All things considering, Page's heroin addiction, Bonham's heroin & alcohol use, and Plant losing his son, Karac, In Through The Outdoor was pretty good, all things considered.
What other band could have made something like Carouselambra under these circumstances?
In Through The Outdoor could be their most versatile album. No two songs resemble each other.
I find myself defending Led Zeppelin when others I know thrash this album. I remind them of all the bad things that were surrounding this band at the time.
If Bonham & Page could have kicked their habits, this record may have been a springboard for great work into the 80's.
Carouselambra, I'm Gonna Crawl, and In The Evening are solid pieces of work.