At their peak, Led Zeppelin were an unstoppable rock phenomenon, swaggering across the planet to play record-breaking show after record-breaking show. Yet by the end, tensions within the group were evident – prompting singer Robert Plant to put down his fears in song.
‘In Through The Our Door’ became Led Zeppelin’s eighth album, and the material on the record speaks volumes about the state of the band at the time. Take ‘Carouselambra’ – a collision of hard rock, prog aspects, and synths that reflected an urge towards modernity, its playful complexities masked a lyric of frustration.
The song was broadly built by Robert Plant and bass player John Paul Jones, who despaired at the impact substance abuse had taken on band mates Jimmy Page and John Bonham.
Robert Plant’s vocal is largely hidden in the mix, but the lyrics spell out his fears: “How keen the storied hunter’s eye prevails upon the land / To seek the unsuspecting and the weak…”
“I thought parts of ‘Carouselambra’ were good,” he later told MOJO, “Especially on the darker dirges that Pagey developed.”
Ultimately, the point of the song passed many by, largely due to the mix. “And I rue it so much now,” he stated. “Because the lyrics on ‘Carouselambra’ were actually about that environment and that situation. The whole story of Led Zeppelin in its latter years is in that song… and I can’t hear the words!”
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