Dear Nathaniel,
Hello my angel I hope everything is perfect for you. I'm feeling really unwell again, I've had headaches all day but they seem to be lessening now for awhile which is good. Yesterday I had headaches too but they went away when I was listening to Led Zeppelin with you, and again when I'm listening now I'm completely headache free.
We're continuing our lovely Led Zeppelin theme with their third album. On this album Led Zeppelin use even more acoustic instruments than their previous album and it makes for a great mix. Given the amazing versatility of Jimmy Page his acoustic guitar playing is always a treat. I think one of the things that make Led Zeppelin larger than life is because of the fact that there is a guitarist at the forefront and in a way acts as the frontman of the band. That being said each band member is given lots of time in the spotlight in their musical performances.
But that ends up being about it, they toured a lot, but they didn't play up their own personalities and let the music talk for them. Of course live performances were high energy affairs but it all revolves around the music and Led Zeppelin itself, and because Jimmy Page was essentially the frontman of the band it gives at least two specific voices in the band. I just realised how had this is to describe but usually the main focus of the band is the vocalist but because of Jimmy Page's prominence they're both at the front of the band which adds an extra dynamic.
This is similar to a lot of Progressive Rock bands where the vocalist often also plays an instrument or there are multiple vocalists and the focus is on the music and not the vocals. I find it a lot more rewarding to listen to this style of music where the music takes precedence over the vocals and the vocals themselves become a great part of the musical landscape.
This is generally achieved either through an amazing vocalist such as Robert Plant where his voice is essentially an additional instrument or with vocals that are generally less important such as with prog rock. The reason this album has a more relaxed feel with a lot of the songs is due to the fact the Page and Plant went to the Bron-Yr-Aur cottage in the country in Wales. The cottage itself had no electricity or running water and it led to more tranquil music being recorded.
Jimmy Page was also listening to more Bert Jansch and artists like him at the time too and it all culminated in the recording of this album. Of course that's not to say this album doesn't have its hard rock moments however the second side of this album is essentially fully acoustic. Many critics and fans disliked the style of the album and it didn't sell as well as previous albums. Of course it is highly regarded now like most Led Zeppelin albums.
This album is brilliant at evoking emotions through music, I think the Tangerine is possibly one of the most emotional songs Led Zeppelin record. It has all to do with the guitar on the song, from the first chord to the solo it is full of emotion and it's just amazing. It always fills me with a warm feeling that is just lovely, but it also has a sense of longing to the playing which can make it hard to listen to sometimes.
This is the only Led Zeppelin album that doesn't leave you with an incredible high but it rather leaves you with a feeling of calm contentment. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this album compared to the rest of Led Zeppelin's discography. It's so hard to compare Led Zeppelin albums after identifying a favourite. I'd probably just call this a great album and be done with it.
I love you my angel. I think I've decided to play you all of Led Zeppelin's work throughout the week. It's going to be great fun my love. Goodnight Nathaniel.
Love from Dad.
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