"Gallows Pole", Led Zeppelin III
A peculiar ditty. There is such wealth and diversity within the realms of this catalog... No doubt, "Gallows Pole" took a while to warm up to. It isn't the most accessible number, but those components also work in its favor. For Led Zeppelin to toss in, not only a mandolin, but a banjo, may seem outlandish to some. Maybe so, but it also fuels my total obsession (and desire to play, if I muster up the patience an instrument takes...) with mainly the banjo, but also the mandolin. The slow, dynamic progression of the song is luring, as one by one instruments are added. Solely acoustic guitar, then mandolin, bass, banjo, drums, then you also get tasty electric work from Page. They threw together the most unlikely elements, and made a highly likable, albeit unexpected, number.
