Track Listing

1. Immigrant Song
2. Friends
3. Celebration Day
4. Since I've Been Loving You
5. Out on the Tiles
6. Gallows Pole
7. Tangerine
8. That's the Way
9. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
10. Hats off To (Roy) Harper

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1359 in Music
• Brand: LED ZEPPELIN
• Released on: 1994-08-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
2005 Japanese standard jewel case pressing of Led Zeppelin's 1970 album. Features the same tracks and mastering as the US edition but includes an OBI and Japanese/English insert. Warner. 2005.

Amazon.com
After plundering the Yardbirds' legacy and Willie Dixon (among others) for their blues-riff-heavy first two albums, Jimmy Page and company surprised many listeners with the strong acoustic/folk sensibility displayed on III. Page aficionados shouldn't have been caught off guard; the guitarist had toyed with similar sensibilities and modalities during his brief tenure with the Yardbirds (most notably "White Summer" from the Little Games album). Ever the creative thieves, Zep kick off the album by nicking the riff from "Bali Ha'i" no less, with Robert Plant wailing it to punctuate the thundering FM warhorse "Immigrant Song." Even other electric rockers like "Celebration Day" and "Out on the Tiles" have an inventive, offbeat musicality to them that suggest the band was already wary of stereotyping. But it's the decidedly mellower acoustic groove of the album's latter half that's the news here, from the graceful beauty of "That's the Way" and "Tangerine" to the raw, folksy charm of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp," "Hats Off (to Roy Harper)," and the traditional "Gallows Pole." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

In A Mellow Mood
After the thundering success of their first two albums, Led Zeppelin showed that they had more than just a heavy metal side. Led Zeppelin III has an acoustic based, earthy sound and in most places finds the band in a mellow mood. "Immigrant Song" opens the album with a driving kick that belies what will follow. "Friends" and "Celebration Day" show off Jimmy Page's skills on the acoustic guitar while retaining the power of their electric work. "Since I've Been Loving You" is a mournful blues dirge in which Robert Plant bleeds his heart out all over the song. John Bonham contributes the fine "Out On The Tiles". "Gallow's Pole" starts with a slow beat and then builds and builds and picks up speed like water rising in a dam. The water keeps getting higher and then tension builds in the song before it comes bursting free at the end. "Tangerine" is beautiful song that doesn't get many mentions as a great Zep song, but despite its seeming subtlety, it one of the most intricate of their songs and one of their all-time best. III is among the most critically bashed of their albums, but the acoustic nature of it was a precursor to the Unplugged albums of the 90's and the album deserves alot more credit than it gets.

Most Underrated Zeppelin Album (4 STARS)
I would have to say that "Led Zeppelin III" is by far their most under-appreciated album to date. Many fans hardly recognize it for the beautiful music it contains. Sure, it's not as catchy, driving, grabbing as some of the more popular Zepp albums, but really that's the basis of its appeal. "III" is not something you can imagine filled football stadiums moshing to. It's what's in the background as you ask someone to pass the coffee on a Sunday. And critics, as many as their fans did at the same time, sold them out in the early 1970's. Zepp is heralded as a "Blues Metal Band" (sounds like an oxymoron to me) and people expected the same high pitched wisping Robert Plant vocals to accompany Page's blues riffs. But when "III" hit, everyone was disillusioned. Teased with "Immigrant Song" and Part 2 of Friends, "Celebration Day," no one could lower their heart rate in time to appreciate acoustic classics like "Tangerine," "Gallows Pole," and "That's the Way." Perhaps they could swallow the bluesy "Since I've been Loving You" or "Hats Off to Roy Harper" having been introduced to the same sound in their 1969 debut, but on the whole they were disappointed.

Years later "Immigrant Song," "Friends," "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp," and the unreleased "Hey, Hey What Can I Do" rank among Zeppelin's greatest songs. Page seemed to be the one taking all the risks, hanging up the legendary Les Paul to fiddle with alternate acoustic guitar tunnings (Open D 4th fret capo on "That's the Way," Open G tuning on "Bron-Y-Aur"). And after the dust has settled on the bands monster career, "III" is behind only "IV," "Houses of the Holy," and "Physical Graffiti" as Zepp's finest album.

A Mature Transition
On this album ,Zeppelin begin to become more electic in their music after two raunchy blues albums to get the ball rolling. They haven't completely left their power behind though. IMMIGRANT SONG is a short but immensley powerful song with plants banshee wail like nothing you've ever heard. CELEBRATION DAY has a brlliant warped slide guitar riff and OUT ON THE TILES is an underrated classic zeppelin tune with its funky swagger. SINCE I'VE BEEN LOVING YOU is a brilliant epic not quite of the same standard as other zeppelin epics but it still remains a concert favourite. But the secret of this album is the folky side of it which is excellent throughout. GALLOWS POLE is a menacing interpretation of a Leadbelly classic, BRON-YUAR-STOMP is an infectious tune, but the standouts ore most definately TANGERINE which is a quite amazing tune showing how much Zeppelin have matured as can be said for THAT'S THE WAY which is equally pristine and one of their best compositions.

What this album does is show you that Led Zeppelin were far more than straight blues rock or heavy metal, their compositions were detailed thoughtful and even sensitive and of all their albums, this shows that side of them best and also gives us a little sneak preview of what was to come next.