greatest and possibly perfect blues song IGC. I agree with this assessment (by a RS critic of all people in 79'), this is Zep's quintessential blues tune. As I mentioned before, this is not a typical blues, my baby done me wrong, song but instead turns the blues inside out. Robert is the ass-hat in the narrative, not his lady and he is willing to do anything to win her back. Jimmy constructs what is without any doubt, his greatest blues solo ever, completely original and borrowing from no-one. This has got to be Jimmy's most emotional construction hands down and Robert gives the greatest, most balances yet transcendent vocal performance of his career on this song. Of course the band did not realize this would be there very last statement on record but hells bells, what a way to end a career with a closer like IGC.

So, no, ITTOD is not only NOT disappointing, it is refreshing, adventurous, and brilliant. It's Achille's Heal being in it's original production on several of the songs. A few tweaks and ITTOD would have been perfect IMO.

PERFECTLY PUT!

[morningson]

I quite like it, it's very different. The problem with it it's very badly produced and Jimmy's input on it is scant, mostly due to him being smacked out for duration of the recording.

I love Carouselambra, it is mad but contains some of Plant's best ever lyrics, if you can hear them.

Bonham's drumming on it is exemplary. I often listen to the isolated drum tracks from the sessions and am blown away everytime. The Bonzo Half-Time Shuffle makes an appearance!

[elKZacha]

On 21/12/2017 at 1:10 PM, John M said:

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on how it is a one dimensional album.

Sure.

Guitar tone is the same on each song, even Hot Dog (Page was employing the b-bender a lot at this time), the only exception being ITE. Although the same can be said for Presence, I felt like this tone didn’t really complement the already mediocore playing.

The use of synth is present on a fair few of the tracks, with Hot Dog being an exception. 

Plant’s voice has that annoying karaoke echo to it on every song, although his voice is strong.

Just not many varying tonal textures to compare with earlier work.

[IpMan]

1 hour ago, elKZacha said:

Sure.

Guitar tone is the same on each song, even Hot Dog (Page was employing the b-bender a lot at this time), the only exception being ITE. Although the same can be said for Presence, I felt like this tone didn’t really complement the already mediocore playing.

The use of synth is present on a fair few of the tracks, with Hot Dog being an exception. 

Plant’s voice has that annoying karaoke echo to it on every song, although his voice is strong.

Just not many varying tonal textures to compare with earlier work.

I am sorry, opinion is one thing but your post is simply strange. Guitar tone the same? That alone is extremely wrong and extremely impossible. Page used a Strat on ITE, the b-bender on SBS, a standard Tele & LP on FITR, b-Bender on HD, the EDS-1275 (double neck) on Carouselambra, the b-bender & a Martin acoustic on AML, and the LP exclusively on IGC. Also, his "mediocre" playing produced two of his greatest solos (FITR & IGC), and his playing on the unrelated extended version of ALM is goddamned amazing. Plus, his cow-punk solo and rhythm guitar on HD is both crazy & original. He used different affects on each track (Gizmotron on both ITE & Carouselambra, and a MXR Blue Box on the FITR solo as two examples).

The synth use I have to agree with, it should have complimented the tracks, not drowned out the guitar and dominated.

The echo is what it is so if you don't like it, no fault there.

There are a ton of tonal textures so this and the guitar criticisms just make no sense but, to each their own.

[elKZacha]

33 minutes ago, IpMan said:

I am sorry, opinion is one thing but your post is simply strange. Guitar tone the same? That alone is extremely wrong and extremely impossible. Page used a Strat on ITE, the b-bender on SBS, a standard Tele & LP on FITR, b-Bender on HD, the EDS-1275 (double neck) on Carouselambra, the b-bender & a Martin acoustic on AML, and the LP exclusively on IGC. Also, his "mediocre" playing produced two of his greatest solos (FITR & IGC), and his playing on the unrelated extended version of ALM is goddamned amazing. Plus, his cow-punk solo and rhythm guitar on HD is both crazy & original. He used different affects on each track (Gizmotron on both ITE & Carouselambra, and a MXR Blue Box on the FITR solo as two examples).

The synth use I have to agree with, it should have complimented the tracks, not drowned out the guitar and dominated.

The echo is what it is so if you don't like it, no fault there.

There are a ton of tonal textures so this and the guitar criticisms just make no sense but, to each their own.

He could’ve been using any old guitar, but to my ear the tone on each song is the same.

The only exception I can think of is the quiet part in ITE, with the Les Paul neck pickup, but the rest of the album is a twangy single coil sound. Even if they are as varied as you make it out to be, I find that it’s usually drowned out by other nuances and such.

[IpMan]

22 hours ago, elKZacha said:

He could’ve been using any old guitar, but to my ear the tone on each song is the same.

The only exception I can think of is the quiet part in ITE, with the Les Paul neck pickup, but the rest of the album is a twangy single coil sound. Even if they are as varied as you make it out to be, I find that it’s usually drowned out by other nuances and such.

Hate to break it to ya but there is no LP on ITE, it is 100% Strat. There is nothing twangy nor is a single coil (Strat, Tele) used on Carouselambra (Gibson double neck, humbuckers only) or IGC (LP only). The solo on FITR is also his LP put through an MXR Blue Box giving it that fat, phased, muted sound.

[gibsonfan159]

I've seen some off the mark opinions before, but I can't agree with any of that. How is ITTOD one dimensional? Less dimensional than some of the others, sure, but not nearly as bad as Presence. ITTOD had some acoustics and plenty of keyboards. It was also more diverse musically, with samba, blues, prog, ballads, and rockabilly. I think it was mixed and produced better than Presence, though that's truly a matter of opinion.

[blindwillie127]

11 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

I've seen some off the mark opinions before, but I can't agree with any of that. How is ITTOD one dimensional? Less dimensional than some of the others, sure, but not nearly as bad as Presence. ITTOD had some acoustics and plenty of keyboards. It was also more diverse musically, with samba, blues, prog, ballads, and rockabilly. I think it was mixed and produced better than Presence, though that's truly a matter of opinion.

Its all a "matter of opinion" 

[gibsonfan159]

8 hours ago, blindwillie127 said:

Its all a "matter of opinion" 

Not necessarily. Especially not the "one dimensional" comment, which I gave a technical argument against.

[John M]

On 12/23/2017 at 11:27 AM, elKZacha said:

Sure.

Guitar tone is the same on each song, even Hot Dog (Page was employing the b-bender a lot at this time), the only exception being ITE. Although the same can be said for Presence, I felt like this tone didn’t really complement the already mediocore playing.

The use of synth is present on a fair few of the tracks, with Hot Dog being an exception. 

Plant’s voice has that annoying karaoke echo to it on every song, although his voice is strong.

Just not many varying tonal textures to compare with earlier work.

Musically and lyrically there is a great range of material and styles.  Plant's vocals are very different across songs.  I am glad Zeppelin did an album like this with some upbeat and fun songs again after Presence.  I think Presence is amazing but Out Door was a welcome relief.  It harkens back to Houses with its great variety of styles and approaches.   The great thing about Zep is that all their albums are very different.