The band cut most of Led Zeppelin III at Headley Grange, a country house with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio parked outside. The third Led Zeppelin album arrived on 5 October 1970 and sets hard rock, blues rock and folk rock next to each other, giving the acoustic side as much room as the heavy side.

John Paul Jones stretches furthest here. He moves between mandolin, double bass, keyboards and a range of synthesizers alongside his usual bass guitar, and the album's instrumental range widens with him. Robert Plant sings, Jimmy Page plays guitars, John Bonham drums, and no guest musicians turn up anywhere on the record, the same closed-door approach the band took on the album before it. They finished the sessions at Island Studios and Olympic Studios in London. Page produced again, and Andy Johns and Terry Manning handled the mix.

Come to it knowing Led Zeppelin as a volume band and the folk material will surprise you. The riffs hold their place, but they share the running order with mandolin figures and quieter playing, and four people cover all of it with nobody sitting in. It works best front to back, not one track at a time.