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Track Listing: Immigrant Song Friends Celebration Day Since I've Been Loving You Out on the Tiles Gallows Pole Tangerine That's the Way Bron-Y-Aur Stomp Hats off To (Roy) Harper

Today is a special day indeed, the occasion being the 40th anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin's third studio album, simply titled Led Zeppelin III. It's an honor and a privilege for me to reflect on it.

The album kicks off with the 'Immigrant Song' which is a short and lively rock tune that went on to become a great live song and an essential part of the Zeppelin live experience. It has certainly been a headbangers' delight, and is completely different from the rest of the album.

'Friends' follows, and this is the first instance of the change in musical direction that Zeppelin decided to incorporate through this album, bringing in more acoustic elements as compared to the first two albums. Jimmy Page's acoustic guitar is delightful, yet sounds dark at times, due in part to Robert Plant's vocals and harmonica. Because of the fact that there are no drums in this track, the guitar really shines through.

'Celebration Day' comes next. It's really easy on the ears and a song that I personally enjoy a lot. It's amazing to think that the song almost got left out of the album because of a sound engineering issue. This song has also been a cause for visual delight for fans, as Jimmy Page invariably played it with his double-necked Gibson.

The beautifully slow, bluesy tune 'Since I've Been Loving You' follows. Although it's much longer than any other song on the album at 7 plus minutes, it's powerful enough to leave the listener completely hooked. This is the musical equivalent of marijuana and I cannot describe this in any more than one word: magical.

'Out On The Tiles' is more of a 'rock' tune, more along the lines of Celebration Day in terms of the tempo and the musical elements used. It's one of those tracks that aren't really talked about, but when you're giving the whole album a spin, this would always feel like an integral part of it.

From acoustic, blues and classic rock the band takes us into the world of folk rock with the next composition 'Gallows Pole'. This song is based on the folk song 'The Maid Freed from the Gallows' which dates back to many centuries ago, such was the depth to which the members of Led Zeppelin explored in order to come up with inspiration and influences that laid the foundation for this record. Man, although I would kill to see Led Zeppelin play this in a live set, I would totally trip out even if I get to see a Zeppelin tribute play it.

After that pleasant diversion, it's back to the acoustic guitar with the next track 'Tangerine'. The beauty of the music on this one always has me lost for words, trying to absorb as much of the music as I can while I stare at nothing.

Jimmy Page continues delivering his magical touch on the acoustic with "That's The Way". Just like 'Friends', this is a drum-less track, but behind the sound of the vocals and guitar, you won't realize that for a second, proving yet again just how great the duo of Page and Plant really is.

One of my favorite Zeppelin tunes 'Bron-Y-Aur Stomp' follows. The title is a reference to the place they wrote the album in. In addition to the Godly guitars, vocals and mandolin, the song has a delightful clap track for the most part, and it gets me clapping along every time I see a Zeppelin tribute band performing it. Not only is this undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable Zeppelin tunes, it's one of the best rock songs ever written.

The album closer 'Hats Off To (Roy) Harper' comes off as a track that's quite experimental in nature, both in terms of the music and the vocals. It's weird and unique, and makes the listener go back to track number 1 of this album, or listen to 'Led Zeppelin IV'. It has done both of those to me on different occasions.

This album was an important step in Zeppelin's evolution as a band as it gave them a launching pad to explore these musical elements further, to come up with the out-of-the-world 'Led Zeppelin IV' album just over 12 months later. Even though Led Zeppelin III was flamed by critics 40 years back, today it stands as one of the most beautiful pieces of musical compositions the planet has ever seen. Only truly great musicians like Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham could have composed with such brilliance on instruments like the acoustic guitar, on which there is no place to hide and no way to feign creativity.

An endearingly melodic yet immensely powerful album by a band that was, is and will always be the best rock band on the planet.