Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin III

453

5 Stars

Due to the intricate nature of the artwork for Led Zeppelin III, the album’s release had to be delayed. Such attention to detail is hard to imagine in the present day. The album cover was a gatefold with the design and artwork by Zacron, an artist friend of Jimmy Page’s. The inside and outside covers were a surreal collection of images on a white background with a thread of aviation running through them. Behind the front cover was a disc that you could spin around from a slot in the side creating many different images. Hours of fun unless you had had mushrooms for breakfast, then it could be a little disconcerting!

Audio CD (paid link)

After releasing two of the most phenomenal albums in the hard rock genre in one year (1969), and not forgetting that they were their debut and second albums, Led Zeppelin turned round in 1970 with a follow-up album that fooled everybody. How do you do this? Simple. Completely change the formula. Not content with ruling the hard rock world, they wanted the lot. Let me explain by leading you through this varied album.

Up first is the perfect opener in ‘Immigrant Song,’ blatantly ripping off the riff from Bali Hai. I mean, if you’re going to steal something, do it with class and steal from the best; a thumping rocker that could have been on Led Zeppelin Two. So no surprise there then, perhaps just a warning to any usurper of their Hard Rock Crown to not even think about it.

But then, drop of the jaw, we are into sprightly folk/rock with ‘Friends,’ an acoustic number which features John Bonham playing Tabla drums. This was certainly not what this dog expected. Next up we get ‘Celebration Day,’ and what a celebration it is too, with rocking acoustic guitar, Robert Plant wailing “How Happy He Is” (not surprising, really, as he’d gone from total obscurity to fronting the world’s biggest selling band), and Jimmy Page laying down some awesome electric guitar to bring the song to an exciting finish.

Next is the album’s central track, ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You,’ to this album what ‘Stairway To Heaven’ was to the next. A blues workout not equaled at the time, or I would defy anybody to defy me since. The singing and instrumentation are at an all-time high in this seven-minute epic about love lost. John Bonham’s drumming is as powerful, whilst subtle, as ever. John Paul Jones contributes to the dark feel of the song with an excellent back-alley organ riff. Jimmy Page’s heartbreaking guitar solo in the middle is simply mind-bending. And as for Robert Plant, he quite possibly delivers one of the most magnificent vocal performances of his career.

**Jimmy Page using the twin neck EDDS-1275 Gibson, which he used on stage to create the guitar sounds needed**
**for Celebration Day.**

Next up, which would have been the closing song on side one in the days of vinyl, is ‘Out On The Tiles,’ a hard rocking electric workout with a strong bass beat which extols the virtues of hard living.

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From here on out, instead of blasting away, Led Zeppelin simply laid back, got the acoustics out, and put down five songs that wouldn’t have gone amiss on any British folk/rock album. ‘Gallows Pole,’ another poach in a remake of a Lead Belly song, begins with a soft acoustic grove but soon builds into a rousing crescendo. Both ‘Tangerine’ and ‘That’s The Way’ have great acoustics, heartfelt lyrics, and a real feel, which all contribute to this back-to-back emotional punch. The album closes with the lilting ‘Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp’ and the quite frankly bizarre tribute to their mate ‘Hats Off To (Roy) Harper’.

The progress shown by the band as a whole was quite staggering. Robert Plant completed his journey to being the top vocalist in the world of rock music, Jimmy Page stamped his authority once again, and John Paul Jones redefined his role within the band, showing off his versatility, whilst John Bonham secured his role as the greatest drummer this world has ever known.

Check out Led Zeppelin IV

All in all, a complete collection of songs keeping Led Zeppelin secure in their castle for another year. I would conclude by saying that this is probably Led Zeppelin’s most creative, thoughtful, and introspective album.