On their first two albums, Led Zeppelin unleashed a barrage of heavy blues and rock riffs, but 'Led Zeppelin III' saw the band grow musically. Recorded during the post-psychedelic "getting it together in the country", early '70's phase of music, the band headed to Bron-Yr-Aur, an 18th-century cottage in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales. “It was time to take stock, and not get lost in it all,” Plant said later. And what better way to keep it real than at a place with no electricity, candles for light, water from a stream and an outside toilet?
'Led Zeppelin III' is built on a folk based, acoustic foundation, with six of the 10 tracks built around the sweet strains of Jimmy Page’s acoustic Harmony guitar. To emphasise the rustic nature of the album, Zeppelin even changed their appearance, growing facial hair to Hobbit-like proportions and wearing clothes that made them look more like hippie farmers than sex gods.
There are still rockers, including the full on opening track, "Immigrant Song", powered by Robert Plant's banshee wail, and "Celebration Day", with its warped slide guitar riff, however, the heart of the album lies on the second side, when the band delve into English folk. "Gallows Pole" updates a traditional tune with a menacing flair, while "That's the Way" and "Tangerine" are lovely, graceful songs, however, the band hadn't left the blues behind, with the twisted bottleneck blues of "Hats off to (Roy) Harper" and haunting epic "Since I've Been Loving You".
2LP, Reissue, Remastered, 180 Gram Deluxe Edition, Tri-fold Sleeve.
Tracklist:
Original Album
A1 Immigrant Song
A2 Friends
A3 Celebration Day
A4 Since I've Been Loving You
A5 Out On The Tiles
B1 Gallows Pole
B2 Tangerine
B3 That's The Way
B4 Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
B5 Hats Off To (Roy) Harper
Companion Audio
C1 The Immigrant Song (Alternate Mix)
C2 Friends (Track - No Vocal)
C3 Celebration Day (Alternate Mix)
C4 Since I've Been Loving You (Rough Mix Of First Recording)
C5 Bathroom Sound (Track - No Vocal)
D1 Gallows Pole (Rough Mix)
D2 That's The Way (Rough Mix With Dulcimer & Backwards Echo)
D3 Jennings Farm Blues (Rough Mix Of All Guitar Overdubs That Day)
D4 Key To The Highway / Trouble In Mind (Rough Mix)
