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. Daryl M

    Daryl M Senior Member

    Location:
    London, Ontario
    No, `Physical Graffiti' was a step down after `Houses Of The Holy'.
     
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  2. rushed again

    rushed again Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Yes. There was no other way to go.
     
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  3. tkl7

    tkl7 Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Lewis Center, OH
    Yes, although No Quarter is better than anything on IV and there are some other good songs on side 1, there are also some horrible stinkers like D'yer Mak'er and the Crunge (cringe!) and some generic throwaways like Dancing Days and The Ocean. Pity, as they had some better stuff in the can that showed up on PG.
     
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  4. Sure. Why not.
     
  5. HfxBob

    HfxBob Forum Resident

    No offense to you personally, because this is something that's said in a lot of reviews, but it drives me nuts LOL

    I hate to see any album, or any work of art, being judged on its 'transitional' merit. I think it should be judged on its own. Not that the transitional part doesn't matter-but you have elevated 'transitional' to being the purpose of the album!
     
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  6. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    Yes, it was a step down.

    If The Crunge and Dyer Maker had been on IV instead, though, then it would have been a step up. :)
     
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  7. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    I feel IV and HOTH are bookends with IV summing up all that came before (phase 1) and HOTH being more forward-looking in some ways plus more reliance on groove which I mentioned earlier (phase 2). For me it falls into the latter part of their career.
     
  8. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    Has anybody ever intentionally made a transitional album?

    It seems almost Spinal Tap-ish to suggest. I'm imagining how the dialog would work:

    INTERVIEWER: I've been hearing that you consider the album coming out next week to be transitional?

    BAND MEMBER: Yes, we've conceived our latest as a transitional album, as we have determined to leave the past behind and head toward a different future, the specifics of which are still uncertain at the moment.

    INTERVIEWER: So you could say that one might best describe it as being neither here nor there?

    BAND MEMBER: Yes. Please buy it!
     
  9. :wtf:
     
  10. grbl

    grbl Just Lurking

    Location:
    Long Island
    It was different but not a step down IMO. The great songs on the album (No Quarter, The Rain Song, The Ocean, TSRTS, OTHAFA, Dancing Days) are as great as anything the band ever did. I like the eclectic feel of the album and like that the band mixed it up a little. While the Crunge and D'yer Mak'er are quirky, I enjoy them very much.
     
  11. DPM

    DPM Senior Member

    Location:
    Nevada, USA
    I do judge Houses Of The Holy on its own merits, and I never said that Zeppelin set out to make a "transitional" album. Of course, no one does that.
     
  12. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    I think both songs give the album character.
    To me The Crunge still sounds totally left-field and D’Yer Mak’er perfectly fits within the flow of side 2.
     
  13. major_works

    major_works This is my Custom Title

    Location:
    Ramsey, NJ, USA
    For me, HOTH was not a step down in quality. I always thought of it as a much less self-conscious album, to be honest. IV feels like they're really reaching for that "mystical" vibe, what with the weird dude on the back cover and the symbols, etc. When I was a kid I used to skip over "Battle of Evermore" because of the faux-LOTR lyrics, the mandolin or whatever that is, and "that chick" they had on it (I had no idea at the time who Sandy Denny was, my bad).

    HOTH has some of my all-time favorite LZ tracks: The Ocean, Dancing Days, the title track, and yeah, The Crunge, which brings da funk. Bonzo kills on The Crunge. No Quarter is OK but kind of a sludgy dirge, and like Achilles' Last Stand, it goes on far too long.

    BTW, I see lots of posts comparing HOTH and Physical Graffiti, many calling the latter a step down from HOTH. Uh, you DO realize that a number of the PG tracks were holdovers from the HOTH sessions, yes? That had a lot to do with it being a double. Those two are more "sister albums" than probably any other two consecutive LPs in the band's catalog.
     
  14. Kiss73

    Kiss73 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    Up to HOTH, all the albums were great... every song a classic and no filler ......from HOTH onwards the classics were jammed between (increasing more) filler.
     
  15. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Yes. I remember both songs standing out to me as something special on the very first listen. Much like In Through The Out Door, or the "leftover songs" from Graffiti, I must just gravitate to the songs often brushed aside. Not that I have any problem loving the more popular gems as well. :)

    But, if anything, songs like The Crunge and D'yer Mak'er just underline the scope of Zeppelin, and the album, rather than detract. I mean I can understand someone not liking them (or Zeppelin at large), but I can't imagine why just those two tracks alone would stand out as anything more unusual for the band to do than, say, No Quarter, Friends, or The Battle Of Evermore. Zeppelin's heart was big enough to touch on all varied styles of music.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2018
  16. Suncola

    Suncola Possibilities

    Location:
    NW Indiana U.S.A.
    The hit single is "filler"? It's a reggaefied track that recalls early 60s pop; not an easy trick to pull off. That alone makes it kind of inspired.

    Never understood the hate for "Crunge" either. Led Zep crossed with James Brown? Count me in! This band was always experimenting; always more than head-bashing riffs.
     
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  17. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    PG a step down? That’s interesting...

    In my opinion, if you would take the newly recorded songs of PG and condense it to a regular single album (40 minutes, roughly) I’m pretty sure you’ll end up with a beast of an album that possibly might have eclipsed IV in the public conscience and might have surpassed Presence as my favourite Zep album.
     
  18. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    Nope. It’s really good, too.
     
  19. StarThrower62

    StarThrower62 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Not the music and performance. I don't fret too much over rock lyrics.
     
  20. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA

    The nail on the head. Plus, a bonus: Sandy Denny.
     
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  21. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    For me Houses was their peak
     
  22. bluesky

    bluesky Senior Member

    Location:
    south florida, usa
    1, 3, 4.
     
  23. Rufus rag

    Rufus rag Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    It has two throw away songs, 4 has none so of course it's a step down
     
  24. blair207

    blair207 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fife, Scotland
    Yes. Some great songs but The Crunge is dross and it doesn’t flow like IV.
     
  25. maui jim

    maui jim Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of LA
    Step down due to Prog rock creeping in with NQ. IV has none of that. Also what’s lost from here out, is no folk influence
    Evermore and Cali is the last we hear of that side of Zep. It was missed.
     
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