John Bonham

[OldManC]

May the road rise with you.

Well played, Dave!




I think the Pistols were and are a giant piss take on the whole fame industry, which makes me like them more simply for that. I get the feeling, even with early footage from their first go-round, that John Lydon was skewering his 'adoring' fans as much as everything else they were commenting on and making fun of. Two fingers up to everyone.

In a completely unrelated aside I often wonder if Michael Moore is doing the same exact thing. Nobody can be as stupid as he comes across most of the time and still be as successful as he is (this is just my opinion, of course). I could be wrong and he may not believe or even know it himself, but he comes across to me as a shining example of (one version of) the Capitalist system he so loves to abhor. PT Barnum would have understood him completely, as well as the Sex Pistols, I think...

How's that for off topic?  

[uwe]

Now that is interesting, I bever found them catchy except for a few songs, neither Stairway or Kashmir have marked chorusses ... I don't even mean that as a criticism, I thought it was a conscious move to defy traditional song structure in a band that shunned having any of its material released as a single. A lot of Zep's melodies sound esoteric to me, that Eastern, ethno influence ... the almost always extended chords that went beyond root, third and fifth. Their disregard for minor and major keys and harmonies (mixing both) etc. All that is in fact quite original, but catchy?

Do Zep perhaps sound to American to me (and hence their popularity there?). I remember a Rolling Stone review of DP's Burn and it said: "DP still sound as Yuropean as a vampire movie ...". It always made me wonder whether bands like DP or Uriah Heep, which were more successful in Europe than Led Zep, catered more to European, classical music schooled tastes, while Zep with their blues, celtic and ethno ingredients had the recipe for the US market. A valid theory?

[lowend1]

With regard to the Ramones-
I distinctly remember reading about them in "Rock Scene" magazine, a Northeast US rag/mag that specialized in covering Max's, CBGBs etc. They regularly featured Kiss, The Dolls, Aerosmith, Queen, Mott etc - so when I began to see photo spreads of the leather jacketed Ramones, I figured I should get on the bandwagon early and buy the LP when it came out.
I cannot overstate the profound sense of shock and disbelief at how spectacularly BAD I thought that album was. Where were the lead breaks? Why do the vocals sound so... mentally deficient? I wanted it off my turntable and out of my record collection - lest somebody think I had spent money on it. To this day I have yet to be as let down by an album purchase as I was with that one. As time wore on and they developed a knack for writing better hooks, I, if not took a liking, at least lost that profound sense of disgust that the first album incurred.

[Highlander]

Long hair, jeans and tee's right through that era... pretty much the only thing that's changed is the hairline; maybe the waistline...

So Uwe was an avid reader of NME... Can you remember any of the house snappers...? this one took the Bonham pic I posted... used to live just up the road from me, I bought hundreds of the cast off shots, still have dozens of slides (including a few Knebworth shots), and a few select B&W's, even some album covers... taught me a few good tips too...

[uwe]

Re Lowend's Ramone experience: One man's Ramones is another man's Sex Pistols!

The NME also made me aware of The Dictators. And, ironically, of Judas Priest. They gave all Judas Priest albums and gigs such horrible reviews, I automatically became curious and bought Sin after Sin which I thought brilliant.

[Pilgrim]

It always made me wonder whether bands like DP or Uriah Heep, which were more successful in Europe than Led Zep, catered more to European, classical music schooled tastes, while Zep with their blues, celtic and ethno ingredients had the recipe for the US market. A valid theory?

Might be!  Certainly their more straight-ahead stuff appeals to me the most.  BTW - I tend to listen more for guitar and bass than drums.

[uwe]

That is another oddity with Zep, they are remembered/qualified as a hard rock band, but only a minority of their work fits that bill (it infuriates Plant when Led Zep are called inventors of heavy metal, he thinks only Deep Purple and Black Sabbath sould bear that heavy burden). Some Zep albums had no hard rocking track at all (Houses of the Holy), some only one (III). I haven't done a count, but Zep's blues numbers and folk titles must outnumber their hard rocking output like 4:1. That is not knoicking them, they were a versatile band, yet always retained an immediately recognizable style and sound. My favorite Zep album is their most vbersatile one: Physical Graffiti. Even though when I first heard it I thought the only immediately accessible/catchy song was Boogie with Stu!

[lowend1]

That is another oddity with Zep, they are remembered/qualified as a hard rock band, but only a minority of their work fits that bill (it infuriates Plant when Led Zep are called inventors of heavy metal, he thinks only Deep Purple and Black Sabbath sould bear that heavy burden). Some Zep albums had no hard rocking track at all (Houses of the Holy), some only one (III). I haven't done a count, but Zep's blues numbers and folk titles must outnumber their hard rocking output like 4:1. That is not knoicking them, they were a versatile band, yet always retained an immediately recognizable style and sound. My favorite Zep album is their most vbersatile one: Physical Graffiti. Even though when I first heard it I thought the only immediately accessible/catchy song was Boogie with Stu!

PG is my fave also.
While HOTH has no "Black Dog", I think "The Ocean" certainly qualifies as hard rocking - and is one of my favorite Zep songs to play.

[uwe]

George, only when reading your post twice, did I realize you were talking about Michael Moore and not Michael Monroe. My first thought was: Why is he hitting on that poor fin now? LOL!

Michael Moore is tiresome. He is also intellectually bullying which I don't rate high with people. He's a very American creation, messianic fervor and all. I might share some of his views, but he's generally over the top and devoid of humor or self-recognition/-realization. An unpleasant man. I'd feel much better if he was a conservative, really! ; - )

[patman]

not a zep fan here...although the bass tone on the first couple albums is to die for....I'll listen just for that

[nofi]

i feel the same way about moore and others of his ilk, like peta. but it often takes  annoying, over the top behavior to wake people up to what is happening and get the ball rolling on dealing with the topics they bring up. yes, moore should go to the darkside.

[OldManC]

George, only when reading your post twice, did I realize you were talking about Michael Moore and not Michael Monroe.
 .....

I'd feel much better if he was a conservative, really! ; - )

I'll take Michael Monroe (been a Hanoi fan since 1982 or 3) and you can keep Michael Moore!   

[Nocturnal]

I'll take Michael Monroe (been a Hanoi fan since 1982 or 3) and you can keep Michael Moore!   

I agree wholeheartedly

[Muzikman7]

Actually Led Zeppelin's music bores me to no end. Its not the individule members John Paul Jones in particular is a great musician but Plant got a lot of use out of the Hobbit/Lord of the Ring triliogy for lyrics and Page more than a few people have accused him of taking advantge of others music and while I'm bitching I hate that violin bow crap and Uwe hit the nail on the head about Bonham.

[Hornisse]

Hard to believe it has been 30 years.  Count me as a huge Zeppelin fan!  BTW, I think Steve Gadd's drumming on the title track from Aja has to be some of the best ever.