The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a history of using some great music in their soundtracks, but they really excelled themselves just 5 minutes into 'Thor:Ragnarok' when the first guitar riff belts out and Robert Plant wails "Ah-ah, ah! Ah-ah, ah!" to open 'Immigrant Song'. Although written in 1970 during a tour of Iceland, the song almost word for word could have been composed with the 2017 movie in mind. The lyric talks about coming from a land of ice and snow with references to Valhalla and the line "The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands" along with the throbbing pulsing heart-racing music that seems faster than it is. The whole song serves to enhance two of the best scenes in the movie. Because of that line, many fans had been referring to the Led Zepplin sound as "hammer of the gods" for years, and Stephen Davis even used it as the title of his book about the band.
'Immigrant Song' was also the opening track to this featured album.
In truth, any album by Led Zepplin could have been used for this review. Tracy is the authority and collector of Zepplin in this household. My contribution was a copy of 'Houses of the Holy' from 1973, but her collection covers so much more, and each album has gems in the listings. It surprised me just how many of their songs I knew, but didn't realise I knew. I'd been singing along to
"Hey, hey mama said the way you move
Gon' make you sweat, gon' make you groove"
without realising it was called 'Black Dog' ! Anyway, that's another album for another time. Back to Led Zepplin III.
I picked this album because it's acknowledged to be a bit of a transition from their earlier rock to include a more acoustic form and there are some solid blues influences throughout the LP. There are also rock songs - something for everyone.
Obviously 'Immigrant Song', 'Celebration Day' and 'Out on the Tiles' are the Led Zepplin we knew, but then there's 'Gallows Pole'.
'Gallows Pole' has been around forever in various versions, sometimes about a woman, other times a man, probably starting life as an old folk song called 'The Maid Freed From the Gallows'
Leadbelly did a great frenetic version back in the 1930's but he titled his 'The Gallis Pole'. Led Zepplin based theirs on the Fred Gerlach version but the credits read "Traditional: Arranged by Page and Plant".
I love this song. It starts gently enough - acoustic guitar setting the scene and Robert Plant holding his voice in check. Then the build-up starts and at about 2 minutes the drums kick in and a banjo adds to the stressful vocals that Plant has started to scream. The whole thing descends into a loud cacophony of tension and fear and resignation. Brilliant.
'Since I've been Loving You' is blues. No embellishments, just a live studio recording but it met with mixed reviews. A Rolling Stone article said it "represents the obligatory slow and lethally dull seven-minute blues jam." Joe Satriani on the other hand thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. For me, I was going to say that some of the guitar work reminds me of Gary Moore, but realistically, he came later, so if anything, maybe he reminds me of Jimmy Page.
'Bron-Y-Aur Stomp' was named after a house in Wales where the band went after an American tour. The place was actually called Bron-Yr-Aur but misspelled on here. On their 1975 album 'Physical Graffiti' they did an instrumental using the correct name. This one is a jaunty clappy tub-thumping song, which, when you listen, is about a man and his dog.
'Hats Off To (Roy) Harper' is another blues song with a nod to Bukka White's 'Shake 'Em On Down'. The track is attributed to Charles Obscure. There is no such person, that's a pseudonym for Jimmy Page. Roy Harper on the other hand is a folk singer, a friend of Jimmy's and the band, a renowned musician (he sang lead vocal on Pink Floyd's 'Have a Cigar' when Roger Walter's voice wasn't working.) Jimmy Page played on one of Harper's albums, 'Stormcock' but there he was credited as S. Flavius Mercurius, so he seemed to have a habit of using odd names.
All in all, this album is a mixed bag. Certainly more hits than misses and some side streets taken instead of sticking to the highway.
Worth a new listen or a revisit - and when you've finished, watch Thor:Ragnarok !!
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