The Fat Angel Sings

Released on Atlantic Records in 1973 Houses of the Holy was Led Zeppelins 5th album, It featured all original material with a running time at 40.58 minutes. The band were experimenting more with the production techniques and studio sounds, the epic scale of the band at this time, the loudest songs, the biggest tours and the largest tours.
the song “Houses of the Holy” was recorded for these sessions but was not released until the next album “Physical Graffitti” as it was felt it did’nt fit in . it also featured the “Song Remains the Same” and the reggae influenced “D’yer Maker”.

By 1973, Led Zeppelin had pushed themselves to deliver four stunning albums, but they were yet to see what could happen when you pushed the recording studio itself. A departure from their more simplistic sounds of earlier albums, Houses Of The Holy was an ambitious number that saw the group begin to experiment with production techniques, dividing their fan base almost straight down the middle in the process.

While the record was both a critical and technological success, some fans criticised the record for its rather unfocused sound which seemed to lack cohesion, while others praised the record as sounding exactly like the album that Led Zeppelin were born to make. While fans were divided upon release, almost 50 years laters, the record is considered not only one of the band’s finest moments, but also one of the greatest records of all time, and rightly so.