As 2024 is almost coming to a close, it is better late than never to reflect on the 55th anniversary of “Led Zeppelin II,” Led Zeppelin’s groundbreaking second studio album.

With a total of nine songs amounting to 42 minutes (17 songs over an hour and 14 minutes for the deluxe edition), “Led Zeppelin II” is a quick listen that became a staple in the rock and roll industry. From the powerful guitar riffs in track five, “Heartbreaker,” to the more popular songs “Whole Lotta Love” and “Ramble On,” it is no surprise how influential this album was for everyone.

“Led Zeppelin II” was also a great way for the band to explore their sound. While their first album had a lot of hard blues sounds, “Led Zeppelin II” had a mix of blues, hard rock, folk and early forms of metal. This allowed the band to understand where they thrived, as their first album did not do nearly as well as their second.

With that being said, how does the record hold up in today’s standards: though the answer might be a simple “it does” or “it does not” from some, there is a more complex approach that can be taken.

Sadly, Led Zeppelin seems to just not be cutting it anymore. Though they are still getting a lot of listens on Spotify, hold a spot on Apple Music’s top 100 albums and have sold multiple records since their creation, Led Zeppelin has not amounted to the same popularity as they once did. If you flip to radio stations — which no one really does anymore since aux and Bluetooth became a thing —that play “oldies” or rock.

However, that does not mean that they hold no impact on the genre of rock and roll. They are music legends and will continue to be just that. Along with some other bands, such as AC/DC, Led Zeppelin would not have made the rock ‘n’ roll genre the way it is today. If they did not exist, especially their second album, they would not have influenced Metallica, who would not have influenced Slipknot and so on and so forth.

Led Zeppelin has not just impacted rock bands over the years, but also listeners old and new. After a quick search through Google reviews, “Led Zeppelin II” has a 4.9 audience rating. A good chunk of that score was obtained through five-star reviews, while there were a couple outliers of four and one stars.

While Led Zeppelin’s second album — as well as most of their discography — has not seen the light of day lately, it should not go unnoticed that they are still amazing in their own right.

They have done so much for the rock ‘n’ roll genre over the years. It would be a shame if more people did not listen to Led Zeppelin, especially if they love the rock genre. It would be a crime if you love the genre and have never listened to their music.

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