Goal: Become a legit Led Zeppelin Fan: Led Zeppelin III

In case you missed it, here's my take on Led Zeppelin I and Led Zeppelin II.

Today's album in review: Led Zeppelin III.


1. "Immigrant Song"--This is Zeppelin classic. It's fast, hard, and wailing with insanely obscure lyrics. Plus, I always imagine Jack Black singing it in that sweet van, which can only improve my love of the song.



Also, I dare you to come up with a creepier sound than the vocals at the end of the song.

2. "Friends"--Blandly creepy. Tuneless guitar riff and random strings make up most of this song. It's kind of like the essence of Led Zeppelin without the spark.

3. "Celebration Day"--I usually skip this song. It's kind of like ELO's "Ma-ma-ma Belle" in that it's decent bluesy rock, but it's generic and gets kind of old.

4. "Since I've Been Loving You"--Another over 7 minutes foray into blues, but I love it. Feels like Stevie Ray Vaughn with the guitar-solo intro, and then goes all out ominous gospel. I can't express how much I love the theme chord progression. And did I mention organ?

5. "Out On the Tiles"--The return of a great guitar riff with a chorus that could have come from any rock band from the 70s and 80s, but it's cooler because it's Led Zeppelin.

6. "Gallows Pole"--Making folk songs awesome. Pretty mellow, but still passionate and even awesomer for including the banjo. I mean, can you get more hardcore than singing about how you're going to get hung?

7. "Tangerine"--Sounds completely like the Rolling Stones, especially the chorus that features messy harmonies.

8. "That's the Way"--A totally mellow song whose sentiment reminds me of Bruce Hornsby "That's Just the Way It Is" and Tupac's "Changes" except better. It's a taking-a-drive-on-a-Sunday-afternoon sort of song.

9. "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp"--The meaning of the title has some random story that includes a cottage or something, but mostly it's dark folk music with a drum beat. Also, I just realized that the song says "Ain't no companion like a blue eyed merle" instead of blue-eyed girl. Hmmm.

10. "Hats off to (Roy) Harper"--This song is an homage to Mr. Harper, but the distorted vocals are a little abrasive. The slide guitar is pretty awesome though.

Overall assessment: Interesting split between classic Zeppelin in the first half and folky, mellower Zeppelin in the second half. It's a decent album to have on while doing stuff, but not a favorite in terms of song writing.