Uh huh...

Might take a break from Wilco and Radiohead and fire this up again over the next week.

Or I could just leave the keys to the thread in that kid's toybox.

ALS is just so fucking epic. And those layered guitars... goddamn.

It's a top fiver. Awesome track.

Oh, how wrong you were.

The Song Remains The Same

The first time I heard this tune I was struggling with a three day bout of gastroenteritis.

They probably could have left this as as instrumental and I would like it just as much.

The Rain Song

Their most beautiful song. And if it isn't a top five then it's certainly a top six or seven.

Over The Hills And Far Away

A great arrangement, a weird lead break, a lovely outro and another great example of JPJ/Bonham interplay. Not a standout for me personally, though. Not sure why.

The Crunge

A complete miss. Almost nothing to like.

Dancing Days

I have always loved this one. Page wrote some of the best riffs ever and I believe that this is one of them.

More specifically, that descending part gives me shivers.

D'yer Mak'er

Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for this tune but it does have a lot going for it, chiefly Bonham's left hand and right foot.

No Quarter

An incredible epic that is generally unfuckwithable. I feel like basking in a thick fog.

The Ocean

An atypical album closer but an amazing song. The double tracked vocals and the ringing telephone are winners.

Final ranking:

The Rain Song
No Quarter
The Ocean
Dancing Days
Over The Hills And Far Away
The Song Remains The Same
D'yer Mak'er
The Crunge

My ranking would be:

Over The Hills And Far Away (always been a favorite LZ song of mine)
No Quarter (the live version of this from The Song Remains The Same soundtrack is one of the best pieces of music ever).
The Rain Song
The Ocean
The Song Remains The Same
D'yer Mak'er
Dancing Days
The Crunge

I agree that The Crunge is the worst song, but I do like the music. Robert Plant just annoys me on that one.

Based on what I've read, that was kinda the point. D'yer Maker and The Crunge exist purely to mock bad music cliches at the time. I rather enjoy them on a fun level.
For some reason I just don't LOVE Houses of the Holy the way I do other zeppelin albums. Rain song and no quarter for sure. But the other stuff, while i like, I don't LOVE (dancing days, ocean, OTHAFA)/

From a transition standpoint though, I feel the record is very important. It lacks the raw emotion of the first 4 albums, and the well constructed, "complete" feel of the later albums. It just feels in between to me, and as a result lacks identity.