In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin
In Through the Out Door is the eighth and final studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded over a three-week period in November and December 1978 at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and released by Swan Song Records on 15 August 1979. In 1980, the band's drummer John Bonham died, and they disbanded soon after. The album is a reflection of the personal turmoil that the band members had been going through before and during its recording. Front-man Robert Plant and his wife had gone through a serious car accident, and their young son, Karac Plant, died from a stomach illness. All four band members also felt weary of dealing with record companies and other associates. The release became a huge commercial success, particularly in the United States (sitting at the No. 1 slot on Billboard's chart in just its second week on the chart). In Through the Out Door was the band's eighth and final studio release to reach the top of the charts in America.
<i>In Through the Out Door</i>, Led Zeppelin’s final studio album, was also one of the few pre-SoundScan era releases to debut atop the Billboard chart. Coming after a three-year-plus wait, the record delivers some of Zeppelin’s most ambitious work. The Latin-tinged “Fool in the Rain” again demonstrates the quartet’s unique approach to dance music, while the pomp-rock spectacular “Carouselambra” allows John Paul Jones’ keyboards to take the spotlight. The definitively silly country romp “Hot Dog,” though, is maybe the least typical thing to ever come from this always surprising band. And the album's closer, “I’m Gonna Crawl,” proves that Led Zep had hardly forgotten the meat-and-potatoes thud that first won them an audience. If a great band need leave the stage, let it always be with such happily venturesome sounds.
