This is what i wrote on our work Slack channel about this album.
Listening to Led Zeppelin III this time through was a great experience. I think in my mind I can't help but group the first four Zeppelin albums into a group and then compare and rank them. I am sure that is just because of the basic number system of the albums. It is dumb, but that is the way my mind has always thought about these albums and in so doing I think I always rank Led Zeppelin III as the 4th best. And because that in my mind it puts it at the bottom of this stupid imaginary list in my mind. That ranking for me by the way goes:
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin I
Led Zeppelin III
But what I really got out of this listening of Led Zeppelin III this time through is that this stupid list in my mind is distorted because basically all 4 of those albums are awesome and even if Led Zeppelin III is 4th on my list, it is still an amazing album and I really, really loved listening to it. I mean it starts off with "Immigrant Song" which is one of the all time great Zeppelin songs. He has that amazing howling opening. I listen to that opening and I instantly started questioning my ranking system. How could an album that opens with "Immigrant Song" be at the bottom of any list? So dumb.
This time through a song like "Friends" which is definitely more of a deep cut, was heard with new appreciation.
"Celebration Day" is just a bluesy rocker and is great. Great guitar riff, and the bass lines are pretty great on this one.
"Since I've Been Loving You" is an awesome blues number. I think this can go up against some of the classics by the three kings, B.B. King, Albert King and Freddie King.
"Out Of Tiles" has a great chorus.
"Gallows Pole" is a track that really stood out to me listening to the album this time through. I feel like I'm hearing this song for the first time, and may have been my favorite song. I think mostly because for whatever reason I really locked into it and it felt like a new discovery. Maybe it is the dark subject matter and the fact with it being October that I'm in a Halloween mood and so dark songs are just clicking with me.
"Tangerine" is a favorite Zeppelin song that is easy to forget. It is one of those songs where I totally forget about it, but then when I hear it I'm like "oh yeah, I love this song." To me this song sort of feels a head of its time in terms of where Zeppelin was. This sounds like a song that could have been later in their catalog, off something like "In Through The Out Door" or "Houses Of The Holy". I think it might be that slight country flavor of the slide guitar that gives me that vibe.
"That's the Way" has long been a HUGE favorite of mine. I love the mellow vibe and the guitars. I love Plant's laid back delivery. I don't know what I am thinking this, but it sounds like Southern California to me. It feels breezy and laid back like it could have come from Laurel Canyon.
Love "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp." Love when that bass drum kicks in. Sounds like Zeppelin going to a hoe down.
Love that bluesy steel guitar on "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper." This I feel like is another song that I forget about, but I really enjoyed this time through. I really liked this kind of rootsy blues sound. This and "Celebration Day" are a good pairing.
And with that this was something I saw today.
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