Houses of the Holy
| Houses of the Holy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Led Zeppelin | ||||
| Released | 28 March 1973 | |||
| Recorded | January–August 1972, Stargroves and Headley Grange with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, and Island Studios, London Mixed at Olympic Studios, London and Electric Lady Studios, New York |
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| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 40:58 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |||
| Led Zeppelin chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Houses of the Holy | ||||
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Houses of the Holy is the fifth album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed "Houses of the Holy." It was the first Led Zeppelin album to not officially be titled after the band. It was also the first of the band's albums to be composed of completely original material. It represents a musical turning point for Led Zeppelin, as they began to use more layering and production techniques in recording their songs.
Receiving mixed to negative reviews upon its release, "Houses of the Holy" is considered to be one of Led Zeppelin's weaker albums despite containing several of their best-known songs. The album provided notable additions to the band's catalogue of songs, and it has sold over 11 million copies in the United States. In 2003, Houses of the Holy was ranked number 149 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Contents |
Recording sessions
Much of this album was recorded in Spring 1972 at Stargroves, the country estate in Berkshire which was owned by Mick Jagger, through the use of the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Some songs from the album had initially been tried out earlier than this, such as "No Quarter", which was first attempted during a session at Headley Grange.[1]
Several of the songs were also demoed at the personal studios of guitarist Jimmy Page and bass player/keyboardist John Paul Jones. These two musicians had recently installed these studios in their respective homes, which enabled them to complete the arrangements which had been laid down earlier.[1] In particular, Page was able to present complete arrangements of "The Rain Song" and "Over the Hills and Far Away", while Jones had developed "No Quarter".[1]
Another bout of recording took place at Olympic Studios in May 1972, and during the band's 1972 North American tour additional recording sessions were conducted at Electric Lady Studios in New York.[1]
Some songs which were recorded from these various sessions did not eventually make it onto Houses of the Holy, namely "Black Country Woman", "Walter's Walk", "The Rover" and also the title-track, "Houses of the Holy". All of these songs were retained and later released on subsequent Led Zeppelin albums.
Composition
This album was a stylistic turning point in the lifespan of Led Zeppelin. Guitar riffs became more layered within Jimmy Page's production techniques and departed from the blues influences of earlier records. In the album's opening opus, "The Song Remains the Same", and its intricate companion suite, "The Rain Song", Robert Plant's lyrics matured toward a less overt form of the mysticism and fantasy of previous efforts. Houses of the Holy also featured styles not heard on the first four Led Zeppelin albums. For example, "D'yer Mak'er" is a reggae-based tune (the name of the song being derived from the phonetic spelling of the British pronunciation of "Jamaica"); "No Quarter" features atmospheric keyboard sounds and an acoustic piano solo from John Paul Jones; "The Crunge" is a funk tribute to James Brown; and "The Rain Song" is embellished by Jones on his newly-acquired mellotron. The album's closing song "The Ocean", which features an a cappella section and a doo-wop influenced coda, is dedicated to "the ocean" of fans who were massing to Led Zeppelin concerts at this point of the band's career.
According to Led Zeppelin expert Dave Lewis:
In retrospect, 'Houses of the Holy' holds its ground with the middle period releases quite admirably. The barnstorming effect of the early era was now levelling off and though devoid of the electricity of 'Led Zeppelin I' and 'II', or the sheer diversity of the third album, and lacking the classic status of the fourth, 'Houses' took stock of their situation. In doing so, it laid several foundations on which they would expand their future collective musical aspirations.[1]
Album sleeve design
The cover art for Houses of the Holy was inspired by the ending of Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End.[1] (The ending involves several hundred million naked children, only slightly and physically resembling the human race in basic forms.) It is a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. This location was chosen ahead of an alternative one in Peru which was being considered.[1]
The two children who modelled for the cover were siblings Stefan and Samanatha Gates.[2] The photoshoot was a frustrating affair over the course of ten days. Shooting was done first thing in the morning and at sunset in order to capture the light at dawn and dusk, but the desired effect was never achieved due to constant rain and clouds. The photos of the two children were taken in black and white and were multi-printed to create the effect of 11 individuals that can be seen on the album cover. The results of the shoot were less than satisfactory, but some accidental tinting effects in post-production created an unexpectedly striking album cover.[1] The inner sleeve photograph was taken at Dunluce Castle near to the Causeway.
In February 2010 Stefan Gates presented a half-hour BBC Radio 4 documentary entitled Stefan Gates's Cover Story, about his part in the making of the album cover. Gates claimed in the documentary to have felt there was something sinister about the image, although his sister disagreed. He also admitted never actually having heard the album. The programme ended with Gates returning to Giant's Causeway and listening to the album on a portable player, after which he claimed that a great weight had been lifted from him.
Like Led Zeppelin's fourth album, neither the band's name nor the album title was printed on the sleeve. However, manager Peter Grant did allow Atlantic Records to add a wrap-around paper title band to US and UK copies of the sleeve that had to be broken or slid off to access the record.[1] This hid the children's buttocks from general display, but still the album was either banned or unavailable in some parts of the Southern United States for several years.[3][4]
The first CD release of the album in the 1980s did have the title logos printed on the cover itself.[1]
In 1974, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of best album package. The cover was rated #6 on VH1's 50 Greatest Album Covers in 2003.
Jimmy Page has stated that the album cover was actually the second version submitted by Hipgnosis. The first, by artist Storm Thorgerson, featured an electric green tennis court with a tennis racquet on it. Furious that Thorgerson was implying their music sounded like a "racket", the band fired him and hired Powell in his place.[5] Thorgerson did, however, go on to produce the album artwork for Led Zeppelin's subsequent albums Presence and In Through the Out Door.
Release and critical reaction
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [6] |
| Billboard | (favourable)[7] |
| Blender |  [8] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A)[9] |
| Robert Christgau | (A-)[10] |
| Rolling Stone (1973) | (unfavourable)[11] |
| Rolling Stone (2003) | [12] |
| Yahoo! Music | (favourable)[13] |
This was Led Zeppelin's final studio release on Atlantic Records before forming their own label, Swan Song Records, in 1974. It was also the only Led Zeppelin album that contained complete printed lyrics to each song.
| "The epic scale suited Zeppelin: They had the largest crowds, the loudest rock songs, the most groupies, the fullest manes of hair. Eventually excess would turn into bombast, but on Houses, it still provided inspiration." |
| —Gavin Edwards, Rolling Stone.[14] |
Although intended for release in January 1973, delays in producing the album cover meant that it was not released until March, when the band was on its 1973 European tour. The album was promoted heavily before the commencement of Led Zeppelin's subsequent North American Tour, ensuring that it had ascended the top of the American chart by the beginning of the tour.[1] Because much of the album had been recorded almost a year previously, many of the songs which are featured on the album had already been played live by Led Zeppelin on their concert tours of North America, Japan, Europe and the United Kingdom in 1972-1973.[1]
Upon its release, the album received some mixed reviews,[15] with much criticism from the music press being directed at the off-beat nature of tracks such as "The Crunge" and "D'yer Mak'er".[1] However, the album was very commercially successful, entering the UK chart at number one, while in America its 39-week run (2 of them spent at number one) on the Billboard Top 40 was their longest since their third album.[1]
In 2003, the album was ranked number 149 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Book of Rock Lists | United States | "The Top 40 Albums (1973)"[16] | 1981 | 13 |
| Grammy Award | United States | "Grammy Award for Best Recording Package"[17] | 1974 | Nominee |
| Classic Rock | United Kingdom | "100 Greatest British Rock Album Ever"[18] | 2006 | 90 |
| Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | United States | "The Definitive 200: Top 200 Albums of All-Time"[19] | 2007 | 51 |
(*) designates unordered lists.
Track listing
| Side one | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "The Song Remains the Same" | Page, Plant | 5:32 | ||||||
| 2. | "The Rain Song" | Page, Plant | 7:39 | ||||||
| 3. | "Over the Hills and Far Away" | Page, Plant | 4:50 | ||||||
| 4. | "The Crunge" | Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant | 3:17 | ||||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Dancing Days" | Page, Plant | 3:43 | ||||||
| 2. | "D'yer Mak'er" | Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant | 4:23 | ||||||
| 3. | "No Quarter" | Jones, Page, Plant | 7:00 | ||||||
| 4. | "The Ocean" | Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant | 4:31 | ||||||
Sales chart performance
- Album
| Chart (1973) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums Chart[20] | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart[21] | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[22] | 4 |
| US Billboard The 200 Albums Chart[23] | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Albums Chart[24] | 1 |
| US Record World Top Pop Albums Chart[25] | 1 |
| Austrian Albums Chart[26] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Top 100 Albums Chart[27] | 1 |
| Spanish Albums Chart[28] | 9 |
| Australian Go-Set Top 20 Albums Chart[29] | 1 |
| Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart | 1 |
| German Albums Chart[30] | 8 |
| French Albums Chart[31] | 3 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "D'yer Mak'er" | Billboard Pop Singles (Billboard Hot 100) | 20 |
| 1973 | "Over The Hills And Far Away" | Billboard Pop Singles (Billboard Hot 100) | 51 |
Sales certifications
| Country | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | 300,000+ | Platinum[32] |
| Germany (IFPI) | 100,000+ | Gold[33] |
| Argentina (CAPIF) | 30,000+ | Gold[34] |
| United States (RIAA) | 11,000,000+ | Diamond[35] |
| France (SNEP) | 150,000+ | 2× Gold[36] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 40,000+ | Gold[37] |
Personnel
- Led Zeppelin
- John Bonham – drums, backing vocals
- John Paul Jones – organ, Mellotron, bass guitar, backing vocals, piano, synthesisers, harpsichord
- Jimmy Page – acoustic, electric, and pedal steel guitar, production
- Robert Plant – lead vocals and backing vocals.
- Production
- Barry Diament – mastering (original Compact Disc release)
- Keith Harwood – mixing
- Hipgnosis – sleeve art direction
- Andy Johns – engineering, mixing (on "No Quarter")
- Eddie Kramer – engineering, mixing
- Bob Ludwig – mastering engineering
- Aubrey Powell – cover photography
- George Marino – mastering (remastered Compact Disc)
See also
- List of best-selling albums in the United States
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- ↑ Solved: Mystery of the iconic Led Zeppelin album cover and its golden-haired children
- ↑ Classic Rock Covers: Led Zeppelin; Houses of the Holy. Atlantic, 1973. Designer: Hipgnosis (Storm Thorgneson, Aubrey Powell)
- ↑ Koldo Barroso, "Best albums with nude covers and the stories behind", intuitivemusic.com, 9 November 2006.
- ↑ Brad Tolinski and Greg Di Bendetto, "Light and Shade", Guitar World, January 1998.
- ↑ Allmusic Review
- ↑ Billboard Review
- ↑ Blender Review
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly Review
- ↑ Robert Christgau Review
- ↑ Rolling Stone Review
- ↑ Rolling Stone Review
- ↑ Yahoo! Music Review
- ↑ "Edwards, Gavin" (30 July 2003). ""Houses of the Holy" review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ledzeppelin/albums/album/120527/review/5940338/houses_of_the_holy. Retrieved 4 September 2008.
- ↑ Michael Wale, "Led Zeppelin", The Times, 11 July 1973.
- ↑ "The Top 40 Albums 1973". rocklistmusic.co.uk. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/dmarshal.html#70. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "Grammy Award for Best Album Package (Hipgnosis) - 2 March 1974". Grammy. http://www.super70s.com/Super70s/Music/1973/Grammys.asp. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "Classic Rock - 100 Greatest British Rock Album Ever - April 2006". Classic Rock. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/classicrock2.htm. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "The Definitive 200: Top 200 Albums of All-Time". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (United States). http://www.rockhall.com/pressroom/definitive-200. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums - 10 April 1973". Oricon. http://www.oricon.co.jp/. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums - 14 April 1973". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=3225. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 20 Albums - 29 April 1973". norwegiancharts.com. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Led+Zeppelin&titel=Houses+Of+The+Holy&cat=a. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "The Billboard 200 - 12 May 1973". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=305&cfgn=Albums&cfn=The+Billboard+200&ci=3069088&cdi=8739973&cid=05%2F12%2F1973. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums - 12 May 1973". Cash Box. http://msdb.hp.infoseek.co.jp/cb&bb/album%20no1/1973.htm. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top Pop Albums - 12 May 1973". Record World. http://www.geocities.com/muggy59/RWPOPLPS1970THRU1974.html. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 75 Albums - 15 May 1973". austriancharts.at. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Led+Zeppelin&titel=Houses+Of+The+Holy&cat=a. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "RPM Albums Chart - 19 May 1973". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4811&volume=19&issue=14&issue_dt=May%2019%201973&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=hrg50o22lgammqcogv27ve6d95. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums - 9 June 1973". PROMUSICAE. http://www.promusicae.es/english.html. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 20 Albums - 30 June 1973". Go Set. http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1973/19730630.html#albums. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums - June 1973". charts-surfer.de. http://www.charts-surfer.de/musiksearch.php. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums - 1973". infodisc.fr. http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1973.php. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "BPI Houses of the Holy certification - 24 November 1988". BPI. http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=23685. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Houses of the Holy - 1993". musikindustrie.de. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=1&strSuche=Houses+of+the+Holy. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "CAPIF: Led Zeppelin - 1993". CAPIF. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=Led+Zeppelin&album=&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "RIAA.org Houses of the Holy - 15 November 1999". RIAA. http://www.riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "Disque en France: Houses of the Holy - 18 October 2001". SNEP. http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/monopage.xml?id=259165&year=2001&type=11. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ↑ "PROMUSICAE Houses of the Holy - 2002". PROMUSICAE. http://www.promusicae.es/english.html. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
External links
| Preceded by 20 Flashback Greats of the Sixties by Various Artists |
UK Albums Chart number-one album 14–21 April 1973 |
Succeeded by Ooh La La by The Faces |
| Preceded by Aloha from Hawaii: Via Satellite by Elvis Presley |
Billboard 200 number-one album 12–25 May 1973 |
Succeeded by 1967–1970 by The Beatles |
| Preceded by Hot August Night by Neil Diamond |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one album 4–24 June 1973 |
Succeeded by Red Rose Speedway by Paul McCartney & Wings |
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