Houses Of The Holy

Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelins 5th album and the soundtrack to my commute.
This album leaves behind the blues influences that make up the 4 previous albums, and it seems that Led Zeppelin are intent on ripping off The Beastie Boys. Shocking really as no writing credit is given to MCA, AD Rock or Mike D. I would get my lawyers on to Zep if I were them.
I am of course being facetious. This album is markedly different to all that came before it though for those reasons. Production has turned up a gear, songwriting alters a little and the entire package is being thought on, similar I guess to its predecessor Led Zeppelin IV but different enough.
The Ocean is the stand out track for me on this album, I was a little disappointed when it finished, this is a track that The Beastie Boys sampled on their debut, it’s a gorgeous tune, worth having a listen to even if the rest of the album isn’t really your thing.
This album sees some humour coming through aswell, notably in The Crunge, with the call “have you seen the bridge”, you might need to take that in the context of its cod James Brown funk, also D’yer Maker, one part of the joke, My wife went to the West Indies on her holidays…Jamaica? No she went of her own accord. Badda Tish.
Its not all laughs a plenty with Zeppelin though, Houses of The Holy can be quite dark in parts, not too dark though, after all the fantastic Dancing Days is on this album and that adds light to any release. The Rain Song to my ears is a dark song though, not bad dark, just not as light as the rest of the album, still fantastic and different and proof that Led Zeppelin didn’t stand still.
All in all it was a very enjoyable album, I listened intently as opposed to letting it wash over me, and that is a measure of a good album. Last of the week for this week. 8 out of 10.



The Ocean by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Well I thought today's was the last Led Zeppelin for the week, but no, another tomorrow. Today though, their debut Led Zeppelin.
Thoroughly entrenched in a typical late 60's sound, a small hint of psychedelia, a hint of garage rock, a hint of blue cheer, a little bad company, but altogether Led Zeppelin.
I must admit it is perhaps the most unfamiliar album to me, and perhaps the least played. Not that it is bad, as I have said I prefer their more reflective material and this is by no means reflective, but conversely it is Whole Lotta Love.
Riffs yeah? well the riffs are there, Communication Breakdown comes on like an articulated lorry, not so much a juggernaut.
I did enjoy the album, enjoyed it very much. You might think when faced with Sir Terry or Moyles that anything is enjoyable. Not the case, unsure why I found it enjoyable and that's the struggle.
Soundwise its not the Zeppelin that I love, lyrically I suppose it gives what I like in spades, metaphors for love making. I like them.
Bit of a nothing review this I am afraid, enjoyed it, but don't know why. The tracks were long but I lived with it, I didn't really know many songs, all reasons not to like it, but I did. 7 out of 10.



I Can't Quit You Baby by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin again today, the penultimate Zepellin of this little stack of CD’s I think. Led Zeppelin II to be more precise, their second album. Tomorrow it’s the debut, but for today it’s the sophomore effort.
This is a great album for all intents and purposes, its almost a great album, its one song off a great album. Yes I could be spending blog inches telling you perhaps what you already know about the atlantic soul beauty of The Lemon Song, or Whole Lotta Love was THE greatest theme tune outside of Ronnie Hazlehursts work, or Heartbreaker being one of the most fantastic rock songs ever written. I could tell you all this, and those alone could be the reason why this album is noted as one of the greatest rock albums ever written.
This is all negated by Ramble On. Ramble On destroys everything else on this album due to one verse.

Mine's a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear
How years ago in days of old when magic filled the air
'twas in the darkest depths of Mordor, mm-I met a girl so fair
but Gollum and the evil warg crept up and slipped away with her
her, her, yeah, and ain't nothin' I can do, no

Christ. Minus this song 9 out of 10, with this song 1 out of 10.



Ramble On by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin III

Chronologically speaking we are going backward today and the final strains of Led Zeppelin III ended as a woman in a fucking Corsa cut me up a short distance before Coleshill. Its usually a Volvo, or an Audi, or a BMW. I thought there was some form of fraternal aspect amongst small car drivers. Clearly not.
This has nothing to do with my commute CD though, consider it a scene setter. If you really want a scene setter, it was just by The Bellfry golf course, at that roundabout where people either come off the M6 Toll. That’s more than enough scene set.
Led Zeppelin III was released on the day that I was born, October the 5th 1970, this is a fact that I have always been aware of and one of the few things I knew about the band. I also know that Robert Plant holds an executive position at Wolves (along with Rachel Heigh Ho Flint, apologies if that isn’t how you spell her name) and he also can be seen occasionally in Bridgnorth in Shropshire. My Led Zeppelin knowledge was to say the least, lacking.
What Led Zeppelin’s third album taught me though was that there was more to this album than Immigrant Songs’ “aaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” that Immigrant Songs’ “aaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” was more the exception than the rule. It moves away from the ballsy rock that most associate with the band and pitches up at the Delta. None more so than on Hats off to (Roy) Harper, from the Page’s steel guitar to Plants vocals, made to sound, to my ears like one of those old Son House recordings, its an effect that works quite well.
Kev mentioned Gallis Pole in his last entry and it is on this album as Gallows Pole that they tackle that tune, rather marvellously I thought. That’s the thing with Zeppelin, even though they were fast and loose with writing credits, they do genuinely love the songs and this is reflected in the overall tone of pretty much all the tracks on this album.
The stand out track for me is “That’s The Way”. I think if anything comes close to the music Plant is making now, this is it. Reflective, restrained, and rather beautiful. Not totally at odds with anything on this album, but not similar either. That’s really the entire album summed up. It’s a diverse an album as any, changing in tone and character throughout and it is all the better for it. 8 out of 10.



That’s The Way by Led Zeppelin

Get the Led Out & The Roots of Led Zeppelin

Stason.org tells me that the origin of the phrase is 1930's America and means 'Move!', although of course there is a different spelling, with a crucial inserted letter 'a,' hence 'Get the lead out of your ass/britches/but/feet'.

I was quite surprised to see my co-blogging partner Peter 'Get the Led out' in his previous post Led Zeppelin IV although I think his swinging of it in such an enthusiastic manner may have something to do with Villa winning at home (incidentally, while watching the Wolves v Arsenal game on Saturday, broadcast here in Chile on the Argentinian based Fox Sports, there was a shot of a rather crumpled looking Robert Plant watching the game from the stand, and as the commentator didn't know who it was, he simply described him as 'exotico'). I fear for the safety of Peter's Ford Fiesta if he moves over to heavy raaawwk full time.

In his post he alluded to the fact that I might know a bit about the blues influence of the album, and indeed I do (up to a point), but this influence is only the half of it really as there was the music of the time and the clear folk flavours of parts. Of course Led Zep are one of those bands that seem to provoke a reverent, obsessive type following on the internet (the hobbly gobbly mystical magic references are enough to inspire this, let alone the music), and I am not the man to add anything new to this, although I can pick out bits of interest related to their 4th album, as this is the music that fuels Peter's automobile and propels him into the breach / Birmingham.

Before I start passing off information I have copied as my own, I should mention that there is a dirt cheap 4 CD boxset simply called The Roots of Led Zeppelin, as well as another single CD called the Early Blues Roots of Led Zeppelin.  The blues CD has the obvious Gallis Pole by Leadbelly (which Page and Plant were still doing in the 90's) and When the Levee Breaks by Memphis Minnie. I'm always slightly peturbed to see John Lee Hooker's Boogie Chillen, as if it isn't that it's Dimples, and of all the fantastic songs he recorded why only focus on those? Anyway, half the time the songs on these types of CD's seem to be more based on what labels they have access to, rather than meeting the criteria set out in the title of the disc.

Memphis Minnie When the Levee Breaks


In his Dazed & Confused - The Stories Behind Every Song Chris Welch says that it would be difficult to track down the true creators of the blues songs Led Zeppelin incorporated into their work (according to an interesting piece here at Turn Me On Dead Man), other than the outright covers obviously. Here's another cover, Blind Willie Johnson's Nobody's Fault but Mine, which is on Led Zep's Presence album.

Of course there are others, although some less straight covers, more re-workings or just bits borrowed. Robert Johnson's Travelling Riverside Blues was done by Zep, although it's quite different. They also borrowed some of the lyrics for the Lemon Song, although Wikipedia report that Robert Johnson may well have borrowed them himself, from Roosevelt Sykes. Killing Floor by Howlin Wolf is also present during the Lemon Song. It goes on and on. Who borrowed from who? Led Zep settled out of court with Willie Dixon in the mid 80's as Dixon's You Need Love had been re-imagined by the long haired Brits for a number called Whole Lotta Love (they also did a cover of Willie Dixon's You Shook Me).

Apart from the obvious blues related links there were other folk influences, and of course the sounds of the contemporary music of the late 60's and early 70's. A chap called Zharth has put together a site called The Roots of Led Zeppelin Project and his mission statement is to provide a comprehensive database of information regarding the musical influences and sources that inspired the songs of Led Zeppelin. If you have a look at Peter's beloved Led Zep IV there are all sorts of influences listed. Black Dog is said to have been inspired by Muddy Waters and based on Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well.

Rumour has it that Fleetwood Mac's cover of the Little Richard classic Keep a Knocking inspired Zep's Rock and Roll, with Bonham pounding out the intro to the song, and Page just adding a new riff. Judge for yourself.

And finally, to wrap things up, there is the song that right now is being played badly in 14 year old boys bedrooms all over the world even as I type this, Stairway to Heaven (there is a record shop in Leura in the Blue Mountains in Australia, called Stairway to Kevin), said to sound not at all like Taurus by Spirit.

And I think it's now time to put the led back in the box.

Led Zeppelin IV

The sun was shining yesterday, it shone on Villa Park clearly as a 5-1 pummeling of Bolton happened. The soundtrack on the journey, and the next CD in my loosley alphabeticised CD album collection was, to quote Wikipedia, Four Symbols, , The Fourth Album, Sticks, ZoSo, Untitled, The Hermit, Runes, or simply, IV.
Led Zeppelin IV is what it is known as the most though and that is what I will call it.
I am realtively new to Led Zeppelin, relatively new to enjoying Led Zeppelin is more realistic. It would be difficult not to be aware of them, aware of their music, but I was resolutely anti them for quite some time. Then, as is the case more and more these days, I read a book, in this case it was "Hammer of The Gods", Stephen Davis's book. Following that I felt I needed to investigate the band and so I did, initially buying their debut and their 2 subsequent albums, then Led Zeppelin IV.
So some time later Led Zeppelin are a band that at this point in my life are pretty important to me, I went from not knowing much by them at all, to having all of their albums, and enjoying all of their albums, and loving most of their albums.
I think my co-blogger Kev could write a great piece on the blues "influence" on Led Zeppelin, but as someone who has limited knowledge of blues music and the origins of the songs that proliferate Led Zeppelin albums, I take this and their others at face value.
So onto Led Zeppelin IV, its only 8 tracks long, so difficult to go wrong in 8 tracks, and of course they don't, from the start of Black Dog to the end of When The Levee Breaks, and all points in between, it is just a stunning album that saw my strained voice try to recreate as I passed through the average speed check areas of the M6.
When The Levee Breaks in particular, a huge huge tune with Bonhams drums taking over the whole piece, that is until Plant comes in with arguably the best vocal, the best opening line on the whole album, screaming it, but controlling it, "If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break". Stunning. I could listen to the song up to that point and be happy with it.
Of course the most well known song on this album is Stairway To Heaven, there is no denying its a great song, its longevity and popularity have proven this but for me although I like that Led Zeppelin tone, a more considered tone, a quieter, more reflective tone, for me it is my least favourite track on the album, but that at this point in my life is like saying my least favourite child. Still a great track but there are so much more that are better on this album.
Through Going To California, Misty Mountain Hop, Rock and Roll and Battle of Evermore, this is an album that sways between the blues, thumping rock, traditional folk and more than anything, rock n roll.
You get all of that and on The Battle of Evermore you also get one of the most beautiful voices you will ever hear in Sandy Denny, perfection upon perfection. A stunning album and as a run of Led Zeppelin starts, feel it is going to be a great week. 10 out of 10.



When The Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin

What Is and What Should Never Be

There is much speculation at the moment on the likelihood of Led Zeppelin reforming and going out on tour. This has been exacerbated recently by John Paul Jones. Led Zeppelin, under that moniker played the O2 arena as a testimonial of sorts for Ahmet Ertegün, Atlantic records co- founder. The money raised by the O2 concert went towards an educational fund Ertegün left as a legacy following his death.

John Paul Jones, talented bass player, but always the whatsiface of Led Zeppelin recently appeared at guitar show in Exeter and gave the following information.

"As you probably know, Jimmy, Jason and I are actually rehearsing and we've had the odd singer come in and have a bash. As soon as we know — which we don't — we will let you know. But we really hope that something is going to happen soon because we really want to do it and we're having a lot of fun, actually, just rehearsing. Jason is actually tremendous... And what we've done so far sounds absolutely fantastic. When it does come, it will come, and you'll know about it."

"We really wanna do something and Robert doesn't want to do this, at least for the moment. I don't really know what his plans are. He really doesn't want to make loud music anymore. We do. I mean, I love acoustic music, but it doesn't stop me from turning something up."

So what does this tell us, Page and Plant Page and Jones, trotting out the hits, with the rock Zak Starkey and guest vocalists. I bristle at that thought, guest vocalists creates a visual that will be just awful.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MII-IISSSS CAROL DECKER"

I mean the rumoured "replacement" for Robert Plant, is a gentleman called Myles Kennedy, now Myles Kennedy will be unheard of to most people, he is an American singer in the rock band Alter Bridge, Alter Bridge do that shitty rock that Creed created the blueprint for, alas Creed didn't tear up the blueprint, they spawned Alter Bridge. To put it into context, you know when
Chris Cornell joined the non shouty part of Rage Against The Machine, or when Ian Astbury joined the non Père Lachaise residing part of The Doors, it was all well and good but it was really just the other members knocking out a Cleveland steamer on their own good name.

Obviously this rumour will be coming from the inner sanctum, perhaps Jimmy Page may have leaked this information, or maybe the young Bonham lad, alas no, no, not at all, the tasty morsel that some hoary long hair is going to be fronting the reinvented Coverdale:Page is Dee Snider. It seems that glam metallers are the leading source of music news, expect Gene Simmons to be spouting the latest AC/DC tour dates and Blackie Lawless reviewing the new Brtiney Spears album.

So to round up the facts then, 50 percent of Led Zeppelin are rehearsing, 20 percent of Twisted Sister says some American is going to be fronting it, likelihood of Robert Plant taking them to court if they bill themselves as Led Zeppelin, 100 percent.

eGigs for the quotes.

MuchMusic for the Dee Snider stuff.