Led Zeppelin lives again–and again and again–on this debut album by the new British band Fastway. That isn't such a bad thing, given the fierce report of ex-Motorhead guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke's shotgun riffing and the authentic bawl of singer Dave King. Together with former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley, they plunder all the Zep-inspired crotch-rock clichés and come up with a few choice rewrites in "Say What You Will," a swaggering boogie shuffle, and "Far Far from Home," a mirror image of Zeppelin's own "Since I've Been Loving You."

The problem with Fastway isn't that you've heard it all before, but that the band never gets as crazy as the occasion demands. Compared to Clarke's records with heavy-metal speed freaks Motorhead, Fastway plays it much too straight, merely jump-starting old licks like "Easy Livin'" and "All I Need Is Your Love." In a genre where excess is king, Fastway offers a surprisingly slow ride. (RS 405)

DAVID FRICKE