Led Zeppelin 3, 1970

I knew that eventually I would get around to reviewing a Zeppelin album. So why then did I pick an album that has never exactly been one of my favorites of theirs? Well, the first reason is that I have not heard the whole thing in a long time and it was high time that I gave it another chance. The other reason is that I finally got around to getting it on CD. The reason this album was not one of my favorites was because I tend to prefer the band's more hard rock songs and this album has mainly slower songs. Yet in listening to the album this time around I can tell the band approached the album the same way as any other album done between the debut and Physical Graffitti. That is that it is well written, expertly played and done with a lot of emotion and feeling. The music is a different style, but the results are the same which means it's excellent. In looking at Zeppelin's overall career I would say this is a testament to their skill that this album was so good. Their second album is great and then they turn around and do an album that is almost as good, but a completely different style. How many rock bands can pull that off? Not too many that's for sure. You have to have the skill, be diverse as players and writers and be excited about what you are doing. If you lack any of those elements then the results will be either a lame album or an album that sounds very forced. I don't think Zeppelin faltered at all until "Presence" and "In through the out door" when fatigue and other problems caught up with them. Anyway , 3 is an important and spectacular chapter in Zeppelin's incredible career. It's an album that's both beautiful and stunning without being overdone. My favorite tracks are Immigrant Song, Out on the tiles, Gallow's Pole and Tangerine.