Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin III (Atlantic, 1970)
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant traveled to Bron-Yr-Aur, a cottage located in Gwynedd, Wales. It translates to Hills of Gold in English. When they arrived, there was no electricity, so they played only their acoustic instruments and conceived much of the material for Led Zeppelin III. Some of what they didn’t use on that album appeared on Physical Graffiti and Coda.
The music they created for this album is still memorable, but so is the extravagant cover art. It features an interactive spinning wheel filled with different photos and graphics. It was designed by Richard Drew, a.k.a. Zacron, and it has to be one of the best packaging ideas in music.
“Immigrant Song” and “Since I’ve Been Loving You” get most of the attention on this album, but “Tangerine” is my favorite track here — in fact, it’s my all-time favorite Led Zeppelin song. Page wrote it alone during the Yardbirds era, and he plays pedal steel, which he learned to play on the fly.
During production, they left the false start on the album, so the first thing you hear is Jimmy Page getting the tempo wrong… but that small human moment is one of many reasons I love this song so much. Another might be that it was featured in a critical scene in the film Almost Famous, one of my favorites.
What’s your favorite song on this record?
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV (Atlantic, 1971)
The original album had no title, no names — just four symbols and an album cover with a photo of an elderly Victorian thatcher carrying firewood. Robert Plant found the framed picture in an antique shop near Jimmy Page’s home and decided it would be the cover of their fourth album, which is probably their most popular.
Of course “Stairway to Heaven” is one of the most overplayed songs ever, and yes, I danced to it at every junior high dance, but put it on anyways and tell me the last two minutes aren’t still magical. Despite it’s popularity, it’s still a damn good song.
Sandy Denny, who was arguably the best folk singer ever, and fronted Fairport Convention, sings on “The Battle of Evermore,” which was the only outside vocalist ever credited on any Led Zeppelin album. Besides this track, “Misty Mountain Hop” is my other favorite off this record…
…and did you know that one of the most sampled drum breaks in music is John Bonham on “When the Levee Breaks?”
Zeptember finishes up next week. Stay tuned. 🙏