gcczep
Ever Onward...
HOUSES OF THE HOLY
Release date: March 28, 1973
First there was the amplified blues of the first two LPs, then the still heavy but now greener, acoustic textures of the third all of which were eventually distilled into the untitled fourth...the band then offered on their fifth exactly... Well, it defies classification in comparison to the first four but a more polished, varied palate. It has sheen, it has “production” written all over it but it rocks on its own merits. On to the tunes:
The Song Remains The Same – It kicks off the album in grand style, a Disney-esque 70mm epic of fanfare and power. Prince once said that listening to Led-Zeppelin’s music was like looking into a kaleidoscope. He could have been talking about this. The multi layered guitar orchestra of Page is in attack mode from the opening notes carrying Plant’s hippy dippy lyrics never letting up in its frenetic pace and intensity. Originally introduced as “The Overture” and “The Campaign” during its initial airings on their 1972 Japan Tour, it became the set opener for their 1977 U.S. Tour an appropriate one I might add.
The Rain Song – The band’s lone power ballad? Hardly can be called one. It is an atmospheric track with Jones handling the orchestral framework beautifully. I really like the sound of the mellotron on it with Jones adding some lovely piano bits. It sounds lush but not overblown. Just like “Stairway” it builds and builds then it has an emphatic section before it quietly settles down. Live, it has been a link up with the highly charged The Song Remains The Same so the band can emote after it. Emote? Yes, I said it [grin].
Over The Hills And Far Away – This is another composition that emphasized Page’s “light and shade” vision of marrying the acoustic and electric aspects of the guitar. It really gallops along with a nice, intricate panning solo. It contains my favorite lyrics in their works [see my sig]. Uniquely, it doesn’t fade off or just end abruptly in a crazed frenzy but gently as the lingering notes die down. In concert, I’ve listened to Page do his best solos on this song sans the excess of the other numbers. It’s never short but often cascading and fluid.
The Crunge – Could an English rock quartet get down and funky with soul? Well, kinda sorta, with Page doing his best Jimmy Nolen impersonation [not quite] along with Plant channeling his inner Otis Redding and James Brown as Jones supplies the groovy bass notes. Goes to show that the band isn’t all about repetitive riffs and power chords but is keenly aware of other musical genres. There was also talk of them supplying a poster of how to dance to it. Those wacky Brits! They never did this song fully live but Bonham and Page’s soul/funk dabblings during the improvisational section of “Whole Lotta Love” always led them to offshoots of it particularly “Sex Machine”…
Dancing Days – The Shimmy song. It snakes along but neither languid nor overpowering with just the right balance. It doesn’t have a solo, never had one live either. Hypnotic but not droning teetering side to side. It is supple like a rubber band, bending here to fore but not to the point of snapping. Two versions of it exist with Page and Plant recording with the Bombay Symphony Orchestra that gives its Eastern roots more prominence. There were reports of how Page and Plant dug this tune that they were dancing as it was being played back in the mobile studios at Stargroves. Just watched a bit of that 8mm footage and they were enjoing themselves...Page wearing that ugly cardigan sweater.
D’yer Mak’er – OK the bad joke aside being the premise of this song, Bonham’s drumming shines through on this track. It is laden with Plant’s creamiest vocals ever [heterosexually speaking of course]. Sure it drove the chicks mad back in the day. First the boys try their hand at urban funk then unintentionally break into reggae via doo wop? Oddly enough all my friends think it’s the coolest song by the group confusing title pronunciation and all. We're in Jamaica, mon, in the 1950's.
No Quarter – This is Jones’ tour de force signature piece both studio and live. It is a strange, enigmatic number almost Doors like but not as dark. It has a moody feel but still electric and not losing its transcendence. Page’s solo keeps in tone with the song’s vibe. Not sharp, nor flashy but ethereal in a sense. On stage, this became Jones’ vehicle to stretch and show off his classical leanings or in some instances play some boogie woogie piano. Page plays a creepy guitar accompaniment which he accentuates with a wah wah pedal live. I can feel the dry ice smoke effect wafting around me.
The Ocean – A track the band penned for their audiences it also had a reference to Plant’s daughter Carmen. Bonham counts it down talking of how they’ve done four takes of the song. Page’s guitars really sing in unison from both the left and right speakers. It showcases the great dynamics of all four members in lockstep with each other. Whenever I audition or test speakers, this is usually one of my go-to pieces.
After Graffiti, Untitled and II...this was my fourth pickup from their catalog. My first impression being how clean, nice and orderly it was though I had a nit with Plant’s vocals tweaked [particularly in "The Song Remains The Same"]. Two songs in "The Crunge" and "D’yer Maker" were loathed in particular as I read up on the band’s history. I can imagine why given those that did were most likely looking for "Black Dog Part 2." They were tongue in cheek send-ups that were done well keeping in spirit of the band’s kooky humor. The critics, easily confounded, thought it was completely out of left field. Chris Welch a staunch ally of the group wrote that it lacked direction. Plant whom was mostly responsible for the album’s new slant took offense and ragged on the critic during one show in Paris. Led-Zeppelin was/tried exploring new territory yet it went over some listeners heads.
Now about that album jacket? Well, words fail me. It looks like something out of those fun yet bizarro Heavy Metal rags. Naked kids on the rocks? One being offered to the sky? OK... To top it off, a delay happened as usual due to a snafu with the coloring schemes. Page complained it looked like an ad for Max Factor when it was first presented to him. The original version had a wrap around paper banner with the group’s name and album title emblazoned across. I still have that though I had to tape it from falling apart. Subsequent issues had a sticker instead pasted on the sleeve. Lest I forget, the inner sleeve had lyrics printed for all the tracks.
Last edited:
Nicely done....My favorite Led Zeppelin album!
