Coda

UK remastered reissue of 1982 album, packaged in a limited edition miniature LP gatefold sleeve. 8 tracks. Warner. 2003.

Coda, released in 1982 after the breakup of the band, was the result of a trawl through the studio archives in search of leftover material. In fact, they had already used up almost all of the good stuff; this was Led Zeppelin's only disappointing album. Nevertheless, even relatively poor material by Led Zeppelin is decent and some tracks here are classic, notably "Poor Tom," "Ozone Baby," and "Wearing and Tearing." The latter, one of three outtakes from the In Through the Out Door sessions, features a particularly high-octane blend of stripped-down, grungy rock & roll and is considered their response to the then-burgeoning punk movement. With so little studio material available, live versions of "I Can't Quit You Babe" and "We're Gonna Groove" from 1970 flesh out the set; the former features some blistering playing. --James Swift