Led Zeppelin III

3.8 + Look, I just find Led Zeppelin exhausting. Whenever I hear them I think of my douchey college roommate expounding on how they were “revolutionary.” So, fine, yes this album is terrific - it’s 10 solid tracks with killer drums, piercing vocals and searing guitar. Braun-Yaur Stomp rocks my nuts off. My problem though is that it’s a dialed up sound. It’s like owning a Lamborghini. If all you need is to run out for milk and eggs, driving a supercar can feel like a chore. Same with Led Zeppelin. Sometimes I don’t want music to sound so maxed out. So my college roommate can suck it.

Sets the bar high with Immigrant Song and then never comes close again to matching that energy. I needed a nap halfway through.

Very good, who is this band

“Led Zeppelin III” by Led Zeppelin (1970) Clearly the most underrated album by Led Zeppelin, this work deserves a serious listen by every music lover. Venturing into an eclectic mix of rock, blues, and even Celtic folk, Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham produced music of the highest caliber. “Since I’ve Been Loving You” is arguably the best blues rock song of all time—listen to the buildup to the most soulful scream ever recorded (at 5:30-6:20). Jones on bass & keyboards and Bonham on drums give exquisite, inventive performances, and Page’s guitar playing (rhythm AND lead) is stellar. But Plant’s unique vocal quality and range pull the passion right out of you. Dark & dank comic relief on “Gallows Pole” followed by the wistful “Tangerine” and the soul-wrenching “That’s the Way”—music to turn you inside out and back again. This is not top 40. This is actual music. 5/5

My fav Zeppelin album and another listen didn’t budge that truth. It has it all!

This is one of my all time favorites. Zeppelin at their most varied, including crushing blues, heavy metal, acoustic and folk. Since I've Been Loving You is among my all time favore

I've been a fan of this album for, I shit you not, 20 years. East 5 stars for me. Celebration Day is the weakest song on the album, and that's saying something. Don't tell Stairway, but Tangerine is the best thing that Led Zeppelin ever did. DONT @ ME

A fun folksy romp, with one of the most criminally underrated Zep songs (Friends). It has a few duds, however, and doesn't hit quite as high of highs as some of their other works.

While hard rock influences were still present, such as on "Immigrant Song", acoustic-based songs such as "Gallows Pole" and "That's the Way" showed Led Zeppelin were capable of playing different styles successfully.

of its time, of our time, of all time.

I, II, III, and Physical Graffiti all make appearances on the 1001 albums list. I love me some Led Zeppelin, but that seems like overkill. Especially because LZIII was critically panned when it came out, damned both for being less aggressive than its predecessors (Melody Maker) and for not being substantially different (Lester Bangs). Perhaps this album was included because it foreshadows Led Zeppelin's later work--Arabic modes and English folk songs both make their first appearance on LZIII. But I'm going to ignore LZIII's place in music history. Is it any good? The leadoff track, Immigrant Song, is relentless and menacing, driven by a staccato pedal point and Robert Plant's double-tracked vocals. A prominent tri-tone and a bridge that leads to nowhere, ending on a flatted 6th, contribute to the track's edge. Friends is a spooky modal tune, feature a flatted 5th and a minor 2nd. The arrangement is both sparse and ingenious, with strings handling a countermelody while Jimmy Page pounds out a rhythmic drone on the bottom. The song ends on a gorgeous synth drone from John Paul Jones, which leads into the next tune, Celebration Day. Here, Jimmy Page repurposes a riff from Robert Johnson's Terraplane Blues, but completely makes it his own. The chorus is pure pop. John Bonham's pounding drums seal the deal. Since I've Been Loving You is one of Led Zep's patented supercharged blues workouts--they wring out every last drop of emotion and intensity from the tune. Out On The Tiles is anchored by an extended Jimmy Page riff, woven together with Plant's vocal. The band is killer throughout the first half of LZIII. What guitarist Jimmy Page lacks in precision, he makes up for in taste, tone, and arranging prowess. John Bonham was the most powerful rock drummer of the era; sorry, Keith Moon. And the band's secret weapon is John Paul Jones, who plays keyboards with consummate taste, as well as bass. The second half of LZIII is less bombastic, which presents a problem for some fans, but is it really the weak link that critics claim it to be? Gallows Pole is a powerful rendering of an old English folk tune, driven along by mandolin, banjo, and John Bonham's kickass drums. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp has a more basic arrangement, but it's effective nonetheless. The softer tunes, Tangerine and That's The Way, are cunningly arranged and cast a melancholy spell. The weakest tune in the bunch is Hats Off To (Roy) Harper, which is 4 minutes of raunchy blues slide guitar paired with Robert Plant's processed vocals, in which he seemingly randomly spouts snippets of various blues lyrics. But even there, I appreciate how Jimmy Page recasts a traditional blues into something contemporary, utilizing the simplest of means. So, what's the verdict? I personally prefer Led Zep's harder side, but they pull off their more acoustically oriented stuff with skill, too. I prefer I, II, IV, and Physical Graffiti, but LZIII is pretty damned good.

Saved Prior: Immigrant Song Not Saved: 10. Hats off To (Roy) Harper Saved: 9. Tangerine 8. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp 7. Celebration Day 6. Since I've Been Loving You 5. Friends 4. Out on the Tiles 3. That's the Way 2. Gallows Pole 1. Immigrant Song Overall Notes: Led Zeppelin clicked for me during this album. I genuinely enjoyed every song on this album except the last one, and all for different reasons. Immigrant Song is what I imagine people who like heavy metal think heavy metal sounds like all the time. If it all sounded like that, I'd be a fan. Apparently this album is a transitionary album for Zep, can't wait to hear more.

OMG. 16 year old me is sooo excited. Probably my favorite zep albums. LOVE the acoustics. Best opening ever. I've listened to this a thousand times. LOVE

You know Led Zeppelin, they play bluesy rock really hard but I would say if you're into weird shit, this may be your favorite one. In other words, I think this some of their best, has a lot of depth to its sound.

J'ai énormement apprécié le clin d'oeil de Led Zeppelin à son public français, avec la présence d'un Nikos Aliagas absolument déchaîné sur la totalité de l'album. Ce dernier commence par nous donner les dernières actus sur Lolo Ferrari, avant de nous parler du Festival de Cannes à venir. Ensuite, il repétera à intervalles réguliers ses phrases telles que "Salut c'est Nikos" ou encore "ça buzze ça tweete". Enfin, il nous proposera un tour d'horizon de l'actu people en moins de 60 secondes.

This album would be nothing without Immigrant Song.

One of the first albums I bought on CD, essentially because I got "Hammer of the Gods" out of the library one summer and was obsessed with the band despite having never really heard them (!). Luckily, this was an excellent choice. Goddam, what a record - the sound, the songs, the atmosphere all incredible. "Friends", "Since I've Been Loving You", "Gallows Pole", "Tangerine" - can play all of this in my head from memory despite having not heard it for 30 years. Is it my favorite? Probably. Is it their best? Probably, although there are a few contenders. Just fucking great, so happy to spend time with it in full again. Could only be better if it included "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?" but that's what playlists are for

Zeppelin. No better rock band. Best song on III: since I’ve been loving you

Saw the album cover then heard the opening riff of Immigrant Song in my head. Satisfying.

Solid album but a few too many slow tracks for me. Led zep 4 is way better

Immigrant song - what a start to an album! Friends - Now we've gone a bit prog. Not the most melodic song I've ever heard End review - Aside from the couple of good songs "Immigrant Song" and "black dog", the rest was unmemorable.

Really poor zeppelin album. Weak instrumentals throughout and nothing super memorable. The acoustic guitar is not it. Thankfully followed by a banger Zeppelin IV

Listened to this one before, thought it was great and then never came back to it. So I'm very glad the generator got me to relisten, since this really is a masterpiece. Like most people, my favorite is the Immigrant dong (i'm leaving the typo there).

Also known as the "Zep goes to the countryside to holiday together in a rural cottage and (mostly) gets in touch with their softer side" album! I have a memory of first discovering this record when I borrowed the CD from my local library in my early teens...and thinking, "Huh--this isn't like the first two albums at all." It grew on me from there. LZ III is a super satisfying listen, with some of the group's most memorable uptempo stuff (the heavy Immigrant Song and jaunty Gallows Pole) and quietest (the twangy Tangerine and That's the Way) that they put out over the years. As is pointed out in the 1,001 Albums book note about LZ III, it's clear when Jimmy Page came up with the 12-string melody for "Tangerine" that he/they were building the core intro for the mega-epic Stairway to Heaven (whether they knew it or not at the time). Throw this record on while you're driving to your own rural getaway for some fellowship with nature. You'll be glad you did. Wikipedia factoids: *The album was one of the most anticipated of 1970, and its shipping date was held up by the intricate inner sleeve design based around a volvelle, with numerous images visible through holes in the outer cover. (this allowed for rotating the inside image to display different images through the cut-outs in the album's outer sleeve.) *Following an exhausting concert tour of North America that spring (1969), lead singer Robert Plant recommended to guitarist and producer Jimmy Page that they should retreat to Bron-Yr-Aur, an 18th-century cottage in Snowdonia, Wales, on a hilltop overlooking the Dyfi Valley, three miles (4.8 km) north of the market town Machynlleth. Plant had spent holidays there with his family. This remote setting had no running water or electric power, which encouraged a slight change of musical direction for the band towards an emphasis on acoustic arrangements. Page later explained that the tranquillity of Bron-Yr-Aur stood in sharp contrast to the continual touring of 1969, affecting the overall tone of the songwriting and dominance of acoustic guitars. *With Led Zeppelin III, the group's songwriting dynamic also changed: from Page's domination of the first two albums towards a more democratic situation in which all four group members contributed their own compositions and ideas. *Plant wrote all of the lyrics, with the exception of "Tangerine." Standouts: Immigrant Song, Friends, Celebration Day, Since I've Been Loving You, Gallows Pole, Tangerine, That's the Way, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

The Led Zep record thats ok to like if you’re an indie rocker.

Led Zeppelin at their most subdued, but each song still incredibly well written and interesting. This record focuses on traditional folk once the chaos of Immigrant Song is over, which is enjoyable but leaves little room for Bonham to shine. Best Tracks: - Immigrant Song - Out On The Tiles - Tangerine Worst Tracks: - Hats Off To (Roy) Harper Rating: 7/10

AaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaahhhhhhAAAAHHH

I really really dig it. Not bad for a Sabbath cover band

I like Zeppelin but I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to a full album of theirs before. Great album!

Good gravy this is good shit. Not the *best* LZ, but so good.

gets a 5 for immigrant song alone.. brilliant and not even in my top 2 LZ albums

Nice set of classics.

The 'acoustic' album with plenty of electric guitar! Not as many famous tracks, but still packed with invention and ideas.

I think I like rockin’ Zeppelin slightly better than chill Zeppelin. Even so, these guys fuck.

Great mix of rock and acoustic tunes, showcasing the bands versatility. Combined with pages vocals and I really enjoyed this album. Immigrant song and Tangerine two all timer songs

Initially disappointed grew to enjoy it throughout the day … it doesn’t have the spike hard non stop energy of I but it’s beautiful in its progressions , the guitar is forever amazing … the folky mellow tracks are a weaker spot imo but it is distinctly and in all the good ways , led zeppelin

No. 293/1001 Immigrant Song 5 Friends 4 Celebration Day 4 Since I've Been Loving You 5 Out On the Tiles 5 Gallows Pole 4 Tangerine 5 That's the Way 4/5 Bron-Y-Aur Stomp 3/5 Hats Off to (Roy) Harper 3/5 Average: 4,2 For me the last 2 songs couldn’t keep up in quality with the other songs. Otherwise an excellent record. I'm excited for the day I get IV.

Didn't like the first half, second was tremendous!

Second half of album better than first half

i owe half of musical knowledge to shrek 3,5/5 🧌

I wish I liked them more but they’re just ok to me.

i know it’s like objectively good (i assume) but it’s just so not my style i’m sorry

Not my fave Zep

I feel bad for not liking this as much as I feel like I should.

Seemed really nice to me. I am not Led Zeppelin fan, but the music is definitely nice. It is not my cup of a tea, so I probably wont come back to it, but it was definitely worth it.

Zeppelin is not a thing for me.

This Zeppelin did not achieve lift off.

Banger.

Incredible album. "Since I've Been Loving You" is the band's magnum opus in my opinion — Page's dynamic wizardry in a duel with Plant's supernatural vocals, gospel-like organ and bass from Jones carry us through the track while Bonham's beat leads us down the steps into the underworld. You can taste the whisky and smoke while your heart is being ripped from your chest. The band was completely unafraid of invention and each explored their deep bag of tricks for this album. Starting from the rock anthem "Immigrant Song" all the way until the Celtic folk magic of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", it's just jam after jam.

this shouldn't be a full 5/5 but it has Immigrant Song so it gets a pass

masterclass

Amazing. No notes.

There are few opening tracks that can equal "Immigrant Song." That said, the rest of the album is more blues rock, and I also love that. This is still not my favorite Led Zeppelin (which is IV), but it still gets all the stars.

My favourite of theirs!

Great music, there is a little too much falsetto for my liking but it's ok if I pretend the voice is another instrument.

Opens with one of the biggest singles the band Led Zeppelin ever made, arguably one of the defining songs of 20th century rock. After that, the album becomes a much more intimate affair than you would think if you only know that Immigrant Song was on this album. The band play with a number of genres here and while instrumentally the band can navigate these changes with ease, I am not sure that Plant's vocals do as good of a job moving between musical styles. However that last point is probably just my personal distaste for Plant's vocals. Put nicely, I think they are a bit much but on a song like Since I've Been Loving You it's basically perfect. It is difficult to overstate the mammoth impact that LZ have had and I fully expected to listen to this and come away unimpressed but it is a clear demonstration of why they are the quintessential rock and roll act of the 20th century. Though no song comes close to the barrage that is the opening track, they don't have to. They have done the hard rocking thing on the last two albums and their foray into other genres pays off here. A great album, and one that you truly do need to listen to before you die. I have always thought this album cover looks like total ass, though. Highlights: Immigrant Song, Since I've Been Loving You, Tangerine

Excellent, j'aime beaucoup ce groupe parce que je trouve que leur son a une identité par rapport à d'autres groupes de hard rock et même chaque chanson est reconnaissable. Les instrus de batterie sont au top, franchement banger

Amazing range of influence

Almost perfect

So fuckin good!

Outstanding

Optimally epic

Absolutely amazing. A full on Zeppelin experience. A little more acoustic than their other albums, but basically wall to wall bangers. Such a great listen.

Even the songs I don’t add to my favorites list are still almost perfect songs, just not entirely my taste. Each song oozes with cool. I think of when I first really listened to Zeppelin in high school. I always so all the shop kids wearing their t-shirts and never really got it. Then the summer after I graduated a friend of mine and I hung out before he went to Basic. He shared his extensive collection of 60s and 70s classics and I was literally amazed at how familiar and new Led Zeppelin seemed to me. And now as I listen to this album again, it’s like, how can you not want to take off your shirt and run into a forest screaming a barbaric yawp!?!?

I had forgotten just how much I love this album. Its perfection from the first note to the last. Tangerine is one of my all time favourite tracks. The album and in fact Zeppelin havent dated a bit.

Ooh, I've had the full quadrilogy now. Zeppelin are the masters of the art of the album. They have a balance of rock and blues that keeps you hooked. It's a whole mood. They suck you in, and this is as close to perfect as I think you can get. I said the exact same for the other three. And I don't even consider them one of my favourite bands... I think I might do now.

When I saw Led Zep III come up yesterday, I thought this was going to be easy, as I’ve heard this album about 100 times. I became familiar with it when Robert Plant and Jimmy Page got together for their Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded tour thing. They took about a dozen Led Zep songs and re-arranged them acoustically or using weird instruments. One of the songs they did was Gallow’s Pole, which I had never heard, and it was on LZ III. By the Way, what happened to John Paul Jones in that deal? JPJ is a badass and was a huge part of that group, but consistently gets overlooked. But I digress. The first thing that kind of strikes you about LZ III is that it has a few more softer/acoustic songs on the album, and the lore says it's because LZ wanted to prove to the snobs who had their noses up the butts of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and quite possibly Young, that they could also write cool folky acoustic rock songs. At the time, most critics were lukewarm, at best, about LZ III. Of course, most critics were lukewarm on LZ I & II and by LZ III, LZ were arguably the biggest rock band in the world. It shows you what critics know in the heat of the moment. Now of course, just about every LZ album is universally loved and deemed a classic. For me, the standout on LZ III is Since I’ve Been Loving You, mostly because I’m a huge blues fan and this song is white boy blues at its best. All the songs on the album were written by the boys in the band except for Gallow’s Pole, which was based on an English old-timey folk song, and Hats Off To (Roy) Harper, which was based on an old blues song by Bukka White. A song called Tangerine is on this album, which didin't mean anything to me until I saw Almost Famous and now it's one of my favorite LZ songs. Fills me with such sweet melancholia. LZ III isn’t my favorite LZ album, but it is great and there isn’t a song on it that I’d skip when listening to it. When I was listening to this fervently back in 1994-1995, I wasn’t really paying attention to lyrics, because it wasn’t until yesterday that I found out the song, That’s The Way, wasn’t just a love song about Plant having to leave a girl because he’s got to ramble or whatever. No, That’s The Way is about a mother telling her little boy not to play with the little boy from across town because he’s got long hair and is literally from the bad side of town. Plant wrote it after LZ toured America because the group would get harassed because of their long hair. Man, could we go back to the days were people just cared about the length of your hair? Anyway, That’s The Way still has a message for us idiots today. That's The Way is also in Almost Famous and it just fills me with the same sweet melancholia. Man, I love Penny Lane. LZ III is an album you have to hear, but I expect we’ll see at least 3-4 Led Zep albums in the list.

I'll never understand why "Hey Hey What Can I Do" was relegated to obscure b-side status but they kept "Hats Off To Roy Harper" on this. That being said, another great Zeppelin album. Lots of great acoustic stuff on side 2. Definitely paved the way for Stairway.

I can't give every Zeppelin album on the list 5 stars, can I? I've made a point of being selective with my 5s to distinguish an artist's very best work. But 4 seems ludicrously low for an album of this quality. The only criticism of it is it's not Led Zeppelin II, or IV or Physical Graffiti. Fuck it, 5s across the board for this perfect band.

I got this back to back with Physical Graffiti and I imagined it might not live up to it, but it did, and while III isn't my favorite Zeppelin album, I can still confidently grant it 5 stars. What a great weekend!

"This album burst out with "The Immigrant Song"... we come from the lad of the ice and snow, where the midnight sun and the hot springs flow... we are your... OVERLORDS... whoa... lol... "Friends" is a stark contrast... a folky blues song... "Celebration Day" which would become a concert staple is next... followed by the absolutely beautiful, "Since I've Been Loving You"... side one ends with the John Bonham workout, "Out on the Tiles"... side two opens with "Gallows Pole"... hangman, wait a little while... i think i see my friends comin', ridin' many a mile... "Tangerine"... living reflection... of a dream... is next... "That's The Way", "Bron Y Aur Stomp" and finally the album closes with "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper"... no big hits... but every song a banger... Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones... Five Stars... all day long..."

Love. Fav zep album

I know this one. I used to have almost all the Led Zeppelin CDs in heavy rotation. Looking forward to listening again tonight in earnest. It might be their best album.

I didn't want to give this 5 stars, because I'm sick to my teeth of Boomer classic rock, but goddamn this album goes hard

One of rhe best

This album showcased the band’s ability to do more than just rock by incorporating folk and synthesizers into their sonic palette. LED Zeppelin can still rock your world as demonstrated by the stunning opener “Immigrant Song”. Great album!

Zep's "acoustic" album. This album gets overlooked too much, it's one of their best.

Since I, we been loving you...voi kyynel mikä biisi...loppulevy vähän tuntemattomampaa kansanhumppaa mut always Zeppelin

Finallllly time to let the Led out. Zep III is probably my least favorite of the first 4 self titled albums but that in no way means it's bad or I dislike it. They're all freaking gold, this one included and I've listened to it many times. Every single song has something new and good to offer. Some of the things I really pulled out of this listen are: the bassline in "Celebration Day" is absolute filth, how immaculate Page's shredding is in "Since I've Been Loving You," Bonham's little shuffles in "Out On The Tiles," and Plant delivering some pretty beautiful lyrics on "That's The Way." All the songs are standouts but the cream(s?) of the crop for me are "Immigrant Song" "Since I've Been Loving You" "Gallows Pole" and "That's The Way," but almost every track really could be on the best-of list. There's just nothing like Zeppelin and their ability to deliver a great experience on a record. This one's an easy 5 outta 5 as I'm almost 100% sure all their others that must be on this list will be.

I hadn't listened to this from start to finish in a long time. I was thinking this was a solid 4, but it stood the test of time and is in fact a 5 IMO

Son poquísimos los discos de Led Zeppelin a los que no les daría 5 estrellas. Este no es uno de ellos.

A masterclass in rock. A legendary album for a reason.

I mean come on. Of course it's great. Zep makes so much rock music that came after it sound redundant

Easiest 5 star there is

Really good album. It too me back to the 80’s.

I enjoyed this album. It felt diverse and intense. I liked the string-like textures and the folk, bluesy tones, but what really drove me was how they turned it into rock. Since I’ve Been Loving You stood out especially. Deeply emotional with impeccable guitar work.

Top.

III was the first Led Zeppelin album I ever listened to start-to-finish, and in some ways it’s still my favorite, even though I have listened to IV since then. There’s just not a bad or boring track on it, and yes, I’m including Hats Off in that assessment. (The vocal effects!) Immigrant Song is a classic, Gallows Pole and Bron-Y-Aur Stomp are proper romps, Since I’ve Been Lovin’ You has that great moody atmosphere… Great stuff. I was happy to see it turn up.

Yeah I’ll give ya a 5 yeah why not

I have many of the songs on playlists. It’s Led Zeppelin. Who doesn’t like trying to imitate the opening screams of Immigrant Song?

This has long been one of my favourite Zeppelin albums. It's more original, the rock songs are peerless, 'Friends' is amazing and one of the band's highlights, and there isn't the same reliance on standard blues workouts. Instead you get a lot more influence from earlier periods - Leadbelly, Blind Willie Johnson, Kokomo Arnold, and Delta slide masters. Bonham is amazing on 'Out on the Tiles', and the guitar work from 'Gallows Pole' to the end is exceptional for its range and colour. Great music!

When the member realized they were actually great musicians.

An album so good you have to listen to it again immediately when it ends.

What gorgeous blues/rock! This is a keeper for sure. 4.5/5

Really top tier opening, solid all the way through. There's a reason this has remained a staple for more than 50 years.

First Zeppelin album on the list for me, though I have heard a lot of these songs before. An excellent record, no doubt. Tons of great songs. Immigrant Song, Tangerine, and Gallows Pole have always been favorites from me on this record. All excellent tunes. There’s so much more to like on here though, whether it’s Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Friends, and others. The way they all blend together is incredible, one of the great bands of all time and an amazing record.

Less good Zeppelin > 97% of other music

Definitely not my favorite Zep album. But it is still great.

Cannot find a bad song on the whole album.

For me it goes I, IV, II, III....but they are all 5's.