Following the seismic impact of their first four albums, Houses of the Holy sees Led Zeppelin at perhaps their most adventurous, expanding beyond the heavy blues-rock foundation they built their reputation on. Released 52 years ago this month, the album finds the band in their prime, experimenting with new textures, drawing from funk, reggae, and progressive rock – sometimes to dazzling effect, other times just to playful excess.

Most of the album was recorded at Mick Jagger’s country estate, Stargroves, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Studio, a DAF truck famously converted to a state-of-the-art studio control room. Robert Plant and John Paul Jones arrived well prepared, their recently installed home studios giving them a chance to try out several arrangements of songs before the whole band got together, letting them spend more time on nailing the execution.

Opening with the epic “The Song Remains the Same,” Jimmy Page’s shimmering, layered guitars create a near-orchestral wall of sound, setting the stage for an album that refuses to sit still. The rest of the album embraces both grandeur and groove, from the sweeping ballad of “The Rain Song,” a lush, Mellotron backed piece that surely ranks among the band’s most beautiful compositions. To the other end of the spectrum with “The Crunge,” a tongue-in-cheek James Brown homage that must be one of their most unusual choices – funky, odd, and totally unexpected.

The album’s standout moments are many. “Over the Hills and Far Away” builds from delicate acoustic picking to an anthemic crescendo, showcasing Page and Plant’s gift for storytelling. “Dancing Days”, a joy filled memory of dancing through Stargroves after a particularly intense jam session, rides on a slinky, Eastern-tinged riff, proving that Zeppelin could groove as hard as they could thunder. Then there’s “No Quarter,” a dark, moody epic they had tried before without success, but reborn here from John Paul Jones’ fresh arrangement and eerie electric piano, drenched in atmosphere and mystery.

But perhaps Houses of the Holy’s biggest surprise is “D’yer Mak’er”, a reggae infused track that baffled purists upon release but has since become a fan favourite. Robert Plant’s playful vocal delivery, combined with Bonham’s thundering, offbeat drumming, makes it one of the album’s catchiest.

While Houses of the Holy perhaps doesn’t carry quite the raw, primal energy of Led Zeppelin IV, its quality comes from its willingness to take risks. The band was no longer just refining their formula – they were actively breaking it apart, reconstructing it into something new. The result is an album that feels playful, cinematic, and completely unrestrained, a stepping stone toward the even more elaborate soundscapes they would explore on Physical Graffiti.

Jamie, March 2025

We have the 2014 remaster of Houses of the Holy available on 180g vinyl, housed in its iconic Hipgnosis-designed gatefold sleeve. Released 28 March 1973 – click to buy it here (£28)