Actually, Bron Yr Aur (pronounced like "bron-er-ire") is not a studio. Instead, it is a cottage in Wales and means "golden breast" or "golden hills" in Welsh. It was a place with no electricity or running water and Robert's family used to go on holiday there when he was a boy. Robert took Jimmy there to get away from it all after the insane whirlwind of recording and touring they had just finished. They went up there with their SOs, a couple of roadies, acoustic guitar and I think Robert had his harmonica. The only way to record anything was using a cassette recorder Jimmy had brought along. Jimmy said he wrote this song after having a big argument with his girlfriend, Charlotte. As someone else mentioned, the drone was done as a salvage because the start of the next song, Celebration Day, was accidentally erased. It definitely has Eastern overtones as well as Jimmy taking a hint of Gustav Holst's "Mars" piece from "The Planets Suite". It definitely has a hint of sinister gloom which juxtaposes nicely with the cheerful lyrics, in my opinion.
Syed is displaying a response that some had when LZIII came out. Having been seduced and transfixed by the previous two albums there was an anticipation, and expectation that the third album would follow suit. Thankfully, being the creative force they were Page, Jones, Bonham and Plant decided to take a different direction, always exploring and pushing what was possible in terms of the track, recording techniques and production. 'Friends' demonstrates this admirably, it's construction, harmonies, timing and sense of dissonance are not the result of poor mixing, nor an ill-conceived mashing of ideas. As with all LZ tracks it has been assembled, performed, arranged and produced with very precise and artistic attention.
Well said. Page and Co didn’t do stuff on record by accident. They were creating a different vibe (Although arguably a continuation of stuff like Black Mountainside) on purpose and they blended and warped styles into something jarring and unexpected. An acquired taste
Robert Plant along with his Tolkein bent had an interest along with Jimmy Page in North African and Middle Eastern sounds. Sorry you were not too keen on it. Maybe you need to listen to the first 3 tracks back to back and get the effect of Friends bookended by Immigrant Song and Celebration Day. I personally love the song and the whole album and still rate it 10/10 52 years later. Songs like this were included in a Page/Plant collaboration in 1995 on the 'Unplugged No Quarter' album. The sounds explore Egyptian, Moroccan and Symphony orchestra sounds to back mostly their well known songs with a few extra new ones. It is magical too. Get well soon Syed. Thanks for posting the video✌🎅
The reason it fades out weird is because it’s not a fade out, it segues into the next song. Friends and celebration day are meant to be listened to together .
Lol, I love you, man. This song is one of my bests from Led Zeppelin. I think it's brilliant. Especially when you hear it after the Immigrant Song. Something between Kashmir and Scarborough Fair/Canticle (by Simon and Garfunkel), Both songs are absolute top, you have to hear them if you didn't already. You're ill, get well, ;) . And yes, this album is full with surprises for you, and I adore it :) .
One of their songs that grows on you. You learn to appreciate the original off center sounds they create. They can bring them together based on their talent.
This song is pure magic for me. I love the feel it has, and I wish it went on longer. It's one of those songs on Zep III that made me realize I like "mellow music". This was back when I was seventeen, and was coming off a bunch of Hard Rock. PS. Those strings are Mellotron, which was used in a lot of Progressive Rock back then, pre-synthesizer. It had an Eastern vibe to it because of the way it was designed. Some people think it's a joke now, but it had a sound all its own and helped define the sound of the times.
Excellent song. Yes, it diverges from what you've heard so far but that's Zeppelin. Incredibly diverse and creative. These guys were no "one trick pony". Maybe after listening to their first two albums you expected something closer to more of the same, but those albums showed only one side of Zeppelin. This song, and most of the third album, shows another. "Friends" is incredibly well-crafted. Maybe listen to it again forgetting the "sound" you got used to hearing during albums i and ii, and with no expectations. But if you don't like the song, you don't. For me, it's fabulous, very trippy and I love it. To each their own, eh? ;) Edit: That's not a fade out at the end. It's a segue into the next song. PS: Hope you feel better soon! :)
On its own this song can certainly boggle the mind the first time you hear it, but as a part of the whole album it fits remarkably well. There's a frustration in the opening tones that sets the mood... The earlier string are led by the cello with phrases diving down by half steps which darken the mood more. The lyrics and slightly quickening pace of the bongos throughout the song begin to brighten the mood a bit and by the end of the song the violin overtakes the cello as the string section rises in pitch. You're then held there by the outro synth so you can jump right into the joyous 'Celebration Day'.
One small historical note... The Moog synth drone at the end wasn't originally part of either Friends or Celebration Day. It was devised by Page to bridge the two together while covering part of the original intro to Celebration Day that the tape operator in the studio accidentally erased.
A lot of people do not rate this song, it’s almost never talked about as a popular LZ tune for sure. However, I love it. Where you found the two sounds clashed, I find they created a majestic vibe that is difficult to fully describe. At the end of the day though we are all gonna take to things differently. Now if you were someone who trashed Led Zeppelin as a whole then I would have reason to question your taste and appreciation for art!
I like that they went out on a limb and tried some different stuff. I can't think of a band that I would even play every track from every album. Some have one or two on a couple of albums is all.
Interesting aspect of reaction videos is the contrast between sharing then as opposed to sharing today. If I ever showed up at my friends house with the new Zeppelin album and my mate constantly lifted the needle of the turntable to comment on sequences of music, I’d slap him silly! Just saying.
To be honest, this is not one of Zeps best selling albums because of its predominantly acoustic and experimental nature. That being said, it's always been one of my favorite. As a whole, it's a great album. It's variety is the spice of life, from haunting ballads to searing blues to the bombastic and rocking. To me, the production is exquisite with many of the songs leaving me in a cathartic heap on the floor, having taken me to celestial far away places totally unknown before Zep arrived. Munificent
Love this track. Maybe this is because I was listening to it as it happened. As a teenager I would buy Zep's albums as they were released and they were new and mysterious.
The problem with listening to tracks one by one is you lose the effect of an album and how everything fits together and all the mood changes. Standing alone it's not my favorite, but it's an integral part of the album. Old school way of listening to music, I guess
Exactly. The music from this era was called "album oriented rock" for a reason. Listen to Side 1 all the way through, then flip the record over and listen to Side 2.
I think, Syed, your problem is that this is the first tune you've heard from them that is very different from the first two albums. Taken in context with the rest of this lp as a whole you might find it a lot more enjoyable. I know myself when this was released, as a 15 year old, I was surprised at the direction Zeppelin had taken but very quickly this became a favourite record of mine.
0:54 Headley Grange. This and especially IV, Houses of the Holy, and Physical Graffiti were recorded at Headley Grange. Page and Plant took a family vacation at Bron-Yr-Aur and crafted many of the songs for III, but the band got together at Headley Grange where they used the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Bron-Yr-Aur had no electricity or running water, it was not a recording studio. In an interview Page gave to Mojo magazine in 2010, he elaborated: The reason we went there (Headley Grange) in the first place was to have a live-in situation where you're writing and really living the music. We'd never really had that experience before as a group, apart from when Robert [Plant] and I had gone to Bron-Yr-Aur. But that was just me and Robert going down there and hanging out in the bosom of Wales and enjoying it. This was different. It was all of us really concentrating in a concentrated environment... Alexander, Phil (February 2010). "Up Close & Personal". Mojo. pp. 72-79
Your fun fact is a bit wrong. Bron yr Aur wasn’t a studio, it’s a cottage in North Wales where Jimmy and Robert stayed for a few weeks in 1970 and wrote some of Zep 3
I find it interesting that you comment on how this album is said to be "different" from the previous LZ offerings, and then say you don't care for the song because it's not what you expected to hear from the band -- it's different. You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but perhaps you should listen to this one again. Read and appreciate the lyrics, and let the rich blending of sounds with the driving rhythms, haunting strings, and the counterpoint of the vocals pull you along on an exotic journey. This song has always been one of my LZ favorites.
Look. Syed doesn't like the song. He's giving an honest reaction. What more do you want? Is he supposed to like everything he hears just so he won't hurt anyone's feelings? I have listened to the album many many times in the half century since it's been released. And I don't like it one bit more than I did the first time. I respect your integrity Syed. ✌️😊
@@dickmckenna9447 You misunderstand -- different people can like different things, and everyone can have their own opinion, but I expect more from a credible reviewer like this one. Merely stating a dislike of the song, and commenting that it did not sound the way he expected a LZ song to sound is not exactly the kind of review I've come to expect from this channel! Perhaps the reviewer was affected by illness, and should give this song another listen when feeling better?
In the 70's I heard this song at a hippie friend's house. So I bought LZII by mistake, and then finally found it on LZIII. I learned to like LZII, but this song is the one!
No matter if some people don't appreciate this song, or some of the other folky songs on this album. It is a killer song and the fact that this style exists within the whole of the Zeppelin catalog makes their output even more interesting and deep. By the way, the guitar part of this piece is actually deep country Blues based, with an Eastern twist. Absolutely brilliant without question. Sorry Syed, you are of course entitled to your opinion, but your analysis isn't correct. You might change your opinion after your exposure widens even more.
I love this song, one of my favourites from them. I'm not a big Zeppelin fan, though I really like them a lot. For me the acoustic guitar and the Mellotron are a perfect blend. Appreciate your honesty, mate.
I am happy when this song comes in my playlist while exercising and stuff. It’s not the usual but very catchy and inspirational- “the greatest thing you ever could do now ..”
Page and Zep took wild risks and crazy turns throughout their catalogue which makes them so interesting. Not all their experiments worked to perfection, but I like this track because somehow they always capture a catchy melody no matter what style they attempt. It’s memorable for sure!
SYED, APPRECIATE YOUR HONESTY AND YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE SONG!! AS SOMEONE WHO REMEMBERS WHEN THIS ALBUM WAS RELEASED FOR ME THIS WAS SUCH A DIFFERENT SOUND FROM LED ZEPPELIN THEN WHAT WE HEARD ON THE FIRST TWO ALBUMS (AS YOU STATED) BUT I PERSONALLY LIKED IT QUITE A BIT!! THERE ARE A COUPLE OF SONGS ON THE THIRD ALBUM THAT EVEN TODAY I WILL FAST FORWARD PAST BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOME DIAMONDS AND ACTUAL GEMS ON THIS ALBUM!! MY PERSONAL FAVORITES BESIDE THE IMMIGRANT SONG WOULD BE, SINCE I'VE BEEN LOVING YOU, TANGERINE, GALLOWS POLE!! PROBABLY SOMEWHERE AROUND 1969 OR 1970 I WAS 12 OR 13 YEARS OLD AND HAD GOTTEN MY VERY FIRST LITTLE CASSETTE PLAYER!! AT THE TIME THEY ALSO HAD THE COLUMBIA HOUSE THING WHERE YOU CAN GET ALBUMS OR CASSETTES SO MANY FOR A PENNY IF YOU JOIN THE CLUB!! IN THE FIRST SET OF CASSETTES THAT I EVER ORDERED WAS LED ZEPPELIN 2!! I ALREADY KNEW A COUPLE OF SONGS FROM THIS ALBUM BECAUSE THEY WERE RELEASED AS SINGLES!! I ALSO WENT BACK AND PURCHASED THE FIRST ALBUM WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVED!! I CAN STILL REMEMBER WAITING IN ANTICIPATION FOR LED ZEPPELIN 3 TO BE RELEASED AND AVAILABLE IN STORES!! WHEN I PUT THE TAPE IN AND HEARD IMMIGRANT SONG I WAS INSTANTLY SOLD I LOVED IT!! HOPEFULLY YOU'LL FEEL BETTER ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER SONGS ON THIS ALBUM!!!
I like what you said Syed because it was a gut reaction .... The further you get into the Led Zeppelin catalogue the more gut reactions you'll have in either direction. They start to get really diverse
Great tune ! Always loved this from the first time I heard it back in the early 70's.Maybe you need to hear this again mate and absolutely belongs within the flow of the album.Whole album is genius really. It's my favorite album from the brilliant Zep !
You’re definitely allowed not to,like every single Zeppelin song. I dont either and they’re my favorite band. This one however, I DO like. The rhythm is North African …and is perhaps the first song of theirs that begins to show the Moroccan/ Egyptian influence on their work. I don’t hear any folk in this at all. That’s just me. I hear exotic sounds and rhythms and a nice message. And that moog at the end I love ……..It goes directly into the next song btw…no break. When I heard this song, I thought, oh boy…….they can really go in new directions and I was intrigued.
Definitely not folk by the american/british definition. Listening to this song as a kid when I was 7 or 8 up til my late 20s I've never once thought of "folk". You are spot on.
When this album came out some people were disappointed, After Led Zeppelin 2 people expected another hard rock album. But after it was listened to a few times it grew on you, Immigrant Song and Since I Been Loving You are great songs. The rest grew on me and now I own 2 copies of the album, ones worn out!
I like listening and watching reactors that are new to Zeppelin (and all music). It was never my favorite, but I did not dislike it. There is only one Zeppelin song I don't listen too and you haven't got to it yet! Something you said hit me like a lightening bold, when you couldn't figure out if it is eastern or folk. Well, it is the precursor to Misty Mountain Hop, No Quarter, Kashmir and so many others. We are hearing something new and we were not tuned into it yet, and probably Zeppelin was not either, but they get there. We are on the journey, this is the beginning and we will see where it leads and we don't have to wait a lifetime!
Zep 3 and Physical Graffiti are dense, challenging albums that reward multiple listens. This song Friends is kind of a bridge song to sounds you hear later on songs like Four Sticks and Kashmir - a weird blend of Celtic folk and Eastern. Kind of jarring and disorienting on purpose. It’s weird and warped - pure Zep. This song is in a C tuning like Poor Tom on Coda - recorded in same sessions.
It's not required that you like everything 😁Appreciate your honesty and I sorta see what you're saying. But love this album and the trancey quality of this song appeals to me. Thanks ☮
There’s some really great sounds on III but it’s kind of transitional. Immigrant Song and Celebration Day are fantastic live - seek out bootlegs (1971 best for these) on UA-cam - Out on the Tiles is very cool - Since I’ve Been Loving You is first rate Jimmy Page and a classic. Gallows Pole. That’s the Way and Tangerine are classics
I appreciate your honesty it's quite refreshing. Jimmy didn't want cookie cutter songs . I think it's one of the best things about them is the variety. This isn't one of my favorites but I like the guitar work and lyrics.
I know it's almost sacrilegious to say this, but not my favorite LZ tune. Too much going on and disconcerting to my ear. I'm sure I'll get roasted for this comment because it's going to be someone's favorite.
Should have listened to the next track immediately. I love this album. It has a unique personality. Ot will reward listening multiple times and straight through.
Don't like it? That's okay. There may be several other songs by the band that fall into that category. I like this song but there are some I don't favor so much. I appreciate your honesty.
First time I've heard it... Led Zepp are great, but I didn't like this one either. Hey ho, it's just the way it goes... can't think of any band who haven't got some songs I don't like.
The fade out thing is frustrating but remember that the albums had a twenty minute per side limit so the producers had to balance out the outro solos to fit all the songs and fill the available space. Most of those jams usually don’t go on much longer past the fade. Great reaction.
@@paulkazakoff9231 page and Plant were big fans of the group Pentangle, their influence can be heard on many Zep songs.. Pentangle opened for Grateful Dead on their 1970 British tour and you can hear Pentangle in some of the Deads music too, and Jethro Tull too. Pentangle being the opposite of heavy rock but still incredible guitar based music brought a wider palette and more subtle musical aspects to rock of that period. Especially the proggier bands.
Syed, Zeppelin has many songs that are NOT hard rock. They have many influences to their music such as folk, bluegrass, blues and more. You simply haven’t gotten to it yet because you’ve only listened to the first two albums. However, after getting deeper into LZ if you still don’t like their lighter stuff it’s cool. You like what you like.
I like hearing about a negative musical digestion and your reasoning, I think someone put Friends on their top 10 worst Zeppelin songs on these here Internets. I've always thought this is superb song because I simply dig it and also for some of the same reasons you didn't like it upon your first listening. Of course they are not the only band to mix Styles and genres, but you have loved some of their songs that definitely mix the ingredients, just sayin. I for one appreciate honest responses, keep on hip rocking brutha!!
WTF!? You don't like this song? It's unique you said it sounds more like two songs that's what makes it great! Plus a lot of Zeppelin songs change into a different movement most of her songs do that's what makes Zeppelin great and the goats! You're the first reactionist for Zeppelin that I watched that didn't like my other songs! And Robert Plant doesn't always belt out those power vocals! I know this isn't your first Zeppelin song I know you've heard other songs that Robert Plant didn't belt out power vocals! Look at a dazed and confused it has a lot of changes in it it's like more than one song put together and Jimmy Page never does a bad editing and mixing of their music! Not only is Jimmy a great guitarist he's a great producer a great engineer and mixing their music! That's why when Zeppelin came out they called Jimmy a triple threat! You probably won't like the rest of this album like a lot of people didn't when it first came out because Jimmy took the band in the unique different direction which is what makes Zeppelin Zeppelin! The rest of the album is mostly folk rock
I think Robert is a little too shouty here. I wish he had taking a more relaxed approach. I like the song, though. The music is nice, the lyrics are average.
Actually, Bron Yr Aur (pronounced like "bron-er-ire") is not a studio. Instead, it is a cottage in Wales and means "golden breast" or "golden hills" in Welsh. It was a place with no electricity or running water and Robert's family used to go on holiday there when he was a boy. Robert took Jimmy there to get away from it all after the insane whirlwind of recording and touring they had just finished. They went up there with their SOs, a couple of roadies, acoustic guitar and I think Robert had his harmonica. The only way to record anything was using a cassette recorder Jimmy had brought along. Jimmy said he wrote this song after having a big argument with his girlfriend, Charlotte. As someone else mentioned, the drone was done as a salvage because the start of the next song, Celebration Day, was accidentally erased. It definitely has Eastern overtones as well as Jimmy taking a hint of Gustav Holst's "Mars" piece from "The Planets Suite". It definitely has a hint of sinister gloom which juxtaposes nicely with the cheerful lyrics, in my opinion.
Can't wait till you get to since I've been loving you, you will go insane of how good it is
Syed is displaying a response that some had when LZIII came out. Having been seduced and transfixed by the previous two albums there was an anticipation, and expectation that the third album would follow suit. Thankfully, being the creative force they were Page, Jones, Bonham and Plant decided to take a different direction, always exploring and pushing what was possible in terms of the track, recording techniques and production. 'Friends' demonstrates this admirably, it's construction, harmonies, timing and sense of dissonance are not the result of poor mixing, nor an ill-conceived mashing of ideas. As with all LZ tracks it has been assembled, performed, arranged and produced with very precise and artistic attention.
I 100% agree!
Well said. Page and Co didn’t do stuff on record by accident. They were creating a different vibe (Although arguably a continuation of stuff like Black Mountainside) on purpose and they blended and warped styles into something jarring and unexpected. An acquired taste
Robert Plant along with his Tolkein bent had an interest along with Jimmy Page in North African and Middle Eastern sounds. Sorry you were not too keen on it. Maybe you need to listen to the first 3 tracks back to back and get the effect of Friends bookended by Immigrant Song and Celebration Day. I personally love the song and the whole album and still rate it 10/10 52 years later.
Songs like this were included in a Page/Plant collaboration in 1995 on the 'Unplugged No Quarter' album. The sounds explore Egyptian, Moroccan and Symphony orchestra sounds to back mostly their well known songs with a few extra new ones. It is magical too.
Get well soon Syed. Thanks for posting the video✌🎅
The reason it fades out weird is because it’s not a fade out, it segues into the next song. Friends and celebration day are meant to be listened to together .
Lol, I love you, man. This song is one of my bests from Led Zeppelin. I think it's brilliant. Especially when you hear it after the Immigrant Song. Something between Kashmir and Scarborough Fair/Canticle (by Simon and Garfunkel), Both songs are absolute top, you have to hear them if you didn't already. You're ill, get well, ;) . And yes, this album is full with surprises for you, and I adore it :) .
One of their songs that grows on you. You learn to appreciate the original off center sounds they create. They can bring them together based on their talent.
Yeah, this is a great song.
This song is pure magic for me. I love the feel it has, and I wish it went on longer. It's one of those songs on Zep III that made me realize I like "mellow music". This was back when I was seventeen, and was coming off a bunch of Hard Rock.
PS. Those strings are Mellotron, which was used in a lot of Progressive Rock back then, pre-synthesizer. It had an Eastern vibe to it because of the way it was designed. Some people think it's a joke now, but it had a sound all its own and helped define the sound of the times.
JPJ actually arranged and played real strings on this song... cello and violin
@@eddiepotemri1621 Wow, I had no idea...
Friends is in my top 5 zeppelin.
@@ironrose2672 Yeah, it's pretty wild when you realize JPJ is credited with playing about 24 different instruments with Zeppelin.
Excellent song. Yes, it diverges from what you've heard so far but that's Zeppelin. Incredibly diverse and creative. These guys were no "one trick pony". Maybe after listening to their first two albums you expected something closer to more of the same, but those albums showed only one side of Zeppelin. This song, and most of the third album, shows another.
"Friends" is incredibly well-crafted. Maybe listen to it again forgetting the "sound" you got used to hearing during albums i and ii, and with no expectations. But if you don't like the song, you don't. For me, it's fabulous, very trippy and I love it. To each their own, eh? ;)
Edit: That's not a fade out at the end. It's a segue into the next song.
PS: Hope you feel better soon! :)
On its own this song can certainly boggle the mind the first time you hear it, but as a part of the whole album it fits remarkably well. There's a frustration in the opening tones that sets the mood... The earlier string are led by the cello with phrases diving down by half steps which darken the mood more. The lyrics and slightly quickening pace of the bongos throughout the song begin to brighten the mood a bit and by the end of the song the violin overtakes the cello as the string section rises in pitch. You're then held there by the outro synth so you can jump right into the joyous 'Celebration Day'.
Wow, surprised 😮 I think it grows on ya after a while... I actually really like it!!
Listen to it after you are done being sick.
One small historical note... The Moog synth drone at the end wasn't originally part of either Friends or Celebration Day. It was devised by Page to bridge the two together while covering part of the original intro to Celebration Day that the tape operator in the studio accidentally erased.
Yes so cool that genius Jimmy could come up with something like that!
A lot of people do not rate this song, it’s almost never talked about as a popular LZ tune for sure. However, I love it. Where you found the two sounds clashed, I find they created a majestic vibe that is difficult to fully describe. At the end of the day though we are all gonna take to things differently. Now if you were someone who trashed Led Zeppelin as a whole then I would have reason to question your taste and appreciation for art!
The two song aspect of it is what I like, the haunting music behind a message of friendship. Only Zep would come up with that. Pure genius
100% agree with both of you. Love this song
I like this because the lyrics are sunny but it has an ominous feel.
I love how roberts sounds in this song thats one of the reason I actually like this song
I like that they went out on a limb and tried some different stuff. I can't think of a band that I would even play every track from every album. Some have one or two on a couple of albums is all.
Interesting aspect of reaction videos is the contrast between sharing then as opposed to sharing today. If I ever showed up at my friends house with the new Zeppelin album and my mate constantly lifted the needle of the turntable to comment on sequences of music, I’d slap him silly! Just saying.
Listen to it 10 times in a row....then you will like it
To be honest, this is not one of Zeps best selling albums because of its predominantly acoustic and experimental nature. That being said, it's always been one of my favorite. As a whole, it's a great album. It's variety is the spice of life, from haunting ballads to searing blues to the bombastic and rocking. To me, the production is exquisite with many of the songs leaving me in a cathartic heap on the floor, having taken me to celestial far away places totally unknown before Zep arrived. Munificent
Love this song. Probably my favorite off of Led Zeppelin III, along with Celebration Day.
Love this track. Maybe this is because I was listening to it as it happened. As a teenager I would buy Zep's albums as they were released and they were new and mysterious.
This is one of my favourite Led Zep tracks ever! It changed everything I thought music could do. Its next level!
The problem with listening to tracks one by one is you lose the effect of an album and how everything fits together and all the mood changes. Standing alone it's not my favorite, but it's an integral part of the album. Old school way of listening to music, I guess
Exactly. The music from this era was called "album oriented rock" for a reason. Listen to Side 1 all the way through, then flip the record over and listen to Side 2.
I think, Syed, your problem is that this is the first tune you've heard from them that is very different from the first two albums. Taken in context with the rest of this lp as a whole you might find it a lot more enjoyable. I know myself when this was released, as a 15 year old, I was surprised at the direction Zeppelin had taken but very quickly this became a favourite record of mine.
0:54 Headley Grange. This and especially IV, Houses of the Holy, and Physical Graffiti were recorded at Headley Grange. Page and Plant took a family vacation at Bron-Yr-Aur and crafted many of the songs for III, but the band got together at Headley Grange where they used the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Bron-Yr-Aur had no electricity or running water, it was not a recording studio.
In an interview Page gave to Mojo magazine in 2010, he elaborated:
The reason we went there (Headley Grange) in the first place was to have a live-in situation where you're writing and really living the music. We'd never really had that experience before as a group, apart from when Robert [Plant] and I had gone to Bron-Yr-Aur. But that was just me and Robert going down there and hanging out in the bosom of Wales and enjoying it. This was different. It was all of us really concentrating in a concentrated environment... Alexander, Phil (February 2010). "Up Close & Personal". Mojo. pp. 72-79
Your fun fact is a bit wrong. Bron yr Aur wasn’t a studio, it’s a cottage in North Wales where Jimmy and Robert stayed for a few weeks in 1970 and wrote some of Zep 3
I find it interesting that you comment on how this album is said to be "different" from the previous LZ offerings, and then say you don't care for the song because it's not what you expected to hear from the band -- it's different. You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but perhaps you should listen to this one again. Read and appreciate the lyrics, and let the rich blending of sounds with the driving rhythms, haunting strings, and the counterpoint of the vocals pull you along on an exotic journey. This song has always been one of my LZ favorites.
Look. Syed doesn't like the song. He's giving an honest reaction. What more do you want? Is he supposed to like everything he hears just so he won't hurt anyone's feelings? I have listened to the album many many times in the half century since it's been released. And I don't like it one bit more than I did the first time. I respect your integrity Syed. ✌️😊
@@dickmckenna9447 You misunderstand -- different people can like different things, and everyone can have their own opinion, but I expect more from a credible reviewer like this one. Merely stating a dislike of the song, and commenting that it did not sound the way he expected a LZ song to sound is not exactly the kind of review I've come to expect from this channel! Perhaps the reviewer was affected by illness, and should give this song another listen when feeling better?
In the 70's I heard this song at a hippie friend's house. So I bought LZII by mistake, and then finally found it on LZIII. I learned to like LZII, but this song is the one!
I have to respectfully disagree. It’s like saying you don’t like Strawberry Fields or A Day In The Life because you were expecting Love Me Do.
No matter if some people don't appreciate this song, or some of the other folky songs on this album. It is a killer song and the fact that this style exists within the whole of the Zeppelin catalog makes their output even more interesting and deep. By the way, the guitar part of this piece is actually deep country Blues based, with an Eastern twist. Absolutely brilliant without question. Sorry Syed, you are of course entitled to your opinion, but your analysis isn't correct. You might change your opinion after your exposure widens even more.
My sole misgiving with Immigrant Song is its oddly short playtime.
"Friends" was what got me into LZ when I was about 12. Fifty years later - LZ was the soundtrack of my life. I'll always love "Friends" for that...
I love this song, one of my favourites from them. I'm not a big Zeppelin fan, though I really like them a lot. For me the acoustic guitar and the Mellotron are a perfect blend. Appreciate your honesty, mate.
I am happy when this song comes in my playlist while exercising and stuff. It’s not the usual but very catchy and inspirational- “the greatest thing you ever could do now ..”
Page and Zep took wild risks and crazy turns throughout their catalogue which makes them so interesting. Not all their experiments worked to perfection, but I like this track because somehow they always capture a catchy melody no matter what style they attempt. It’s memorable for sure!
I personally love this song. It's one of those songs that demonstrates Led Zeppelin's ability to go totally off piste and still make it work.
Piste?
@@w.geoffreyspaulding6588 using a skiing term to basically say doing something not conventional
SYED, APPRECIATE YOUR HONESTY AND YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE SONG!!
AS SOMEONE WHO REMEMBERS WHEN THIS ALBUM WAS RELEASED FOR ME THIS WAS SUCH A DIFFERENT SOUND FROM LED ZEPPELIN THEN WHAT WE HEARD ON THE FIRST TWO ALBUMS (AS YOU STATED) BUT I PERSONALLY LIKED IT QUITE A BIT!! THERE ARE A COUPLE OF SONGS ON THE THIRD ALBUM THAT EVEN TODAY I WILL FAST FORWARD PAST BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOME DIAMONDS AND ACTUAL GEMS ON THIS ALBUM!! MY PERSONAL FAVORITES BESIDE THE IMMIGRANT SONG WOULD BE, SINCE I'VE BEEN LOVING YOU, TANGERINE, GALLOWS POLE!!
PROBABLY SOMEWHERE AROUND 1969 OR 1970 I WAS 12 OR 13 YEARS OLD AND HAD GOTTEN MY VERY FIRST LITTLE CASSETTE PLAYER!!
AT THE TIME THEY ALSO HAD THE COLUMBIA HOUSE THING WHERE YOU CAN GET ALBUMS OR CASSETTES SO MANY FOR A PENNY IF YOU JOIN THE CLUB!! IN THE FIRST SET OF CASSETTES THAT I EVER ORDERED WAS LED ZEPPELIN 2!! I ALREADY KNEW A COUPLE OF SONGS FROM THIS ALBUM BECAUSE THEY WERE RELEASED AS SINGLES!! I ALSO WENT BACK AND PURCHASED THE FIRST ALBUM WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVED!! I CAN STILL REMEMBER WAITING IN ANTICIPATION FOR LED ZEPPELIN 3 TO BE RELEASED AND AVAILABLE IN STORES!! WHEN I PUT THE TAPE IN AND HEARD IMMIGRANT SONG I WAS INSTANTLY SOLD I LOVED IT!!
HOPEFULLY YOU'LL FEEL BETTER ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER SONGS ON THIS ALBUM!!!
Bron Yr Aur is a remote cabin in Snowdonia. Robert and Jimmy stayed there and wrote music and lyrics. It is not a recording studio.
I like what you said Syed because it was a gut reaction .... The further you get into the Led Zeppelin catalogue the more gut reactions you'll have in either direction. They start to get really diverse
Great tune ! Always loved this from the first time I heard it back in the early 70's.Maybe you need to hear this again mate and absolutely belongs within the flow of the album.Whole album is genius really. It's my favorite album from the brilliant Zep !
This song rocks!!! Unique, powerful and hey ,it’s from THE GOATS. Thx bro for your reactions.
Just wait until you get to "Out on the Tiles". The rhythm guitar is amazing. "Since I've been loving you" will also not disappoint.
give it two more listens,
It will grow on you eventually.Nothin' like this tune and very unique !
You’re definitely allowed not to,like every single Zeppelin song. I dont either and they’re my favorite band. This one however, I DO like. The rhythm is North African …and is perhaps the first song of theirs that begins to show the Moroccan/ Egyptian influence on their work. I don’t hear any folk in this at all. That’s just me. I hear exotic sounds and rhythms and a nice message. And that moog at the end I love ……..It goes directly into the next song btw…no break. When I heard this song, I thought, oh boy…….they can really go in new directions and I was intrigued.
Definitely not folk by the american/british definition. Listening to this song as a kid when I was 7 or 8 up til my late 20s I've never once thought of "folk". You are spot on.
When this album came out some people were disappointed, After Led Zeppelin 2 people expected another hard rock album. But after it was listened to a few times it grew on you, Immigrant Song and Since I Been Loving You are great songs. The rest grew on me and now I own 2 copies of the album, ones worn out!
I like listening and watching reactors that are new to Zeppelin (and all music). It was never my favorite, but I did not dislike it. There is only one Zeppelin song I don't listen too and you haven't got to it yet! Something you said hit me like a lightening bold, when you couldn't figure out if it is eastern or folk. Well, it is the precursor to Misty Mountain Hop, No Quarter, Kashmir and so many others. We are hearing something new and we were not tuned into it yet, and probably Zeppelin was not either, but they get there. We are on the journey, this is the beginning and we will see where it leads and we don't have to wait a lifetime!
It is in a very strange tune...kind of dark sounding but oh so cool too.
This song is a masterpiece.
Not every track is for everyone. But we disagree. That's cool.
Zep 3 and Physical Graffiti are dense, challenging albums that reward multiple listens. This song Friends is kind of a bridge song to sounds you hear later on songs like Four Sticks and Kashmir - a weird blend of Celtic folk and Eastern. Kind of jarring and disorienting on purpose. It’s weird and warped - pure Zep. This song is in a C tuning like Poor Tom on Coda - recorded in same sessions.
It's not required that you like everything 😁Appreciate your honesty and I sorta see what you're saying. But love this album and the trancey quality of this song appeals to me. Thanks ☮
There’s some really great sounds on III but it’s kind of transitional. Immigrant Song and Celebration Day are fantastic live - seek out bootlegs (1971 best for these) on UA-cam - Out on the Tiles is very cool - Since I’ve Been Loving You is first rate Jimmy Page and a classic. Gallows Pole. That’s the Way and Tangerine are classics
For me, the dissonance is not pleasing and the guitar feels like it's trying to creep ahead of the orchestra. Arrhythmia on vinyl.
I appreciate your honesty it's quite refreshing. Jimmy didn't want cookie cutter songs . I think it's one of the best things about them is the variety. This isn't one of my favorites but I like the guitar work and lyrics.
This song and celebration day are supposed to be listened to together, that’s why it fades that way.
I know it's almost sacrilegious to say this, but not my favorite LZ tune. Too much going on and disconcerting to my ear. I'm sure I'll get roasted for this comment because it's going to be someone's favorite.
Should have listened to the next track immediately.
I love this album. It has a unique personality. Ot will reward listening multiple times and straight through.
I think this song is awesome, I like the mystical and ominous vibe personally
I have always been fond of this track - opinions vary and tho music is very-much personal - an acquired taste - this…understandable
Definitely in the bottom 5 led zeppelin songs for me, I just can’t find reasons to like it. Especially compared to some of their other work
I am sick as a dog on Xmas! Sorry for both of us!
It's a great song
Don't like it? That's okay. There may be several other songs by the band that fall into that category. I like this song but there are some I don't favor so much. I appreciate your honesty.
This song is an acquired taste. Think of something that you didn't like the first time you tried it (like sea urchin, perhaps) but now love.
God - by John Lennon is a must listen, very thought provoking lyrics.
First time I've heard it... Led Zepp are great, but I didn't like this one either. Hey ho, it's just the way it goes... can't think of any band who haven't got some songs I don't like.
I didn't like it at first but it grew on me, try giving it more listens
The fade out thing is frustrating but remember that the albums had a twenty minute per side limit so the producers had to balance out the outro solos to fit all the songs and fill the available space. Most of those jams usually don’t go on much longer past the fade. Great reaction.
It’s not a fade out though, it’s a segue into the next song.
@@mackmitchell94 that’s true. I wish more tracks transitioned. I was thinking more generally above.
@@mackmitchell94 Just brilliant they way it segues into celebration day.
Really you need to hear the whole album to appreciate it's diversity and flow from song to song.Remarkable stuff !
@@paulkazakoff9231 page and Plant were big fans of the group Pentangle, their influence can be heard on many Zep songs.. Pentangle opened for Grateful Dead on their 1970 British tour and you can hear Pentangle in some of the Deads music too, and Jethro Tull too. Pentangle being the opposite of heavy rock but still incredible guitar based music brought a wider palette and more subtle musical aspects to rock of that period. Especially the proggier bands.
Syed, Zeppelin has many songs that are NOT hard rock. They have many influences to their music such as folk, bluegrass, blues and more. You simply haven’t gotten to it yet because you’ve only listened to the first two albums. However, after getting deeper into LZ if you still don’t like their lighter stuff it’s cool. You like what you like.
Fine. Just go ahead with the others...
Four horsemen by Aphrodite’s child please
Hope it's not COVID. Get well.
I like hearing about a negative musical digestion and your reasoning, I think someone put Friends on their top 10 worst Zeppelin songs on these here Internets. I've always thought this is superb song because I simply dig it and also for some of the same reasons you didn't like it upon your first listening. Of course they are not the only band to mix Styles and genres, but you have loved some of their songs that definitely mix the ingredients, just sayin. I for one appreciate honest responses, keep on hip rocking brutha!!
WTF!? You don't like this song? It's unique you said it sounds more like two songs that's what makes it great! Plus a lot of Zeppelin songs change into a different movement most of her songs do that's what makes Zeppelin great and the goats! You're the first reactionist for Zeppelin that I watched that didn't like my other songs! And Robert Plant doesn't always belt out those power vocals! I know this isn't your first Zeppelin song I know you've heard other songs that Robert Plant didn't belt out power vocals! Look at a dazed and confused it has a lot of changes in it it's like more than one song put together and Jimmy Page never does a bad editing and mixing of their music! Not only is Jimmy a great guitarist he's a great producer a great engineer and mixing their music! That's why when Zeppelin came out they called Jimmy a triple threat! You probably won't like the rest of this album like a lot of people didn't when it first came out because Jimmy took the band in the unique different direction which is what makes Zeppelin Zeppelin! The rest of the album is mostly folk rock
I agree that the mood of the music doesn't seem to fit with the lyrics.
I think Robert is a little too shouty here. I wish he had taking a more relaxed approach. I like the song, though. The music is nice, the lyrics are average.
I love this song, but I get why you don’t like it.
Not all zeppelin songs are good. Not like TOOL. This one is a banger though
Do Stone Roses
I Wanna Be Adored