Houses Of The Holy de Led Zeppelin
Álbum de Led Zeppelin
- Fecha de lanzamiento: 28 de Marzo de 1973
- Sello Discográfico: Atlantic
- Compositores: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham
- Productores: Jimmy Page
Houses Of The Holy es un álbum de Led Zeppelin, publicado en 1973 por Atlantic. El disco incluye 8 canciones, entre ellas «The Song Remains The Same», «The Rain Song», «Over The Hills And Far Away» y «The Crunge».
Houses of the Holy, el quinto álbum de estudio de Led Zeppelin, lanzado en 1973, marca un punto de inflexión estilístico y una deliberada expansión de sus horizontes musicales. Tras la monumental cima del rock que supuso Led Zeppelin IV, la banda se sintió con la libertad de explorar nuevos territorios sonoros, alejándose de su característico hard rock y blues pesado. El resultado es su álbum más ecléctico y estilísticamente diverso, una colección de canciones que incorpora influencias del funk, el reggae, el folk y el rock sinfónico. Con una producción más brillante y pulida, y un enfoque más lúdico y experimental, "Houses of the Holy" demostró que Led Zeppelin era mucho más que la banda más pesada del mundo: eran músicos de una curiosidad y un talento ilimitados.
El proceso de grabación
En 1972, Led Zeppelin era la banda más grande del planeta. Este éxito sin precedentes les otorgó una total libertad creativa y financiera. Para la grabación de este álbum, utilizaron el estudio móvil de The Rolling Stones en Stargroves, la mansión de Mick Jagger, lo que les proporcionó un entorno relajado para experimentar. Fue el primer álbum en el que la banda comenzó a usar de forma extensiva técnicas de superposición de guitarras y efectos de estudio más complejos, como el "phasing" y la manipulación de la velocidad de las cintas. El ingeniero Eddie Kramer fue de nuevo una figura clave en la consecución del sonido brillante y detallado del disco.
El sonido del álbum
El sonido de "Houses of the Holy" es una desviación deliberada. Es un álbum más brillante, colorido y optimista que sus predecesores. La pesadez del blues es reemplazada por una exploración de ritmos y géneros. El funk se hace presente en "The Crunge", un homenaje a James Brown. El reggae, un género que aún era una rareza en el rock mainstream, es la base de "D'yer Mak'er". El rock progresivo y sinfónico domina la épica "The Rain Song". La voz de Robert Plant es notablemente más alta en la mezcla y menos procesada, lo que le da al álbum un sonido más directo.
Canción por canción
El álbum se abre con la majestuosa "The Song Remains the Same", una pieza de rock progresivo de ritmo acelerado y guitarras superpuestas, que originalmente iba a ser instrumental. Le sigue sin pausa una de las baladas más aclamadas de la banda, "The Rain Song", una pieza de casi ocho minutos con un hermoso arreglo de cuerdas (creado con un Mellotron por John Paul Jones) y una letra poética de Plant.
El primer sencillo, "Over the Hills and Far Away", es una suite en miniatura que comienza como una delicada pieza de folk acústico y explota en un potente hard rock. "The Crunge" es un complejo ejercicio de funk con un compás inusual que desafía al oyente a encontrar el ritmo. "No Quarter" es una de las piezas más oscuras y atmosféricas de su carrera, una odisea psicodélica dominada por el teclado procesado de John Paul Jones, que evoca una atmósfera de mitología nórdica.
Diseño y portada
La portada, diseñada por Hipgnosis y basada en la novela "El fin de la infancia" de Arthur C. Clarke, es una de las más famosas y controvertidas. Muestra a un grupo de niños desnudos escalando la Calzada del Gigante en Irlanda del Norte. La imagen, un collage de varias fotografías, es surrealista y evocadora, y generó controversia en algunos países por el uso de niños desnudos, lo que llevó a que se censurara en algunos mercados.
El álbum en listas
El álbum fue un éxito comercial masivo, alcanzando el número 1 a ambos lados del Atlántico y consolidando su estatus como la banda más grande del mundo.
- UK Albums Chart: 1
- USA Billboard 200: 1
- Australia (Kent Music Report): 1
- Canadá (RPM): 1
Acogida de la crítica
La crítica inicial fue en general positiva, aunque de nuevo, algunos críticos se mostraron desconcertados por el cambio de dirección y la falta del blues-rock pesado de sus primeros trabajos. Sin embargo, con el tiempo, "Houses of the Holy" ha sido aclamado como uno de los álbumes más valientes y creativos de Led Zeppelin, una demostración de su inagotable curiosidad musical y su negativa a repetirse.
Listado de Canciones
- The Song Remains The Same5:24
Letra
I had a dream Oh yeah Crazy dream Oh, oh Anything I wanted to know Any place I needed to go Hear my song People won't listen now Sing along You don't know what you're missing now Any little song that you know Everything that's small has to grow And it's gonna grow now, push, push, yeah California sunlight Sweet Calcutta rain Honolulu starbright The song remains the same Sing out Hare Hare Dance the Hoochie Koo City lights are so bright As we go sliding, sliding, sliding - The Rain Song6:32
Letra
This is the springtime of my loving The second season I am to know You are the sunlight in my growing So little warmth I've felt before It isn't hard to feel me glowing I watched the fire that grew so low It is the summer of my smiles Flee from me keepers of the gloom Speak to me only with your eyes It is to you, I give this tune Ain't so hard to recognize These things are clear to all from time to time Talk, talk, talk, talk I've felt the coldness of my winter I never thought it would ever go I cursed the gloom that set upon us, upon us, upon us But I know that I love you so Oh, but I know that I love you so These are the seasons of emotion And like the winds they rise and fall This is the wonder of devotion I see the torch we all must hold This is the mystery of the quotient Upon us all, a little rain must fall - Over The Hills And Far Away4:06
Hey lady, you got the love I need Maybe more than enough Oh darling, walk a while with me You've got so much Many have I loved Many times been bitten Many times I've gazed along the open road Many times I've lied Many times I've listened Many times I've wondered How much there is to know Many dreams come true And some have silver linings I live for my dream And a pocketful of gold Mellow is the man who knows What he's been missing Many many men Can't see the open road Many is a word that only leaves you guessing Guessing about a thing You really ought to know Oh, you really ought to know - The Crunge3:52
Letra
I want to tell you about my good thing I'm not disclosing no names, but He sure is a good friend and I ain't going to tell you where he comes from, boy If I tell you you won't come again Hey I'm not going to tell you nothing, but I do will But I know, yeah Now let me tell you about my girl I open up a newspaper and what do I see? Ahh, ah See my girl, ah, looking at me Ooh, and when she walks, she walks Let me tell you, when she talks, she talks And when she looks me in my eye She's my baby, Lord I want to make her mine, baby Ooh, tell me baby what you want me to do! And you want me to love you, love some other men? Ooh, ain't going to call me Mr. Pitiful, no! I don't need no respect from nobody, no I ain't going to tell you nothing, I ain't gonna tell you no more, no! She's my baby let me tell you that I love her so and, and She's the woman I really want to love and let me tell you more Ooh! He's my baby let me tell you, she lives next door She's the one a woman the one a woman that I know I ain't going, I ain't going, I ain't going to tell I ain't going to tell you one thing that you really ought to know, boy! She's my lover baby and I love her so, and She's the one that really makes me whirl and twirl, and! She's the kind of lover that makes me feel the whole world and She's the one who really makes me jump and shout, ooh! She's the kind of girl, I know what it's all about! Take it on, take it, take it, take it Ah, excuse me Oh will you excuse me I'm just trying to find the bridge! Has anybody seen the bridge? Please! (Have you seen the bridge?) I ain't seen the bridge! (Where's that confounded bridge?) - Dancing Days3:40
Letra
Dancing days are here again As the summer evenings grow I got my flower, I got my power I got a woman, who knows I said it's alright, you know it's alright I guess it's all in my heart You'll be my only, my one and only Is that the way it should start? Crazy ways are evident In the way that you're wearing your clothes Sipping, booze is precedent As the evening starts to glow You know it's alright, you said it's alright I guess it's all in my heart You'll be my only, my one and only Is that the way it should start? I told your mama, I'd get you home But I didn't say I got no car I saw a lion, he was standing alone With a tadpole in a jar You know it's alright, you said it's alright I guess it's all in my heart You'll be my only, my one and only Is that the way it should start? So dancing days are here again As the summer evenings grow You are my flower, you are my power You are my woman, who knows I said it's alright, you know it's alright I guess it's all in my heart You'll be my only, my one and only Is that the way it should start? - D'yer Mak'er4:18
- No Quarter6:52
Close the door, put out the light You know they won't be home tonight The snow falls hard and don't you know? The winds of thor are blowing cold They're wearing steel that's bright and true They carry news that must get through They choose the path where no one goes They hold no quarter, they hold no quarter Walking side by side with death The devil mocks their every step The snow drives back the foot that's slow The dogs of doom are howling more They carry news that must get through To build a dream for me and you They choose the path where no one goes They hold no quarter, they ask no quarter The pain, the pain without quarter They ask no quarter The dogs of doom are howling more! - The Ocean4:16
Singing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain Hitting on the moonshine, rocking in the grain Got no time to pack my bag, my foot's outside the door I got a date, I can't be late, for the high hopes hailla ball (Ah-ha) (Aw, aw, yeah) Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean's roar Play for free, play for me and play a whole lot more, more Singing about the good things and the sun that lights the day I used to sing on the mountains, has the ocean lost it's way? (I don't know) (Oh, oh, yeah) (Na, na, na, na, na) (Na, na, na, na, na) Sitting round, singing songs 'til the night turns into day Used to sing on the mountains, but the mountains washed away Now I'm singing all my songs to the girl who won my heart She is only three years old and it's a real fine way to start (Oh, yeah) It sure is fine Blow my mind When the tears are going down (Yeah, yeah, yeah) (Oh, so good)