In Through the Out Dooris Led Zeppelin’s final album released while the band was together. Culminating in the death of drummer John Bonham the next year in 1980. It was recorded in Sweden as the band was “taxation exiled” from Britain at the time, and it was said trying to break back into the British market after a 2 year absence was like going “In Through The Outdoor”.

The music, as often is the case, came from a source of pain in the previous years death of Robert Plant’s son Karac.

The cover, designed by Hipgnosis, was a brown paper bag containing one of several sepia photos of a recreation the Absinthe Bar, located at 400 Bourbon Street in New Orleans, LA.
If you rubbed spit or water on the sepia it turned into color.
This cover was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of best album package. 

When I was 16 I listened to this album over, and over again. I consider this and Physical Graffiti (1975) Led Zeppelin’s best productions, although they are liekly the least known of their works.

(Source: borzage)