Zeppelin's first album since 1976's The Song Remains The Same shows that the high powered quartet has not lost its grasp on contemporary rock trends. The seven tracks offered here bristle with Zep's patented heavy metal riffs yet the material is surprisingly diverse in content and delivery. Amidst the guitar riffs is a country/rock tune ("Hot Dog"), calypso ("Fool In The Rain"), blues/rock ("In The Evening") and some southern boogie (South Sound Saurez"). Guitarist Jimmy Page, vocalist Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham prove that hard rock, and Led Zeppelin, doesn't have to remain in one place. Included is a 10-minute plus rock excursion "Carouselambra" that has a cosmic feel to it. Best cuts: "In The Evening," "Fool In The Rain," "Carouselambra," "All My Love."

- Billboard, 1975.

Bonus Reviews!

The tuneful synthesizer pomp on side two confirms my long-held belief that this is a real good art-rock band, and their title for the first ten minutes or so, "Carouselambra," suggests that they find this as humorous as I do. The lollapalooza hooks on the first side confirms the world's long-held belief that this is a real good hard rock band. Lax in the lyrics department, as usual, but their best since Houses of the Holy. B+

- Robert Christgau, Christgau's Record Guide, 1981.

The last studio album recorded before the death of drummer John Bonham, In Through the Out Door found the unlikely combination of the kings of power rock recording in the Stockholm studio of Abba, the kings and queens of pop. The difference in overall balance and the manipulation of space is quite distinct on CD. The sound is quite as spacious as before but less reverberation is present -- a distinct Caribbean flavour in the instrumentation and rhythms must have been difficult to create in the depths of a Swedish winter.

Updated but solid rock'n'roll was less portentous than previous cosmic efforts but should be judged against the then background of disco and New Wave music. The disc contains the superb ten-minute track "Carouselambra" and a heartfelt lovesong "All My Love."

It is something of an indictment of the music however that this album is best remembered in rock histories for the marketing award received for the cover concept -- a brown bag concealing one of a set of different covers which is not extended to the CD issue.

- David Prakel, Rock 'n' Roll on Compact Disc, 1987.

Between Presence and In Through the Out Door, disco, punk, and new wave had overtaken rock & roll, and Led Zeppelin chose to tentatively embrace the pop revolutions, adding synthesizers to the mix and emphasizing Bonham's inherent way with a groove. The album's opening number "In the Evening," with its stomping rhythms and heavy, staggered riffs, suggests that the band hasn't strayed from their course, but by the time the rolling shuffle of "South Bound Suarez" kicks into gear, it's apparent that the group has regained their sense of humor. After "South Bound Suarez," the group tries a variety of styles, whether it's an overdriven homage to Bakersfield country called "Hot Dog," the layered, Latin-tinged percussion and pianos of "Fool in the Rain," or the slickly seductive ballad "All My Love." "Carouselambra," a lurching, self-consciously ambitious synth-driven number, and the slow blues "I'm Gonna Crawl" aren't quite as impressive as the rest of the album, but the record is a graceful way to close their career, even if it wasn't intended as the final chapter. * * *

- Stephen Thomas Erlewine , The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

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