Was Houses of the Holy a step down in quality after 4?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Morfmusic, Nov 8, 2018.

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  1. Acoustic Warrior

    Acoustic Warrior I Come From The Water

    Location:
    Frankfort Kentucky
    No it was not a step down. Any further questions, please put on said album and hear for yourself, rinse, repeat.
     
    uzn007 likes this.
  2. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Good lord, people, who doesn't like "Dancing Days"?

    Some people's kids...
     
  3. eelkiller

    eelkiller One of the great unwashed

    Location:
    Northern Ontario
    Was the OP expecting a definitive answer to this, tastes vary?
     
  4. BZync

    BZync Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    IMO, Houses of the Holy was ahead of its time. I think it has more in common with In Through The Out Door than with IV, which I consider a good thing. As a cohesive album, HOTH was tighter (in terms of songwriting) and more melodic than most LZ discs. Sonically, it was more experimental IV. Very modern. Maybe my fave.

    Where do you go after IV? To the future, of course.
     
  5. A step up in SQ for sure. It's my favorite Zep album, both from a musical and sound quality perspective.
     
  6. ManFromCouv

    ManFromCouv Employee #3541

    I don't know if HOTH is better than IV, but it's a much more enjoyable listen now.
     
  7. Jerry c.

    Jerry c. Forum Resident

    a lost opportunity for a nice bonus track for HOH would have been TSRTS without those helium vocals. what a tragic misstep.
     
  8. Dr. Funk

    Dr. Funk Vintage Dust

    Location:
    Fort Worth TX
    Hell no.They went in a completely different direction, and created their most adventurous album............and it turned out to be one of their best. Some people just don't like change.
     
    Vinyl_Blues likes this.
  9. Pavol Stromcek

    Pavol Stromcek Senior Member

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Absolutely not. I think it was their best album.
     
  10. Rich C

    Rich C Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northbrook, IL
    Those are all great songs you mention, but I always found this album to sound a little claustrophobic from being over produced. Claustrophobic is the only word I can use to describe the feeling of the music being boxed in and not free to breathe. Maybe it is because I think the live versions on the movie soundtrack are so much better. Even though I'm not sure how live they actually are due to overdubs, etc.
     
  11. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    A step down wasn't taken until Presence.
     
    The Quiet One likes this.
  12. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    To me, it represents a significant drop in quality, though 4 was a very tough act to follow.

    HOTH represents the first time Zep had been boring on record (I believe they were frequently boring in concert). It also contains the single worst track they ever recorded (you know the one I mean) and it's got a couple of very forgettable tracks (Dancing Days & The Ocean).

    Plant's vocals irritate on TSRTS: Rain Song is pretty but dull. The more I think about it, No Quarter is the only 'serious contender' on the album (though the studio version is too short).

    I don't mind The Crunge as much as some people seem to, but overall it's not a great album and ties with ITTOD as my least favourite studio effort from the band.

    So: I suppose the answer is an emphatic YES.
     
    Jimmy B. likes this.
  13. zen

    zen Senior Member

    Funny. My band played that song in bars for a few weeks (back in the late 80's) and we enjoyed it, but it didn't get the dancing we were hoping for. And our drummer sounded like Plant...and not a chipmunk version. Maybe folks just wanted to listen to the song, instead of dancing to it.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2018
  14. unclefred

    unclefred Coastie with the Moastie

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    I vote no.
     
  15. Terry

    Terry Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee
    Yes.
     
  16. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    I feel pretty much exactly the same way. HOTH is my fave LZ album by a pretty substantial margin. And while there are moments in the band's work after that, mostly after around '73 I think the band's work loses at lot of fire and inventiveness, gets kind of bloated and padded on record (PG, I'm looking at you), and the road show almost descends into self parody. BUT HOTH pulls it all together with a range of kinds of songs and arrangement, tight production, great beginning-middle-end flow. I think it's they band's best made record.
     
  17. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    Not at all.
     
  18. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Not for me. Probably my favorite Zeppelin album.
     
  19. Thievius

    Thievius Blue Oyster Cult-ist

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    I don't care what anyone says - I think The Crunge is great. Love it.
     
  20. team2

    team2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    TN (By Way of NY)
    I actually think Houses is better than IV. The group was on an upward swing all the way through Physical Graffiti.
     
  21. Pinknik

    Pinknik Senior Member

    I don’t think it was, but that’s just, like, my opinion, man.
     
  22. Spaghettiows

    Spaghettiows Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silver Creek, NY
    The Rain Song and No Quarter are, to me, Zeppelin's 2 best songs. I like the album more than I do zoso, but I really am partial to Zeppelin's quieter, less bombastic material.
     
  23. Dr. Funk

    Dr. Funk Vintage Dust

    Location:
    Fort Worth TX
    I think it's all great.....not a weak track on the entire album. :winkgrin:
     
    DHamilton likes this.
  24. RudolphS

    RudolphS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rio de Janeiro
    Houses Of The Holy is definitely a step down, but having said that, I always admired Led Zeppelin's adventurous approach, trying to avoid to get painted in a corner as the archetypal "Heavy Rock Band". After LZI & LZII, Page & co. were very conscious of the risk their music becoming stale, so they subsequently took a left-turn with the semi-acoustic LZIII. Houses Of The Holy falls into the same category, an attempt to break away from their signature sound. But ultimately, I think the result is a very mixed bag. The Rain Song does nothing for me, the only tracks I really like are No Quarter, the title track and The Ocean, and the latter two are typical Zeppelin rockers. Deep down the band members must've felt the same because for the follow-up, 1975's Physical Graffiti, they returned to the heavy heavy monster sound they were so good at.

    Taking Houses Of The Holy on its own merits without any comparisions, it's without doubt Led Zeppelin's most varied longplayer; hardrock, faux-reggae, acoustic ballads, cod-funk, futuristic psychedelia. But that's also the reason why the album doesn't gel well, It feels like they threw everything against the wall, to see what stuck.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2018
  25. A tough call. I guess I would say it is not a large drop in quality, but it is a slight dip. Dyer Maker, Dancing Days and The Crunge do not make my list of classic Zep songs, but I like everything else on Houses. I can't think on any songs on 4 that are as weak as those three, though over familiarity has ruined Rock and Roll and Stairway To Heaven for me. Count me as a fan of Robert's helium vocals on TSRTS.
     
    Vinyl_Blues likes this.
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