Dave Grohl names his favourite Led Zeppelin album
Led Zeppelin remain a powerful influence on the world of rock music. Their hulking, trunk-swinging brand of power rock helped shape our understanding of rockstardom, not to mention the heavy metal genre. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham were all, in their own way, true innovators. So many years later, aspiring young musicians still look to Page’s fuzz-drenched guitar lines, Plant’s soaring vocals and Bonham’s diaphragm-shaking drums as a source of inspiration. Here, Dave Grohl discusses how he came to prefer Zeppelin’s Coda to their first two albums.
Released in 1982, Coda was Led Zeppelin’s first compilation album. Comprised of unused tracks from various sessions spanning the band’s 12-year career, it arrived nearly two years after Zeppelin parted ways following John Bonham’s untimely death. In truth, the album was little more than a contractual obligation – released to honour the band’s commitments to Atlantic Records and to cover tax demands. Despite being made up of leftover tracks, offcuts and oddities, Coda was regarded as a brilliant studio album in its own right.
According to Jimmy Page, the album’s release was partly due to the popularity of bootleg Zeppelin recordings. On learning about just how many unofficial recordings were being circulated by fans, Page decided to give the punters something more substantial. This wasn’t an easy task: Led Zeppelin tended to put out practically everything they recorded, so there wasn’t much to choose from. That being said, there were a few tracks – eight to be precise – that were yet to see the light of day.
In the eyes of Dave Grohl, Coda is as good a Zeppelin album as any. Discussing his fondness for the compilation, the Foo Fighters frontman said: “Led Zeppelin completely moulded the way I play the drums. No one can deny that band anything. All their albums are great. I prefer Houses Of The Holy and In Through The Out Door to their first two, but Coda was the best, ‘cos ‘Bonzo’s Montreux’ was on it – John Bonham’s one drum symphony. I stayed up many a night working on that one. I’ll play it for you right now if you want!”
Coda was Led Zeppelin’s final farewell, a swan song of sweltering virtuosity. From the sultry blues of ‘ I Can’t Quit You Baby’ to the folkish meanderings of ‘Hey Hey What Can I Do’, this protean album deserves all the love it gets. Make sure you check it out below.
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