Houses of the Holy follows the same basic pattern as
Led Zeppelin IV, but the approach is looser and more relaxed.
Jimmy Page's riffs rely on ringing, folky hooks as much as they do on thundering
blues-rock, giving the album a lighter, more open atmosphere. While the pseudo-
reggae of
"D'Yer Mak'er" and the affectionate
James Brown send-up
"The Crunge" suggest that the band was searching for material, they actually contribute to the musical diversity of the album.
"The Rain Song" is one of
Zep's finest moments, featuring a soaring string arrangement and a gentle, aching melody.
"The Ocean" is just as good, starting with a heavy, funky guitar groove before slamming into an
a cappella section and ending with a swinging,
doo wop-flavored rave-up. With the exception of the rampaging opening number,
"The Song Remains the Same," the rest of
Houses of the Holy is fairly straightforward, ranging from the foreboding
"No Quarter" and the strutting
hard rock of
"Dancing Days" to the epic
folk/
metal fusion
"Over the Hills and Far Away." Throughout the record, the band's playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of
Page and
Robert Plant's songwriting sound coherent and natural.
[Led Zeppelin launched a massive, Jimmy Page-supervised reissue campaign in 2014, where each of their studio albums was remastered and then expanded with a bonus disc of alternate versions (in the case of the super deluxe editions, they were also supplemented by vinyl pressings and a massive hardcover book). The supplemental disc for Houses Of The Holy is constructed as a mirror image of the finished album, consisting of nothing but alternate mixes and sometimes instrumentals. The cuts without vocals are the most compelling: on "No Quarter," it's possible to hear Zeppelin build their sense of mystery and by stripping "The Song Remains the Same" and "Over the Hills and Far Away" to nothing but six strings, admiration for how Jimmy Page assembled his guitar army only grows. Elsewhere, "The Rain Song" doesn't seem to float as lithely and "The Crunge," "Dancing Days" and "The Ocean" all feel leaner, relying on tight propulsion instead of a Technicolor onslaught. Such differences are interesting but, as with the accompanying bonus disc to IV, this Houses Of The Holy supplement ultimately confirms that Page and Zeppelin made the right choices the first time around.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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