Thread Zeppelin

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

You ENJOY Presence? More than most? HOW? What is there to enjoy after the first song? Nothing, that's what. Throwaway album.

 

At least In Through the Out Door has "Fool in the Rain." And fuck it, I sorta like "Carouselambra" at times.

 

Yes, I really do like Presence. I argued for it in the ITTOD thread we had a couple months back and got ridiculed by everyone. I know while I'm listening to it that it's not that "good", at least compared to the rest of their catalogue, yet I absolutely love it and probably listen to it the most out of all the albums. Maybe I'm blinded by my sheer love of "Achilles Last Stand", or perhaps I just enjoy hearing songs that haven't been beaten to death by rock radio.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Oh, man. Far from it. "No Quarter" or "Achilles Last Stand" is their best song. "When The Levee Breaks," too. "D'yer Maker"? Don't be an asshole.

 

I know that it's been irreparably ruined by Puff Daddy for many, but I think I'd still probably side with "Kashmir" as their best song, though "When The Levee Breaks" is a very close second. I love "No Quarter" and "Achilles' Last Stand", but I've got to be in the right mood to really enjoy them.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

"Kashmir" is far from bad, but it's just that riff and nothing else.

[The Man in Blak 0]

That is one hell of a riff, though. And is the rest of the song really that unmemorable? I actually like the chorus just as much as the riff-driven verse, particularly at the end, and even the transitional sections move pretty well. If there's a "dead spot" in the song, it would probably be the "Oh, I've been flying" breakdown, but even that is enough to keep your attention throughout.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

To each his own. I just think the strings and the huge, open sounding production don't disguise what's, for me, a pencil-thin song. Still, in spite of its length, I almost always listen to the whole thing, so yeah.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

I love "No Quarter" and "Achilles' Last Stand", but I've got to be in the right mood to really enjoy them.

You ever listen to "No Quarter" while you're walking through a snowstorm at night? Well, I have!

[Gary Floyd 0]

Prescense has it's moments, though it's really a middling album. ITTOD is good, though far from perfect.

 

"Kashmere" is a great song. Sure, it's the same riff, but the mellotron, drums, and vocals all make it. Also, "Trampled Underfoot" is damn underrated.

[DMann2003 0]

Gotta give some love for the 2nd half of Physical Graffiti, "In the Light", "Ten Years Gone" and "Sick Again", those are some damn good songs.

[Man Who Sold The World 0]

Because of this thread, "Dazed and Confused" is stuck in my head.

 

Thanks.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

I don't get the appeal of "Achilles Last Stand." It doesn't really seem to earn its 10:25 running time.

 

"When The Levee Breaks" is easily their best song. I'm pretty sure that's the only song in the history of music that may actually be capable of physically crushing a human being.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

From that decade alone, I'd say "Children of the Grave" is far more the sonic steamroller.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

"When the Levee Breaks" is definitely one of their best, but would it have been a better opener than a closer? It's certainly a fine finale, but I think it could have been a better opener than "Black Dog," since that's just kinda stuttery and imprecise, and doesn't really open things that well. Just imagine after the third album, being worried that they were just going to mess around with acoustic stuff, but then you put the needle to the vinyl, and BANG.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Yet "Black Dog"—opening with Plant's unaccompanied wail, followed by that heavy blues riff—must've be reassuring for those people who may've been concerned LZ had gone pussy after III. (And hey, the jerky rhythms and odd time signature served as a precursor to the experiments of the following albums, too.) Had "When the Levees Break" opens the album, what could possibly follow? "Black Dog" or "Rock and Roll" would look tame in comparison.

 

The only song that could possibly come next is "Going to California"—a sort of relaxant after the monster that preceeded it. Placing "Black Dog" as the opener offers a lot more flexibility, as almost any other song on the album would've fit in right after.

[Guest Legalise Drugs and Murder]

From that decade alone, I'd say "Children of the Grave" is far more the sonic steamroller.

 

"One More Red Nightmare." The use of negative space on the pauses is excruciating, thick mean guitar tones and nervous elements underneath it. I've read where people consider it catchy because of the claps, but paying attention to that results in one missing the separate rhythm created by the guitar riff. It basically creates confusion to the degree that the uninitiated listener completely misses the boat without really noticing. God that album rules.

[The Man in Blak 0]

I think Byron the Bulb was referring to the production behind the song - the entire track feels like it's recorded underwater, deep enough to where you feel constant pressure from every move. From that standpoint, "When The Levee Breaks" feels a lot heavier than "One More Red Nightmare" to me, despite the aggressive guitar textures in the latter; it's methodical, it's loud, and it feels like it weighs a metric fuckton.

 

That, and "One More Red Nightmare" has handclaps. Fo sheez.

 

I haven't heard "Children of the Grave", though, so I can't vouch for it.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

Yeah, "One More Red Nightmare" and "Children of the Grave" are both pretty imposing songs, but I think "Levee" is pretty tough to top in terms of sheer seismic impact.

[Guest Legalise Drugs and Murder]

I think Byron the Bulb was referring to the production behind the song - the entire track feels like it's recorded underwater, deep enough to where you feel constant pressure from every move. From that standpoint, "When The Levee Breaks" feels a lot heavier than "One More Red Nightmare" to me, despite the aggressive guitar textures in the latter; it's methodical, it's loud, and it feels like it weighs a metric fuckton.

 

That, and "One More Red Nightmare" has handclaps. Fo sheez.

 

I haven't heard "Children of the Grave", though, so I can't vouch for it.

 

Do WHAT?

 

You've never heard Master of Reality??

[The Man in Blak 0]

Yeah, not to derail the Zeppelin discussion, but my exposure to Sabbath is somewhat limited.

 

*ducks flying tomato*

[Henry Spencer 0]

Czech should take up smoking.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

Highly allergic.

[Henry Spencer 0]

You ENJOY Presence? More than most? HOW? What is there to enjoy after the first song? Nothing, that's what. Throwaway album.

 

I would be lying if I said I was entirely comfortable with the number of capital letters in these sentences. Certainly a high level of stress is betrayed that smoking might help relieve. Just a thought.

[Elbarto997 0]

The debut? Oh yeah, that kicks a lot of ass. "Good Times, Bad Times" isn't the strongest opener they ever wrote, but it's still passable. The sudden dynamic changes in "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" will always be fantastic to me. The church organ intro on "Your Time Is Gonna Come" is really awesome and foreboding, "Black Mountain Side" is a cool little folksy modal thing, and "Dazed and Confused" is a classic, though that's one that's kinda been ruined by other people for me.

 

The Debut Album, in reality, kicked more than just a lot of ass. The Debut Album was Led Zeppelin as we knew it; Jimmy Page the influential axeman/genius, the manic Robert Plant, the super (but unoriginal---let's be honest) badass John Bonham, and the well-rounded John Paul Jones all in top-form. Back then, Page was totally new in addition to being a killer guitarist, and Plant could hit all the high notes. "Good Times Bad Times" was the perfect opener. Sure it wasn't satanic or nothin, but it was short and rather modest, and it told us that this was the birth of a new band. The Blues covers really make the album. "You Shook Me" comes off as boring during the first few minutes, but after that, the song is the most distortion-laced Blues mind-fuck that you've ever heard...Far superior to that "Lemon Song'. And even that song, along with the other Blues numbers that they did would be cribbed right off of "You Shook Me".

 

As for every other discussion in this topic; Black Sabbath is indeed more limited than Zeppelin (Not saying that Sabbath is bad in that effect, but Zeppelin has a much more diverse catalog than Sabbath), "When The Levee Breaks" is a wonderful side-ending to IV (Where STH ends Side 1 with the album thrown upside-down with half of the story left, "Levee" has the whole thing coming down into a bloody ending), Led Zeppelin III is folk/experimentation run amuck (but not all of it is bad by any means), and D'Yer Mak'er is far away from being Led Zeppelin's best song.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

I don't get the appeal of "Achilles Last Stand." It doesn't really seem to earn its 10:25 running time.

Martial 5/4 sections. (EDIT: I used "martial" in the sense of "marching" and "warlike," but six minutes later I remembered that "Mars, the Bringer of War" by Holst is in 5/4. Well hey.)

 

I'm bumping this thread because I remember suggesting that "When The Levee Breaks" makes a better opener than closer. Here's an order that I think works better, manages to alternate electric and acoustic fairly well for a while, and better represents the "four-corners" ideal to ordering:

 

1) When The Levee Breaks: as I said, the best way to kick off the album after a mostly folk outing.

2) Going to California: as Inc said, a palate-cleanser of sorts.

3) Black Dog: resumption of the electric stuff, this way it alternates back and forth

4) The Battle of Evermore: it's a good way to end Side One on a note of ambiguity

5) Rock and Roll: it works best as a second opener

6) Misty Mountain Hop: whatever. it's just Misty Mountain Hop. Has to go somewhere.

7) Four Sticks: sort of a throwaway interlude so we have one last chance to pursue mindless hard rock

8) Stairway to Heaven: of course, it's now evident that you can't really follow Stairway. Frank Zappa recognized this.

[ZGangsta 0]

I don't get the appeal of "Achilles Last Stand." It doesn't really seem to earn its 10:25 running time.

Martial 5/4 sections. (EDIT: I used "martial" in the sense of "marching" and "warlike," but six minutes later I remembered that "Mars, the Bringer of War" by Holst is in 5/4. Well hey.)

Well played sir.

 

 

When I saw this thread reappear I thought the bump was due to Zeppelin finally putting their stuff up for digital distribution. Almost didn't think Page would let it happen. But hey, who doesn't love insane amounts of money?

 

As for IV I agree that When the Levee Breaks is a good album opener, but the ending of that song just begs to cap off a record in my opinion.

Also, I've probably said it before around here, but I always found it weird listening to IV on CD and having Stairway go right into the opening of Misty Mountain Hop. Just doesn't sound right.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I don't get the appeal of "Achilles Last Stand." It doesn't really seem to earn its 10:25 running time.

Martial 5/4 sections. (EDIT: I used "martial" in the sense of "marching" and "warlike," but six minutes later I remembered that "Mars, the Bringer of War" by Holst is in 5/4. Well hey.)

 

I'm bumping this thread because I remember suggesting that "When The Levee Breaks" makes a better opener than closer. Here's an order that I think works better, manages to alternate electric and acoustic fairly well for a while, and better represents the "four-corners" ideal to ordering:

 

1) When The Levee Breaks: as I said, the best way to kick off the album after a mostly folk outing.

2) Going to California: as Inc said, a palate-cleanser of sorts.

3) Black Dog: resumption of the electric stuff, this way it alternates back and forth

4) The Battle of Evermore: it's a good way to end Side One on a note of ambiguity

5) Rock and Roll: it works best as a second opener

6) Misty Mountain Hop: whatever. it's just Misty Mountain Hop. Has to go somewhere.

7) Four Sticks: sort of a throwaway interlude so we have one last chance to pursue mindless hard rock

8) Stairway to Heaven: of course, it's now evident that you can't really follow Stairway. Frank Zappa recognized this.

 

That's a decent arrangement. While I understand the power that "When the Levee Breaks" could have kicking off an album, I still feel it is a perfect closer for the album. IV just wouldn't be the same ending any other way.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Sorry, but I'm not hearing the argument for the end of Levee being the best possible ending to the album. I don't feel that it can't be followed.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

"When the Levee Breaks" is a better closer than "Stairway to Heaven." The idea that the latter can't be followed is more looking at the legendary status ascribed to the song than the song itself. LZ obviously didn't realize just what "Stairway" would become when they were sequencing the album.

 

That said, you can follow "Levee," but only only only with "Going to California." I like the sequencing as is, though Czech's is an interesting alternative.