Njaco
The Pop-Tart Whisperer
Adler's thread "10 Songs To Listen" was great for me as I've lost touch alittle of the music scene. But I was thinking that maybe it could go the opposite way. How many younger members of the board know how great Zeppelin was or how fantastic Queen or Bowie or Aerosmith pre-1985 were? So I decided to start a thread with the greatest 10 songs from the Dinosaur age of Rock starting with Led Zeppelin. Anybody else can add as some bands I wasn't into (like the Stones). The first list is for Udet.
10 Songs to Listen to from:
Led Zeppelin
(I've tried to stay away from the obvious - Stairway to Heaven, Kashmir, Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love, etc.)
Vocals - Robert Plant
Guitar - Jimmy Page
Bass - John Paul Jones
Drums - John Bonham
Achilles Last Stand - studio album 'Presence' released by Swan Song Records on March 31, 1976. The album was recorded within three weeks at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany, with Plant in a wheelchair. Both Page and Plant had planned the album to be a return to a simple spontaneous affair after the complex arrangements on 'Houses of the Holy' and 'Physical Graffiti'. It is their only studio album that features neither acoustic tracks nor keyboards. This is one of the longest Led Zeppelin songs. It runs 10:26. Jimmy Page overdubbed 6 guitar tracks to create a huge sound. 'Achilles Last Stand' stands as one of the bands most powerful epics.
Ten Years Gone - 'Physical Graffiti' double album released on February 24, 1975 and was the band's first release on their own Swan Song Records label. Robert Plant wrote the lyrics about a girlfriend who made him choose between her and his music 10 years earlier. She got the boot. This was written as an instrumental. Plant added the lyrics. The guitar overdubs are insane on this track! Even one or two notes at the right time show that Page was a much better producer than guitarist. And he was a great guitarist.
Good Times, Bad Times - 'Led Zeppelin I', released on January 12, 1969 was the first album by Led Zeppelin. It's a solid, classic hard rocking tune, with a slight bluesy touch. John Paul Jones' and his bass here really must be heard to be appreciated. Jimmy Page passed his guitar through a Leslie Speaker to create a swirling effect. The Leslie contains a rotating paddle and was designed for organs, but some musicians used it to process guitars and vocals. "Good Times Bad Times" explodes out of the gate with a remarkable rhythm from John Bonham and a group sound that felt like a tightly wound coil ready to rip loose.
Bring It On Home - 'Led Zeppelin II' was released October 22, 1969 and recorded between January and August 1969 at various studios. The groundbreaking album was instrumental in defining the sound of hard rock. This song was influenced by a song of the same name by Blues great Sonny Boy Williamson and has a real 'hit the road' feel to it. Plant's masked vocals at the start are unusual but effective and the song on the whole is energetic. Led Zeppelin frequently performed this live, with interplay between Jimmy Page's guitar, John Bonham's drums and John Paul Jones's bass.
Friends / Celebration Day - 'Led Zeppelin III', the third album by Led Zeppelin, was released October 5, 1970. "Friends" is one of a few Led Zeppelin songs that used strings. Bass player John Paul Jones did the arrangement. It has been closely referenced to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's "Carry On." If you listen, the first part of the song is almost exactly identical to this song. "Celebration Day" was almost left off the album. The beginning of the master tape was kinked and wouldn't play in the tape machine. It was cut out and the ending synthesizer of "Friends" was composited over the edit to disguise it.
When The Levee Breaks - The fourth album, variously referred to as 'Led Zeppelin IV', was released on November 8, 1971 . Based on a 1929 recording of the same name by Blues artist Memphis Minnie. Bonham's opening drum sequence, full of energy, has become the most sampled drum sequence of all time and it makes a foreboding start to the song. Plant's vocals are assured and the mouthorgan part in the song adds a unique eeriness to the music. The distinctive drum sound was created by setting up drums in the hallway of Headley Grange, where they were living and recording. They set up 2 overhead microphones and let John Bonham pound away. The vocals were processed differently on each verse, sometimes with phasing added. Jimmy Page's backward echo technique, where he would put the echo ahead of the sound, was used on the harmonica. Was very difficult to mix, and due to extensive processing, is best appreciated with headphones.
No Quarter - 'Houses of the Holy' was released by Atlantic Records on March 28, 1973. This is Led Zeppelin's eeriest and most captivating song. Plant's vocals are chilling and give the song a suspicious aura. The song is one of John Paul Jones' finest hours. His keyboard/synth part is awesome and captures the nature of the song and his bass solo mid-way through the epic is timeless. The version that made it to the album evolved out of a faster version they recorded earlier at Headley Grange, an old mansion in a remote part of England where they wrote and recorded many of their songs, including "Stairway To Heaven." This was a showcase song for bass player John Paul Jones during Led Zeppelin's live shows.
The Song Remains The Same - ('Houses of the Holy' album) Recorded in 1972 at Stargroves with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. This was an instrumental called "The Overture" before Plant put lyrics to it. Plant's vocals were sped-up. This is a 5 minute, upbeat rock song with some amazingly adept guitar work from Page. Plant's high register singing to a fast rhythm works very well.
The Rover - 'Physical Graffiti' double album released on February 24, 1975. This began life as an acoustic piece. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant started writing it in 1970 at Bron-yr-Aur, the cottage in Wales they went to after a brutal US tour. The band never played this live.
South Bound Saurez - 'In Through the Out Door' was released by Swan Song Records on August 15, 1979. It was Led Zeppelin's last album while together, drummer John Bonham died the next year on September 25, 1980. 'South Bound Suarez' is an upbeat piano styled rocker with plenty of great harmonies.John Paul Jones did much of the work writing this. It is centered around his piano. Jimmy Page made a few minor guitar mistakes, but he left them in. He always preferred a spontaneous feel over a perfect take. One of the few Zeppelin songs Jimmy Page had no part in writing.
10 Songs to Listen to from:
Led Zeppelin
(I've tried to stay away from the obvious - Stairway to Heaven, Kashmir, Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love, etc.)
Vocals - Robert Plant
Guitar - Jimmy Page
Bass - John Paul Jones
Drums - John Bonham
Achilles Last Stand - studio album 'Presence' released by Swan Song Records on March 31, 1976. The album was recorded within three weeks at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany, with Plant in a wheelchair. Both Page and Plant had planned the album to be a return to a simple spontaneous affair after the complex arrangements on 'Houses of the Holy' and 'Physical Graffiti'. It is their only studio album that features neither acoustic tracks nor keyboards. This is one of the longest Led Zeppelin songs. It runs 10:26. Jimmy Page overdubbed 6 guitar tracks to create a huge sound. 'Achilles Last Stand' stands as one of the bands most powerful epics.
Ten Years Gone - 'Physical Graffiti' double album released on February 24, 1975 and was the band's first release on their own Swan Song Records label. Robert Plant wrote the lyrics about a girlfriend who made him choose between her and his music 10 years earlier. She got the boot. This was written as an instrumental. Plant added the lyrics. The guitar overdubs are insane on this track! Even one or two notes at the right time show that Page was a much better producer than guitarist. And he was a great guitarist.
Good Times, Bad Times - 'Led Zeppelin I', released on January 12, 1969 was the first album by Led Zeppelin. It's a solid, classic hard rocking tune, with a slight bluesy touch. John Paul Jones' and his bass here really must be heard to be appreciated. Jimmy Page passed his guitar through a Leslie Speaker to create a swirling effect. The Leslie contains a rotating paddle and was designed for organs, but some musicians used it to process guitars and vocals. "Good Times Bad Times" explodes out of the gate with a remarkable rhythm from John Bonham and a group sound that felt like a tightly wound coil ready to rip loose.
Bring It On Home - 'Led Zeppelin II' was released October 22, 1969 and recorded between January and August 1969 at various studios. The groundbreaking album was instrumental in defining the sound of hard rock. This song was influenced by a song of the same name by Blues great Sonny Boy Williamson and has a real 'hit the road' feel to it. Plant's masked vocals at the start are unusual but effective and the song on the whole is energetic. Led Zeppelin frequently performed this live, with interplay between Jimmy Page's guitar, John Bonham's drums and John Paul Jones's bass.
Friends / Celebration Day - 'Led Zeppelin III', the third album by Led Zeppelin, was released October 5, 1970. "Friends" is one of a few Led Zeppelin songs that used strings. Bass player John Paul Jones did the arrangement. It has been closely referenced to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's "Carry On." If you listen, the first part of the song is almost exactly identical to this song. "Celebration Day" was almost left off the album. The beginning of the master tape was kinked and wouldn't play in the tape machine. It was cut out and the ending synthesizer of "Friends" was composited over the edit to disguise it.
When The Levee Breaks - The fourth album, variously referred to as 'Led Zeppelin IV', was released on November 8, 1971 . Based on a 1929 recording of the same name by Blues artist Memphis Minnie. Bonham's opening drum sequence, full of energy, has become the most sampled drum sequence of all time and it makes a foreboding start to the song. Plant's vocals are assured and the mouthorgan part in the song adds a unique eeriness to the music. The distinctive drum sound was created by setting up drums in the hallway of Headley Grange, where they were living and recording. They set up 2 overhead microphones and let John Bonham pound away. The vocals were processed differently on each verse, sometimes with phasing added. Jimmy Page's backward echo technique, where he would put the echo ahead of the sound, was used on the harmonica. Was very difficult to mix, and due to extensive processing, is best appreciated with headphones.
No Quarter - 'Houses of the Holy' was released by Atlantic Records on March 28, 1973. This is Led Zeppelin's eeriest and most captivating song. Plant's vocals are chilling and give the song a suspicious aura. The song is one of John Paul Jones' finest hours. His keyboard/synth part is awesome and captures the nature of the song and his bass solo mid-way through the epic is timeless. The version that made it to the album evolved out of a faster version they recorded earlier at Headley Grange, an old mansion in a remote part of England where they wrote and recorded many of their songs, including "Stairway To Heaven." This was a showcase song for bass player John Paul Jones during Led Zeppelin's live shows.
The Song Remains The Same - ('Houses of the Holy' album) Recorded in 1972 at Stargroves with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. This was an instrumental called "The Overture" before Plant put lyrics to it. Plant's vocals were sped-up. This is a 5 minute, upbeat rock song with some amazingly adept guitar work from Page. Plant's high register singing to a fast rhythm works very well.
The Rover - 'Physical Graffiti' double album released on February 24, 1975. This began life as an acoustic piece. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant started writing it in 1970 at Bron-yr-Aur, the cottage in Wales they went to after a brutal US tour. The band never played this live.
South Bound Saurez - 'In Through the Out Door' was released by Swan Song Records on August 15, 1979. It was Led Zeppelin's last album while together, drummer John Bonham died the next year on September 25, 1980. 'South Bound Suarez' is an upbeat piano styled rocker with plenty of great harmonies.John Paul Jones did much of the work writing this. It is centered around his piano. Jimmy Page made a few minor guitar mistakes, but he left them in. He always preferred a spontaneous feel over a perfect take. One of the few Zeppelin songs Jimmy Page had no part in writing.
