Those drums in Bargain are what you play when someone claims Keith Moon is over rated. Love that album. Our band does an acoustic Baba O' Riley that never fails to get huge applause. We usually close with it. Amazing album start to finish.

You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun


Almost hard to believe there was a time when nobody had heard of this album. Back when it was released no-one I hung with knew who or what Pink Floyd was. When the song Money started getting played on the radio a lot and ears perked up, but in all honesty, we actually thought that the band was a black funk group based on that track.

Listening to the full album for the first few times was a pretty mind blowing experience. Especially since pot had made the scene in a big way in our group. DSOTM was the first "concept" album for me. The lyrics were deep and really struck a chord - especially since my life was crap at the time. Here was a group of songs that spoke of despair, loss, dreams, war, insanity, regret, anger, greed, and ultimately, hope. Really heavy stuff for this 13 year old kid.

About 6 years ago (35 years after it was released) I gave a copy of this to my son and asked him to spend some serious time with it. He was absolutely blown away and ranks it as one of his faves to this day. Gotta love that.

They say some records will never be broken. DSOTM spending 741 consecutive weeks (over 14 years!) on the Billboard charts is one of them.

Do I really have to post samples? Actually I won't since the album is really meant to be listened to as a whole anyway.

Hey, laughing in the playground
Gets no kicks from little boys
Would rather make it with a letching gray, yeah
Or maybe her attention is drawn by Aqualung
Who watches through the railings as they play


What a strange, and somewhat disturbing album. Here's a guy (Ian Anderson) talking up God while absolutely slamming organized religion. Pretty commonplace today but not so much so 43 years ago. Up to this point Tull had been somewhat of a cult band and hadn't quite honed their melding of hard rock with old English acoustic stylings. This album changed all that becoming a big success on both sides of the Atlantic on the strength of its FM hits Cross-eyed Mary, Locomotive Breath, Hymn 43, and the title track. From this point on Jethro Tull was a full blown arena rock act.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.


Years back I spent a few months on another forum profiling every song that Led Zeppelin ever recorded. Here's what I wrote about each of the tracks on LZ IV.

Black Dog: How the hell did these guys come up with stuff like this? John Paul Jone's riff fleshed out to an unbelievable degree. The entire group at the top of their game. One of my fave Page solos rides the outro. Plant's voice has never been better. And hard to argue against Bonham and Jones being the greatest rock rhythm section if you pay close attention to what they did with the track. What a brilliant song on so many levels. Another one that, plain and simple, defines Led Zeppelin.

Rock and Roll: Started as a spontaneous jam in the studio when Bonham played the drum riff from Little Richard's "Keep a Knocking". If you are a rock guitarist and you've never in your life given this tune a whirl.... shame on you.

The Battle of Evermore: This one doesn't need any yapping from me. (That's Sandy Denny from Fairport Convention trading vocals with Plant)

Stairway to Heaven: It's really unfortunate that FM radio has ruined this song for so many. It really is an amazing accomplishment for the band and works so well on lots of levels. The pastoral feel of the first few verses that have some of Plant's most unaffected vocals he ever did along with the first real example of Page's guitar army with the lovely mix of acoustic and electric. And then Bonham enters and the tempo begins to increase with anticipation of the epic fanfare right before the guitar solo. When was the last time you really listened to that part to hear how Page placed everything in the stereo field of the mix? Brilliant stuff.

And that guitar solo. Perfection. Love how Page adds the vibrato at the end of the bends and how it builds in intensity with the call and response at the end. Then the outro with Plant really pushing hard. And it all ends with a solo vocal line that's recorded beautifully.

Frank Zappa would often poke fun at Zep. But he revered Stairway enough to perform an amazing version of it live with his band. You can find it on YouTube. Gives me goosebumps.

I'm gonna wager that about half of the replies in this thread are going to be negative, but I'd ask that you do me a favor - sit down and give the tune a listen with fresh ears. Block out all of your own preconceptions and just listen to it on it's own merits. You may not dig it, but it's hard to argue that it's not one of the most musically successful songs that any band has ever written and recorded.

Misty Mountain Hop: This song was inspired by a big hippie love-in in London that was busted up by the cops. A bit more of the Tolkien stuff with some of the lyrics.

This is pure Zeppelin. The cool riff, the guitar, keyboards, and bass driving it home, Bonham pounding away underneath, Plant wailing on top, some nice voice and guitar harmonies, and a very unique solo that could only come from the brain of Page.

Was a live staple that went over really well (didn't they all?). Looking at the song on paper it really shouldn't groove, but as usual, Bonham, JPJ, and Jimmy make it groove like hell.

Four Sticks: This may be the first real example of "world music" by a rock band. Up to this point you had rock musicians using exotic instruments but usually in standard rock/pop compositions. The sitars used in Norwegian Wood and Paint it Black being examples.

In this track the verses are basically a form of raga with Robert Plant soloing over them rather than singing a melody. And he uses lots of quavers and semitones just like Indian musicians would do.

The bridge section that starts at 1:06 is another great example of Page's guitar orchestrations. The mix of acoustic and electric is just so cool. JPJ used his VCS3 synth to create the drone that underlines the section that starts at 3:08 and also the sweeping orchestration that accompanies Page's guitar.

And again, Bonham is just plain brilliant on this - using two sticks in each hand to create a very unique sound.

Here's another one where you say: "What kind of music is this?"

Going to California: A direct result of Page and Plant's love of Joni Mitchell, this tune is Zep at it's mellow side best. Want to experience nirvana? Drive through Laurel Canyon, just outside of LA, in the late afternoon on a sunny day with this song blaring from the radio.

When the Levee Breaks: First recorded by Memphis Minnie and Joe McCoy in 1929 and based on the great Mississippi floods of 1927, Levee has been reworked by numerous artists throughout the years. Zep did the right thing and credited Minnie on the original LP cause they used a lot of her lyrics.

The music? This is maybe the best example of Zep using an age old traditional arrangement and taking it into the future as only they could. This is ultra heavy, cosmic blues to the 10th degree. It's been said that Bonham's intro riff is the most sampled piece of percussion ever. Eminem, Dr. Dre, The Beastie Boys, Bjork, and Coldplay are just a few who've used it. Page talks about how much of a happy accident the drum sound was in It Might Get Loud.

Check this one out with headphones. Jimmy does some great stuff with panning as the song progresses, re-arrangeing the instruments in the stereo field and adding effects with each passing verse. Killer stuff.

First off, I'm no big fan of Zep, but I don't get this hate for "Stairway". I mean, it's a pretty perfect song, and a classic. So what if it was overplayed on the radio and covered by so many bands or performers? That's not their fault and it doesn't detract from the song itself. I love that song, and if I had to pick three favourites from that album they'd be that, "Going to California" and "When the levee breaks". As close to perfection as you're gonna get.

Addendum I: (and more to follow)

As of the year 2000 it's estimated that Stairway to Heaven has been played on the radio 3 million times. Back to back that would equate to well over 45 years of playtime.

In 2012 Zeppelin was celebrated in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center Honors. This may be a bit too old school for some here but the performance of Stairway that night was incredible. The Asian guy with his eyes closed completely grooving to the song midway through is the universally heralded classical cellist, Yo Yo Ma. Rock and roll baby!

I actually got to see and hear Frank and his band play Stairway to Heaven live during what would turn out to be his last ever US tour back in 1987. On my birthday, no less! Great version and a great show!

Addendum II:

Led Zeppelin IV is the second best selling album in the United States at 23 million units. Only Michael Jackson's Thriller has sold more.

Last addendum:

"Same three guys, right here. Same three chords right here. And we've been doing this for 35 years."


That "Little Ole Band From Texas" - can I get an Amen? After a pretty steady diet of admittedly pretentious British artists, stumbling across this one was a bit of needed fresh air.

Screw the 80s MTV synthesizer version of ZZ Top. THIS is what the band was truly all about.

It's kind of spooky how 80% of all albums you've mentioned so far have been reviewed in my journal and those that haven't it's because they are 'non heavy' as such, but if I were doing a journal about prog rock they'd be included. In fact the only band mentioned so far that I was never really into is Pink Floyd, even though for some reason I have most of their albums:laughing:

As for ZZ Top I pretty much love everything about that album and it was at this time I think, they were meant to be putting on some of their best ever live shows.

I was getting heavily into guitar playing at that time. Trying to tackle Yes, Zeppelin, Genesis, etc. was daunting to say the least.

This is the album that gave me hope. I could jam to this mofo and sound pretty competent.

Along with Rock Candy by Montrose I also played Waitin' for the Bus at my first ever gig.

I actually checked out Montrose on your journal, and yeah, they're pretty awesome.

Yes, US, I know you covered them too, but you covered so much **** it's daunting to tackle it all.

I covered Montrose's first and third albums.

Love all the choices so far, could mirror my own early years very easily. The fact that my band plays songs from all these albums and people still love it (and not just the Grey haired pony tail guys) says there is a reason these are still relevant.

I reign with my left hand, I rule with my right
I'm lord of all darkness, I'm queen of the night
I've got the power - now do the march of the black queen
My life is in your hands, I'll fo and I'll fie
I'll be a bad boy - I'll be your bad boy
I'll do the march of the black queen


Another one that I can't remember how I came across it but it took all of the first 1:12 long first track "Procession" to know that this was something extremely special. And then second track "Father to Son" and THAT VOICE! Another of those amazingly unique and original bands to come out of that era of 1969-1975.

And the songs weren't too shabby either.

I met a devil woman
She took my heart away
She said, I've had it comin' to me
But I wanted it that way
I think that any love is good lovin'
So I took what I could get
She looked at me with big brown eyes....


Meat and Potatoes Rock and Roll from the great white north. Randy's brother had a stutter which was the inspiration for the band's biggest hit. Talk about happy accidents.

My eyes convinced, eclipsed with the younger moon attained with love
It changed as almost strained amidst clear manna from above
I crucified my hate and held the word within my hand
There's you, the time, the logic, or the reasons we don't understand


Rather that post the cover shot I'm posting what you saw once you opened the jacket.

As you can tell by the albums listed so far I was into a pretty steady diet of crunchy straight ahead rock (Crimson being the sole exception). I use to hang around way back then with this really cool hippy type chick who would dress like prime era Stevie Nicks and was always talking about astrology and other weird stuff (to me anyway). Every guy I know wanted this girl so bad since she was also gorgeous. She liked me because I played rock guitar. ;)

Anyway, she knew the kind of stuff I was into and one day told me about this album and told me it was going to change my life. She gave me strict instructions on how to listen to it which she made me promise to follow before she would lend me the album.

The night of my first listen I dropped a tab of acid and then arranged my speakers so that I had one facing my pillow from the left and right sides of my bed. It was very late and the house was dead quiet - and my mom worked third shift so I didn't have to worry about waking her. I lit the red light in my room and waited until I was peaking before dropping the needle onto side one and then lying down on my bed.

I started hearing birds chirping and waterfall slowly fading in......

I got a black magic woman
Got me so blind I can't see
That she's a black magic woman
She's tryin' to make a devil out of me.



It's impossible to explain how exotic and "new" this all sounded to a 10 year old kid in 1970. For the past few decades we take the melding of different cultural music genres as the norm.

45 years ago was a whole different story.

I was in exactly the same boat as you, although I was not 10 but about 16 when I saw the album. To be honest, I'd vaguely heard about Santana but think I bought the album for the artwork and because at the time I was reading a comic called "Abraxas and the Earthman" in Epic magazine, and thought this was something to do with that. Mind you, the artwork is a little similar (see below). Imagine my horror when all these latin/salsa beats came at me and the only song I knew was, you guessed it, BMW (hey! Never realised that before!) --- I think I pretty much hated it, and don't recall going back to it at all, though I did re-review "Caravanserai" a while back and while I could appreciate it better, I still didn't like it too much as I recall.
http://i.imgur.com/XnujM.jpg

Mothers Daughter was always my favorite from that one.