Ok, this is a tricky one: you may very well love Led Zeppelin and dislike this album or be a Zeppelin-hater who thinks this album is the only decent thing they ever made. (Or you may love both Zep and this album, as I do...)
Before listening to this album for the first time years ago I only knew three of the songs on it: ‘Immigrant Song’, ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ and ‘Tangerine’. The songs are not very alike, so I sort of expected the album to be compilation-like (different moods & different songs that have nothing to do with each other). Oh boy, was I wrong! First of all, I feel I should point out it’s only natural not to be very keen on this album (or even dislike it) the first few times you listen to it. This album is an acquired taste not because it is weird, but because it sounds very unlike the usual Zeppelin stuff. Guys, this is Led Zeppelin doing FOLK, and don’t tell me you were ready for it!
Actually, it shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise. After all, Zeppelin delved into different areas of music: blues rock, hard rock, even reggae, so folk rock might even be expected. But have you ever heard of passionate folk rock? I’m betting you haven’t (maybe because I just made that word combination up, but nevertheless...), and Zeppelin delivered just that in III.
Although some critics consider this album to be very much underrated and some even call it their favourite Zep album, most reviews are very harsh and can traditionally be shortened to one sentence: ‘This album is boring.’ The reason for this probably is the firm (unconscious) belief that if a band is good at something, they should not try to do anything else, which is why critics don’t even give the album a chance. Most bands get called ‘sell-outs’ for trying anything that is considered to be ‘out of their league’, and I guess that only the fact that there is nothing even remotely commercial here (save maybe the ever-so-popular ‘Immigrant Song’) saves Zep from sharing the same fate.
III is partly acoustic, which makes me wish for more acoustic stuff. Make no mistake, I love Zeppelin both plugged and unplugged, but using an acoustic guitar means less rocking and more feeling, which is probably why I find this album very, well, inspiring... yeah, that’s exactly the right word. Inspiring.
Best songs: ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’, ‘Gallow’s Pole’, ‘That’s The Way’, ‘Hats Off To (Roy) Harper’
