“We got four already and now we’re steady and then they went - 1, 2, 3, 4!”
Juice the vol’ on the one-and-only Led Zeppelin song dedicated to you, the fans! The first 8 seconds of what appears to be silence are actually a live listen into the studio in 1972 where the members of the biggest band in the world had just botched four attempts at recording their new single. The voice of drummer John Bonham counts them down declaring “now we’re steady” before tearing into the song's opening guitar riff during the successful take of the final song on their fifth album, Houses Of The Holy.
“The Ocean” was recorded at the home of Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger, utilizing the famous Rolling Stones Mobile Studio control room. At this point in Led Zeppelin’s career, they had already become a massive live act and were roughly a year away from dethroning The Beatles for the largest stadium crowd for a single music act. Lyrically, vocalist Robert Plant refers to the “sea of heads” at Zeppelin concerts as he sings “singin’ to an ocean, I can hear the oceans roar!”
Throughout high school, I can remember listening to this song with my friends in celebratory fashion. The majority of the song is a classic 70's rock song, with wailing vocals, shredding guitar solos and a tight rhythm section. However, at the 3 minute 18 second mark, the rock song turns to swing music for the ensuing minute and 13 seconds. It is here that the members of Led Zeppelin can be seen smiling on stage during their live performances, abandoning their mystical personas for a short time to rejoice with their fan base. “The Ocean” is not necessarily the best or most unique song in the Led Zeppelin catalog, but the majority of fans will turn the radio up and air-guitar when this number comes on.
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