North American syndicated rock radio show and website, InTheStudio With Redbeard: The Stories Behind History’s Greatest Rock Bands, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Led Zeppelin III album.

Says Host Redbeard: "The second Led Zeppelin album had been a surprisingly mass appeal hit in America, and truth be told we had not really waned in our ravenous repeated plays of it when Led Zeppelin III appeared October 5, 1970 with surprisingly little notice. Containing 'The Immigrant Song', 'Gallows Pole', and 'Since I’ve Been Loving You', Led Zeppelin III also planted exotic seeds of sounds in 'Friends' with its Middle Eastern orchestration, which would skip several subsequent albums only to germinate with legendary impact on Physical Grafitti. And then there is the ultra-rare single “B”-side, 'Hey Hey What Can I Do'!

"In the careers of the great legendary bands, there are less-than-bestselling transitional albums which, in hindsight, clearly show you where they were headed: Meddle by Pink Floyd, Desperado by the Eagles, Beggars Banquet from the rapidly evolving Rolling Stones, and Eldorado by Electric Light Orchestra come to mind as musical suspension bridges to glory which stand up mighty well over time but, like Led Zeppelin III , went under-appreciated in their time. Truth be told, for many years the third effort was remembered as much for its unique interactive “wheel” album cover which is quite a collector’s item.

"And speaking of collectibles, before the digital compact disc and box sets in the Eighties, the most sought B-side in rock was the flip side of 'The Immigrant Song' which came out in Japan with a song from the III sessions called 'Hey Hey What Can I Do', which was as good as anything on the album. My guests Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and Led Zeppelin III recording engineer at Ardent Studio in Memphis, Terry Manning, tell the story on the fiftieth anniversary here In the Studio."

Tune in here.

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones released Led Zeppelin III 50 years ago this week in the US, on October 5, 1970, with the UK and other countries following a few weeks later. The band’s third album in less than two years, it would top the charts in several countries - including the US and the UK - on its way to selling more than 13 million copies worldwide. Beyond its overwhelming commercial success, the album also represented a turning point musically for Led Zeppelin as the group expanded its hard-hitting sound to embrace a wider range of styles on acoustic-based songs like “That’s The Way,” “Tangerine,” and “Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp.”

In celebration of the record’s 50th anniversary, the band will reissue the Japanese version of the album’s only single - “Immigrant Song” b/w the non-album track “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do” - on 7” vinyl. Limited to 19,700 copies, it comes in a sleeve that replicates the original artwork. The single will be released on January 15, 2021 and can be pre-ordered at ledzeppelin.com starting this Thursday at 10 AM, EST. Watch a video teaser here.

“Immigrant Song” was a Top 20 hit in the US and has gone on to become one of the band’s most popular and enduring songs, currently ranking as their second most-streamed track worldwide. It’s also had an enduring impact on pop culture thanks to several memorable appearances in blockbuster motion pictures such as School Of Rock and, most recently, in Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok.

“Immigrant Song” and its lyrical references to Norse mythology were inspired by the band’s concert in Reykjavik, Iceland on June 22, 1970. Six days later, the song made its live debut in England at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music. That fall, it would appear as the lead-off track on Led Zeppelin III.

Following the whirlwind success of the band’s first two albums and near constant touring, there was an initial rehearsal with Plant and Bonham where Page presented “Immigrant Song,” “Friends,” and what became “Out On The Tiles.” Page and Plant then took to the now famous Bron-Yr-Aur cottage in Wales in 1970 to have a musical sabbatical. The remote 18th-century cottage - which lacked electricity and running water - became home to “That’s The Way.”

Page and Plant later convened with Bonham and Jones for rehearsals before recording began in earnest that May with engineer Andy Johns. The band recorded the album in several locations, including London’s Olympic Studios and Island Studios. Following the recording sessions, Page, who produced the album, took the mixed master tapes to Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, to make the cut for vinyl. Fueled by classic tracks such as “Since I’ve Been Loving You,, “Out On The Tiles,” and “Celebration Day,” Led Zeppelin III has been certified 6x platinum in the US alone while also achieving multi-platinum status in many other countries.

Beyond the music, the album is noteworthy for another reason; it’s innovative artwork. When it was originally released on vinyl, Led Zeppelin III came packaged in a gatefold sleeve, conceived by Page and designed by multi-media artist Zacron (aka Richard Drew), whom Page had met in the early 1960s when Drew was attending Kingston College of Art. For his design, Zacron created a surreal collection of images (planes, birds and butterflies) surrounding several cutout holes. Behind the cover, he placed a rotating disc (volvelle or wheel chart) that featured more images, including photos of all four band members. When the disc was turned by hand, different images would appear in the openings to create an interactive visual experience.

Listen to the album again, here.