Tony’s “Amazing Led Zeppelin Experiment”

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Led Zeppelin III

Ok, I finally got to hear it all the way through tonight. Here we go:

Immigrant Song - WOW. What a way to kick off an album! This is one of the few LZ songs that I have always liked, and I don't change the station when it comes on the radio so I have heard it many times. However, I have never heard it on a decent stereo (only in a car, or on a crappy radio at work). JPJ despite not receiving a songwriting credit, lifts this song from the level of "good" to "great". I love how they don't drag it out. 2:23 and done! Amazing bass/drum groove. One question: what is the deal with the increasing volume of "hiss" at the beginning and end of the song? I love the use of this song in "Shrek III" or did I dream that??

Friends - Acoustic riffage! Atmospheric sounds! My only complaint is that it one gets a little repetitious, but eventually builds to a nice climax which flows perfectly into:

Celebration Day - Nice enough song that keeps things rolling right along. It is already obvious by this point that LZ have taken a big step forward as a band (and as songwriters) since LZII. The drumming really shines on this track along with JPJ, and kudos to Jimmy for staying fairly laid back throughout this track.

Since I've Been Loving You - Good slow blues. The tasteful organ is a great touch. This builds up nicely to a fairly "restrained" (by JP standards) solo. After that, it goes on a bit too long, but they do end it nicely.

Out on the Tiles - First of all Plant is obviously copying the original vocalist for Fastway on this track. (just kidding) From around the 2:37 mark, Hawkwind steps in and finishes up side one very nicely. Without a doubt, side one is the best LZ side so far. Everything about it is a step up from their earlier recordings.

Gallows Pole - Another nicely constructed song that just builds and builds until the drums kick in and punch you in the gut. Is that a banjo I hear? I really wish that I had heard this album 20 years ago. I had heard this song a few times on the radio, but I had never paid much attention to it.

Tangerine - Jimmy threw everything but the kitchen sink into this album. Another nice song that adds to the variety of the overall album. These guys just might make it big some day!

That's the Way - It may just be due to the fact that I love acoustic instruments, but damn this is a good album. I would imagine that a nice clean LP of would sound amazing if cranked up (especially with proper "mood lighting") I love the end section with the louder bass part. Tasty.

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp - Hoedown! Fantastic. LZ manage to pull off a real "toe tapper". This is just great fun.

Hat's off to Roy Harper - I don't know much about Roy Harper, but I'm not crazy about this song. My least favorite track, but still very listenable. But if Roy Harper influenced Jimmy enough to cause him to throw in all the acoustic based tunes, then I can certainly live with it. At least they kept it reasonably short. The slide playing kind of grew on me by the end, but still it is my least favorite song on LZIII.

OK, I have to admit that this is an impressive album from start to finish. All killer, no filler if you will... For the first time, they really sound like a "band". Four guys working together to create something more than just the next ten songs. I used to own an LP of LZ IV, so I know where this all leads to. I'll be interested to hear IV again, now that I have a perspective of it's place in the band's development -instead of just hearing it as something that has always "been". Sometimes it is hard to get a true feel for an album unless you were around for it's arrival. At least now I know what came first for the band.

This project is really getting fun now. I can't wait to move on to IV and beyond. I can't believe I stayed up this late listening to Led Zeppelin. I have to freaking work tomorrow.

 

I think III is my favorite LZ album, Zep before the pomposity set in. So you've hear Zoso a few times, but when you get to HotH be sure and give it 3 or 4 good listens, that is if you haven't heard it yet.

 

I haven't heard HOH yet, but I used to own LZIV years ago.

 

Do What Thou Wilt...(So Mote Be It)

LZ III Is my fave Zeppelin long-player as well, I just love it all, acoustic Zeppelin being my favorite... Mos def some Harper influence heard herein, by the next year, 1971, Page would be guesting on Harper's masterpiece Stormcock. Side two is my favroite led zep side of all time, just kicks ****, but in a mellower, acoustic way.. They'd "gotten it together in the country" (a small cottage in Wales--see Stomp), it this record really shows them growing up and into their own as a band, much closer to equals than just the Jimmy Page at the helm feel of the balls to the wall, banshee shreik-fest of the first two records... Plants lyrics took a quantum leap forward, andThat's The Way is my favorite Zeppelin track of all time, and easily on the top five best lyrics he ever wrote...

Go Tony!

 

I definitely agree that this seems very much like a "band" instead of the Jimmy Page Project. All four members obviously worked together as a team to create a very good lp. The lyrics are improved also. I can't wait to move on to the later material.

This has been fun so far, and I can't believe that I like LZIII as much as I do. From what I remember about LZIV, it is very good - but not as good as LZIII.

I would like to hear some live shows from this time period of the band, too.

 

I'm sure there are Zepheads who can direct you to, ahem, other sources, but the BBC Sessions has some tracks on Disc 2 from a III/IV era performance that are quite good. They open with a killer version of Immigrant Song, do a nice dirty version of Heartbreaker (which I prefer to the studio version, see if that guitar break doesn't sound any more exciting to you live; I still don't like it, but it "works" a little bit better) and also do Since I've Been Loving You and That's The Way from III. You'll also hear the intro to "Out On The Tiles" at the beginning of "Black Dog".

 

They do that on 'How the West Was Won' too.

 

I know, but Tony wanted something from the III era, and HTWWW is a couple years later.

 

Oh ok. Cool.

 

I will definitely check out some live stuff. I am trying to make it through the studio albums first, but I will certainly indulge in some "live material" soon.

I'll keep an eye open for the BBC stuff when I make the rounds at the shops.

Thanks for your comments!

 

Having lived through the whole saga as it happened, that's my opinion, too. Although their commercial apex came later and the following albums all had good and great stuff on them, I think they never again sounded as together, creative, and committed as they did on LZIII. It's my favorite.

 

Plus it has THAT song...(and a few others...)

Very interesting perspective.... I sure would have loved to lived though it at the time and to have gotten these records on the day of release, special times, special records (and many others). And, while I can hardly disagree with you seeing as how much I love Led Zep III too, I cannot help but point out that Led Zeppelin IV (Runes)--whatever you wanna call it-- is at least its equal, and maybe even moreso as a sonic document of a band in perfect harmony and at their unrivaled peak. For me, it throws the gauntlet down on the forthcoming Dark Side of the Moon as most important and classic Rock album of the 1970s.... It has a perfect symmetry to it's two four-song sides, and each track is a gem, no clunkers at all, whereas III has one track some dislike--HOTRH--a song I personal love, and another weaker track, Celebration Day, as well as the "trad. arranged" old Blues number Gallow's Pole--which is brilliantly reinvented as only Zep could... nevertheless, in my eye, thes etrack make a slightly less the perfect band statment of unique and sublime mystical identiy that IV has/does/is... if you follow...

 

Same story here! heard some of the usual same 10 Zep tracks for 25 yrs, then BMGs big sale- Complete Studio Zep box for 17 BUCKS and I got to discover the entire catalog in order. WOW! Now i'm a HUGE Zep fan.. i'm 42 looking back at music I missed. ENJOY THE REST OF THE SET!

 

The How The West Was Won version of Immigrant Song makes the BBC version sound like it was played on toy instruments. The BBC certainly has some essential performances but it isn't representative of the mightly Zep live at their early 70's peak. I'd start with either The Song Remains The Same or How The West Was Won. The How The West Was Won Dazed and Confused is one of the best things Zep ever did.

 

I concur.

 

Absolutely! The BBC material is, to these ears, poorly recorded (Zeppelin stayed away from TV and radio for a reason) and less than stellar in performance. I truly think it's one Zeppelin release that can be happily disregarded (at least for the initiate).

Tony, if you want some live Zeppelin circa early 1970 (January 9 to be precise), look no further than Disc 1 of the 2003 DVD Led Zeppelin: the Royal Albert Hall footage. No 'acoustic' material there, but two songs from 'Led Zeppelin III' ('Brony-Yr-Stomp' and 'That's The Way') feature in the acoustic set on Disc 2 (taken from the 1975 Earls Court shows).

Zeppelin were slow in introducing their acoustic numbers (in any great amount) to their live set - not until July 18, 1970 in Germany did something approaching an 'acoustic' section start to appear (That's The Way followed by Bron Yr Aur). In America, even following the release of Led Zeppelin III, the band had to constantly fight rowdy audiences who jeered, clapped or threw firecrackers during 'acoustic' moments. Even reviewers were dismissive of the acoustic material (see reviews from their Detroit, Michigan show in September, 1970). Nevertheless, live acoustic content became more consistent throughout Zeppelin sets in 1971.

 

It's a shame that the response wasn't better to the acoustic material. I'm still a little shocked at how much I like LZIII. How does LZIII rank among other LZ albums in terms of sales?

 

I'm sure that III is the worst selling album of the catalog.

Plant even made a joke about how all of the zep albums starting selling well again after a reunion that they did.
"Led Zeppelin 3, even" sold well.

Plant's perfect take on III was "people said 'well, what the hell are we supposed to do with this?? Where's our whole lotta love part 2, 3 ,4 and 5?!' "

The album was panned by everybody when it first came out, but how times have changed. Everybody now (except Rolling stone ) knows how great III was/is.

 

Interesting, I prefer III the most.

 

my favorite album is Physical Graffiti. But III is fantastic.

 

The difference between commercial and creative success is often vast...

 

That reminds me of a line from Almost Famous.

I can't remember the exact quote but Jason Lee said in that movie that most commercial successes ARE actually better then things that aren't commercially successful.

I think III is an exception, lol ya think?

 

Nope. Of the 9 proper Zep albums Presence is the worst seller at 3X platinum.
Next are III and In through the out door which are certified at 6 million each.
These are US sales according to Wiki.

 

Presence, huh? It's weird that an album so spearheaded by Page wouldn't succeed like that.

I suppose the lack of spark could have had something to do with Plant being in a wheelchair.

When you're feeling down, Tea for one fits.