Led Zeppelin Discography

Not my favorite but definitely a milestone in rock and has some great songs. How many guitar players were influenced by the riffage on this album?

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III


Led Zeppelin again moved farther away from the blues-infused heavy metal and went for more of a straight forward, balls-to-the-wall heavy metal. Of course, that is evident on only three songs.

Led Zeppelin III might be the bands' most roller-coaster-like records. I mean over half the album is acoustic (Plant hated being called heavy metal because a third of Zeppelin's music was acoustic). From the dark "Friends", to the melancholy "Tangerine", to the fun/folky "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" (should have been printed "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp"), Zeppelin III explores the softer side of Zeppelin.

However, this album will always be known for the "Immigrant Song." It pummels the listener with with one of Page's greatest riffs, Jones's spot on bassline, Bozon hard-hitting drumming, and Plant amazing vocal showcase. It's a soundtrack for vikings the around the world. Other metal numbers include "Celebration Day" and "Out On The Tiles" (as far as I know, it's only been played once live).

Not to totally shun their blues roots, "Since I've Been Loving You" is one of the greatest blues song they've ever written. More bluesly swagger is shown in "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper."

Overall, a solid album that would prepare the world for one of the greatest albums every recorded.

My rating:

9/10

To be honest, III was one Zep album I could never get into. Surely a great record, but I don't think it's as memorable as the first two or the next few.

Schbopo wrote:

To be honest, III was one Zep album I could never get into. Surely a great record, but I don't think it's as memorable as the first two or the next few.

I agree. The first two albums are very strong for me but this one, despite some good songs, is one I rarely reach for when I'm in a Zeppelin mood.

Immigrant Song is a classic, though. I remember a friend of mine (the one that would never shut up about how all need to forsake all other heavy bands and kneel before only Zeppelin) arguing that that's basically the entire metal genre squished into one single track.

'Led Zeppelin III' is an interesting album, the so called 'acoustic album' but as XYZ pointed out their are few heavy rockers on this release. This album paved the way for their other releases establishing their 'light and shade' sound that they would explore for the rest of their career.

It took me years to warm up to this album but it is definitely another excellent album. It kicks off with a heavy rocker 'Immigrant Song' than goes right into the acoustic friends, and contains one of Led Zep's underrated songs 'Celebration Day' and of course the classic 'Gallows Pole' which Page and Plant would revive and include in their set years later. 'Out on the Tiles' is another classic song that gets no radio play. An excellent album from a band only 1 year and 1/2 into their recording career and have already released three classic albums.

II shows another side of Zeppelin not seen on the debut and then III comes along and shows yet another side.

Schbopo wrote:

To be honest, III was one Zep album I could never get into. Surely a great record, but I don't think it's as memorable as the first two or the next few.

It took me awhile it get into Zep III, but it is now one of my favorite Zeppelin albums. I love the diversity of the album. "Out On The Tiles" is my favorite song from the album (as is "Immigrant Song"). It was played once live, at least (It's on the Live On Blueberry Hill bootleg).

Zep II: When I first got a Walkman cassette player at age 13 one of the first 90 minute TDK tapes I had was AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock" on side one and Zeppelin II on side 2. I used to listen to that to death riding on buses and walking to friends' houses. That was when I really truly discovered STEREO sound, hearing "Whole Lotta Love" go back n forth in the headphone speakers. When I first discovered stereo, thats when music really came alive for me and Led Zeppelin II helped to that for me, so I am grateful to them for that.
You cant turn on an FM radio station today and not hear a song from this album sometime within an hour or two, almost guaranteed.


Zep III: Other than Immigrant Song and Celebration Day, I didnt really know much from this album until my teen years, mainly because nobody I knew had this album for some reason. It definitly slows down quite abit on side 2, it's not quite the party album like the first two albums by them. Maybe thats why I rarely heard it until I was 15 or 16. Still, this was kind of a transition album for them; they were learning how to experiment in the studio and really learning how to make great music, not just "rockin' out" so to speak.

Given the fact that Zeppelin had a very short career(8 studio albums over 10 years, not counting Coda), you find yourself going back and re-aquainting yourself with their lesser known music and finding out that their lesser known music is just as great as their played-to-death music as well.

Zeppelin III is a near-perfect album and a quantum leap in maturity from Zep II. This is the point where they allowed all their other musical influences to creep into the mix (english folk music, eastern scales & tonalities, Page's alternate tunings, more prominent keyboards courtesy of Jones)...and overnight they became the most intelligent heavy rock band on the planet.

Zeppelin might have helped invent heavy metal, but that was just a small portion of the breadth of styles they could pull off. I'm sure Zep III had some people scratching their heads when it came out...but looking at it now...it's no more mellow than Zeppelin IV or any of the later albums.

The majority of this album is brilliant: Immigrant Song, Friends, Celebration Day, Since I've Been Loving You, Gallow's Pole, Thank You, Bron Y Aur Stomp. The rest is merely killer.

Zeppelin III is one of my favorite albums of all-time, as are a few of Zep's records.

Led Zeppelin III is the most expensive one in the stores.

I don't have III and I haven't heard it in a long time, but I don't remember liking it that much. I guess the highlights make it better than the debut, but that's about it.

III was my introduction to Led Zeppelin. My younger brother bought it on vinyl. I wasn't even aware of the original version of Immigrant Song prior to my borther playing it to me. I already knew Dark Angel's version though.

This is one of those albums that make me miss vinyl. I thought the concept of the album cover was cool with rotatable disc and what seems to be random images. A cover that could never be duplicated for CD.

Led Zeppelin is one of those bands that had mass appeal. Casual radio listeners all the way to the hard core record buying fans agreed that Led Zeppelin had something to offer everyone. The critics panned the band for some odd reason I have yet to figure out, and yet it had no affect on the band's popularity. The incredible chemistry and musicianship is evident even from the first album which was recorded shortly after the band formed. The second album was recorded mostly on the road while supporting the release of the first album. Despite these circumstances we have a couple of the best albums ever recorded. Led Zeppelin changed their sound and incorporated a variety of influences with an artful skill that few bands ever could. They blazed their own path on their own terms and most certainly paid the price. We are left with some of the greatest music ever recorded.

I, II, and III are great albums.

journeyman wrote:

Led Zeppelin is one of those bands that had mass appeal. Casual radio listeners all the way to the hard core record buying fans agreed that Led Zeppelin had something to offer everyone. The critics panned the band for some odd reason I have yet to figure out, and yet it had no affect on the band's popularity. The incredible chemistry and musicianship is evident even from the first album which was recorded shortly after the band formed. The second album was recorded mostly on the road while supporting the release of the first album. Despite these circumstances we have a couple of the best albums ever recorded. Led Zeppelin changed their sound and incorporated a variety of influences with an artful skill that few bands ever could. They blazed their own path on their own terms and most certainly paid the price. We are left with some of the greatest music ever recorded.

I, II, and III are great albums.

Excellent post!

Sorry if I posted my reviews in too short of period of time between each other. I'll slow down a little bit.

Awesome, awesome, awesome. I had jumped straight from pop and oldies in the 80's to heavy metal and missed the classic rock/ classic metal stuff. In the early 90's I was introduced to Zep finally and.....hooked! Addicted. For 18 months I couldn't change the dial from the classic rock channel. Led Zepellin became my all-time favorite (then). First 4 are absolute classics.

Zep II is my favorite of their releases. I don't think there are any weak tracks on it.I think my favorite song on it is Whole Lotta Love.

Zep III is my least favorite release of theirs. I just can't get into it. Immigrant Song is just about the only song on it I truly enjoy and Hats Off to (Roy) Harper should have never been recorded (just a horrible song in my opinion)

xyz wrote:

Sorry if I posted my reviews in too short of period of time between each other. I'll slow down a little bit.

You are going at a good pace, you don't need to change your pace.

I get what alot of people are saying aswell, it's definately the least immediate of the Zep records. But after an almost OCD like playing by myself it's easily my second favourite Zep record. It's got a great dynamic, the quieter moments make the loud moments even louder. I love the very pastoral English folkiness to it that taps into the same vibe as contemporaries/influences Fairport Convention and Pentangle. Gotta love that six string pirate Jimmy Page and his lift of Bert Jansch's "The Waggoner's Lad" for "Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp", not the first time Jimmy raided "The Jimi Hendrix Of The Acoustic Guitar"! Also "Out On The Tiles" has got to be one of the most underrated Zep songs in the canon, definately in their 5 or so best songs.

I to confess I had never heard of Bert Jansch til recently, I believe I may have read about him in Classic Rock Magazine, apparently he was considered a master guitarist among his fellow musicians including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and one Jimmy Page who was very influenced by a solo album he released in 1965, which I have never heard but apparently this gave Page the inspiration for "Black Mountain Side" off their debut.

"Inspired" is closer to "ripped off" when talking about Black Mountain Side.

Here's Black Waterside:

Jansch is just awe inspiring.........everyone needs to check out his solo records and Pentangle stuff particuarly the classic albums Bert Jansch (1965), Jack Orion (1966) and Pentangle's Basket Of Light (1969).

Page's rip of "Black Waterside" for "Black Mountain Side" is even more direct then that of "Waggoner's Land" for "Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp".

I don't get aggrieved over what Zep did with regard to this like others do, because it was always tasteful whether it was Plant copping Steve Marriott in "Whole Lotta Love" or Page and his Jansch fixation (If your going to steal, steal from the best!). I just think maybe they should of been credited originally but then nobody was perfect back then in that regard.

LZ III is my least favorite of the Zeppelin catalog. It's got some great songs on it, but as a complete album, it's lacking for me. I haven't hear the whole thing in years (never upgraded my tape to cd), so maybe I'd hear something different this time around should I ever invest in a copy. I just never remember a time when I was going through my tape collection and thinking "This is the album I want to listen to today". I look at this album as a discography filler.

Good, but not great.

Metalguy posted exactly what I would say.