01	The Song Remains The Same						05:30
	02	The Rain Song						07:39
	03	Over The Hills And Far Away			Released as a single in 1973.			04:50
	04	The Crunge			Released as the B-side of "D'yer Mak'er" in 1973.			03:15
	05	Dancing Days			Released as the B-side of "Over The Hills And Far Away" in 1973.			03:45
	06	D'yer Mak'er						04:24
	07	No Quarter						07:03
	08	The Ocean						04:30

Этот альбом (кстати, последний из вышедших у группы на "Atlantic Records") появился под впечатлением турне Led Zeppelin 1972 года и путешествия в Индию. Записывали его сначала в доме у Мика Джаггера на передвижной студии Rolling Stones, но качество в итоге не устроило музыкантов, и несколько месяцев были потрачены на доработку и улучшение записи в студиях Лондона и Нью-Йорка. В результате пластинка вышла лишь 28 марта 1973 г. На обложке, как и в предыдущем случае, не содержащей официального названия, голые дети взбираются на вершину холма в Северной Ирландии к древней каменной крепости. Альбом, обогащенный элементами реггей и соул, довольно быстро достиг вершин хит-парадов по обе стороны Атлантики, оттеснив в США самого Элвиса Пресли (параллельно группа побила рекорд посещаемости одного концерта, ранее принадлежавший The Beatles). К маленьким шедеврам альбома можно отнести "D'yer Mak'er", "Dancing Days" и "No Quarter", впоследствии давший название совместной работе Джимми Пейджа и Роберта Планта 1994 года. А заглавная композиция "The Houses Of The Holy" по странному стечению обстоятельств вышла лишь на следующей пластинке - "Physical Graffiti".

Atlantic K50014
Released on March 26, 1973
Recorded between January and August 1972 at Electric Lady Studios, New York
and Olympic Sound, London.

Produced by: Jimmy Page
Executive producer: Peter Grant
Engineers: Eddie Kramer, George Chkiantz
and Keith Harwood
Sleeve by: Hipgnosis
Jimmy Page Electric guitar, acoustic guitar,
pedal steel guitar, backing vocal
Robert Plant Lead vocal, harmonica
John Bonham Drums, tympani, backing vocal
John Paul Jones Bass, mellotron, synthesiser, organ, piano, grand piano,
synthesiser piano, synthesised bass, backing vocal

1) The Song Remains The Same (5:24)
(Page/Plant)
Recorded in 1972 at Stargroves with
the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Engineered by Eddie Kramer.
Mixed at Olympic Studios with Keith Harwood.
Originally released on March 28, 1973 on "HOUSES OF THE HOLY."
2) The Rain Song (7:32)
(Page/Plant)
Recorded in 1972 at Stargroves with
the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Engineered by Eddie Kramer.
Mixed at Olympic Studios with Keith Harwood.
Originally released on March 28, 1973 on "HOUSES OF THE HOLY."
3) Over The Hills And Far Away (4:42)
(Page/Plant)
Recorded in 1972 at Stargroves with
the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Engineered by Eddie Kramer.
Mixed at Electric Lady, New York, with Eddie Kramer.
Originally released on March 28, 1973 on "HOUSES OF THE HOLY."
Released as a single on 5/24/73; #51 U.S. pop.
4) The Crunge (3:10)
(Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant)
5) Dancing Days (3:40)
(Page/Plant)
Recorded in 1972 at Stargroves with
the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Engineered by Eddie Kramer.
Mixed at Electric Lady, New York, with Eddie Kramer.
Originally released on March 28, 1973 on "HOUSES OF THE HOLY."
Released as the B-side of "Over The Hills and Far Away" on 5/24/73.
6) D'yer Mak'er (4:19)
(Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant)
Recorded in 1972 at Stargroves with
the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Engineered by Eddie Kramer.
Mixed at Electric Lady, New York, with Eddie Kramer.
Originally released on March 28, 1973 on "HOUSES OF THE HOLY."
Released as a single on 9/17/73; #20 U.S. pop.
7) No Quarter (6:57)
(Jones/Page/Plant)
Recorded in 1972 at Island Studios, London.
Engineered bu Andy Johns.
Mixed at Olympic Studios, London, with Andy Johns.
Originally released on March 28, 1973 on "HOUSES OF THE HOLY."
8) The Ocean (4:28)
(Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant)




Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy

Release Date: 1973

Member: Adm_Kirk 06/17/03

After four albums in three years and numerous tours of America and Europe, Led Zeppelin had the unenviable task of following up "Stairway to Heaven" and the already classic fourth album.

Let's go back to late 1969 for a moment. In the wake of the huge success of Led Zeppelin II and monster hit single "Whole Lotta Love", Zep took a left turn on Led Zeppelin III with an album dominated by acoustic instruments, instead of rehashing the second album, like many expected. So after their barnstorming 1972 tour that outsold the years other big tour, that being the Rolling Stones, who got more press and was a much more high profile event since they actually worked the press where Zep refused to do such a thing.

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham rented Mick Jagger's Stargroves mansion in England and got to work on the album that would become Houses of the Holy. And many expected it to be a rehash of the fourth album. It wasn't. Numerous tracks were written and recorded. Many of the tracks would not see the light of day until 1975's Physical Graffiti. It's easy to see why these songs, like "Houses of the Holy" or "Black Country Woman", were held off the album as they did not fit the overall feel of the Houses of the Holy album.

The album opens with the dense "The Song Remains the Same". Robert Plant's vocals had loads of effects, Page's guitar was nuanced and supple over the typically brilliant rhythm section work of Jones and Bonham. The live version of this track made great use of the now famous double neck Gibson and enabled him to translate the multiple guitar parts into one seamless exhibition.

Next up was the gorgeous "Rain Song". Featuring one of Page's alternate tunings, this mostly acoustic track was supported by Jones' mellotron string washes and a wonderful vocal by Plant. Bonham's tom work is subtle but effective and then before you know it, it's bombs away as Plant belts out "talk, talk" and like a spring thunder storm, it's over and the band quiets down with Page summing up the tune with an elegant acoustic guitar coda. Easily one of the band's finest songs.

"Over the Hills and Far Away" starts with more acoustic guitar before the Zeppelin blitzkrieg full throttle chorus. When Page hits the solo Bonham and Jones change the entire feel of the song before returning to the next verse. A beautiful coda from Jones' keyboards and Page's guitar slowly build to a perfect ending.

Led Zeppelin was never afraid to try any musical form. Traditional British Folk ("Gallows Pole"), blues ("You Shook Me"), heavy metal("Heartbreaker"), reggae ("D'yer Ma'ker"), punk ("Wearing & Tearing"), rockabilly ("Hot Dog"), prog ("Carousalambra") it's all there spread out over the nine studio albums the band recorded and "The Crunge" was no exception. Employing James Brown as its starting point, Bonham was a big JB fan, and, along with Jones, a big fan of 1950's and 60's R & B. A point missed by all of the Zep clone bands, the song's funk origins are quickly Zeppelin-ized. Jones' synth work takes the horn line, Plant is looking for the confounded bridge and Page happily wangs his way home while Bonham holds it all together. While not completely successful, it does show off some of the humor that Zeppelin had, another point missed by the aforementioned clone bands.

The second half of the album features the almost Prescence like "Dancing Days" with Plant's odd lines about tadpoles in jars and being in love with a three year old, presumably, his daughter, and terse Page guitar. "D'yer Mak'er" is Zep's nod to reggae that actually became a top 40 hit in America. The song's genesis was based on an old joke. It's Bonham's drumming that makes this track unique instead of something that could have been very bland.

John Paul Jones takes center stage for the ominous keyboard workout of "No Quarter". This is dark, brooding stuff that allows no light in. Live, it became a tour de force for Jones and his keyboards that would sometimes stretch on for 30 minutes. By the 1977 tour it would replace "Dazed and Confused" as the big extended improv. As with a lot of Jones' compositions, the highlight of the song is Page's delicious solo. Plant's lyrics about "dogs of doom" and "the devil mocks their every step" completes the doom and gloom atmosphere.

The band lightens up, lyrically at least, for the band's tribute to its fans, "The Ocean". It starts with a John Bonham spoken word introduction and then one of Page's great riffs kicks in and it's full speed ahead. There's a great accapella bridge with Bonham and Jones supporting Plant on vocals. The song takes a step back to the 1950's for the outro with wonderful bass work from Jones that supports a killer Page solo.

This album was supposed to have been out in 1972 but problems crept up with the art work and Zeppelin demanded perfection, delaying release of the LP. The children on the cover kept coming out in the wrong color. Only two children were used for the whole thing. The castle featured on the cover was located in Ireland and, like Led Zeppelin IV, the cover had no name and no title, but by 1973 Atlantic Records didn't have quite the cow they did over the previous album's lack of name and album title. Partly due to the fact that the secret society that were Zep fans in the 1970's would seek out the record by the millions.

While other bands would do massive promotions, by 1970's standards, for albums and tours, Zeppelin was work of mouth and, perhaps, the biggest underground band of all time, which added to the mystery and mystique that was Led Zeppelin. No TV, few interviews, which in this day of MTV, VH1, the internet and mass media would be impossible to do and achieve the same success that Zeppelin had in the 1970's.

Houses of the Holy as yet another step in the evolution of Led Zeppelin. It didn't repeat the formula of the fourth album, but built upon it by going in directions that defied expectations.