Houses of the Holy follows the same basic pattern as Led Zeppelin IV, but the approach is looser and more relaxed.
Jimmy Page's riffs rely on ringing, folky hooks as much as they do on thundering blues-rock, giving the album a lighter, more open atmosphere.
While the pseudo-reggae of "D'Yer Mak'er" and the affectionate James Brown send-up "The Crunge" suggest that the band was searching for material, they actually contribute to the musical diversity of the album.
"The Rain Song" is one of Zep's finest moments, featuring a soaring string arrangement and a gentle, aching melody.
"The Ocean" is just as good, starting with a heavy, funky guitar groove before slamming into an a cappella section and ending with a swinging, doo wop-flavored rave-up.
With the exception of the rampaging opening number, "The Song Remains the Same," the rest of Houses of the Holy is fairly straightforward, ranging from the foreboding "No Quarter" and the strutting hard rock of "Dancing Days" to the epic folk/metal fusion "Over the Hills and Far Away." Throughout the record, the band's playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of Page and Robert Plant's songwriting sound coherent and natural.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Song Remains the SameJimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | Play | 05:29 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 2 | The Rain SongJimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | Play | 07:40 | 17 MB | 44 MB |
| 3 | Over the Hills and Far AwayJimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | The CrungeJohn Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Dancing DaysJimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 6 | D'yer Mak'erJohn Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 7 | No QuarterJohn Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | Play | 07:03 | 16 MB | 41 MB |
| 8 | The OceanJohn Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | Led Zeppelin | Play | 04:33 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 41 mins | 94 MB | |||||
| 41 mins | 265 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Bonham | Composer, Drums, Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | John Paul Jones | Composer, Group Member, Guitar (Bass), Organ, Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Led Zeppelin | Primary Artist |
| 4 | Jimmy Page | Composer, Guitar, Producer |
| 5 | Robert Plant | Composer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |