Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (1973), 7/10

Fans can understandably have a strange relationship with Led Zeppelin resembling an on again off again romance, but Houses of the Holy has always been the Zeppelin album that transcends this argument and exists on its own as a staple of seventies rock music. The band was thankfully over stealing songs at this point in their career, yet the compositions and performances are at an all-time high. "The Rain Song" is an undeniably beautiful ballad and "Over the Hills and Far Away" speaks for itself with its fantastic acoustic opening and extremely memorable and varied riffs, proving that Page could do more than imitate and borrow style. "The Crunge" is wonderfully funky, particularly John Paul Jones' contributions to this track and its groove; of course Bonham’s noteworthy contributions are all over the album not excluding the song’s funky drumming. On the back end, "No Quarter" is one of the band's better tracks for its lucid performance and satisfying build, perhaps even one of the better rock songs of the decade. Perhaps the only song found reaching is “Dancing Days”, the rest of the track list wholly achieves its aim and exists as an ambitious set of songs that can truly achieve thematic feats with its narration. The album is remarkably consistent for its style, especially considering its breadth of genre borrowing. Houses of the Holy will never truly go out of style, surviving as a much more whole product and a greater work of integrity than their other lesser and more inconsistent albums.