Album
Houses Of The Holy
1973 · Rock
260 collectors on Gatefold own this
Houses Of The Holy is a Rock album by Led Zeppelin, originally released in 1973. On Gatefold: 605 pressings tracked, owned by 260 collectors.
About
Led Zeppelin were never a group of settlers. Their previous album, <i>IV</i> virtually defined the hard rock genre with its era-defining guitar riffs and bombastic destiny. It remains among rock’s essential albums. The follow-up never tries to emulate that achievement. Instead, <i>Houses of the Holy</i> approaches things from a diverse, genre-busting side. “The Song Remains the Same” opens things at their leisure, opting for a dense guitar-heavy maelstrom that soon gives way to the meditative seven-and-a-half minutes of “The Rain Song.” Guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones work in lockstep, weaving mystical passages (the shivering mellotron-heavy “No Quarter”), dynamic acoustic/electric rock (“Over the Hills and Far Away”), reggae (“D’Yer Maker”) and both pseudo-funk (the James Brown homage “The Crunge”) and their own legitimate brand of groove rock (“The Ocean,” “Dancing Days”) always with a sense of musical space that allowed each instrument to shine individually and work within the context of the group. Led Zeppelin mastered each genre they attempted. They never shied from a new idea. And they often succeeded brilliantly with each risk.
via Apple Music
The Clerk says
The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.
Tracklist
Side A
- A1The Song Remains The Same5:24
- A2The Rain Song6:32
- A3Over The Hills And Far Away4:06
- A4The Crunge3:52
Side B
- B1Dancing Days3:40
- B2D'yer Mak'er4:18
- B3No Quarter6:52
- B4The Ocean4:16
Sound DNA
- Rock
- Hard Rock
- lush
- triumphant
- spacey
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album and was released by Atlantic Records on March 26, 1973.
The album benefited from two band members installing studios at home, which allowed them to develop more sophisticated songs and arrangements and expand their musical style. Several songs subsequently became fixtures in the group's live set, including "The Song Remains the Same", "The Rain Song" and "No Quarter". Other material recorded at the sessions, including the title track, was shelved and released on the later albums Physical Graffiti and Coda. All instruments and vocals were provided by the band members Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards), and John Bonham (drums). The album was produced by Jimmy Page, and it was mixed by Eddie Kramer.
The cover was the first by the band to be designed by Hipgnosis and was based on a photograph taken at Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
Although critical response was mixed, Houses of the Holy became a commercial success later receiving a Diamond (over 10-million albums sold)[4] certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 278 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The LP cover was staged & photographed at the Irish Giant's Causeway. The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills.
For the original UK releases, there are at least two different label variations based on track durations [A2 to A4, B2 to B4]. The same differences also apply to the reissues with Warner logo in the rim text. So, there's no before or after, right or wrong in this regard.
Singles from this release:
Over The Hills And Far Away
D'yer Mak'er
The Ocean (Europe only)
Credits
The people behind it.
Performers
- Jimmy PageBAND, GUITAR ELECTRIC GUITAR, ACOUSTIC GUITAR, PEDAL STEEL GUITAR, BACKING VOCALS GUITAR
- John BonhamBAND, DRUMS DRUMS DRUMS, BACKING VOCALS
- John Paul JonesBAND, BASS BASS BASS GUITAR
- Robert PlantBAND, VOCALS LEAD VOCALS VOCALS
- Billie Joe ArmstrongLYRICS BY, PERFORMER
- Mike Dirnt
- Robert, John Paul, JohnBACKING VOCALS
- Tre Cool
- Viram JasaniTABLA
260 collectors on Gatefold own this · 605 pressings tracked on Gatefold
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