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Rating:
On March 28, 1973, five years after the release of the dazzling debut of the dirigible (Led Zeppelin I, March 28, 1969), Led Zeppelin released their fifth album, Houses Of The Holy, heavily criticized but certainly able to compete with the legendary previous four albums. A perfect example is the opening track, "The Song Remains The Same", featuring Page's textbook opening riff, using the legendary 12-string doubleneck guitar in this track. The song is perfect and destined to go down in history, evident by the fact that three years later it would be the name of the group's film. After the explosion of this magnificent initial track, we encounter a change of style with "The Rain Song", a beautiful song with dreamy tones characterized by Jones's delicate mellotron and a very refined atmosphere. This track is also an example of how Led Zeppelin was never just a simple hard rock band; in fact, after the first four minutes, the song tears open and becomes an exhilarating rock piece characterized by Sir Bonzo's massive drums. Undoubtedly one of the strong pieces of the album.
The next track, "Over The Hills And Far Away", is monumental: after Page's acoustic guitar, Bonzo's drums come in and transform the song with a more decidedly rock flavor. Five stars. The following track, "The Crunge", while not up to the previous three tracks, offers amusing funk moves and is extremely entertaining, with Plant's memorable voice and the instrumental compactness of Page, Jones, and Bonham. "Dancing Days" features Page's "unrestrained" guitar and Bonzo's drums, undoubtedly a very interesting episode for its "rocking" cut. The sixth song, "D'yer' Maker", is a true divertissement: the song is nothing but a sort of reggae parody, perhaps negligible but hilarious (!), certainly not able to compete with the splendid following song, "No Quarter," undoubtedly a milestone. Gloomy and fascinating as only it can be. The track is characterized by the dark and mysterious tones of Jones's splendid keyboards and Page's absolutely epic and powerful riff. This piece can be considered "Jones's," so much so that in the following years, Jones would have a special connection with this song. Power and refined creativity characterize both "No Quarter" and "The Ocean", the splendid concluding track with Plant offering his splendid and unattainable voice and Page delivering amazing ups and downs with his formidable guitar. An absolutely dignified and inimitable way to conclude a fascinating album.
I have read negative reviews here and there, "that Houses Of The Holy shows a sharp decline in inspiration and intensity", "that it's bad", and so on. But Houses Of The Holy is none of that. It is more, much more, more. This album was underrated, and perhaps someone wanted it to be judged better. Wish granted. Without a doubt, a masterpiece.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
03 Over the Hills and Far Away (04:50)
Hey lady
You got the love I need
Maybe more than enough
Oh, darlin', darlin', darlin'
Walk a while with me
Ohh, you've got so much
So much
So much
Many have I loved
Many times been bitten
Many times I've gazed along the open road
Many times I've lied
And many times I've listened
Many times I've wondered how much there is to know
Many dreams come true
And some have silver linings
I live for my dream and a pocketful of gold
Mellow is the man
Who knows what he's been missing
Many many men can't see the open road
Many is a word that only leaves you guessing
Guessing 'bout a thing you really ought to know, ohh ohh ohh ohh
Really ought to know, ohh ohh
I really ought to know
04 The Crunge (03:17)
I wanna tell you 'bout my good thing
I ain't disclosing no names but
He sure is a good friend and
I ain't gonna tell you where he comes from but
If I tell you, you won't come again, oh, hey
I ain't gonna tell you nothing but I do will what I know, yeah
Now let me tell you 'bout my girl
I open up a newspaper and what do I see, ahh, ahh
See my girl, ahh, looking at me
Ooh, and when she walks, she walks
And lemme tell ya, when she talks, she talks
And when she looks me in my eye
She's my baby, Lord, I wanna make her mine, yeah
Ooh, tell me baby what you want me to do
And you want me to love you, love some other man ooh
Ain't gonna call me Mr. Pitiful, no
Ah, I don't need no respect from nobody, no, no
Ahh, no no
Ahh
I ain't gonna tell you nothing, I ain't gonna no more, no
She's my baby, let me tell you that I love her so and
And she's the woman I really wanna love and let me tell you more, ooh
She's my baby, lemme tell you she lives next door
She's the one a woman, the one a woman that I know
I ain't gonna, I ain't gonna, I ain't gonna tell
I ain't gonna tell you one thing that you really ought to know, ooh
She's my lover baby and I love her so and
She's the one that really makes me whirl and twirl and
She's the kind of lover that makes me me fill the whole world and
She's the one who really makes me jump and shout, ohh
She's the kind of girl, I know what it's all about
Take it on, take it, take it, take it
Ah, excuse me
Oh, will you excuse me
I'm just trying to find the bridge
Has anybody seen the bridge?
Please
Have you seen the bridge?
I ain't seen the bridge
Where's that confounded bridge?
07 No Quarter (07:00)
Close the door, put out the light
Know they won't be home tonight
The snow falls hard and don't you know
The winds of Thor are blowing cold
They're wearing steel that's bright and true
They carry news that must get through
They choose the path where no one goes
They hold no quarter
They hold no quarter
Walking side by side with death
The devil mocks their every step
The snow drives back the foot that's slow
The dogs of doom are howling more
They carry news that must get through
To build a dream for me and you
They choose the path that no one goes
They hold no quarter
They ask no quarter
They hold no quarter
They ask no quarter
They ask no quarter
They give no quarter
08 The Ocean (04:33)
"We've done four already but now we're steady, and then they went: one, two, three, four"
Singing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain
Hitting on the moonshine, rocking in the grain
Got no time to pack my bag, my foot's outside the door
I got a date, I can't be late, for the high hopes hailla ball
Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean's roar
Play for free and play for me and play a whole lot more, more
Singing about good things and the sun that lights the day
I used to sing on the mountains, has the ocean lost its way
La la la-la-la la-la la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lahh
La la la-la-la la-la la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lah
La la la-la-la la-la la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lahh
La la la-la-la la-la la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lah
Sitting round singing songs 'til the night turns into day
Used to sing on the mountains, but the mountains washed away
Now I'm singing all my songs to the girl who won my heart
She is only three years old and it's a real fine way to start
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Other reviews
By Miki Page
"No Quarter... gives the piece tension, drama, mystery, and intensity, enveloping it in an unsettling fog."
"Houses Of The Holy needs to be re-evaluated because it is truly a great album, but such re-evaluation has not yet fully occurred."
By killrockstar76
"Houses of the Holy, for me, is certainly not a lesser album."
"No Quarter, a marvel that should instantly... drive you to recover it, buy it, steal it, listen to it!!!!"
By claudio carpentieri
The opening of the work is a complex activity of instrumental coordination with Page’s layered guitars and Bonham’s hard-hitting style taking center stage.
"No Quarter" offers seven minutes of immense auditory pleasure and showcases Page’s memorable finishing activity with a crystalline sound.
By Rax
The delusion of omnipotence and the desire for novelty result in the fourth-rate funk of "The Crunge" and the insipid reggae of "D’yer Maker."
"No Quarter" is saved, a delightful masterpiece of psychedelic blues, which in this genre even surpasses "Dazed and Confused."
