Led Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy (1973)

While this wasn't the first Led Zeppelin album I heard it was the first that I had my own copy of, albeit a copied cassette which was played to death in the little cassette recorder I received for my 13th birthday. This and Nazareth's Razamanaz.

So while I know this album well, it had been years (decades?) since I'd heard it, when I saw a reasonably priced copy in the market.

I have to confess, it's still a great album, although certain things grate a little bit. First track, The Song Remains The Same has a great guitar riff, but Plant's falsetto vocals are irritating. However, he redeems himself on the fantastic rock ballad The Rain Song.

Over The Hills And Far Away combines the acoustic and heavy rock Led Zep fantastically, and after that, while seeming a bit throwaway, The Crunge is actually a bit more interesting that I'd remembered. Where is that confounded bridge?

The second half gets to a plodding start with the very ordinary Dancing Days, followed by the cod-reggae D'Yer Mak'er, which doesn't quite manage to be as embarrassing as I'd remembered. However, after that, sit back and brace yourself for the stunning Zeppelin classic, No Quarter, a laidback, extended floating piece which delivers something new on every listen. After that, something more upbeat is needed, and The Ocean delivers that, without ever coming close to being a classic.

I've really enjoyed revisiting this, and while some old favourites still sound a bit stiff, there's enough glimpses of the very best of Led Zep.

Link to album tracks

4* - perhaps it's just taking me back to my youth, but there's so much to enjoy on this sometimes overlooked album from the LZ catalogue