'Led Zeppelin III' is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin and released in late 1970.
The range of instruments played by the band was greatly enhanced on this album, with Jones especially emerging as a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing a wide range of keyboard and stringed instruments, including various synthesizers, mandolin and double bass, in addition to his usual bass guitar. As with prior albums, Page served as producer on the album, with mixing done by Andy Johns and Terry Manning.
The album showed a progression from straightforward rock towards folk and acoustic music. While hard rock influences were still present, such as on "Immigrant Song", acoustic-based songs such as "Gallows Pole" and "That's the Way" showed Led Zeppelin were capable of playing different styles successfully. The band wrote most of the material themselves, but as with prior records, included two songs that were re-interpretations of earlier works: "Gallows Pole", based on a traditional English folk song, by way of American singer Fred Gerlach; and "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper", a reworking of a blues song by Bukka White. The acoustic material developed from a songwriting session between Plant and Page at Bron-Yr-Aur cottage in Wales, which influenced the musical direction.
The album was one of the most anticipated of 1970 and was an immediate commercial success upon release and topped the UK and US charts.
This classic Zep album represents an important milestone in the band's history and a turning point in their music- proving that they were able to stretch their creativity in previously unexpected directions while still maintaining their well-deserved position at the top of the rock 'n' roll pyramid.
Compact Disc
Tracklist:
1. Immigrant Song
2. Friends
3. Celebration Day
4. Since I've Been Loving You
5. Out On The Tiles
6. Gallows Pole
7. Tangerine
8. That's The Way
9. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
10. Hats Off To (Roy) Harper
