Quotes of the Month: January 2015

Quote of the Month: "Je suis Charlie"


Stupid Quote of the Month: "We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes. "

-Michael Moore


And the Rest...
"As I write this, it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again."

-Bono

"Congratulations to the president for turning a two year recession into a six year one."

-Kimberly Gilfoyle

"You have to be careful about drinking around me."

-Bill Cosby

"I hear the sound of time roaring past me, and there is no time to lose. "

-Robert Plant

"Pussy Nation."

-Bill Maher on American Progressives

"What we've said all along, and have been called bigots for it, is when there's this many bad apples, there's something wrong with the orchard."


Bill Maher on Islam

 "The Prophet is avenged."

-Charlie Hebdo terrorists

"Well, this is surreal. I am completely knocked out. Thank you to the Academy for this incredible honor. I am very proud and lucky to be a part of Birdman and can't believe it came to this. I am so fucking excited. Are you allowed to say fuck when you're making a statement for the Oscars? I'm just really fucking excited."

-Emma Stone

"Some think that, excuse me if I use that word, that in order to be good Catholics, we have to be like rabbits. No. Responsible parenthood."

-Pope Francis I

"I have no more campaigns to run. ... I know because I won both of them"

-Barack Obama being a dickhead

"I was in The Tea Party before there was a Tea Party."


-John Boehner

"To state the obvious, the past six years have been really, really hard for this country."


-Joe Biden

"Get out of here, you low-life scum."


-John McCain to Code Pink protesters trying to arrest Henry Kissinger

Top 200 Albums of All Time: Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin took blues-rock to another plain of existence. After the Yardbirds’ demise, Jimmy Page formed a new band to fulfill contractual obligations. The “New Yardbirds” performed Yardbirds standards, but also some new material. Following the tour, Page changed the group’s name to Led Zeppelin and the new material turned up on their first album. Interestingly, the album received poor reviews. Perhaps the poor reviews occurred because nothing sounded like it.

Key Tracks:

Good Times Bad Times

Babe I’m Gonna Leave You

Dazed and Confused

Communication Breakdown

Led Zeppelin II: Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin continued the themes on their debut with their second album. Their blues-rock continued to progress. Led Zeppelin II provided the blueprint for heavy metal acts which followed. It also marked Robert Plant’s emergence as a songwriter.

Key Tracks:

Whole Lotta Love

Thank You

Heartbreaker

Ramble On

Moby Dick

What Is and What Should Never Be

Led Zeppelin III: Led Zeppelin (1970)
Led Zeppelin expanded their musical parameters to include acoustic and folk music shocking fans and critics alike. As a result of their changing style, the album was savaged by some critics. However, it represents a band in transition and maturing.

Key Tracks:

Immigrant Song

Since I’ve Been Loving You

Gallows Pole

Led Zeppelin IV: Led Zeppelin (1971)
Led Zeppelin IV is probably the band’s most popular album. The album is not only known for its classic tracks, but also its lack of title. Each member designed a symbol for the cover. Sometimes fans call the album “ZoSo” for its symbol.

Key Tracks:

Black Dog

Rock and Roll

The Battle of Evermore

Stairway to Heaven

Misty Mountain Hop

Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy (1973)
Fans dubbed Led Zeppelin concert venues “Houses of the Holy”, so the band appropriated the term for their fifth album. The work included all original songs for the first time. It also marked a change as Zeppelin began to fiddle more and more with layering and other various production techniques.


Key Tracks:

The Song Remains the Same

Over the Hills and Far Away

Dancing Days

The Ocean

Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti (1975)
This is Led Zeppelin’s greatest album. It included hard rock, funk, blues, acoustic, a ballad, and even eastern influence. The band threw everything into this album. Robert Plant argued that it represented the band at its most creative. Jimmy Page thinks it’s their best work.

Key Tracks:

Houses of the Holy

Kashmir

Ten Years Gone

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Worthy Acts Part III

Megadeth

Pro: Dave Mustaine is a great guitarist, original, songs with meaning, great songs

Con: They are not named Metallica; Metal acts get no respect; their name

Motley Crue

Pro: The most Rock n Roll act since the Stones, lots of hits, popularized the power ballad; The Rock Hall was made in part for acts like this.

Con: Considered a hair band, from the 80s, popularized the power ballad

Motorhead

Pro: Lemmy, Ace of Spades

Con: Not top of mind; Metal acts get no respect

Willie Nelson

Pro: Crossover act, Farm Aid, bad ass

Con: Country act

Ted Nugent

Pro: Top act of 1976, great guitarist, Motor City Madman, popular into the 90s and even today

Con: Conservative, NRA guy

Ozzy Osbourne

Pro: It’s Ozzy; Still influential

Con: The Osbournes TV Show

Robert Palmer

Pro: His influence is less musical and more cultural, Rock writer, Influence through video,

Con: Popular Songs sounded alike

Robert Plant

Pro: Nothing groundbreaking until Allison Krause

Con: His groundbreaking work post-Zep was in bluegrass/country

The Replacements

Pro: Critical darlings, representative of a genre, Alternative music leaders

Con: REM is in, popularity

Neil Sedaka

Pro: Major songwriter in 50s and 60s, solid solo career

Con: Legacy blown away by British Invasion

Ravi Shankar

Pro: Influenced Beatles, helped bring Eastern music to pop/rock

Con: Sitar does not fire people’s juice

#6 Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin was not a metal band. They were a blues based classic rock band. Their interpretation of folk and the blues defined their music. Zeppelin did not limit themselves however. They also included rockabilly, reggae, soul, classical, Indian, Arabic, pop, Latin, and even country into their work. Then, they would take the music into new directions.

Zeppelin’s themes also separated them from the pack. Robert Plant’s interest in history and fantasy found an outlet in songs such as “Stairway to Heaven”, “The Immigrant Song”, and “Ramble On”. He brought a Medieval feel to the work. Guitarist Jimmy Page’s embrace of the occult has been overblown, but it fit into the band’s narrative and music, and complimented Plant's interests. Drummer John Bonham is second only to The Who’s Keith Moon amongst rock’s elite drummers. Bonham experiment and did things on the drums people are still trying to copy. Bassist John Paul Jones held the music together with innovative and time shifting bass lines.

Led Zeppelin experienced unbridled success throughout the seventies. They were the greatest band of the era and many critics place them behind only Stevie Wonder as greatest act of the seventies. During this period, “Stairway to Heaven” was released and is still considered by many to be the greatest rock song of all time. Additionally, they have sold over 200 million albums. Then, it ended. Like Keith Moon, John Bonham died young. Unlike The Who, Zeppelin broke up.

In 1982, Zeppelin released an album of out takes. They reunited with Phil Collins on drums for Live Aid in 1985. The performance was not released on the Live Aid DVD because the band felt their performance was substandard. Page and Plant reunited without Jones in the mid-90s for a pair of albums and tour. This was a point of contention between the three at the Rock n Roll Induction ceremony in 1995. In 2007, the band reunited once more for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert. Afterwards, rumors about a reunion tour went out of control. Plant shot them down and went onto Grammy success with Alyson Krauss.

Rock n Roll Moment: The Fish Story

Essential Zeppelin:

Led Zeppelin (1969)
Zeppelin II (1969)
Zeppelin III (1970)
Zeppelin IV (1971)
Houses of the Holy (1973)
Physical Graffiti (1975)

Led Zeppelin’s Top 10:

Whole Lotta Love
Heartbreaker
Ramble On
Immigrant Song
Black Dog
Rock and Roll
Stairway to Heaven
Kashmir
Houses of the Holy
In the Evening