In Through the Out Door | ||||
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![]() One of six picture sleeve variants for original 1979 vinyl release, also used for digital, 2010's vinyl re-releases, and 2015 remastered. Cover by Hipgnosis | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 August 1979 [1] | |||
Recorded | November–December 1978 | |||
Studio | Polar, Stockholm, Sweden | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:35 | |||
Label | Swan Song | |||
Producer | Jimmy Page | |||
Led Zeppelin chronology | ||||
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Singles from In Through the Out Door | ||||
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Original paper bag sleeve | ||||
![]() One of paper bag sleeve variants for original vinyl release,whose stamped logo was also used as part of front cover for original tape releases,and 2015 remastered. |
In Through the Out Door is the eighth and final studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. [2] It was recorded in three weeks in November and December 1978 at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm,Sweden,and released by their label Swan Song Records on 22 August 1979 in the US [3] and 24 August 1979 in the UK. [4] [1] Unlike earlier Led Zeppelin albums,In Through the Out Door was dominated musically by bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones. It was the band's last release before the death of their drummer John Bonham in September 1980 and their disbandment three months later.
The album was a huge commercial success;it went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its second week on the American chart. It also went to No. 1 in the UK,Canada,and New Zealand.
The album was named by the group to describe its struggles after the death of Robert Plant's son Karac in 1977, [5] and the taxation exile the band took from the UK. The exile resulted in the band being unable to tour on British soil for more than two years,and trying to get back into the public mind was therefore like "trying to get in through the 'out' door." [6]
The group began rehearsing material in September 1978. After six weeks,they travelled to Polar Studios in Stockholm to begin recording. [7] In contrast to previous Led Zeppelin albums,In Through the Out Door features much greater influence on the part of bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones and vocalist Robert Plant,and relatively less from drummer John Bonham and guitarist Jimmy Page,who often failed to show up on time at the recording studio. Bonham was struggling with alcoholism and Page was battling heroin addiction. [8] Jones later said,"there were two distinct camps by then,and we [Plant and I] were in the relatively clean one." [9] Many of the songs were consequently put together by Plant and Jones during the day,with Page and Bonham adding their parts late at night. [10] Jones was inspired by the Yamaha GX-1 synthesiser he had recently purchased,and he was "working closely with Robert,which was something that had not happened before." [11]
After the recording sessions at Polar,the album was mixed at Page's personal studio at his home in Plumpton. [6] "Wearing and Tearing","Ozone Baby" and "Darlene"—the last a boogie-woogie based song credited to all band members—were recorded during sessions for this album,but were dropped because of space constraints. All later appeared on Coda. [12]
For In Through the Out Door, John Paul Jones is a co-writer on six of the seven songs,a larger share than on any other Led Zeppelin album. The album's "South Bound Saurez" and "All My Love" are the only two original Led Zeppelin songs that Page had no part in writing. [13]
In Through the Out Door is the group's only studio album for which Bonham received no writing credits. [12]
"In the Evening" was planned as the opening track for the album as "a full-blown epic",in order to show that Led Zeppelin could still make good music. [14] In an interview,Page explained that he used a violin bow and a Gizmotron effect on his guitar to create the droning sound in the opening section of the song. [15] The track features a contrast between the powerful riffs in the main part of the track,against a relatively quiet middle section. [13]
"South Bound Saurez" starts with a "rollicking piano intro" played by Jones;author Dave Lewis calls it a "track that conjures up the New Orleans bar room feel of the sleeve." [16] Credited to Jones and Robert Plant,it is one of only three officially released original songs by the band not to bear a Jimmy Page composition credit (along with this album's "All My Love",also credited to Jones and Plant,and "Bonzo's Montreux" from Coda ,whose composition is credited only to John Bonham).
"Fool in the Rain" was an attempt to combine a samba rhythm with a basic rock tune,resulting in a polyrhythm partway through the song. The idea was inspired by Plant explaining that the group must explore new musical territory in order to remain current. [13]
"Hot Dog" grew out of the band's pre-production rehearsals,where they warmed up by playing a series of old Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson covers. Dave Lewis calls it a "rockabilly country hoe-down" that "owes much to the state of Texas and to the state of a particular female in Texas." [13]
"Carouselambra" is a ten-minute track,dominated by Jones' keyboards and covering a variety of musical styles. Page played his Gibson EDS-1275 double neck guitar,which was normally only used for live performances. The group had intended to play the song live for a planned North American tour,which was cancelled after Bonham's death. [17]
"All My Love" is an unconventional love song composed by Plant and Jones when they were the first to arrive at the studio. It was written in honour of Plant's son Karac,who died while Led Zeppelin were on their 1977 North American Tour. Jones played a classically inspired synthesiser solo in the middle of the track. [17]
"I'm Gonna Crawl" is a relaxed blues track. Plant arranged the track to be in the style of mid-1960s soul music such as that of Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. Jones contributed a string synthesiser arrangement. [17]
The original album featured an unusual gimmick:The outer sleeve was made to look like a plain brown paper bag,reminiscent of similarly packaged bootleg album sleeves with the title rubber-stamped on it,and the inner sleeve featured black and white line artwork which when wiped with a wet rag or sponge would activate an invisible ink and become permanently colored. There were also six different cover sleeve variants (A - F), [18] featuring a different pair of photos for the front and back,and the external brown paper sleeve meant that it was impossible for record buyers to tell which sleeve they were getting. The corresponding letter was printed on the spine to indicate which cover variant it was,and this was sometimes exposed while the record was still sealed. The pictures all depict the same scene of a man sitting at a bar burning a Dear John letter along with six onlookers including the bartender,a piano player,a man holding his coat and three female patrons,all taken from a different point of view with slightly different poses. The photo session was taken in a London studio and was meant to re-create the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans,Louisiana. [13]
The album artwork was designed by Hipgnosis' Storm Thorgerson. [19] In 1980,Hipgnosis was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Album Package for In Through the Out Door. [20]
The album was intended to be released before the band's twin concerts at Knebworth in 1979,but production delays meant that it was released shortly after their performances at this event,on 22 and 24 August 1979. [13] Plant jokingly referred to the delays at times during the performance on 4 August 1979.
The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its second week on the album chart,reportedly selling 1.7 million copies within weeks of release. [21] Subsequently,Led Zeppelin's entire catalogue appeared in the Billboard 200 between the weeks of 23 October and 3 November 1979,an unprecedented feat,topping their own record in 1975,when all their albums up to Physical Graffiti were on the chart. [13] The album remained on the US top spot for seven weeks and sold three million copies by the end of September 1979. [22] It was credited with helping to revive the US record industry,which had begun to struggle. [13] In January 1980,"Fool in the Rain" was released as a single to further promote the album,but it narrowly missed the top 20 of the singles chart. [13] It was the band's final studio release to reach the top of the charts in the United States.
In Through the Out Door is the Led Zeppelin album that has spent the most weeks on the top of the charts (tied with Led Zeppelin II ).[ citation needed ] To date,the album has sold six million copies in the US.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Daily Telegraph | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Smash Hits | 7/10 [28] |
Tom Hull –on the Web | B+ [29] |
The Village Voice | B+ [30] |
In Through the Out Door divided contemporary critics and Led Zeppelin fans;some found its synthesiser-influenced music inevitable but forward-thinking while others felt the band had forsaken their heavy,fast sound. [31] According to Jimmy Page biographer Martin Power,"predictably,in the wake of punk,In Through the Out Door received a rough ride from some critics,with Zep's veteran status in the music business now used as a stick with which to beat them." [32]
Reviewing the album in Rolling Stone ,Charles M. Young said Page's diminishing creativity resulted in little good material to work with for Plant,whose lyrics Young found inane,and Bonham,whose drumming was viewed as heavy handed. This brought to the forefront the keyboard playing of Jones,who Young said "functions best behind Page,not in front of him". [33] Chris Bohn from Melody Maker said "the impressionable first play" of the record "had everyone in the office rolling around laughing",while accusing the band of being "totally out of touch" and "displaying the first intimations of mortality". By contrast, NME journalist Nick Kent argued that the album was "no epitaph",believing its "potential points of departure" deserved further listening. [32] Robert Christgau also wrote positively of the record in The Village Voice ,observing the usual "lax in the lyrics department",but regarding the album as the group's best since Houses of the Holy (1973). He said "the tuneful synthesizer pomp on side two confirms my long-held belief that this is a real good art-rock band",while "the lollapalooza hooks on the first side confirms the world's long-held belief that this is a real good hard rock band". [30] At the end of the year,In Through the Out Door was nominated for the 1980 American Music Awards,in the category of "Favorite Pop/Rock Album". [34]
Following the album's release,Plant,Page and Bonham all expressed reservations about the record. Plant later said that he enjoyed the variation in styles from previous albums,though he appreciated the album was "a bit sanitised". [35] Page said in 2004,"we wanted,after In Through the Out Door,to make something hard-hitting and riff-based again. Of course,we never got to make that album." [36] He is also quoted as saying,"It wasn't the most comfortable album. I think it was very transitional ... a springboard for what could have been." [37] In Through the Out Door was Led Zeppelin's final album to be released while all the original members were still living. Drummer John Bonham died the next year on 25 September 1980.
In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004),Gaylord Fields said the album was "maligned upon its release a retreat from heaviness" but "now stands as an art-rock oddity with some alluring tangents". [27] Colin Larkin appraised it in his Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2006) as "lacking the definition" of the band's previous records,yet "a strong collection on which John Paul Jones emerged as the unifying factor". [25] Neil McCormick,however,reinforced past complaints about the album,ranking it as the band's worst album in a 2014 retrospective on the band in The Daily Telegraph :"Muddy production,perky synths,jaunty pop rhythms and an orchestral ballad make these songs barely recognisable as the heaviest band in history." [24]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 73/100 [38] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Classic Rock | 7/10 [39] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [40] |
PopMatters | 5/10 [41] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | 8/10 [43] |
A remastered version of In Through the Out Door,along with Presence and Coda were reissued on 31 July 2015. The reissue comes in six formats:a standard CD edition,a deluxe two-CD edition,a standard LP version,a deluxe two-LP version,a super deluxe two-CD plus two-LP version with a hardback book,and as high resolution 24-bit/96k digital downloads. The deluxe and super deluxe editions feature bonus material containing alternative takes and alternatively titled tracks,"Southbound Piano","The Epic","The Hook",and "Blot". The reissue was released with a black and white version of the original album's artwork as its bonus disc's cover. [44] A replica of the brown bag and the colourable line drawing are included in this edition.
The reissue was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications,the album received an average score of 73,based on eight reviews. [38] Q magazine said "it's aged remarkably well and 'All My Love' is breathtakingly beautiful", [42] while Tim Batcup from Classic Rock observed in the bonus material "a scruffier,rambunctious 'Hot Dog' and a sparser 'In the Evening',the drone intro truncated and Jones's synths high in the mix". [39] PopMatters reviewer Andrew Doscas was more critical,especially of the bonus disc:"While In Through the Out Door does have some merit,it's cruel of Led Zeppelin to think that anyone,even a dedicated fan,could muster the strength to listen to the album twice in a row." [41]
The details are taken from the original US Swan Song album (UK edition does not list running times). [45] All tracks written by John Paul Jones,Jimmy Page,and Robert Plant,except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "In the Evening" | 6:48 | |
2. | "South Bound Saurez" |
| 4:11 |
3. | "Fool in the Rain" | 6:08 | |
4. | "Hot Dog" |
| 3:15 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Carouselambra" | 10:28 | |
2. | "All My Love" |
| 5:51 |
3. | "I'm Gonna Crawl" | 5:28 | |
Total length: | 42:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "In the Evening" (Rough mix) | 6:53 | |
2. | "Southbound Piano" ("South Bound Saurez", Rough mix) |
| 4:15 |
3. | "Fool in the Rain" (Rough mix) | 6:08 | |
4. | "Hot Dog" (Rough mix) |
| 3:16 |
5. | "The Epic" ("Carouselambra", Rough mix) | 10:48 | |
6. | "The Hook" ("All My Love", Rough mix) |
| 5:51 |
7. | "Blot" ("I'm Gonna Crawl", Rough mix) | 5:33 | |
Total length: | 42:54 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [73] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [74] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Hungary (MAHASZ) [75] 2015 Deluxe edition | Gold | 1,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [76] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [77] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [78] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones and John Bonham (drums). With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin drew from influences including blues and folk music, and are cited as a progenitor of hard rock and heavy metal. They significantly influenced the music industry, particularly the development of album-oriented rock (AOR) and stadium rock.
Led Zeppelin is the debut studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on 12 January 1969 in the United States and on 31 March 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records.
Led Zeppelin II is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in both the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. The album's production was credited to the band's lead guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page, and it was also Led Zeppelin's first album on which Eddie Kramer served as engineer.
Led Zeppelin III is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 5 October 1970. It was recorded in three locations. Much of the work was done at Headley Grange, a country house, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Additional sessions were held at Island Studios and Olympic Studios in London. As with the prior album, the band eschewed the use of guest musicians, with all music performed by band members Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitars), John Paul Jones, and John Bonham (drums). The range of instruments played by the band was greatly enhanced on this album, with Jones especially emerging as a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing a wide range of keyboard and stringed instruments, including various synthesizers, mandolin and double bass, in addition to his usual bass guitar. As with prior albums, Page served as producer on the album, with mixing done by Andy Johns and Terry Manning.
The untitled fourth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV, was released on 8 November 1971 by Atlantic Records. Produced by the band's guitarist, Jimmy Page, it was recorded between December 1970 and February 1971, mostly in the country house Headley Grange. The album contains the band's most well-known recording, the eight-minute-long "Stairway to Heaven".
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 28 March 1973 in the United States and on 30 March 1973 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. The album benefited from two band members installing studios at home, which allowed them to develop more sophisticated songs and arrangements and expand their musical style. Several songs subsequently became fixtures in the group's live set, including "The Song Remains the Same", "The Rain Song" and "No Quarter". Other material recorded at the sessions, including the title track, was shelved and released on the later albums Physical Graffiti (1975) and Coda (1982). All instruments and vocals were provided by the band members Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones, and John Bonham (drums). The album was produced by Page and mixed by Eddie Kramer. The cover was the first for the band to be designed by Hipgnosis and was based on a photograph taken at Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
Physical Graffiti is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Released as a double album on 24 February 1975 in the United States and on 28 February 1975 in the United Kingdom, it was the group's first album to be released under their new label, Swan Song Records. The band wrote and recorded eight new songs for the album in early 1974 at Headley Grange, a country house in Hampshire, which gave them ample time to improvise arrangements and experiment with recording. The total playing time covered just under three sides of an LP, so they decided to expand it into a double album by including previously unreleased tracks from the sessions for the band's earlier albums Led Zeppelin III (1970), Led Zeppelin IV (1971) and Houses of the Holy (1973). The album covered a range of styles including hard rock, progressive rock, rock 'n' roll and folk. The album was then mixed over summer 1974 and planned for an end-of-year release; however, its release was delayed because the Peter Corriston-designed die-cut album cover proved difficult to manufacture.
Presence is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released by the band's own label Swan Song Records on 31 March 1976 in the United States and on 2 April 1976 in the United Kingdom. While the record was commercially successful, reaching the top of both the British and American album charts, and achieving a triple-platinum certification in the United States by the RIAA, it received mixed reviews from critics and is the lowest-selling album by the band.
Coda is a rarities compilation album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The album is a collection of unused tracks from various sessions during Led Zeppelin's twelve-year career. It was released on 19 November 1982, almost two years after the group had officially disbanded following the death of drummer John Bonham. The word coda, meaning a passage that ends a musical piece following the main body, was chosen as the title.
The Song Remains the Same is the live soundtrack album of the concert film of the same name by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The soundtrack was recorded 27–29 July 1973 and released on 22 October 1976 on Swan Song Records.
How the West Was Won is a live triple album by the English rock group Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on compact disc on 27 May 2003, DVD-Audio on 7 October 2003 and Blu-ray audio in 2018. The recordings are taken from two 1972 performances in California during their tour of North America: L.A. Forum and Long Beach Arena.
Led Zeppelin is a boxed set by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was the first compilation of songs by the band and the selection and remastering of the tracks were supervised by Jimmy Page. Atlantic Records released it on 8 October 1990 on several formats: four compact discs, six vinyl records, or four cassette tapes. A 36-page booklet was also included with the release.
The discography of the English rock band Led Zeppelin consists of 8 studio albums, 4 live albums, 10 compilation albums, 19 singles, 16 music videos and 9 music downloads. The band is estimated to have sold over 300 million records worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling music artists in history. According to Billboard, they are the 40th Greatest Artist of All Time, as well as the 11th Most Successful Artist on Billboard 200 history. The band has scored 7 number-one albums on Billboard 200 and has sold 112.5 million certified albums in the United States, becoming the 5th best-selling album artist in RIAA history.
"Carouselambra" is the fifth song on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. The title refers to the first section of the song that has similarities to carousel music. At more than 10 minutes in length, the song is the second-longest the band recorded in the studio. John Paul Jones' synthesizers dominate the song, with Jimmy Page's guitar playing a supporting role.
"All My Love" is the sixth song on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. Credited to Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, it is a rock ballad that features a synthesizer solo by Jones. It was written in honour of Plant's son Karac, who died while Led Zeppelin were on their 1977 North American tour.
"Fool in the Rain" is the third song on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. It was the last single released in the US before they formally disbanded in 1980. The song reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 16 February 1980.
BBC Sessions is a compilation album featuring studio sessions and a live concert recorded by English rock group Led Zeppelin for the BBC. It was released on 17 November 1997, by Atlantic Records. Disc one consists of material from four different 1969 BBC sessions. Disc two contains most of the 1 April 1971 concert from the Paris Theatre in London. Disc three was only included in a limited run of album releases and features rare interviews from 1969, 1976/1977, and 1990.
The Best of Led Zeppelin is a two-volume best-of compilation album series by English rock group Led Zeppelin; containing selections from all of the band's studio albums it was released by Atlantic Records. Volume one, Early Days was released on November 22, 1999; volume two, Latter Days, was released on March 21, 2000. Early Days is composed of tracks from the period in the band's history dating 1968 to 1971 and doesn't use a traditional "greatest hits" format as Led Zeppelin largely avoided single releases. Latter Days covered 1973 to 1979. Early Days debuted at #71 on the Billboard's Pop Albums chart and Latter Days debuted at #81. A combined disc set, called Early Days and Latter Days, was released on November 19, 2002 in the United States and on February 24, 2003 in the United Kingdom. Both Early Days and Early Days and Latter Days were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Celebration Day is a concert film and live album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, recorded at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert on 10 December 2007, in The O2 Arena, London. The film was given a limited theatrical release starting on 17 October 2012, and was released on several home audio and video formats on 19 November 2012. The performance, the film, and album releases have been widely praised.
Notes
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