Basically anything by ELO. I've heard it said Telephone Line is the best Lennon-McCartney collaboration that never was, and I can't argue - though the award could just as easily go to The Diary of Horace Wimp, or Big Wheels, or Sweet Talkin' Woman, or Shangri-La, or Steppin' Out, or Can't Get It Out of My Head...

Wrote this up the other day, it's posted on Amazon.com as usual... LED ZEPPELIN (1969) - I've Got You in the Sights of My... GUUUUN!! * * * As the 1970s loomed on the horizon, the seeds of hard rock had been well-sown. Acts like Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Jeff Beck were already wowing audiences across the globe with their guitar pyrotechnics and loud, overdriven interpretations of the blues. However, that didn't make the appearance of Led Zeppelin and their eponymous debut in 1969 any less staggering. Assembled from the ashes of the Yardbirds by guitarist Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin was a beast the likes of which had never been seen. Page's electrifying guitar wizardry; John Paul Jones' muscular basslines; John Bonham's positively seismic drumming; and Robert Plant's furious vocal orgasms were all pretty damn impressive on their own merits. But when they coalesced into the mighty Zeppelin, the resultant sound was something akin to being hit full-on by a semi at 150 mph. Never before - and seldom after - had the riffs been so hot, the drums so thunderous, the bass so sinewy and serpentine, the singing so impassioned, the sound so overwhelmingly LOUD. What stuffed shirts scared by the Beatles and Elvis thought, I don't care to imagine. This self-titled first album has little of the complexity and eclecticism of subsequent efforts. But what it lacks in intricacy, it makes up for in sheer force. What would become Zeppelin's signature head-banging, mind-bending, overbearingly intense blues-rock dominates, and man oh man does it DOMINATE. Tackling blues classics (You Shook Me, I Can't Quit You Babe) and original numbers (Good Times, Bad Times, Communication Breakdown) with equally robust aplomb, Led Zeppelin set the standard for a generation of hard-rockers. That's not to say there aren't shades of Led Zeppelin's later work: the anthemic Your Time Is Gonna Come smacks of symphonic grandeur, while Black Mountain Side is pure acoustic folk, and wouldn't sound out of place on the second side of Led Zeppelin III. The most important cut, however, may be Babe I'm Gonna Leave You: a traditional folk standard, and played as such until the bridge arrives, when all of a sudden the Zep explode into electrified overdrive, foreshadowing later epics - a little ditty called Stairway to Heaven, for one. They would go on to make better, more interesting, and more influential albums than their debut. But that doesn't diminish the impact of this original album, the world's introduction to the towering behemoth that was Led Zeppelin. * * *

Got this for Christmas. Zeppelin is God. If you don't believe me - take a listen. WOW.

randompaulfan:

Samwise:

randompaulfan:

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is my favorite Led Zeppelin song. It's got some amazing vocals and that guitar is just amazing.

Yeah, it's up there certainly. Have you noticed the riff is the same as Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4?

I've never heard that song

Oh. Well, there's a 30-second sample [MIDI](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000069KE0001014/0/103-5410890-0667816]here[/url] on Amazon.com (go down to the tracklisting), you can sort of hear it in there, but it's more obvious in this [url=http://www.garyrog.50megs.com/midi/25or6to4.mid) version.

randompaulfan:

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is my favorite Led Zeppelin song. It's got some amazing vocals and that guitar is just amazing.

Yeah, it's up there certainly. Have you noticed the riff is the same as Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4?

Frodes:

Just thought I'd drop in and say that I've been listening to "The Rune Album" a lot lately and that I think it totally kix ass!!! Is that the one that's considered Zeppelin IV? I don't know a lot about the band itself I just know that songs when I hear them. I own albums I, II and the Rune one. But I love it I think it's great and I love Zeppelin!!!

Led Zeppelin IV, that's the one. F*cking amazing record - all four members were at their peak, it's simply epic. Yes, it's overplayed, but Stairway to Heaven remains one of the mightiest songs in rock history. The whole record is brilliant though - IMHO, if it weren't for Abbey Road, LZIV would be the greatest album ever recorded. Of course, LZ and LZII ain't exactly slouches 'nuther, I've really rediscovered Zep's debut recently in particular. If you feel the need to expand your Zeppelin collection (you should), go in this order: Physical Graffiti Houses of the Holy Led Zeppelin III How the West Was Won (LIVE) Presence In Through the Out Door Coda

randompaulfan:

Samwise:

randompaulfan:

Do you have any recordings of you and your band?

Not offhand - we haven't had any real access to recording equipment, or any real need, since we only really do covers so far. I've actually written some original stuff, but we haven't played it much as a band. A couple of our live covers may have been taped though, I'll look into it.

That's cool. What kinda stuff do you cover?

A lot of Zeppelin, 'cos I can sing like Robert, and we're all huge fans. We've done Beatles and Queen and Grateful Dead stuff too though, and some Rolling Stones and that kind of thing. Just about anything from that period we'll do. We're trapped in a perpetual time-warp somewhere between 1969 and 1975.

randompaulfan:

If I could sing like anyone I liked, I think it would be Jim Morrison cause his voice didn't really go that high. At least in songs that I've heard.

Yeah, Jim Morrison didn't tend to shatter windows. But a guy doesn't have to shatter windows to have an amazing voice.

randompaulfan:

Do you have any recordings of you and your band?

Not offhand - we haven't had any real access to recording equipment, or any real need, since we only really do covers so far. I've actually written some original stuff, but we haven't played it much as a band. A couple of our live covers may have been taped though, I'll look into it.

randompaulfan:

I wish I could sing like him. The highest I can sing is like Ringo Starr.

Yeah, it's taken me a long time to get to the point where I can imitate him on demand. He can be bloody murder on your voice if you're not prepared for it - if you need a vocal warm-up, Robert Plant is not the man to look to. But come now! Singing like Ringo isn't that bad. Paul may 've had to kick Ringo in the jewels to hit that last note on With a Little Help from My Friends, but there's nothing wrong with that.

I've been so into Zeppelin lately, you have no idea. Especially Robert Plant. I've always known this, but with my obsession with vocals and vocalists lately I've come to realize it even more keenly - the man is a god. 'Cause I've got you in the sights of my [size=7]GuuuuuuuuuuUUUuUUUuuUUN!!! That line, and many others, sendin' shivers down my spine more than ever lately. BTW, good to see ya back Andy!