Led Zeppelin song by song thread

The fantastic original by Josh White.

 

In My Time Of Dying - What can you say?

John Bonham, that's what. This is the sound of planets being destroyed.

 

Yes it is the Danelectro. Page used it live as well. I forgot that is the guitar he used on the song so I looked it up. I have the cough and no cough versions.

 

Cheers mate
I had never noticed the tone before today ... idky

 

Cheers to you also. I need to get back into the thread. I just moved and it has been taking up my time unpacking and all.

 

Houses Of The Holy



A nice little fusion of hard rock, pop, and even a dash of James Brown style funk here and there, this was supposed to be the title track of the previous album but was yanked at the last minute. Frankly , I think they made to right choice in holding onto this track and putting it on Physical Graffiti. It just seems to fit this album better,

 

I'm biased but I think Bonham's drumming makes this one, you could get 50 other drummers to play on this song & it wouldn't float the way it does with him behind the kit.

Another one of those Zeppelin tracks you almost forget about but when it comes on, you have a smile on your face & everything feels great for the duration.

 

Love this song. The amazing vocals, the bass and drum interplay, the incredibly awesome guitar tone..all of it. Perfect

 

this is a good song. not a favourite

 

I don’t like “In My Time of Dying” outside of the drums. I find it long and tedious. “Houses of the Holy” is a good tune. I think it would have fit just fine on Houses of the Holy but it works here, too. Kind of a good time, up tempo pop/hard rock tune.

 

The version on the companion disc with the original guitar solo intact, is actually one of my favorite Zep moments of all time. To me it sounds so much more like a live version from '75, but in the fidelity of the original. I'd easily agree that the overdubbed solo is better, but to me the original untouched version on the companion disc sounds more like Zeppelin actually sounded, based on live performances.

 

HOTO is an unassuming but excellent track. Lots of subtle elements, like the background "woo woo woo" vocals and little whistle during the guitar solo outro.

 

"Houses of the Holy"

Originally from the Houses sessions. A loopy, fun song, certainly a welcome break after “Dying”'s forceful gravitas. As a 15 year old trying to work up the nerve to ask someone out, I could certainly relate to "Let me take you to the movies, let me take you to the show." Tasteful open "cowboy" chording and quick, “perfect” blues fills define the guitar work (I love the outro solo). I couldn't believe it when I found out the line that sounded to me like “side by night,” whatever that means, was actually “Satan and man.” Well, maybe I could believe it after reading Hammer of the Gods.

 

In My Time of Dying
On this track, Led Zeppelin puts out yet another wild, shape-shifting version of the blues that is both original and very much their own. Instead of the crushing heaviness of the first album, the white-knuckle intensity of the "Lemon Song," the scorching drama of "Since I've Been Loving You," or the warped atmospherics of "When the Levee Breaks," we get a grimy, frenetic jam of a song. Robert Plants cries for mercy delivered in his Physical Graffiti-era rasp, combined with Jimmy Page's shifting, kaleidoscopic waves of gritty riffs gives the song a manic energy that makes the song feel much shorter than it is. This isn't one of my favorite Led Zeppelin tracks, but it is definitely one of their more interesting takes on the blues.

Houses of the Holy
This isn't a particularly ambitious track by Led Zeppelin's standards, but it gives them a chance to show their pop side without compromising what they're about. It's a great song, and the reason why it was left off its eponymous album is beyond me. It's one of the strongest tracks from those sessions, and Houses of the Holy definitely had some dead weight that could've been cut to make room for this song. Whatever the reason for its exclusion, it's still a favorite of mine, as well one of the best moments of Physical Graffiti.

 

The BOMP BOMP chord in Houses Of The Holy is one of those little Jimmy Page genius things. It's right there in front of everybody, same guitar neck that everybody else looks at, same notes as everybody else has, it's almost laughable how easy it is, but nobody else found it, except maybe Jimmy Nolen -- but even this is something a little different from straight up Jimmy Nolen. I don't even want to know what it's called in strict musical terminology -- sustained, diminished, whatever, Who Cares! It's the Houses of the Holy chord! BOMP BOMP. You like that? How about we do a BOMP BOMP BOBOBOMP? Just hold that index finger down!

 

One of my favorite web sites, dinosaurrockguitar.com, has a profile on Jimmy with this note about his playing:
"Chordally, you'll get standard rock fare, plus a bit more...you'll also get some interesting chord voicings — sometimes with an atypical note in the bass or with open strings ringing. Also common are ideas that sound more complex than they are to play. If you spend any time copping Page's guitar parts, figuring out what he's doing can initially stump you. But then when you finally get it, it's like: well, duh! My advice: try the simplest things first. That's usually what's Jimmy's done."

 

Are you sure it isn't "zite na na".

 

In My Time of Dying-such a sinister sounding opening with the overall reverb on the track and phasing on the slide guitar. A great grungy sort of song with some incredible drumming from Bonham. Page's soloing is wild and frenetic. One of my favorite parts of the song is when Page start his solo section around 5 minutes in, the band really starts to rev up and Page comes in with this otherworldly guitar sound that comes out of nowhere and begins the solo.
So yeah it does get a bit monotonous, like ok guys lets wind this one up-almost like it was improved live and they couldn't figure out how to finish it. Anyways considering how great the track is I can overlook this.

Houses of the Holy-I consider this a decent song but not one of my favorites. There's nothing wrong with it at all but nothing that really grabs me either. As others have said it is kind of the needed levity after the In My Time of Dying...

 

Trampled Under Foot



Probably one of the best songs using vehicle maintenance as a metaphor for sex. The clavinet adds a different dimension on this hard rock/funk classic.

 

trampled under foot is a monster of a track. If ever anyone suggests the John Paul Jones wasn't an important member of the band, pull songs like this out and make them take it back
I could be wrong but it sounds like a d7 (like Stevie Wonder often used in the seventies) and he has it pumping a nice groove that is fully realised when the band kicks in.
Great track

 

Trampled Under Foot
I've never liked this song as much as a lot of people do. It's grown on me over time, but I still don't think of it as a standout track.

 

I've always loved this track - although I will confess that if you asked me to make a ranked list of best Zep songs, and then if you made a ranked list based on which songs I actually listen to the most often, Trampled would probably come out a bit higher on paper than in my listening rotation.

In the last year or two I've taken to listening to the "Brandy and Coke" early mix on the PG companion disc a lot - it lacks the power and fury of the overdubs of the original, but man, you can really hear what a filthy, funky groove it is. It's made the song fresh for me.

Also, don't want to sidetrack, but since I missed it, I have to give all praise to In My Time of Dying. It's hard for me to pick a single favorite Zep song, but if pressed it would be that one. It's just magnificent - the drumming, the slide guitar, the vocals, the drama, just wow. And no one else could have done it like that.

 

Trampled Underfoot really came to life on stage from 1975 through the last tour in 1980. Page often included unusual and fascinating extended solos, while Jonesy & Bonham were really cooking with gas cranking out the devastating rhythm.

 

"Trampled Under Foot"

Amazing clavinet, like a heavier and faster “Superstition”. It became even more amazing when they played it live (see the 2003 DVD for proof). Five and a half minutes of stomping repetitiveness and it never gets boring. An almost Blackmore-like solo from Page. Great vocals which should temporarily silence those who say Plant's voice was shot after 1972.

 

This specific track was played a countless number of hours in my car on 8-track. We also played on repeat when we saw them in concert. Just a hard driving rock classic.