Led Zeppelin
Houses of the Holy
Tracklist:
1. The Song Remains the Same (5:30)
2. The Rain Song (7:39)
3. Over the Hills and Far Away (4:50)
4. The Crunge (3:15)
5. Dancing Days (3:45)
6. D�yer Mak�er (4:24)
7. No Quarter (7:03)
8. The Ocean (4:30)
Total: 40:59
Introduction
After the release of their untitled fourth album, Led Zeppelin cemented themselves as one of the greatest entities in rock. After extensive touring, the band recorded their fifth album, Houses of the Holy. Featuring even more varied and experimental songs, this album is one of their most ambitious and enjoyable releases yet.
Synopsis
Houses of the Holy begins with �The Song Remains the Same�. The song contains some excellent guitar work, fast bass lines, and great drumming, as well as some awesome, high-pitched vocals from Plant. His voice gets very high, especially towards the end of the song. The instrumental sections during the song are excellent.
The following song is �The Rain Song�. It�s the longest song on the album, clocking in at a little over 7 and � minutes. This is a great acoustic song, and features some great singing and well-placed string sections. Somewhere around the 5-minute mark, Bonham comes in with some slow drumming to fit the song.
Track 3, �Over the Hills and Far Away�, opens with a memorable acoustic riff from Page and some soft singing from Plant. During subsequent verses, Plant�s voice elevates. Page provides some simple yet effective guitar riffs, and a good guitar solo. The song ends with an organ outro from Jones.
�The Crunge� begins with some heavy drumming and a funky bass line and guitar riff. Plant�s singing here is certainly unique, as it doesn�t necessarily follow the instruments, but it doesn�t stray too far as to make the song confusing. The song closes with some funny lyrics from Plant, asking, �Have you seen the bridge?� and ending the song with �Where�s the confounded bridge?� If you�re wondering what the hell Plant is talking about, look up the Led Zeppelin FAQ on Google or something to find the answer.
�Dancing Days� is one of the louder songs on the album, thanks to the loud guitar riff from Page. Plant�s voice is good here as well, and the song has some nice organ melodies during the verses. This is yet another song on the album that�s just fun to listen to.
The Jamaican-influenced �D�yer Mak�er� is actually a love song of sorts, as indicated by the lyrics (�I can't let you go, I love you--Ooh, baby I love you�). This song is a mostly dominated by the memorable drumbeat and superb, heartfelt vocals from Plant.
�No Quarter�, without a doubt, is Led Zeppelin�s darkest song. This is mainly John Paul Jones�s song, for the reason that he plays some brooding piano melodies. Page plays some low tuned guitar riffs, and Bonham�s drumming is mostly kept to a minimum except during the chorus. Plant�s vocals have a deep and eerie effect to them. Overall, this is one of Led Zeppelin�s most diverse and intriguing tracks to date, but it definitely worked out in their favor, as �No Quarter� is one of the album�s best tracks.
Houses of the Holy closes with �The Ocean�, a song written for their fans. The main guitar riff here is probably one of the most recognized Zeppelin riffs, along with several others. Bonham delivers some powerful drumming, and Page and Jones provide some fantastic guitar and bass riffs. Plant hits some high notes on this song as well.
Highlights
�The Song Remains the Same�, �The Rain Song�, �No Quarter�
Bottom Line
Houses of the Holy is definitely a more diverse album than its predecessors, but hey, that wasn�t a bad thing. Houses of the Holy is actually one of Zeppelin�s best albums. It�s absolutely worth picking up if you don�t own it already.
Final Grade: A
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Last Updated ::
5/13/2005
Album: Houses of the Holy
Album line-up:
Jimmy Page - Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, backing vocals
Robert Plant - Vocals, harmonica
John Paul Jones - Organ, bass guitar, backing vocals
John Bonham - Drums, backing vocals
Additional Personnel:
N/A
Release Year: 1973
Label: Atlantic
Produced by: Jimmy Page