All of this touring had left the band exhausted, and in need of a break lead singer Robert Plant suggested to guitarist Jimmy Page that they retreat to a place where he spent time on holidays in his childhood, called Bron-Er-Air. Jimmy Page later said of the experience; “Robert and I went to Bron-Yr-Aur in 1970. We'd been working solidly right up to that point. Even recordings were done on the road. We had this time off and Robert suggested the cottage. I certainly hadn't been to that area of Wales. So we took our guitars down there and played a few bits and pieces. This wonderful countryside, panoramic views and having the guitars ... it was just an automatic thing to be playing. And we started writing. It was the first time I really came to know Robert. Actually living together at Bron-Yr-Aur, as opposed to occupying nearby hotel rooms. The songs took us into areas that changed the band, and it established a standard of travelling for inspiration... which is the best thing a musician can do”.
With no running water or electricity, it resulted in a much more acoustic styled album than the band had offered before, the result of which became the basis of the band’s third album, titled “Led Zeppelin III”.
“Led Zeppelin III” marked a significant change to the band’s output, one that acted as a growing wall within the fan base without affecting the album sales in the slightest. Indeed even as the discussion over the direction of the music on the album apparently increased in earnest in the months after the album’s release, the more the album continued to sell. In retrospect, perhaps the passage of time has brought on this discussion in greater terms, with an ability to see the whole Led Zeppelin discography in its entirety and draw a path through its various changes rather than discussing it as each album was released.
The album is immediately influenced by different notes than is always apparent on the first two albums, and that change of style is something that brings a different feel to the album. Because of the lack of electricity where they composed the majority of the album it has a far more acoustic sound than may have been expected at the time. Those acoustically flavoured songs, that mix in folk and Celtic influences into the tracks, stand out more as a result. Once the album was released, the tension between the band and the music press was stretched once again when the turn from electric rock compositions to acoustic arrangements was heavily questioned by the media, which led to the band refusing interviews and generally ignoring requests from those sections. While there is that acoustic basis to the album it feels as though that aspect is sometimes overplayed, and that while it may not be as bombastic in places as the previous two albums, that it isn’t as dominating as is suggested.
Those acoustic-based tracks found on the band’s third studio album do make their presence felt however. “Friends” has Page on his Harmony acoustic and includes a string section arranged by Jones, which Page had wanted in order to achieve an Indian style of sound. In places it still has more of a blues guitar sound, with a clanky old guitar sound as a result of the strings introduced into the track. “Tangerine” includes electric acoustic as well as steel pedal guitar and was first begun by Page when The Yardbirds were still together in 1968. The steel pedal guitar gives it a country twang that perhaps trends it in that direction rather than a purely acoustically composed track. Then there is the reworking of the traditional folk song called "The Maid Freed from the Gallows" into Led Zeppelin’s version here called "Gallows Pole". This is not purely acoustic, indeed Page played a variety of acoustic and electric guitars and even banjo, while Jones played mandolin as well as bass. “That’s the Way” certainly sits in the acoustic guitar category, with the story of its germination coming from when Plant and Page went for a walk on the property, sat down by a ravine, and Page began to play this tune he had written and Plant began to come up with words in the moment. Jimmy was later as quoted as saying that he felt that moment is where they began to become a true songwriting team. "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" was apparently written and recorded as an electric arrangement prior to the main writing sessions at the end of 1969 and was titled “Jennings Farm Blues”. With the new environs playing their part, it was reworked as an acoustic number, with drummer John Bonham forgoing the drums and picking up the spoons instead. The closing track on the album, "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper", is based on the Bukka White blues song "Shake 'Em On Down" and named as a tribute to their friend and folk singer, Roy Harper. With acoustic and slide guitar, and Plant singing through a vibrato amplifier, it reverts the band back to its major blues roots, while again utilising a cover song on their album.
The twisting of two-thirds of the track list on this album to a far less electric or heavy guitar base is noticeably prevalent, which as already mentioned did create some concerns in parts of the fan base. But the album also has the major talking points. The opening bombardment of “Immigrant Song” is the perfect way for the album to start, with Plant’s iconic screams and high-pitched vocals and that insidious guitar riff and drumbeat. Is anyone able to reproduce that opening wail from Plant? I know I can’t. “Celebration Day” is exactly that, a celebration of all four members and what they bring to the band, a fluidly tempoed track that feels like it is in perpetual motion, a great riff, and the rhythm of drums and bass like a rolling barrel down a hill, forever in motion. Great song. “Out on the Tiles” closes out the opening half of the album in a great uptempo vibe. Written by Bonham, you can hear his influence because it is loud and drum heavy. And “Since I’ve Been Loving You” is one of the bands best known and beloved songs, a rambling lovingly crafted piece that showcases Plant’s amazing vocals segueing into Page and his wonderfully liquid solo guitaring. Acting almost like a freeform exploration, that engaging organ enriches the sound of the guitar, while Bonham’s drumwork is superb, as Jones’s bass winds its way along, intertwining and drawing all the pieces together.
I have a very mixed heritage when it comes to Led Zeppelin. They were not a band I really cottoned onto when it came to my discovery of the heavier side of music, apart from those usual half a dozen tracks that everyone picks up on listening to the radio or their parents' music or older siblings' music. It wasn’t until the greatest hits compilation “Remasters” came out in 1990 that I really began to listen to the band with more purpose, and on the basis of how much I loved the majority of the songs put together for that double album, I decided that I needed to familiarise myself with the albums themselves. The verdict? Yeah, they’re okay, but really all I needed was on “Remasters”.
Over time, I got my own copies of all of the catalogue, and then over time I would listen to an album and then put it back on the shelves. It was an interesting experience when we had guest come over, I would point them to the shelves to choose an album or CD to put on – as I am generally a very obliging host in that way – and they would go “LED ZEPPELIN! YES!”, and I would listen to an album through their enthusiasm and sometimes get more out of it because of that. So, it would be fair to say that I find most of the band’s albums a similar proposition.
“Led Zeppelin III” is a tale of two halves. The first side of the album is mostly what I think of when I think of a Led Zeppelin album. Great vocals, great guitar, booming drums and meandering basslines. “Immigrant Song”, “Celebration Day”, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, “Out on the Tiles”. All very good to legendary tracks. Only “Friends” feels out of place. And then side two is the very acoustic driven songs, which to me work best here BECAUSE they are bunched together on one side of the album. It works best because there is no vicious turning circle of slow to fast to quiet to heavy. The similar path followed by the songs on this half of the album makes the collection fit together. Perhaps sometimes I’m not in the mood for that when I listen to the album, but by being on the same wavelength I can quickly smooth into the mood. And the symbolic flipping of the vinyl after “Out on the Tiles” lets me know that the mood and arrangement of the songs is about to change. So for me, “Led Zeppelin III” works really well on that mindset musically.
I’ve had the album out again for the last week, and my thoughts here have probably only strengthened as a result. Occasionally when I’ve had it on at work I’ve been thinking ‘come on, let’s get to the next album’ (it’s a bit heavier... it’s coming up soon on this podcast), but at other times I’ve turned it up and really enjoyed it. In a way it has reflected how I feel about Led Zeppelin in general – sometimes it gets a bit ho-hum, but on other occasions I am really into it. The past week for me though has been a positive experience with this album again. I have thought about how the reaction of this album was reported on its release 55 years ago, and wondered what my own reactions would have been if I had been more than 11 months old when the album was released. That mixed reaction from fans and critics I guess is a little about how I would generally feel about an album with these distinctly different styles released in my own wheelhouse of the late 1980’s would be – probably conflicted. I don't feel conflicted about “Led Zeppelin III”. I think it is a quite uniquely excellent album, created by four outstanding musicians.
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