Led Zeppelin III (Remastered)

After the full-on assault of Led Zeppelin II, the band decided to take a step back and work through a milder approach for their third album. Guitarist Jimmy Page always had a deep interest in English folk music and while his reputation as one of rock’s most formidable electric lead guitar players was firmly established, he was also no slouch with the acoustic. The album opens on an anthemic note with the Nordic trample of “The Immigrant Song” and “Celebration Day” leading the heavy metal brigade.  However, from the traditional “Gallows Pole” through the excited grace of “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” and the genuine pastoral countryside shadings of “Tangerine” and “”That’s the Way,” Led Zeppelin nearly sound like a jam band. But the core of the group, Page and former ‘60s session extraordinaire John Paul Jones, perform with a deliberate mastery that captures the magic of the performance with the precision that can only be crafted in a carefully controlled studio. The group can veer near chaos (“Out On the Tiles”) and pull it back at just the right moment. Even in their quietest moments, their sense of tension leads them into further dimensions.