Glorious follow-up

Houses of the Holy. Five Stars.

I rank this CD right behind III as my favorite Zeppelin album. It's not as eclectic as the former, but on the other hand... It's a very fun record, lighthearted and with a sense of humour. I don't tend to associate Led Zeppelin with that quality, but it's on hand here.

The opener (The Song Remains the Same) is very immediate and infectious. It rocks with glee. These are the experts, after all... It slows down for a set of verses done in a higher register than Plant usually goes for. You might find it eerie and offputting, but he uses it all through the record, so you'd best get used to it. Meantime... this rocks.

The Rain Song is a bit overambitious, but it has a certain mellow appeal. Heck, it's even romantic. Slow moving, heavily draped with keyboards, very long and winding. It's really a nice interlude, though these two long songs ensure that the CD gets off to a slower start than the previous ones do.

Everything is fixed with Over the Hills and Far Away. It has a folky, appealing intro, before launching into an equally appealing, jaunty rock song. It's fun and has a keyboard solo placed on the end, which is an interesting addition.

The Crunge is an abrasive "song." It's more along the lines of a stand-up comedy act. The lyric is completely ridiculous, made even more so by Plant's ludicrous delivery and the brash, in-your-face instrumentation. It's not really a song, so over-listening to the record will make this one wear thin faster than the others.

Dancing Days returns to the usual Led Zep territory. It does nothing new, but it's cool. Great riff, classic rock attitude is presented, really short and packing a punch. Easiest song on here to like.

D'yer Make'er is weird, but very pleasing nonetheless. It has a sense of... drama, for lack of a better word. It's my current favorite song off Houses of the Holy. It's so well structured, and the music is so sunny, despite the sad lyric; which also contains an upbeat quality in its odd delivery.

No Quarter is the one that doesn't fit. It's a very dark mood piece, and reminds me of When the Levee Breaks, as it has the same majestic quality. It's a quieter track though, stately and dignified. The strange thing is that it doesn't sound that out of place, despite the fact that it should.

The Ocean is the closer. It's a rocker, obviously, but surprisingly layered. Just when you have it pinned, it cartwheels into some sort of pastiche of cheezy pop backing vocals. There's no reason for it, but it's nice.

Houses of the Holy proves that, as of '73, Zeppelin weren't boxing themselves in and repeating the megahit formula. It sounds like a creative, good times record. I don't know if that's true behind the scenes, but I'm too afraid to look, for fear the band will pull a Deep Purple on me. :)

Makes me curious about Physical Grafitti though. I haven't heard it in years...

One of the crown jewels

Led Zeppelin IV. Five Stars.

This is where it's at. The Holy Grail of 70's rock music. Everyone's heard it, knows it, loves it. Even I'll admit it's great. So why am I going to review it, I ask...

Black Dog is a wonderful opener. It's got a lot of panache and confidence, and is complex to boot... I'm trying to avoid saying it sounds like Led Zeppelin, but why not? This record is the pure distillation of their sound.

It moves on with Rock and Roll. Hard not to like this one. It's everything you'd expect - drums, guitars, a beat that never falters, Plant wailing... Great housecleaning tune.

Things wind down for the more artistic, mandolin-driven fantasy The Ballad of Evermore. Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention guest stars. She helps give this song a completely unique flavor in the band's canon, and her voice meshes with Plant's extraordinarily well. Excellent from start to finish.

But it's Stairway to Heaven everyone knows is the centerpiece. It's a casualty of Classic Rock Radio, but if you're very lucky and haven't heard it to death, then you can fully enjoy the breathtaking beauty of it. When I first heard it, I never wanted the song to end, it was that good. Nowadays I'm more cynical. It's Misty Mountain Hop I'm here for.

Misty Mountain Hop is an amusing piece of work. The beat is what everybody will remember, but I just like the poor, confused narrator's encounter with hippies in a park. It's really a fun track, just like Rock and Roll .

Four Sticks is a good song. I like the chorus and John Bonham's percussion. It's oddly forgettable, which left it as my least favorite for years, but now I'm starting to really appreciate the track. Plant's voice is quite eerie toward the end.

Okay, I vote for Going to Calafornia as the real weak link. It's a nice interlude, but somehow quite wishy-washy. A bit overwrought. It picks up as it plays, but really isn't great.

And it's eclipsed by When the Levee Breaks. A positively apocalyptic, unholy blues epic. The whole thing rocks with splendid grandeur. It finishes the record on a very strong note.

It's hard to fault this record. So why isn't it my favorite? Why doesn't it make it onto my top 20? Perhaps it's because there are other albums with more personality quirks, or because I like to root for the underdogs. It certainly isn't because this doesn't measure to its reputation.