So Sausage and I were discussing this in the chat room last night. He mentioned that he liked it more than the first two albums, which made me give it a d/l to re-evaluate (my old copy's scratched beyond belief, I've probably thrown it out by now).

So this album is really kinda fascinating. After such a staid and boring album like Presence (opener excepted, of course), I can't imagine what fans were expecting from ITTOD in '79 but I can practically guarantee that this wasn't it. Glam-rock rave-ups ("In the Evening"), MOR rock with salsa breakdowns ("Fool in the Rain"), synth-disco turned prog epic ("Carouselambra"), whatever the hell "Hot Dog" is. I always sorta dismissed this as The Zep's lame album, but as Sausage pointed out, that's kind of its strength, in a weird way. Its weirdness and utter lack of cohesion is really kind of endearing and supremely interesting, and some of the songs ("In the Evening," "Carouselambra" and "All My Loving" especially) have got to rank among their best. In Through the Out Door was an appropriate title for this one.

So what do we think about this one? Lost classic or unfortunate misstep? I think I'll be voting for this one in the '75 - '84 poll for certain.

I am discussing that we dont need another discussion.

Houses of the Holy > *

but that said, ITTOD doesnt' touch the first 4 for me, but is still a good record

I absolutely adored ITTOD, but haven't listened to it in years. I got into a notoriously heated argument with my friends in high school while defending my love for "South Bound Saurez." Even though they've changed their minds on the awesomeness, I still get mocked about my overraction to this day. Seriously though, there aren't many Zep songs that get me quite as worked up as "Saurez" and it's a real treat that XRT still plays it on a semi-regular basis. My saturation point with them came a few years back, but most of this album has stood clear of classic rock radio.

The cover was great too...



I remember sitting in bed, listening to it on my discman, and staring at that cover.

I should pick up a vinyl copy one of these days.

In Through The Out Door = really, really good record. Easily right up there with the best of their work--not a misstep at all--though I guess it is interesting to compare it to their very early material.

I spent hours and hours playing along with this reocord when I got my first drum kit (this record and Physical Graffiti still inform my playing in a big way). I think Page's guitar solo on "Fool In The Rain" is probably his best--it's my favorite, anyway. The phrasing is impeccable. Yeah, "In The Evening" and "Carouselambra" (which contains a massive Bonham fill, I seem to recall) are beefy cuts. I've always liked this record. Didn't the original LP win some sort of design award? Was it a grammy? I think it was just, like, wrapped in brown paper or something...I'll defer to someone who recalls seeing this one in the bins. Also, that into to "In The Evening", wasn't there some sort of Aleister Crowley connection there?

he lines them up, they knock em down. who can argue with such uncomplicated yet presporous technique.

Haha, "Suarez" is probably my least favorite on the album. But appreciated anyway.

And the cover's good, but it looks a little suspiciously like



released I think a few months earlier

Fuck, ten years after my "SBS" freakout and people are still hating.

"Hot Dog" is my least favorite tune on the record, but it's not intolerable or anything.

Personally speaking, it was my most wtf? moment with Zeppelin.

who are those african americans?

I went through a big ITTOD phase (i've still got my brown paper wrapper)

"In The Evening" is great, although it runs a bit long. One of the best opening moments.

Carouselambra" is awesome, one of their most underrated songs. Runs longer than "In the Evening" but because of the changes, I don't feel it as much.

"South Bound Saurez" is rock solid fun.

"Fool in the Rain" and "All My Love" are two of their best songs ever.

"Hot Dog": I can't make excuses for this one. Melody is fine, but Plant just can't pull it off. Embarrassing vocal performance.

"I'm Gonna Crawl" is one of my least favorite LZ songs. A lowpoint.



There are sounds and moods on this that you can't find on the other albums (although HOTH and IV are my faves). It definitely deserves serious reconsideration. I think LZ I & II are great but overrated.

I definitely think it holds up as more interesting than the first. Maybe II too, but that one's still got such great moments that it's hard to say.

"Carouselambra" is even more awesome than I remembered, yeah. Even "I'm Gonna Crawl" didn't bug me this time through.

Sorry kids. I was there, a 16 year old when ITTOD came out. And if a pimply teenager doesn't know Led Zeppelin...

Easily the least of LZ's studio albums for me. Yes it's weird, but not in a good way. It just seemed so dumbed down. Not big-loud-riff dumb, just lowest common denominator pop rock. Except for "In the Evening" and that insane solo in "South Bound Saurez", Jimmy Page sounds neutered. The whole album is too keyboard heavy. "Fool In the Rain" epitomizes that. That and those squiggly synth bits in "All My Love". Ugh. I should say that I don't hate it, I just don't love it.

And Dr. Bill, yours is the first comment I've seen anywhere that counts "Carouselambra" among the best Led Zep songs. I do hate that one, but love "SBS", so go figure.

By the way, there were four album covers behind a brown paper bag on the original vinyl album. As I recall you could wipe the sepia-toned photo covers with a damp cloth or sponge and colorize them.

That would be Chic.

I think ITTOD gets unfairly slagged -- it's enjoyable in that it so defies expectations. (Though I'll warn that "Carouselambra" doesn't do as well with repeat listens.)

"Fool in the Rain" is still absolutely great -- the whistle right before the pseudo-Latin explosion is fantastic! It sounds like they were having a lot of fun, and Zep didn't always sound that way, even when they were on.

Apparently John Paul Jones was way more instrumental (no pun) in the recording of this than usual, moreso than Page even. It shows.

Agreed...."Hot Dog" is the What the Fuck song on that album. No doubt due to the rest of the albums grand production and sweeping arrangements, that one is kind of a floater. this one is definetly one of my favorite Zep albums. As anyone can obviously see that this was mostly a John Paul Jones joint from beginning to end. Mostly because Page was battling quite a few demons at the time(one namely smack). if any of his production work prior to Zeppelin is in question one just needs to take a listen to ITTOD and you can rest assure that JPJ is a force to be reckoned with.

"In The Evening" the bomb on that record. (in a good way)

I love it, yeah, but I can only imagine how horrified stoned, pseudo-hippie teenagers were at the sound of it back in '79. I probably would've been pissed too back then to listen to my brand new Zep record and hear them sounding like Miami Sound Machine.

Yeah, to reiterate what I said in chat last night. ITTOD works for me because you could tell that Zeppelin were basically a shitty band by this point in their career, had they made it into the 80s, they would've been releasing shit after shit of generic hard rock. ITTOD worked because it's so radically different from everything else they had done.


Plus The Mario kart part of Fool In The Rain is totally balls.


Undercooked Sausages Top Ten Led Zeppelin Songs
1. Achiles Last Stand
2. Friends
3. Kashmir (P.diddy did it better though)
4. Stairway To Heaven
5. What Is And What Never Should Be
6. Fool In The Rain
7. Immigrant Song
8. Down By The Seaside
9. Carouselambra
10. When The Levee Breaks.



Order of those changes everyday, but those 10 are fairly fucking constant.


Also, to reiterate how shitty they were, check out that Knebworth 79 show, it's hysterical, they still got the chops but Jimmy Page is so smacked out and he's dressed like a used car salesman. Plus Bonzo is just an enormous tub who looks like he will explode or vomit his intestine at any given moment during Achilles Las Stand.

Total blowoff album for me. Bad radio friendly rock form the late 70's. Physical Graffiti was their final moment and the band knew it.

even though i like the album a lot, this also makes total sense.

"Fool in the Rain" is my least favourite Zep song ever. And I'm a big fan.

It's classic rock radio's fault...it's become more ubiquitous than Stairway. Played to death.

"In the Evening" and "Carouselambra", though, are killer. All tympani players should have that flange effect dealy.

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

listen to that break where P. Diddy tries to sing and get back to me.

"All My Love", for some reason, has always been a fav LZ song of mine. i like the use of keys, the reverb used, the production...everything about it is great.


but yeah, this album seemed like it was an awkward venture for the band. You can that even they knew they were out of their element.

Presence was forgiveable, but In Through The Out Door made them rock dinosaurs.

Real quick, here's a very loose Top 10 and the leftovers from the group I picked from...

1. Ten Years Gone
2. In The Light
3. Communication Breakdown
4. South Bound Saurez
5. Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid
6. The Rain Song
7. That's The Way
8. Whole Lotta Love
9. Over The Hills And Far Away
10. When The Levee Breaks

What Is And What Should Never Be
Tangerine
Black Dog
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir
Night Flight
Down By The Seaside
Fool In The Rain
In The Evening

I <3 Sausage.

I suppose one page of legitimate discussion is enough before devolving into pointless listing, so I'll go too.

10. Misty Mountain Hop
9. The Wanton Song
8. Heartbreaker
7. The Rain Song
6. Stairway to Heaven
5. Achilles Last Stand
4. Ten Years Gone
3. Kashmir
2. That's the Way
1. Over the Hills and Far Away

Next ten, unranked:

Dazed and Conofused
Whole Lotta Love
Since I've Been Lovin' You
When the Levee Breaks
Rock and Roll
The Ocean
The Crunge
The Rover
Fool in the Rain
Carouselambra

If it's good enough for Ween to cover (in Live From Chicago) completely straight...it must be fucking good.

1. Achille's Last Stand
2. Trampled Under Foot
3. Ten Years Gone
4. Carouselambra
5. Since I've Been Loving You
6. Wearing and Tearing
7. Misty Mountain Hop
8. Custard Pie
9. South Bound Saurez
10. Over the Hills and Far Away

Precisely why it's so good.

And now for the pointless listing:

01 Ten Years Gone
02 When the Levee Breaks
03 The Rain Song
04 The Rover
05 Good Times Bad Times
06 Achilles' Last Stand
07 Dazed and Confused
08 Tangerine
09 Since I've Been Loving You
10 The Song Remains the Same
11 Down by the Seaside
12 Fool in the Rain
13 Kashmir
14 Heartbreaker
15 Stairway to Heaven
16 Over the Hills and Far Away
17 Communication Breakdown
18 In the Light
19 Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
20 Night Flight
21 Bron-yr-aur Stomp
22 Thank You
23 Immigrant Song
24 In the Evening
25 Trampled Under Foot

the big news to me here is the high regard for "Achilles Last Stand." i never liked it.

Hey...how about The SOMB Top 50 Led Zep Tunes, GDB? (jk)

reeeally? i was not aware of this. thanks, i'll check it out.

Man, I really can't argue with any of these lists because as Andrew pointed out last night they only put out a handful of bad songs.

yup.

boo @ at you guys for not liking pretentious meandering fantasy nerd rock.

With huge motherfucking drums!

hell yeah, nothing but fucking dust is coming out of my stiff peter after achilles blows me away

1. down by the seaside
2. In the Light
3. Ten years gone
4. since I've been loving you
5. Dyer maker
6. in my time of dying
7. the lemon song
8. the song remains the same
9. tangerine
10. the rain song

in no particular order by the way..i'm a zep geek

still

"Achilles" is a fucking juggernaut. You try standing in front of it for more than a millisecond.

Awesome to see "Ten Years Gone" on everyone's list, def. one of their more underappreciated songs. And yeah, shit, pretty much everything on all of these lists is worthy. Best rock band evah.

Yeah, a lot of love for "Achilles Last Stand". I like it, but that one tends to ramble a bit--even for this band's standards--and has never been a favorite. Nice to see "Ten Years Gone" mentioned so much. If there were a gun to my head, I'd pick that song probably as my favorite of theirs...so dark and lush.

Oh man, seeing love for Down By The Seaside is really filling me with buckets of joy, shit's personal man. What a beautiful fucking song.

I never felt blown away by "Achilles Last Stand." Always felt a little thin and weak to me. Boring, repetitive melody.


But, yeah, "Ten Years Gone" is one of my all-time faves. Amazing song.

In the Evening - excellent
South Bound Saurez - fairly enjoyable
Fool in the Rain - very good
Hot Dog - weak
Carouselambra - decent (I like the music up to a point, but it's too long)
All My Love - good
I'm Gonna Crawl - horrid

Overall, it's a decent album. I rank it behind their first six recordings and ahead of Presence.

I like Presence, and think it's one of Zepplin's most rocking releases. At the time, Plant was recovering from his auto accident, and the band responded by doing more of a guitar album. In Through The Out Door is John Paul Jones' album, for better or worse.

I better not be hearing anyone defending goddamn Presence

Well, unless it's ALS or Nobody's fault but Mine.

on the minute. fucking priceless.

your a good kid sausy

This was my favorite Zeppelin record.

And forgive me if someone's covered this, but didn't they release like nine different covers for this, all part of that same shot?

woah there, BOLD STATEMENT