Today, March 28, Led Zeppelin‘s Houses of the Holy turns 50! I decided to celebrate by playing an entire Workforce Block of songs from the iconic album. It was the band’s fifth album release, and boy, did they deliver.

The band pushed their style even further with this album, drawing from different inspirations from previous LPs. The album benefited from two of the band members installing at-home studios. It allowed them to be able to experiment more than they already had. They began to change the trajectory and scope of their work.

The album received a mixed response back when it was released in 1973, but it later became a commercial success. The quality of the work holds up, and there really isn’t a bad song on the whole LP. Led Zeppelin was constantly churning out great work, and this album was no different. The key to their success always has been their ability and willingness to change.

Their sound was diversified. You could hear classic driving rock and a reggae inspired groove within two tracks. The funny thing is, the song “Houses of the Holy” isn’t even on this album. It’s on a later LP.

Here’s what I played for the 50th anniversary of Houses of the Holy. Enjoy! –Pierre Robert

• The Song Remains The Same

  I first played the albums opening track, The Song Remains the Same. Jimmy Page wrote this one. It was originally meant to be an instrumental track.

• The Rain Song

  The Rain Song was up next. The Rain Song’s relaxed vibe makes it a good “ballad” type song. It was written in response to a comment George Harrison made about Zeppelin not doing ballads.

• D'yer Mak'er

  This song is a real departure from the regular style we were used to hearing Led Zeppelin do. It’s reggae rock, and it’s a really fun one to hear. The title is a play on how people with British accents say “Jamaica.”

• The Crunge

  The Crunge is super funky. Another super style variation. The song evolved out of a jam session in the studio. The use of the whammy bar makes this song very unique.

• The Ocean

  The noises in the back of The Ocean add to its charm. It has an unusual time signature as well. It was the perfect song to end this block with.

• Dancing Days and No Quarter

  I didn’t play these in my block, but listen out for a double shot of Led Zeppelin with these two tracks during Brent’s show today.

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