#278 Led Zeppelin, 'Houses of the Holy' (1973)
Previously #148
Enter the mighty Led Zeppelin! Last time around this was also the first Zeppelin album to be featured. This, their fifth album was the first of their releases to actually have a title and not a number and thus the first of a new era, of sorts. Its iconic artwork was created by the legendary Hipgnosis, the company responsible for most of the iconic Pink Floyd album covers, amongst many others. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had both installed home studios, which allowed them to develop more sophisticated songs and arrangements, arriving at recording sessions with further developed ideas than previously.
The songs on this album marked a shift in sound, or rather a more diverse sound for the band, none moreso than ‘D’yer Mak’er,’ their faux reggae song (say the title out aloud in a British accent to fully appreciate its punny title). The album begins with the epic ‘The Song Remains The Same,’ a song that would become a fixture in their live set. ‘The Rain Song’ is an understated masterpiece with stunning production and one of the songs Page was able to develop at his home studio. ‘Over The Hills and Far Away’ bears a more classic Zeppelin sound and wouldn’t have been out of place on ‘IV’. ‘The Crunge,’ like ‘D’yer Mak’er’ is another song completely different to what they had done before. Probably the funkiest song the band had ever song, at least up to that stage anyway. You could easily replace Plant’s vocals with James Brown’s and it wouldn’t seem weird. Plant jokingly referenced Brown and artists of the like who would give directions to their band members to “take it to the bridge.” Plant sings towards the end of the song “I'm just trying to find the bridge/Has anybody seen the bridge?/Please!/(Have you seen the bridge?)/I ain't seen the bridge!/(Where's that confounded bridge?).” Second last track is one of my all-time favourite Zeppelin songs, ‘No Quarter.’ About the song, Rick Rubin said "It takes such confidence to be able to get really quiet and loose for such a long time. [Led] Zeppelin completely changed how we look at what popular music can be." Lastly, what seems to be his unofficial signature “sound,” as on previous records, you can hear John Bonham’s kick pedal squeaking throughout the album. It adds so much realism to the record, and while I love it, that dude really should have oiled his pedal occasionaly. I’m surprised Page, the perfectionist, allowed it to creep through on so many songs throughout their career.
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