Coda was the first Led Zeppelin album I ever heard. It was 1982, the album had just come out, and I was young and dumb. My exposure to the group up during that time was limited. I knew that Led Zeppelin was a group and not a person (but don’t quote me on that) and I had certainly heard their music before on the radio (San Francisco's AM superstation KFRC would sneak "Stairway to Heaven" into rotation among their Top 40 playlist), but because Coda was the first Led Zeppelin album to be released during my teenage years, and since I had newfound buying power, I picked it up.

But, as I was soon to discover, Coda is an odds and ends album released after the group had called it a day. It is a smattering of the group's previously unreleased material, assembled by guitarist Jimmy Page and seemingly slanted to highlight the talent of John Bonham, Led Zeppelin's drummer whose 1980 death necessitated the group's demise.

Though Side 2 is decent, it’s understandable why the three 1978 songs ("Ozone Baby," "Darlene," and "Wearing and Tearing") were left off their final studio album, In Through The Out Door, as these straight-ahead rockers are uninspired and would have a hard time complementing anything on that synth-driven album.

One exception to the second half of the album is the 1976 drum performance by John Bonham, entitled “Bonzo’s Montreux,” that showcases his awareness of polyrhythmic world beats. On that track Jimmy Page experimented with some electronic overdubs to create a haunting counter melody.

The best moments are on Side 1, with all of its songs culled between 1970 and 1972. “We’re Gonna Groove” opens with Bonham reigning down rapid-fire staccato beats while the country-blues influenced “Poor Tom” features the drummer applying a nice shuffle beat. Meanwhile, a sound check performance of Willie Dixon's “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” is more reserved and less bombastic than the studio version from their debut album.

Despite its apparent tribute to Bonham, Coda is ultimately an album for completists, with hardly a nugget among its brief 33 minute playing time. It may have been the first Led Zeppelin album in my collection, but it is the one I play the least.

Recommended: No