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They say three is a magic number. Not in this case, though. Even if the third album by Led Zeppelin is indeed, and I emphasize, really stunning, it has nothing in common (except for some folk atmosphere) with the fourth effort of the Zeppelin, "IV" (or Zoso, or Four Symbols, as you prefer). At most, it could be defined as the "continuation" of LZ III.
Journeys to distant lands, majestic battles brimming with medieval mysticism, but especially dreams, hopes, radiate from the eyes of the tired hermit on the cover, bent under the weight of his burden, while the wallpaper prepares to fall into the gap between reality and dream, on this album, the result of four musicians who at the time still didn’t understand their importance for the future development of rock. And maybe it's better this way...
A wild cry, belonging to Plant, masterfully accompanied by Page's riff (signed by Jones), opens the fantastic hard rock of "Black Dog", a track "dedicated" to a lonely dog, obviously black, that roamed mischievously near the studio during the recordings... the solo with three overdubbed guitars (which would become a standard for the Zeppelin) by James Patrick makes everything even more intense... when musicians perfectly blend together, you get this result. How many of this type did Plant, Bonzo, Page, and Jonesy have...
Unforgettable groove by Bonzo, followed by Page's rapid-fire riff and Plant's screams, "Rock and Roll" strikes like lightning on the listener, in a hammering rhythm, and is nothing other than what one expects from the song's title... magnificent result achieved, keeping in mind that the song was written by Page during a jam session, while the rest of the group was vainly trying to record another composition from the album, "Misty Mountain Hop", I think...
Eager to conquer other territories in the hearts of listeners, the four begin the battle, which was by then imminent, and sees Plant as a knight accompanied by Sandy Denny's voice (Fairport Convention) on one side, while on the other is Page's mandolin, whose sound seems so mystical and unreal... "The Battle Of Evermore"... a true magic.
Returning from the battle, victorious, the Led Zep are about to ascend the stairs to the Olympus of the greats, up, towards the starless night. The four are the only ones shining... tranquil acoustic guitar, the flutes, all surrounded by a truly magical atmosphere, "Stairway to Heaven", in all its poignant beauty and simplicity, accompanied by a dreamy Plant and an extremely talented Bonzo (the only drummer who can play this track without ruining the entire composition, in my opinion)... and as you ascend, you're ever closer to the goal, and everything becomes faster, concluding with Page's final solo where, according to a critic at the time, "the guitarist dares to speak with God"... a classic that will remain forever in both heart and soul.
The second side opens with "Misty Mountain Hop", cheerful, with Jones's splendid electronic piano intro, Plant's carefree and happy voice... the magic of Led Zep is precisely this; they manage to make every song a truly unforgettable experience, especially in this immortal album...
"Four Sticks", exactly because Bonzo played with four sticks during the recording. Page's somewhat obscure riff manages to transform simple hard rock into something more, and Jones gives a great performance of himself.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, we will be told of distant places, of carefree love from a youth now past, of long journeys aboard a jet... try listening to "Going to California" while it's raining outside, looking out the window of a running car on country roads, surrounded by green trees... a unique emotion will unleash within you after this. Also because in this track, Plant's most poetic side emerges, already seen in "Thank You" (LZ II)... but everything has an end, and discovering the last veil leads us to...
"When The Levee Breaks", an excellent blues remake of a Memphis Minnie (from '29) song, perhaps has the most famous drum part on the album, also because the recording of the drumming was done following an old Page trick, positioning microphones not only close to the speakers and other accessories but also at a certain predetermined distance from them. As Page said in an interview: "We kept changing producers from album to album because we wanted to prove that the sound that made us special wasn't due to them but to my ever-new recording methods"
I know that on DeBaser there are already many reviews of this album, but, as it is my absolute favorite, I felt compelled to review it again, and I did it with my heart, because it is also thanks to Led Zep that my world isn't so gray and the injustices of every day are overshadowed by their music (which has a particular effect on me)... continuing on Plant's verses
Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams,
telling myself it is not as hard, hard as it seems...
And to finish, I add the words spoken by Robert during the performance of Stairway at Earls Court in '75, so full of meaning,
"And the forests will echo with laughter, d'you remember laughter... priceless" x)))
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