Albums Revisited: Houses of the Holy — Led Zeppelin
Release Date: March 28, 1973
Billboard #1 upon release: Dueling Banjos by Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell
Billboard Chart Peak: #1 for two weeks (May 12–25)
Billboard Singles: D’yer Mak’er #20, Over the Hills & Far Away #51
Album Long Term Success: 11x Platinum
Grammy Awards: Nomination for Best Album Package
Pitchfork Top 100 Albums of 1970s: #75
Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time: #148
By 1972, Led Zeppelin was one of the most popular bands in the world. The band was fresh off their untitled fourth album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV, which was a critical and commercial success, thanks in part to the incredibly popular single Stairway to Heaven. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were writing hit after hit, combining a variety of influences including blues, psychedelia and folk music. With Page on lead guitar, Plant on vocals, John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards and John Bonham on drums, the foursome had become an unstoppable of the early 70s.
The band travelled to the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio in the Spring of 1972 to record their fifth album. For the first time, the band wrote tracks composed entirely of original material. It was a time of experimentation, with Jimmy Page exploring new production techniques that moved the band away from its blues influence. Guitar riffs were layered, lyrics became less overt, and the band began to explore new genres like reggae and funk. Author Dave Lewis noted that the session found the “band doing exactly what they want to do . . . less about being perfect, more about letting loose and having fun.”
The result was Houses of the Holy, released at the end of March of 1973. The band had already been playing some of the songs on tour, but the album’s release was used to heavily promote the band’s North American tour. The album was well received by the fan’s avid fan base and led to a sold out tour at some of the largest venues in America. The critics, on the other hand, gave the album mixed reviews.
Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone was especially critical of the album, calling it “one of the dullest and most confusing albums” of 1973. Fletcher made a point of mentioning Led Zeppelin’s mastery of blues, criticizing them as being “foolish to step outside that genre.” Music critic legend Robert Christgau had a more optimistic view of the album, grading it an A- while praising the band’s ventures into new territory.
Modern critics have referenced Houses of the Holy as a critical album of the 1970s. Jonathan Zwickel of Pitchfork refers to the album as a collection of “truly original, incomparable compositions, spanning the full breadth of rock’s vast potential.” All Music states “the band’s playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of Page and Robert Plant’s songwriting sound coherent and natural.”
The Song Remains the Same — The opening track starts with fire and fury thanks to Jimmy Page’s thrilling guitar skills matched by John Bonham’s drums on full overdrive. The track’s name was used as the title of Led Zeppelin’s 1976 concert film due to its popularlity with the fan base. Lyrics are rather trivial on the track, merely because of the epic nature of the musicianship on display. It is a thrilling opener to the album and certainly in line with work found on the band’s previous albums.
The Rain Song — Jimmy Page told biographer Brad Tolinski that this song was written because George Harrison remarked to John Bonham “the problem with you guys is that you never write ballads.” The song is certainly a drastic change from the boisterous opening track, embracing extended instrumental breaks with John Bonham on mellotron and synthesizer. Plant sings his thoughtful lyrics with sensitivity and soul, but one wonders how much greater the song would be with true orchestration instead of the amateurish electric sounds from the synths that hinder the track from achieving truly epic heights.
Over the Hills and Far Away — Page and Plant began writing this song in 1970 and it provides a great fusion of folk and metal. Page begins by playing a six-string acoustic guitar, which is then layered with a 12-string acoustic guitar on the repetition of the theme. Robert Plant’s vocal continues the slow steady build up, leading to an amazing metal chorus. Bonham and Jones perform brilliantly with intricately tight rhythm, keeping the rock heavy for Plant’s soaring vocals and Page’s soulful blues riffs. The song ends with a postlude almost reminiscent of a harpsichord, letting the listener to catch his breath before the next track.
The Crunge — Led Zeppelin’s funk tribute is anything but traditional, with Bonham creating a 9/8 rhythm for Jones to create creative bass lines on top of. The use of strange synthesizer fills and ridiculous vocal lines only further damage an already simplistic lyrics. The band stays true to their James Brown mimick, including an eye-roll including a shtick at the end of the track regarding the bridge. Jones is noted for calling this his favorite track by the band, most likely because he and Bonham are on their A-game. Otherwise, the track is a sad imitation of funk.
Dancing Days — The strut is back on the second side of the album. There is a great swagger to this song, but it does not ever seem to blossom. Page presents a great opening riff, but its continuous repetition leads to annoyance by the end of the track.
D’Yer Mak’er — John Bonham made it known that he hated reggae, but he created one of the most memorable drum intros in rock history on this track. Though the song is not a true reflection of reggae, Bonham’s shuffle beat gives the track a driving heartbeat and Plant provides one of the best vocals of the album. The song is a bold step forward for a band looking to expand its musical language.
No Quarter — Acclaimed producer Rick Rubin noted that this track “completely changed how we look at what popular music can be.” The stunningly unique production of the track is the key component of the song. The song’s atmospheric feel makes it a drastic change from anything from the album thus far. This is the experimental apex of the album, showing the band’s willingness to push boundaries of their music.
The Ocean — Welcome back the swagger. Jimmy Page rips out another stunning riff and it is backed with solid rhythm by Jones and Bonham. Robert Plant sinks his teeth into the lyrics, providing a great rocker. But true to the albums adventurous spirit, the band throws an a cappella vocal section right in the middle of the song, only to transition back into the heavy rocking. The coda is a majestic ending showing the virtuosity of the band, though the doo-wop vocals seem a bit heavy handed.
45 years later, House of the Holy is, overall, a successful album. This is an essential album of a band eager to explore boundaries and its willingness to travel into new spaces. One could make fair criticisms about the bizarre use of synthesizers within tracks like The Rain Song and The Crunge. The use of the instrument lessens the tracks and belittles the spectacular musicianship evolving within the songs. The band’s willingness to explore new genres is admirable, but in the case of The Crunge, they often fall well short of the desired outcome. These are the risks taken by artists to expand creatively. Certainly not all ideas will be roaring successes, but with the substantial success of Zep’s previous albums, the band had certainly earned the right to move forward with their own production.
House of the Holy is not a cohesive unit of thoughts and it certainly has weak moments, but it serves as a testament of a group of creative artists at the height of their musical exploration. The musicianship is still otherworldy, showing musical geniuses excelling at their craft. Jimmy Page is a master of memorable guitar riffs and is well matched with the skillfully crafted fills by John Bonham on drums. John Paul Jones’ bass is always fully in sync with Bonham providing jaw-dropping, intricate rhythmic sections and Robert Plant provides vocals that seem to envelop his full being.
One would be hard pressed to claim this as the best output of Led Zeppelin, but due to its welcoming of new genres and innovative production techniques, it may very well be their most influential work. Houses of the Holy lacks the huge singles from previous Led Zeppelin albums, but songs like D’Yer Mak’er and The Rain Song have rightfully earned their places as some of the most well loved songs of the band’s output. The album maintains a fresh vitality even after 45 years and is not only worth revisiting, but also worthy of multiple listens.