Top 5 Songs from: Led Zeppelin 3

What's up people, Happy Hump Day!

Today's edition of the Top 5 is all about the 1970 album from Led Zeppelin, simply titled Led Zeppelin 3.

Now you're probably wondering why I chose this particular album and not the others. Well don't worry, I'll get to they much later. In fact I'll probably cover them next month to be exact.

Now while it may seem a bit random to chose this album, trust me when I say it's easier for me to pick my top 5 songs from this particular album, than rather say, the first two. Trust me, you have no idea what incredible amount of stress that would be, since those first albums established Led Zeppelin like no other, ensuring their place in rock and roll history. Plus, they're my second favorite band behind the Beatles, so.....

A quick bit of info on LZ3: It was one of the most eagerly awaited follow-up albums by a band in 1970. After all, Cream was dead, The Beatles broke up, and acts like the Rolling Stones, CCR, Pink Floyd and the like, were already well-established, and thus was the setting for a very hot band like Led Zeppelin was at the time.

But Robert Plant and Jimmy Page didn't just want to copy the same formula as the first two albums; they weren't interested in writing another "Whole Lotta' Love" or "Dazed and Confused"
They wanted a different sound album, with different sounding songs to match. So the band rented a private little cottage in the English countryside, and proceeded to write and record what became LZ3.

Now before I present my top 5 picks, here's the entire song list from that album:

1). Immigrant Song
2). Friends
3). Celebration Day
4). Since I've been loving you
5). Out on the tiles
6). Gallows Pole
7). Tangerine
8). That's the way
9). Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
10). Hats off to (Roy Harper)

Yeah, that's what I have to contend with. Still, I can do it, and I have. And it really was easier than choosing from the first two, an the some of the other subsequent albums as well. And of course in a bit of a cheat, I'll have a tie since I really have a top 6 instead of a top 5.

5). "Friends"/ "Out on the tiles"

Having really and truly discovered, and re-discovered in some bits, this album, I came across some songs I hadn't heard before; and these two were it, along with another song I had to leave off the list, "Hats off to (Roy Harper)"
I really dig Friends because it's represents exactly the type of departure song-wise that Page and Plant were going for. It has an Indian sound and influence to it, as well as a whole bohemian/folk one, which is nice, and fits the acoustic sound and feel the band wanted. Love it.

Out on the tiles is one of the standard rock classics that the band's known for, and was probably included on the album to ease the fans into what wasn't the normal rocking, bombastic record they were expecting this time around. Again, vintage Led Zeppelin here, and it really, really does rock. Every once and awhile you'll hear this being played on classic rock stations, but not as much as usual suspects, which is a shame. A damn shame that songs like Friends and Hats off aren't played regularly either.

Speaking of Hats Off, I wanted to briefly mention it here a bit. The title refers to a fellow musician  rock and blues player, Roy Harper. He put out a few albums in the 60's and 70's, but never really received the amount of fame and recognition that his peers did. Still, he was considered a consummate and dependable musician, who would often help other bands out in the studio when recording their albums. The most famous example of this I can provide would be his lead vocals on Pink Floyd's "Have a cigar". Yep, that was him singing the famous lyrics, "Oh by the way, which one's pink?"

Here's Hats Off, you know, because I can;)

Gotta' love that psychedelic blues feel to the song eh?

One of my favorite lines, is "Gonna' give my woman a $20 bill, and if that don't get her, my shot, shot, shotgun will."

A lyric so true to the stylings of the old classic blues songs.

4). "Gallows Pole"

Ahh, I love that beautifully played intro. Another example of a rocking acoustic song, Gallows Pole is a riff off the old, old English folks songs from back in the medieval times. Not the restaurant, the time period people;)
This is the type of song you can play in the background while watching old Robin Hood or King Arthur movies. And if you're drink or stoned enough, fuck it! Watch Robin Hood: Men in tights as well, or if you're feeling particularly morbid enough and want a good manly(or womanly) cry, watch Braveheart to this. You'll feel like you're knee-deep in the land of Surfs, Dukes, and Medieval swordplay. Or it could just be the drugs;)

3). "That's the way"

Love, love, love this song, even though it tends to make me a bit emotional and teary-eyed every time I hear it. I'm not sure if it was meant to be a bittersweet-sounding song, or if it's just the way it was recorded, but just, damn.

You can interpret this song anyway you choose, which is a one of the great things about these songs in general, but to me, it's about moving on from whatever type of relationship you were previously in, and learning to accept it. In that sense then, this song really hits home for me, especially this year in my own private life. Again, interpret it anyway you like, and it doesn't diminish the power of this song any less.

Also, it was featured near the end of the movie "Almost Famous", and boy did Cameron Crowe nail the hell the out of that selection. If you've ever seen that movie, and who hasn't? Then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

2). "Immigrant Song"

It was hard to pick the top 3, but not impossible. I like what songs I chose as my #3, and likewise, I'm pretty confident in my last two picks as well.

Who doesn't love this song? Really? Who doesn't? It's another classic, vintage Led Zeppelin that you can't not hear and go, "Oh that's Led Zeppelin alright!"
After all, there's no mistaking that opening screaming vocal by Robert Plant, that makes it sound like a Viking invasion really is happening right there and then. It's kind of like Hagar the Horrible, with all the raping, pillaging  and plundering, except for the the cartoon-ish humor.
Seriously, how could not listen to this song and want but in a horned helmet, grab an axe, and join in? Will besides the the little problem of it not being the middle ages that is. So I guess you can just root for the Minnesota Vikings then. Or not:)

1). "Since I've been loving you"

If you had asked me my picks for #1 and #2 a month or even a few weeks ago, I'd have probably said Immigrant Song, hands down. But then I'd recently heard a live version of Since I've been losing you, and I knew what song was really tops to me. And it's not like I haven't heard a live version of this before either; listen to the kick-ass BBC Sessions album w/Led Zeppelin, and you'll get a taste of what I'm talking about. But again, I heard this live version played in the video above, and it was, wait for it: LEG-END-DARY!

Here's the link from mp3skull.com:
Led Zeppelin - Since I've Been Loving You (live)<br><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.4shared.com/flash/player.swf?ver=9051" style="" id="ply" name="ply" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="false" wmode="opaque" flashvars="file=http://www.artdecade.us/Inactive/ledzep_sibly.mp3&amp;volume=50&amp;" height="20" width="200"><br>Powered by <a href="http://mp3skull.com/">mp3skull.com</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://mp3skull.com/embedcl.php"></script>

It blew my mind, and I've played that poor bastard non-stop ever since.
So yeah, that's pretty much why it's numero uno to me.

If you happen to like this album, or know a good bit of the songs on it, feel more than free to give me your top 5 picks, or even just the ones you like. Remember, no answer is a bad one......unless I say so:)

My favorite albums: Physical Graffiti

From the semi-modern, back to the classic.

Today I figured I'd feature an album from my #2 favorite classic rock band of all time, Led Zeppelin.

As far as their long catalogue of hits and albums go, there's so damn many to pick from, as I basically love, LOVE their first four albums, and most of their stuff.

So in the interest of keeping on point, and keeping this post down to a minimum, I'll be briefly discussing their multi-platinum hit double album, Physical Graffiti.

1975 was a very good year for Led Zeppelin. Coming out in 1975, this album, along with their famous live album, The Song Remains The Same and the movie that came from that, helped solidify the band's reputation as Rock Gods. One could even argue that the band creatively hit their respective peak by '75, with subsequent albums being good, but not as good as the two albums released in this time frame.
Which doesn't mean they weren't good; in fact in total, all nine of their studio albums all reached the top ten on the billboard charts, with six of those grabbing the #1 spot in the US. Not bad huh?

No wonder they're considered to be as influential for rock during the 70's as the Beatles were during the 60's. And that people, is why their in my top 2 of all time:)

So, with all the albums to chose from, why Physical Graffiti? Well don't worry, I'll eventually cover the others as well, but this album was staring me in the face the other day while thinking about what other albums to talk about, so there.

With 15 songs logged onto to this album, there's certainly no shortage of good music. Hell, you're bound to find at least one or two you'll really like, as if you wouldn't like them all:)

From "Custard Pie" to "Sick Again", this album's a virtual smorgasbord of rocking tunes all designed to make you get up and shake your ass.

One thing you'll immediately get, is how heavily the blues influenced the making of this album. Sure in general, the band was majorly influenced by the Blues and blues artists. Hell, the first two albums contain a few classic blues cover songs. But this album stands on its own with the types of songs you'd swear came from the blues masters of old themselves, like Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, or Willie Dixon.

I like "Custard Pie", since it has a nice beat to it. And yeah you can say that about all the songs listed, because they all really do.

"In my time of dying" is super, super blues-ified! I fucking love it! Here, have a listen:

From the beginning riffs, to the heavy Bonham drums, this song kicks ass like only Led Zeppelin knows how to:)
And of course the Robert Plant vocals seal the deal, especially when it starts going "Oh my Jesus, oh my Jesus, oh my jeeeesus." Oh that's some good shit!

"Houses of the Holy" is another classic, sharing its name with their 1937 album with the same title. If you have quick minute, check out the cool, but creepy cover to that one. No wonder they got a lot of shit for that cover.

"Kashmir" is another classic, and a constant staple in rotation on most classic rock stations. This is one of those songs I discovered in my youth, and loved instantly. Drugs jokes aside, and yes this song is perfect for tripping or smoking, this song will mentally transport you away to some distant land. Well you have to use your imaginations silly, but it works.

In the bible, it talks of there being the rapture, and the dead in Christ rising up. Well, if God has a sense of humor about it all, how cool would it be if both Kashmir and Immigration Song played while it happened?
Now that would be a lazer-light show of a lifetime!

Kashmir:

I'll never forgive Jimmy Page for letting P. Diddy remake that song for that horrible remake of Godzilla!:(

That takes me to "Trampled under foot." Back in 1999, I was going through a break up, and I had recently bought a new LZ greatest hits album, Led Zeppelin: The Early Years. Well for some reason this song seemed to resonate with me during this emotional period. I don't know, but it did. Just another example of music healing the soul I guess.

Which in turn leads to me to one of my ultimate favorite tracks on this album, and that one I just mentioned, "Ten Years Gone."  Again, during that break up, and the one I just went through recently, this song hold major, major significance with me. Just listen to the lyrics and the song, and you can feel the pain and regret Robert Plant sings about. It's so palpable, you can't but not feel it. I used to think when I was younger that is was about the loss of their drummer Jon Bonham, but in reality, it's about the loss of one of Plant's children, Karac Pendragon.

This song still makes me sad and teary-eyed every time I hear it:(

Whatever the true origins of the song, you can attach any personal meaning to it, as is the case with most songs. Hey, they just do that to us. It's why they resonate with us so much; because they touch our very souls and the cores of our very being. If music doesn't do that to you, no matter what the genre, then maybe you should check your pulse and see if you're still alive:)

Here's Ten Years Gone:

And finally, on to the side two.

I really, really like "In the light", as like Kashmir, it instantly mentally transports you to another place. This is made all the more easily done by the opening cords:

All I can say is G***DAMN!

"Boogie with Stu" is a nice rocking country song, and by country, I mean English countryside, not country western. It definitely has a 50's Elvis/Little Richard influence to it.

"Down by the seaside" is another nice slow song, that seems to act like a polite pause/rest from the high-octane action of the album. But by no means think it's not any good; on the contrary, it's merely a pleasant walk to the next song, Ten Years Gone. And we all know how I feel about that one right?

The rest like, "Night Flight", "The Rover", "The Wanton Song", "Bron-Yr-Aur", "Black Country Woman", and "Sick Again" are also good, good selections to listen to. 

I highly suggest giving these, and the whole damn album an honest good listen to. I swear you'll enjoy it:)

Not a bad week huh? You can bet your sweet asses I'll be staying on this series from here on out, but don't worry I'm not abandoning the funny. In fact I have a few skits I'm working on, so we'll see what next week brings.

                                                          Have a good weekend people:)