Tuesday, June 3, 2014

themusicaddict's Greatest CDs of All-time: Led Zeppelin 1 (Completed June 4th, 2014)

Hello,

I'm writing this blog In honor of Led Zeppelin releasing the mastered versions of their first 3 CDs, "1", "II" and "III". All 3 CDs will come with extra tracks, but the CD I'm most excited about is "1", that's because it includes a 1969 Paris concert, when the band was just starting out and at it's hungriest. A thought that can make even the grinchiest Zep fan's heart fill up with joy. There's still no word on when the remastered "Led Zeppelin IV" will be released, only that it will be released.

"Led Zeppelin 1" was originally released January 12th, 1969, it's the debut CD of the greatest band that has ever walked the earth. The lineup featured studio wizard/ amazing guitarist Jimmy Page, the solid backbone of John Bonham's drums, the all around virtuosity of John Paul Jones and and of course the killer vocals of Robert Plant. All of which combined to be the "Hammer of the Gods" which is Stephen Davis' excellent book about the band. (I still haven't got around to reading Mick Wall's "When Giants Walked The Earth" or Davis' "(LZ '75) The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin's 1975 American Tour". I  own both and will read them eventually.)

"Led Zeppelin 1" was produced by Jimmy Page and engineered by Glyn Johns. Page said that the record was recorded live, although there are some overdubs.

From wikipedia.org:

"Led Zeppelin's front cover, which was chosen by Page, features a black-and-white image of the burning Hindenburg airship. The image refers to the origin of the band's name itself:[10] when Page, Beck and The Who's Keith Moon and John Entwistlewere discussing the idea of forming a group, Moon joked, "It would probably go over like a lead balloon", and Entwistle allegedly replied, "...a lead zeppelin!"[citation needed]" (I had heard the first part of that previous statement many times, but I'd never heard of the John Entwistle part of it. Not only did Led Zeppelin not crash like a "lead zeppelin", but they went on to be the greatest band ever.)

Rolling Stone magazine, which I love but rarely agree with, ranks "Led Zeppelin 1" the 29th album in their 2012 Top 500 CDs of all-time. I agree mostly with that, but them having 3 Beatles CD in their Top 5 that drives me a tad crazy. Give me Led Zeppelin any day! Here's a quick run down of themusicaddict's Top 1 CD of all-time, the monster known as "Led Zeppelin IV".

(Thanks to wikipedia for much of the above information.)

1) "Good Times Bad Times":



Dave Matthews Band attempting "Good Times Bad Times" (the sound is terrible):



2) "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You":



"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Live in Denmark 1969, featuring very polite applause.)



Here's Robert Plant and his band in 2013 singing "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You":



3) "You Shook Me":



4) "Dazed and Confused":



When Led Zeppelin wanted to jam, many times they chose to do so on "Dazed and Confused". This is from the concert movie "The Song Remains The Same":



Here's the almost 10 minutes version of "Dazed and Confused" (This is explicit): (I don't want to say I'm old, but music really was a lot better back in the day.)



5) "Your Time Is Gonna Come":



6) "Black Mountain Side":



"White Summer/ Black Mountain Side" (Live):



7) "Communication Breakdown":



"Communication Breakdown" (Live):



8) "I Can't Quit You Baby":



"I Can't Quit You Baby" (Live):



9) "How Many More Times":



This seems to be what's on the live bonus disc, Live from Paris, 1969:



The songs on the above live CD are:

1) "Good Times Bad Times/ Communication Breakdown" (3:52):
2) "I Can't Quit You Baby" (6:41):
3) "Heartbreaker" (3:49):
4) "Dazed and Confused" (15:01)
5) "White Summer/ Black Mountain Side" (9:19)
6) "You Shook Me" (11:55):
7) "Moby Dick" (9:21)
8) "How Many More Times" (11:14)

Here's a bonus concert, this is the Mighty Zep at Royal Albert Hall in 1970:



themusicaddict

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