Led Zeppelin III 2014

Led Zeppelin released its superb third album Led Zeppelin III in October of 1970.By 1970, Led Zeppelin (which always comprised of guitarist/songwriter Jimmy Page, bass player/keyboard player John Paul Jones, lead singer Robert Plant and the sadly missed John Bonham on drums had released two albums which both hit the US Top 10 with the second reaching #1! Also the band quickly graduated from opening act to theaters to eventually arenas and stadiums.When the band got to recording its third effort with Jimmy Page producing the album, the band decided to record with a mobile truck at a rural mansion called Headley Grange with the late Andy Johns and the band decided to go in a more folk/acoustic direction with their third album. Would this change work to Zep's benefit or ruin their credibility and pander to the Crosby/Stills/Nash sound popular at the time, read on and find out, as I did when I first acquired on cassette in August 1986 and of course upgraded over the years.We open proceedings with the Top 30 rocking hit, the rocking "Immigrant Song" which just rocks and is a Page/Plant composition and would serve as an opener in concert for the next three years and the template for hard rock bands for years to come. Next is Page and Plant's acoustic number "Friends" which is just a great number. Also the song marked the band's first use of orchestrations on a Zeppelin tune. The ending segues into the Page/Plant/Jones rocker "Celebration Day" which is a stellar rocking number. Next is the Page/Plant/Jones blues number "Since I've Been Loving You" which is a stellar number which the band always would play live in later years and is just a stellar blues which was a band original. The first half closes with the Page/Plant/Bonahm rocker "Out On the Tiles" which is just a great rocking number which just rocks and is one of the few tunes that Bonzo would co-write.The second half of the album begins with the acoustic Page/Plant composition "Gallows Pole" which is an adaptation of an old ancient folk tune and marked the first time that Jimmy Page would play banjo on a Zep tune and the only electric guitar on this track is the solo on the outro (not counting bass guitar) and is an excellent number. We then come to Page's composition ""Tangerine" which is another acoustic number. This track is a great short tune and has a stellar slide guitar solo from Page (only time he uses an electric guitar on this track). Next is another acoustic piece from Page/Plant's "That's the Way" which is another great song. Next is the Page/Plant/Jones collaboration called "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" which is a great toe-tapping country-ish sounding song and just a classic. We close the album with the wild warped blues of "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper" which is some wild blues with Pagey playing maniaclal acoustic slide and Robert's voice sounding like a tremeloed harmonica and references the old blues track "Shake 'em On Down".Led Zeppelin's third effort would go to #1 on the American album charts but was their least selling album initially but over the years fans appreciate it more and has sold six plus million copies in the US alone.Now in 2014, the album is re-released and given a superb remastering treatment by Jimmy Page and also comes with a second CD featuring rough mix of "The Immigrant Song", "Celebration Day", "Since I've Been Loving You" and "Gallows Pole" with alternate vocal and guitar bits. Also a rough mix of "That's the Way" with the song restored to its original speed which was slowed down on the original recording. Then there is instrumental backing tracks of "Friends" and "Out On the Tiles" known as "Bathroom Song". Also there is an instrumental version of "Jennings Farm Blues" which is an electric version of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp". Finally is a song not released before called "Key to the Highway/Trouble in Mind" which was recorded at the same time as "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper" and is a great piece. Also is packaged in a triple gatefold and replicates the original vinyl LP with the spindle cover and comes with a stellar booklet with awesome pictures.RECOMMENDED!

“Part of the challenge and excitement of revisiting a record upon reissue is trying to hear the music again with fresh ears, seeing if you can tap into that feeling of discovery that came from hearing it the first time. When (one is) able to mentally put oneself into this place— the kid who got his driver’s license a month ago, driving around listening to (Album X) on tape—the reissue sounds as thrilling as ever.”Let's get one thing straight: These are all 5-star worthy albums, and if you do not own these in any form, start here. The 4-star rating I gave above is explained below.The thoughtful prose above came, surprisingly, from Pitchfork, at the beginning of their review for the new Led Zeppelin reissues (I, II & III). I rag on Pitchfork quite a bit, and damn it most of the time I’m right to do so. This was one of those rare Pitchfork reviews devoid of pretension and overflowing with sensitive insight into why Led Zeppelin and these expanded reissues still matter. Yeah, I know. Wow.I buy a lot of these Expanded/Anniversary/Deluxe/Remastered/Legacy Editions, and the bottom line is simple: some of them are worth it, and some of them aren’t. I have a little over 250 of these, so I thought I’d start to review a few, and I might as well start with these new Led Zep deals. I won’t get into commentary on the original album itself, trying to stick to the following qualities, instead:1. Packaging (30%)2. Bonus Disc(s) (40%)3. Sound quality (20%)4. Overall Impression (10%)The packaging of all three are similar, a slim digi-pack design with faithful representations of the original covers on the front, including III’s die-cut and wheel (if any of you know the official term for that kind of thing, please let me know in the comments section). The back covers are sort of a photographic negative version of the originals, meant to represent the bonus disk content, which for the most part are alternate versions of the original songs. The tri-fold digi-pack is nice, but the disks are in their cardboard pockets a little too tight for my comfort. The booklet could have been better, too. No essays, no commentary, just the bare bones facts about the music and players within, complete with a few nice photos. For its faults, I’ll take off 10 points. 20/30The bonus discs for #2 and 3 are stellar, as I said mostly alternate takes of the originals, but they are better than average and I certainly wouldn’t rate any of these unworthy. The alternate version of Whole Lotta Love, for instance, sounds even more dangerous and vital than the original. The bonus disc on Led Zeppelin I, a live concert from around the time of release, is s***. I mean, it sounds like s***. Terribly recorded, I couldn’t finish the whole thing. Just awful, not even worth having as a curio. That said, I’d rate II and III perfect scores, and a big fat zero for Zep I’s bonus “material”. 27/40The sound quality is brilliant. Not much different to the most recent remasters (on, say, the Mothership collection), and certainly not too loud. To my ears this is the best I have ever heard Led Zeppelin. 20/20My overall impression? I’m impressed, and I have to say it’s about time this bands individual albums got the respect they deserved, even if they could have been a little better. In the end it’s really all about the music, and what’s here, apart from the live disc, is untouchable. 8/10Overall score: 75/100