Revisiting Led Zeppelin

[Ferris]

Houses of the Holy blaring* and it sounds fucking mint.

Has anyone here ever done a full listen through of the back catalogue? I'm a huge Zep fan and have been since my early teenage years** and I think I know every record, but I've never gone through them in order. They all have this great sound though. Amazing.

Very tempted to get it done over the coming weeks and months and document my journey. Recent films have rendered certain songs 100% S4C, but the number of records is so vast I doubt it will be an issue.

Had 3 beers, so that might also be contributing to my Led Zep love-in. Reminding myself of being young and full of life. Actually fuck, no this guitar break is amazing, disregard the cynicism.

<sub>*through my headphones while wife and son sleep in the next room

**some of my first live music gigs were seeing tribute band Fred Zeppelin at the Robin in Wolverhampton. I found out (years later) my grandad regularly played golf with the guitar player's dad. Small world, innit.</sub>

[grassbath]

So fucking weird - I was listening to them again at work yesterday for the first time in years and thinking of starting the exact same thread. I loved them as a teen but had kind of moved away from them in the same way one does the Doors - bit OTT and meatheaded. Yet I was more productive blasting Physical Graffiti in my headphones than I have been in months, and got genuine chills when that towering minor riff dropped in 'Ten Years Gone.'

You're right that they do have a great sound - obviously Page is a superb guitarist but he doesn't get nearly enough credit for the production. He knew exactly what to do with Bonham's swinging drums. 'Rock and Roll,' for instance, is pretty uncomplicated, but it sounds so fucking exciting coming in at top volume.

Favourite deep cut is '10 Ribs & All' off the deluxe edition of Presence - gorgeous sumptuous piano chords, JPJ meets Steely Dan.

[NJ Uncut]

Rock n Roll off "How the West was Won" is fuckin superb

Oh you know the opening guitar riff in Moby Dick (before it turns into drum shite)? Where's that from, was it ever re-used?

For years I had it confused with the "guest coming out" riff thing on TFI Friday.

[xxxx xxx x xxx]

Rock n Roll off "How the West was Won" is fuckin superb

Also the 'Song Remains The Same' version - that segue into 'Celebration Day'...

[Petey Pate]

Oh you know the opening guitar riff in Moby Dick (before it turns into drum shite)? Where's that from, was it ever re-used?

It was more or less taken wholesale from Bobby Parker's 'Watch Your Step'.

https://youtu.be/o-bbjcNeylk

A similar riff also appears in Led Zeppelin's 'The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair' from their BBC sessions. Also Rage Against the Machine's 'Wake Up' sounds very similar to the Moby Dick riff too.

The first two Zeppelin albums are full of appropriated riffs from other artists, but most people know that now.

[Pauline Walnuts]

With the sound taken off, but with a lot better production, the first Jeff Beck album.

It's a bad sign when a group's plagiarism has its own wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Led_Zeppelin_songs_written_or_inspired_by_others

[Johnboy]

top band

[kngen]

Houses of the Holy blaring* and it sounds fucking mint.

If you snipped D'yer Maker and The Crunge off HOTH, and put the title track back on, it'd probably be the best Zep album - Over the Hills ..., The Ocean. No fucking Quarter. (What a fucking song that is).

As it is, it's Led Zep in a nutshell. So close to perfection, but undone by its own hubris.

[purlieu]

Plenty I like, plenty I don't. Not big on proto-metal bluesy waily hard rock in general, but there are more than enough mellow moments, moodier tracks, experimental bits, folky songs and so on to keep me going. The only album I've never actually heard is Presence. My favourites are III, IV and Houses of the Holy. 'Stairway' is a fucking great song and the culture around of it shouldn't be allowed to detract from that.

[kngen]

The only album I've never actually heard is Presence.

You've probably heard its highlight, though - but if not, you're welcome! Achilles' Last Stand

I like to think of it as the sequel to No Quarter. Making a break for it once the snows have cleared ...

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

I too had a long period of not listening to them after being obsessed for years in my late teens/early 20s. Every time I listen to them now I just appreciate more and more Bonham's absolute perfect storm of feel, groove and power and how well Jimmy Page captured it on tape.

[purlieu]

You've probably heard its highlight, though - but if not, you're welcome! Achilles' Last Stand

I like to think of it as the sequel to No Quarter. Making a break for it once the snows have cleared ...

Yes, that's a tremendous song, it was on the Remastered compilation that was my first Zeppelin CD.

[idunnosomename]

Rock n Roll off "How the West was Won" is fuckin superb

Oh you know the opening guitar riff in Moby Dick (before it turns into drum shite)? Where's that from, was it ever re-used?

For years I had it confused with the "guest coming out" riff thing on TFI Friday.

come on the studio Moby Dick is pretty great. And the band comes back at the end.

The TFI Friday music is of course The Riverboat Song by Ocean Colour Scene, which is also a simple  riff moved around the twelve bar blues progression

I mean I love Zeppelin but I don't feel the need to revisit them because I paid them a lot of attention in the noughties when contemporary rock music was a bit shit and I stuck my head firmly in the past. Still couldnt be arsed about their O2 reunion. I've still never seen that, but I've listened to it and I wasn't very impressed. Sleeping dogs.

[Ferris]

Rock n Roll off "How the West was Won" is fuckin superb

Oh you know the opening guitar riff in Moby Dick (before it turns into drum shite)? Where's that from, was it ever re-used?

For years I had it confused with the "guest coming out" riff thing on TFI Friday.

I'll age myself now, but I remember renting The Song Remains the Same twice from my local blockbuster.

[Ferris]

I'll age myself now, but I remember renting The Song Remains the Same twice from my local blockbuster.

Can't believe I missed the own goal of "upon the rewatch, I can confirm the songs did indeed remain the same".

Shambles.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

In hindsight, nearly five and a half hours with nobody else jumping on it is pretty surprising. Then again that means you could have made the actual joke instead of highlighting the missed opportunity and still got the laugh!

[greenman]

Favourite deep cut is '10 Ribs & All' off the deluxe edition of Presence - gorgeous sumptuous piano chords, JPJ meets Steely Dan.

I suspect that was an attempt to record something along the lines of the Keith Jarrett/Jazz Odessy like improv they did in the middle of No Quarter the year before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS_lZPSwynM

[Ferris]

In hindsight, nearly five and a half hours with nobody else jumping on it is pretty surprising. Then again that means you could have made the actual joke instead of highlighting the missed opportunity and still got the laugh!

Would have been dishonest laughs, and that ain't the Ferris way. It's in my professional code of conduct agreement with the admins.

[thecuriousorange]

If you snipped D'yer Maker and The Crunge off HOTH, and put the title track back on, it'd probably be the best Zep album - Over the Hills ..., The Ocean. No fucking Quarter. (What a fucking song that is).

As it is, it's Led Zep in a nutshell. So close to perfection, but undone by its own hubris.

My favourite on HOTH is The Rain Song and I actually like D'Yer Maker.

[grassbath]

Properly listened to Houses of the Holy today for the first time in about seven or eight years, and noticed something that had never even occurred to me before - are they pitching Plant's voice up for a lot of it?!

[greenman]

The live version of The Crunge as done in Dazed and COnfused on How The West Was Won is pretty good I'd say, actually grew out of them playing the Theme From Shaft during that track(16 mins in here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-4fVMZRkk) The studio one is spoiled by the cheesey funk production though IMHO, Page would probably have been better off swallowing his pride and getting in an expereinced funk producer to work on that.

If you wanted to make a version of HOTH without The Crunge and D'yer Maker you could replace them with The Rover and the dislocated titled track from Physical Graffiti which were recorded during the HOTH sessions and I'd guess probably planned for the album before the above two bumped them off. That version of HOTH would probably be their most consistently good album I'd say.

Properly listened to Houses of the Holy today for the first time in about seven or eight years, and noticed something that had never even occurred to me before - are they pitching Plant's voice up for a lot of it?!

His vocal trouble did start during 72 so perhaps that was an effort to cover it? by the following album I think they just went with his new lower range and generally a lower place in the mix with Bonham more to the fore.

[NJ Uncut]

Plant is my least fav Led Zepper

I'm obviously a contrarian arsehole, but just don't like his vocal style, much of his lyrics or the themes he chooses, though to be fair, he was probably the trope codifier for a lot of it (like the Tolkien song and all that)

But not sure who I'd have instead. Just know he's not what I listen to with Led Zep.

[greenman]

Plant's lyrics are so steadfastly clichéd though that his vocal really just become a sound for me.

[Ferris]

Plant's lyrics are so steadfastly clichéd though that his vocal really just become a sound for me.

Agree with this, weirdly.

Harmonica bits on When the Levee Breaks, though.

Phwoarr. Not enough musicians use the distorted harmonica thing these days, it always sounds fucking class.

[idunnosomename]

Percy was a surprisingly good harp player. Honestly he mightve been a cunt but he was a swell musician who made up an equal part of the band

[greenman]

Agree with this, weirdly.

Harmonica bits on When the Levee Breaks, though.

Phwoarr. Not enough musicians use the distorted harmonica thing these days, it always sounds fucking class.

I don't really mean that as a negative and there are a handful of more interesting lyrics like That's The Way but you don't generally listen to Led Zep to pay close attension to the lyrics, they just add to the general atmosphere.

Live especially he did really work well with the rest of the band, there was a tendency for the vocalist to take a break during some extended piece but he's typically there throwing in vocalisations or quoting covers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGX6JRXpwrQ

The between song banter does tend to suggest someone with a decent sense of humour rather than just a hippie/"are you ready to rock" sloganeer.

[alan nagsworth]

Not enough musicians use the distorted harmonica thing these days, it always sounds fucking class.

Loads of that stuff in King Gizzard's music.

[a duncandisorderly]

Plant is my least fav Led Zepper

I'm obviously a contrarian arsehole, but just don't like his vocal style, much of his lyrics or the themes he chooses, though to be fair, he was probably the trope codifier for a lot of it (like the Tolkien song and all that)

But not sure who I'd have instead. Just know he's not what I listen to with Led Zep.

paul rodgers would be my shout. back in 1968, there were a few names in the hat before percy... chris farlowe, terry reid, rod stewart even.  but rodgers gets my vote. he also plays bass a bit, probably well enough to fill out the sound when JPJ is doing his liberace schtick.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

Just listening to 10 Years Gone for the first time in maybe 5 years. Fucking love this band.

[idunnosomename]

I don't really mean that as a negative and there are a handful of more interesting lyrics like That's The Way but you don't generally listen to Led Zep to pay close attension to the lyrics, they just add to the general atmosphere.

that's the way has fucking brilliant lyrics in retrospect

"And all the fish that lay in dirty water dying,
Had they got you hypnotized?"

interesting how Percy reversed the genders live in that. Also liked how he always changed the age of the "girl who won my heart" in The Ocean.

his daughter's 50 now christ