LED ZEPPELIN III
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LED ZEPPELIN III might just be one of the most perfectly ideal albums for fall as it contains all of the essential components of fall: subtle stoner vibes, a folksy, medieval, Tolkien-esque feel, and a general all around magical and mystical nature. It’s a vastly unique album and is (sonically speaking) more radically different than anything else in their catalog.
Led Zeppelin’s sonic palette has always been about the utilization of various textures, whether through Robert Plant’s lyrical imagery and vocal delivery, Jimmy Page’s guitar and string arrangements, or the sheer sonic weight of the mighty rhythm section that is “The Two Johns”, there is no other album that perfectly captures the spirit and energy of autumn quite like LED ZEPPELIN III.
When’s the last time you learned a new word that you’ve never ever heard of or read before? Well, this episode is chock full of ‘em! Prepare to learn about a “blue-eyed merle”, a magical place where the white stuff falls called “Snowdonia”, and perhaps the best word ever invented in the history of the English language: VOLVELLE!
Go find yourself a “four-eyed girl” who’s willing to go in on a “2 for 1” and be sure to stay away from any “haunted oysters” while always remembering that the secret ingredient is Volvelle when you JOIN US for a perfect sonic representation of the autumn harvest season as we dive into the mystical magical genius that is LED ZEPPELIN III.
More ZEPPELIN Episodes HERE
Go find yourself a “four-eyed girl” who’s willing to go in on a “2 for 1” and be sure to stay away from any “haunted oysters” while always remembering that the secret ingredient is Volvelle when you JOIN US for a perfect sonic representation of the autumn harvest season as we dive into the mystical magical genius that is LED ZEPPELIN III.
Released October 5 1970
Recorded November 1969 – August 1970
Label Atlantic
Producer Jimmy Page
TRACKS
Side one
1 Immigrant Song
2 Friends
3 Celebration Day
4 Since I've Been Loving You
5 Out on the Tiles
Side Two
1 Gallows Pole
2 Tangerine
3 That's the Way
4 Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
5 Hats Off to (Roy) Harper
IMMIGRANT SONG:
The weird build up of noise is strange…it’s pretty incredible how much bigness “The Two Johns” add to the rhythm section. The bass really cements the rhythm section and makes the entire song instantly heavier. Vikings that “whisper tales of gore…” and sing the praises of Valhalla…that’s fucking heavy metal! It’s not even 2.5 minutes long…that’s a lot of impact for an opener in less than 3 minutes.
Certainly one of the heaviest opening tracks on any Zeppelin album, before or since. That ugly chord during the outro is pure perfection.
“So now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day, despite all of your losing.”
FRIENDS:
Kinda has an eerie tone, with the eastern sounding string arrangements on top of the strangely odd (yet beautifully ugly) acoustic chords. The strings add an unsettling eeriness to the overall vibe of the song. No real drums other than Bonzo’s bongos, and even the bass is a bit understated, but those strings certainly bring a palpable darkness which seems to be amplified further with the sound of the Moog at the end as it transitions into “Celebration Day”.
This has that cloudy, hazy, the sun’s about to set at 5p.m. sort of vibe to it. A perfect song to have playing around the campfire as someone blazes one up and begins the rotation while passing around a mason jar filled with homemade shine.
“Met a man on the roadside cryin'
Without a friend, there's no denyin'
You're incomplete, there'll be no findin'
Lookin' for what you knew…”
CELEBRATION DAY
This one just has such a strange beginning to it…it seems weirdly hectic and odd until the drums and the bass finally come in and set everything right. One of the most unique things about Led Zeppelin is how Jimmy Page always seemed to have an endless supply of guitar tones.
It’s certainly a bit brighter, sonically speaking, than the two songs from before. Maybe almost a bit too happy sounding in contrast, but like with everything Zeppelin, somehow it just works in context with the rest of the album. A strange blend of the dark and dreary mixed with the light and joyous.
“She hears them talk of new ways
To protect the home she lives in
Then she wonders what it’s all about
When they break down the door…”
SINCE I’VE BEEN LOVING YOU
If you listen very closely, you can hear the faint squeaking from John Bonham’s kick drum pedal at the beginning. Those keyboards just scream the blues!
This may be one of the greatest Led Zeppelin songs ever to bless music. The power of all the separate musical components working together as a single, solid unit is pure magic. Page’s guitar improvisation, John Paul Jones’ intricate organ work, Bonham’s restrained thunder behind the drum kit, and Plant’s emotionally howling wail, create one of the heaviest songs of this album, if not their whole career. Certainly a “stone cold classic” if ever there was one; truly signature Zeppelin.
“I said I’ve been crying, yeah
Oh, my tears they fell like rain…”
OUT ON THE TILES:
Pure heaviness (also check out Rival Sons “Pressure & Time” for a riff reference, specifically that initial climb at the beginning of each verse riff).
Certainly one of Zeppelin’s heaviest riffs of all time. Also has a punk rock kinda vibe to it, during that walkdown of the verse riff before moving into the outro (Listen w/ headphones for the panning magic on the drums).
1:23: “Stop!”
“Just a simple guy, and live from day to day
A ray of sunshine melts my frown, blows my blues away
There’s nothing more that I can say
But on a day like today, I’ll pass the time away
And walk a quiet mile with you…”
GALLOWS POLE:
Almost early “Battle of Evermore” vibes…with the acoustic guitar and the mandolin.
Sounds like something that would be fitting at a Renaissance Festival during a cloudy, fall afternoon. Not that anyone wants to witness a public hanging for entertainment value, but the feel of the song and the cinematic quality of the lyrics and the music just puts you there, in terms of creating a medieval “period piece” in your mind.
Probably one of the heaviest “unplugged” songs ever recorded.
“Your brother brought me silver, your sister warmed my soul
But now I laugh and pull so hard, see you swinging from the gallows pole…”
TANGERINE
Such a beautifully, simple song with emotionally potent lyrics:
“Does she still remember times like these
To think of us again…and I do.”
The sound of a beautiful fall afternoon with the smell of a campfire in the near distance, waxing nostalgic about days gone by with loves from another lifetime.
“Measuring a summer’s day
I only find it slips away to grey
The hours they bring me pain…”
THAT’S THE WAY
This may be the one song with zero drums or percussion whatsoever…more acoustics and mandolins and some pedal steel for extra texture. The various array of instruments almost evokes the feeling of being in the mountains during the height of autumn as the leaves change color and the hilltops explode with a brilliant array of reds, oranges, and yellows, while dying leaves gently blow by on a clear, fall afternoon.
I stand corrected; there’s a little tambourine and some bass in the final section of the song, but that’s the only percussion found anywhere on this track.
“And yesterday I saw you kissing tiny flowers
But all that lives is born to die
And so I say to you that nothing really matters
And all you do is stand and cry…”
BRON-Y-AUR STOMP:
This was actually a song about Robert Plant’s dog, Strider (which you can hear reference to at the end of various live recordings of this song). For this one, you’ve got kick drum and “spoons” although it sounds more like the hi-hat with the tambourine mounted to it which was a fixture of Bonham’s drum kit.
Sounds like something you’d hear at a wedding celebration during medieval times. It’s kinda hard to NOT be in a good mood with this song, especially with those hand claps.
“Ain’t no companion like a blue-eyed Merle…”
I always thought it was a blue-eyed girl until recently learning that the word was merle and was written about a dog, which completely changes the context of the song.
There’s a certain joy that comes with being around a dog, and this song captures it perfectly. It’s hard not to smile as you listen to this song, particularly given how much happiness and joy dogs embody and provide. There’s truly no love greater or purer than that of a dog.
“When you’re old and your eyes are dim
There ain’t no old Shep gonna happen again
We’ll still go walking down country lane
I’ll sing the same old song, hear me call your name.”
HATS OFF TO (ROY) HARPER
Stripped down, aggressive slide acoustic guitar and vocals with a heavy rotary/tremolo effect. Definitely different than the rest of the album, yet somehow still fitting. A very traditional sounding “delta blues” song.
“Gave my baby twenty-dollar bill
If that don’t finish her, I’m sure my shot-shot-shotgun will…”
Show Notes:
(00:01): “…unless they’re meaty…” / #facetits and #meatballs / #SoberOctober (“I fucked it up, I’m sorry…”) / #jackeduponthemonster / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / #monsteroftheepisode #USFDA and #sugar / ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST: SOBER OCTOBER, ZERO RELAXERS EDITION!!!*** / #plantbasedwater / “It’s fall…” / #fartjacket / ***Go to metalnerdery.com/merch and get yourself a #MetalNerderyPodcastHoodie #MetalNerderyHoodie *** / “No bottoms…”/ “They LOVE it!” / #bitch vs #cunt (which one do the ladies like better?) / “They like neither equally…” / “Ladies, if you’d like to email us you can do so at metalnerdery@gmail.com or hit us up on #facetits and #instafuck and #YouBoobs or LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!!” / “All I’m missing is the tremor…that comes later…” / ***#TopSecretStuff #TheTriangleUnredacted #Unredacted #Triangle on #YouTube*** / “Did you see the #facetitscenterfold?” / “#Penthouse…is way better…” / #FrenchDip / #ConstanzaStyle / “I don’t know if I have anything…” / #CLevel and #Seafood / The culinary rules of a #beachvacation / “When I go to the sea…” / #fraesh / “I won’t eat ‘em raw anymore…” / #rawoysters are #hauntedoysters (“I tasted those oysters for two weeks…”) / #insertvomitnoisehere / “I’ve got an exciting story…” / #markthetime / #beachythings / #RussellsReflectionsBeachEdition / #womendriversASMR / “That’s a yes…” / “I slide in between ‘em…” / #CletusASMR (“A lot of people probably would have done that…”) / “Violence solves nothing…it’s an unnecessary expense.” / #Ahem (“I explained to Cletus…and Juaniquisha…”) / “It’s gonna be like 8th grade all over again, bro!” / “That sounds like where you buy #racism …” / #chirpin / “That’s about 12 minutes of your lives that you’ll never get back…”
(15:32): “That’s from the chair…” / #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: LED ZEPPELIN III / Released October 5th, 1970 / #HappyFiftyThird / “It is but it isn’t…” / #unplugged and #acoustic / The first two #LedZeppelin albums vs 3 & 4 / #MysticalMagical / “If I had a kid, I think I would name it #BronYAur …” / #Snowdonia and #TheBlackDog / “When you look at it like that…it gets in your head…” / 8 months after #BlackSabbath / “The most #Viking song they ever wrote in their life…” / #alternatetunings / “That’s the DADFAD tuning…you need the DADGAD tuning…” / #DADBOD / #Volvelle (it’s this episode’s #wordoftheepisode) / #wheelchart #educational #instructional #thirdshowenergy / “You think it was like Zeppelin’s Load?” / “When’s the last time you learned a new word?” / #killeropener (1,2,3,4…) IMMIGRANT SONG (“A whole new level of balls…”) / “Your volvelle smells amazing…” / “It smells like new music…” / #everyday / “Two for one…sounds pretty awesome!” / “Hey barkeep…” / “A left turn…” FRIENDS (“There’s some #flahns in there…”) / “It does sound like fall…”/ #organwork #MoogASMR #stringsandthings / “Is that an actual dude?” / “That’s what makes #LedZeppelin so awesome…” / “It’s the best word…
(30:27): CELEBRATION DAY (“That’s a Moog…”) / “Platform shoes and bellbottoms…” / The weight of #TheTwoJohns / “It’s not a volvelle but it’s pretty cool…” / “Might be the best song on the album…” / SINCE I’VE BEEN LOVING YOU (Can you hear the kick drum pedal squeak?) / “I don’t think that’s right…”/ “I’ve been working from 7 to 11 every night…it’s kinda makin’ life a drag…”/ “Oh my tears they fell like rain…” / “Just one more…”/ “Totally worth it…”
(40:35): “It’s no volvelle, but it’s perfect…” / OUT ON THE TILES / “Stop!” / “I wonder if that was accidentally left in there…” / #PreProTools / “Maybe his volvelle was showing…” / The uniqueness of Jimmy Page’s guitar sound, not only from album to album, but from song to song as well / “Who’s gonna clean the house if you don’t do that?” / “I don’t care about his ass, dude…” / GALLOWS POLE (Banjo?) / “She’s got a fine sister…” / “She’s got those big hangy roast beef volvelles…” / The difference between other drummers in the early 70’s vs #JohnHenryBonham / TANGERINE (“Sounds like fall…”) / “Thinking how it used to be…does she still remember times like these? To think of us again…and I do.” / “He did, and he do.” / Led Zeppelin is all about texture
(51:37): “That’s a weird name for a city…” / #weirdcitynames / THAT’S THE WAY (“I can’t play with you no more…”) / #RobertPlantActionFigurePoses / “What are we gonna call this place?” / #Snowdonia (Um, what?) / #TonyKochEngland / “You ready to get your Bron Yar on?” / BRON-Y-AUR STOMP (#danglingvolvelle) / Written about RP’s dog, Strider / #BlueEyedMerle / #BootsAndCats / #EarlyTechno / Bass drum and…spoons? / “Ain’t no companion like a blue-eyed merle…” / #foureyedgirl / “They’ve got great big volvelles too!” / #monsterenergyASMR / HATS OFF TO (ROY) HARPER (“Shake ‘em on down…”) / #CharlesObscure / #BlackMetalNerdery #ThrashMetalNerdery / “You can take your volvelle and go somewhere else…” / “No changes tracking wise…you’ve gotta leave that one alone.”/ #mysticalplace / “It’s not the same when you try…” / ***THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS EPISODE OF METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** / “Let’s say it at the same time…cool, let’s fist.” / ***COME ON DOWN TO THE BUNKERPOON GIFT SHOPPE AND PURCHANDISE SOME METAL NERDERY PODCAST MERCHANDISE AT metalnerdery.com/merch *** / #outroreel