Ramblin' On: 'Led Zeppelin II' was released 50 years ago today

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Atlantic/Swan SongToday marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin‘s second album, Led Zeppelin II, which helped further establish the band as one of the world’s biggest rock acts.

The album, which arrived nine months after Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut, spent seven nonconsecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The nine-track collection features some of the group’s most enduring songs, including lead track “Whole Lotta Love,” which became Led Zeppelin’s first top 40 hit in the U.S., peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Other standout songs include “What Is and What Should Never Be,” “Heartbreaker,” “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman),” “Ramble On” and the ballad “Thank You.”

Led Zeppelin II featured two songs that were re-worked versions of old blues tunes: “Whole Lotta Love,” which was inspired by the Willie Dixon-penned “You Need Love,” and “The Lemon Song,” which was based on Howlin’ Wolf‘s “Killing Floor.” The album end’s with a cover of Dixon’s “Bring It On Home.”

The album has sold a whopping 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, and is widely considered among the most influential hard rock records.

Led Zeppelin II was recorded at several studios in the U.S. and London, with guitarist Jimmy Page producing. Eddie Kramer, known for his work with Jimi Hendrix and many other rock greats, engineered several tracks.

An expanded version of the album was released in 2014 as part of Led Zeppelin’s catalog reissue campaign, propelling the record back to #9 on the Billboard 200.

Led Zeppelin II landed at #79 on Rolling Stone‘s 2012 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Page noted in a 1975 Rolling Stone interview, “On the second LP, you can hear the real group identity coming together.”

Here’s the Led Zeppelin II track list:

“Whole Lotta Love”
“What Is and What Should Never Be”
“The Lemon Song”
“Thank You”
“Heartbreaker”
“Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)”
“Ramble On”
“Moby Dick” (Instrumental)
“Bring It On Home”

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