Led Zeppelin III 50th Anniversary
1970. Richard Nixon was in office, The Beatles were ending, Janis and Jimi passed away, and there was war in Vietnam. 50 years later, we look back at the records of 1970 that left a legacy and keeps people listening to them half a century later.
The third studio album of the English rock band, Led Zeppelin III turns 50 this year on October 5th. With a flawless transition from hard rock they displayed on their first two records to a softer, acoustic and folk sound, this album showed the true versatility that is Led Zeppelin. The band features John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and Jimmy Page.
Before this record, Led Zeppelin saw their first Billboard topping record with Led Zeppelin II reaching number one. With songs like “Whole Lotta Love” and “Heartbreaker,” this was one of the band’s heavier albums leading to a musical shift heading into their third studio album.
The acoustic material came about and was heavily influenced by the locations of the songwriting and recording sessions. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant took a trip to a cottage in Wales called Bron-Yr-Aur then later joined Bonham and Jones at Headley Grange in East Hampshire. The ruralness of these areas where recording took place led to a different sound than people were used to from the band.
This album also featured many new instruments for Led Zeppelin’s music up to this point. John Paul Jones is featured playing mandolin, synthesizers, and more, showing himself to be much more than solely a bassist. These instruments fused into this new sound to produce an unexpected and unprecedented record from the hard rockers which may explain why critics were confused when they first heard it.
Following the release, critics were mixed in reviews on the new musical endeavor of Led Zeppelin despite the album reaching number one in the charts and remaining on the charts for 19 weeks. However, overtime this album has been praised as one of Led Zeppelin’s best for their experimentation with traditional folk music mixed with their blues roots. Having become a 6x platinum record, Led Zeppelin III, has become one of the band’s most successful records to be released.
After the release of Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin would go on to release six more albums.
Track List
1. Immigrant Song
2. Friends
3. Celebration Day
4. Since I’ve Been Loving You
5. Out on the Tiles
6. Gallows Pole
7. Tangerine
8. That’s the Way
9. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
10. Hats Off to (Roy) Harper