Loading ...
Old fogies and teenage victims of classic rock epiphanies have reason to celebrate, as Led Zeppelin’s catalog will be on iTunes November 13 in the form of one, downloadable catalog. Priced at $99, Led Zep’s package includes every album the band released, 165 songs in total.
Led Zeppelin is, by all accounts, an essential band. You already know that and therefore have owned their entire discography - or at least their Greatest Hits album - since childhood. So why buy what you already own? Haven’t even the most casual listeners of rock memorized every lyric, every riff?
If you don’t own any album by Led Zeppelin by all means go purchase Led Zeppelin I and IV immediately, then round out your collection with II and III. Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti are somewhat patchy by comparison but still worth picking up.
There’s far too much music to be heard for fans of classic rock - especially fans of Led Zeppelin. While music tastes are completely objective, I’ve offered up my four recommendations if you’re a fan of heavy rock with a blues influence…all available for download on iTunes.
Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum (1968)
The heavy power-trio of the late 60s (sorry Cream fans). Blue Cheer was formed when three doped-up teenagers fried their collective brains after witnessing Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival in ‘67. These shaggy longhairs stacked up as many amps as they could muster to record the crudest, loudest exclamation of rock possible. Their cover of “Summertime Blues” hints towards their fuzzed-out moves while the leads in “Doctor Please” sound like a phantom horse from hell. F***ing essential.
Bottom-heavy, brooding rock from Texas. Their first album Dead Man is the perennial favorite; but it’s not on iTunes as of today. Still, this self-titled album of boozed-up swagger is an underground classic, with a vibe that brings to mind early ZZ Top - greasy, grimy rawk to make illegitimate kids to.
Pärson Sound - Pärson Sound (2001)
This polarizing album will leave most listeners stunned. Pärson Sound was a collective of severely-damaged individuals back in 1967/68 from Stockholm, Sweden whose idea of heavy rock was long passages of droning, jazzy, acid-laced minimalism. Nothing even sounds remotely close to this monster of a record. I may be going out on a limb recommending this to Led Zeppelin listeners, but it’s praise is well overdue. “Tio Minuter” is pure catharsis. Not for the faint-hearted.
Uriah Heep - Demons and Wizards (1972)
Proto-metal from London that will feel right at home with Led Zep fans. Role-playing enthusiasts will foam at the mouth when the needle drops on this stunner, filled to the gills with blunt-nosed riffage, howling vocals and visions of Swords & Sorcery. It could be labeled over-the-top by some - but if you love anything resembling Zeppelin you’re all about over-the-top, aren’t you?
One Comment
It’s Led Zeppelin, so of coarse I’m compelled to say ‘yes, I must own it. From what I understand, included in the itunes offer is the entire ‘How The West Was Won’ cd that was released in 2003. It’s a 3-disc feast of prime live Led Zeppelin, phenomenal performances with many of the studio gems substantially different and intensely exciting when delivered in concert. I’ve seen virtually all the great bands, and Led Zep are clearly in a class by themselves. Not even the magnificent Who, at their absolute peak, could compete with a fully focused and firing on all cylinders Led Zeppelin. Nobody could. If you want some stunning evidence of how great Zeppelin could be, find a way to get a good copy of ‘Going To California’, an audience recording of a full Zep concert from the L.A. Forum in 1971. They were on fire, just astonishingly good, and far beyond any ‘official’ releases of live Zep. Same goes for ‘Listen To This Eddie’ from 1977. Even most Zep fans that know they were extraordinary, are not familiar with their finest performances, which were damn near shamanistic experiences. Long live the brilliant music of rock’s greatest band, the mighty Led Zep.
Post a Comment