Led Zeppelin III
All studio and live performances from Led Zeppelin III.
Led Zeppelin III was recorded between January and August 1970 and released on 5 October 1970 by Atlantic Records. Composed largely at a remote cottage in Wales known as Bron-Yr-Aur, this work represented a maturing of the band's music towards a greater emphasis on folk and acoustic sounds. This surprised many fans and critics, and upon its release
the album received rather indifferent reviews. Led Zeppelin III marked a change in focus for the band from late 1960s hard rock to a more folk rock or electric folk and acoustic inspired sound. These styles had been present to a lesser degree in the band's first two releases, but here it was the main emphasis, and one that would remain prominent to various degrees in the group's later albums. This development endeared the band to many progressive rock fans who would never have listened to Led Zeppelin's established blues and rock repertoire. With Led Zeppelin III the group's songwriting dynamic also changed, from Page's domination of the first two albums towards a more democratic affair in which all four group members contributed their own compositions and ideas—patterns that would continue in future sessions.
Immigrant Song
Overview: Immigrant Song was written during Led Zeppelin's tour of Iceland, Bath and Germany in the summer of 1970. The opening date of this tour took place in Reykjavík, Iceland, which inspired vocalist Robert Plant to write the song. Immigrant Song is one of Led Zeppelin's few single releases. It was issued in the US 5 November 1970 by Atlantic Records and reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Hey Hey What Can I Do, the single's B-side, was released on the 1972 UK Atlantic Records sampler The New Age of Atlantic and later on the 1990 Led Zeppelin Boxed Set. Immigrant Song was also mistakenly released in Japan with "Out On the Tiles" as the B-side rather than "Hey Hey What Can I Do" and is a rare collectible.
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Versions Worth Checking Out: 23 September 1971 - Tokyo, Japan
Celebration Day
Celebration Day was recorded between May and August of 1970. Originally, one of John Bonham's drum tracks was to be used in the intro of "Celebration Day", but an engineer accidentally erased the recording. Unable or unwilling to re-record it, the synthesizer drone from the end of "Friends" was used to fill up the gap. Robert Plant's lyrics were inspired by his impressions of the city of New York. On Zeppelin's 1971 concert tour of the United States, he would sometimes introduce it as "The New York Song". "Celebration Day" was often played live in Led Zeppelin concerts from 1971–73, and was returned to the band's setlist at the Knebworth Festival in 1979, where Page performed the song using his Gibson EDS-1275 double-necked guitar.
Favorite Version: 31 August 1971 - Orlando, Florida
Since I've Been Loving You
Overview: Since I've Been Loving You was recorded between May and August of 1970. This was one of the first songs prepared for the Led Zeppelin III album. The song was recorded live in the studio with very little overdubbing.
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Versions Worth Checking Out: 1 April 1971 (BBC Sessions)