HOUSES OF THE HOLY

Another fine effort, Houses of the Holy sees Led Zeppelin broaden their horizons a bit by incorporating elements of reggae ("D'yer Ma'ker") and funk ("The Crunge") into their sonic repertoire. Rain Song and No Quarter border on being true progressive rock with significant keyboard colorings by John-Paul Jones. "Over the Hills and Far Away" is a lovely song with beautiful acoustic guitar work by Page. "The Ocean" is one of those timeless rockers. Rhythm work by Jones and Bonham are superlative on the entire record. Plant's vocals Again, Plant amply demonstrates his ability to tackle a number of different song styles. The weakest link on the entire record is the remarkably overplayed and underinspired "Dancing Days". This is another solid record. In my opinion, this record is not quite as good as Led Zep I, II or IV. Despite this, it is still a full four star recording.