Black Prairie "Song Remains The Same"

So I've been writing lots of Newport Folk Festival preview blog posts for the mvyradio bloggers page, trying to learn a little about, and write a little about every single band.

Admittedly, there are tons of bands on the bill that I am simply unfamiliar with, so writing requires a little research and listening, before banging out a few sentences and posting a few videos.

When I don't really know the band, or if the band is new/unfamiliar to the general audience, it's tempting to want to post live videos of the bands doing cover tunes, because it does create a clean, clear shorthand for what the band sounds like.

But it's also pretty lazy.  So I studiously avoid it, when possible.

That being said, when I came across this video of Black Prairie doing "The Song Remains The Same," I had to check it out.

I can't tell you if it's truly good or not.  But here's what I can tell you . . .

That opening riff, even though it is done acoustically---featuring an accordion, no less---and would not be mistaken for Page/Plant/Bonham/Jones, gave me goosebumps.

I was a huge Zeppelin fan as a kid, and hearing that riff today instantly brought forth every youthful emotion that I attached to my "Song Remains The Same" listening.

It's not one emotion per se.  More of a mix of all the things that went along with the angst and exuberance of being a teenager.

That a song can unlock this within me, still kinda surprises me, even after 1300 F-N blog posts on the subject of how a song can make you remember and feel something.

Anyway, be on the look-out next week, for some stories/posts about Newport Folk artists on this blog, and more previews on the Bloggers page.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Led Zeppelin "All Of My Love"

I've had this song in my head this week, as we wind down our time on 92.7fm and go internet-only.

"Is this to end or just begin?"

I think I'll play some Zeppelin today.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Led Zeppelin "Celebration Day"

Welcome to a new feature called "I Looked At The Internet Today So You Don't Have To."

For those of you with your head not buried in a music hole, you may have missed or have only vaguely heard about some viral video or questionable rumor or unearthed performance.  So I'll occasionally post these, much like I put up the "Weekend Posts" which don't rise to the level of evoking a memory, but are worth sharing/reminding you of. ***

While rumors of a Led Zeppelin reunion seemed too good to be true, that's exactly what we found out we're getting---a video of the most recent Led Zeppelin reunion, which happened back in 2007.

It's coming to theaters, then DVD and such.  Just in time for the holidays . . .


See the trailer on Youtube.

***Also, let's face it, after 1,000 posts, I'm running out of memories to write about, so I'll pad things a little between personal anecdotes.

Led Zeppelin "Fool In The Rain"

Ugh, it was painful.  He was heartbroken.

We've all had those friends, right?  Who go through a breakup and are just f-n miserable?  You've been there?

You do your best to strike a balance between letting them have their grief, and keeping them from falling into an abyss of self-pity.

Most importantly, you make sure you are gentle, sensitive and accepting.  You make sure you are not an ass.

He was my roommate and he'd been blind-sided.

For over a year, they'd been inseparable.  Happy.  Then she suddenly just turned it off.

She broke up with him.  Didn't want to talk to him.  Didn't want to hear from him.  Lost all semblance of affection for him.  Or even for their relationship's previous existence.  It was like it never happened, to her.

To him, it was painfully, painfully real.  And this being his first big breakup, he took it hard.

He went into my record collection and pulled out "In Through The Out Door."

It was a strange choice for him.  We had this running back and forth thing.  I was a Zeppelin guy.  He was a Who guy.  You would think he'd take refuge in his favorite band, instead of mine.

He played "Fool In The Rain."

He played it again.

Then again.

I must point out to the kids reading today, that my version of "In Through The Out Door" was actually on cassette.  So after listening to the six minute song, he had to hit rewind on the boom box, and let the tape spool back for 90 seconds or so before banging the Play button and sending the music into forward motion again, usually catching the last little bit of the previous song "Southbound Suarez," before "Fool In The Rain" started again.

And again.

And again.

The next day, I walked into the room, and he was at the boom box.  Again.  "Fool In The Rain" again.

Over and over.  "Fool In The Rain."

This went on.  It went on to the point where it crossed that bridge from me letting him have his grief, to pulling him out of the abyss of self-pity.

And, truth be told, I really couldn't figure out why he was playing that Zeppelin track.

It wasn't "their song."  He didn't love Zeppelin.  She certainly didn't love Zeppelin.

Why that song, I finally asked?

"Because I'm 'just a fool waiting on the wrong blond.'"

Huh?

Oh wait.  I get it.  She's blond.  He's a fool waiting on the wrong blond.

Except . . .

That's not the lyric.  The final line of the song is "just a fool waiting on the wrong block."

"I should just let it go," I thought to myself for about a nanosecond.

Unfortunately, two things got the better of me.

One, was that I truly believed that if could release him from the idea that the song was about a fool waiting on the wrong blond, he'd somehow free himself from the repeated misery of playing a song that depressed him, over and over.

Two, I sometimes (especially then, but still even today) can't help myself from being an ass.

I told him that I was pretty sure the lyric was "on the wrong block."

But he was pretty sure it was "on the wrong blond."

We rewound the tape, to just the last verse, thinking that would help.  Because if we knew the previous line, we would know if Zeppelin was trying to rhyme "block" or "blond."

That line is "When I'm breathless I run 'til I drop."

"Drop"?!?  That doesn't rhyme with either word!!!

Well, we had a little (very little) laugh about that and the mood lightened for just a moment as we agreed that the line was whatever either of us wanted it to be.

And thankfully kids, song lyrics were not available on the internet (we didn't even know what the internet was) at the time this story took place.

Because otherwise, I would have had to search around online and further be an ass, and prove that I was right.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Led Zeppelin "Stairway To Heaven"

It's starts very, very slowly, quiet and small, taking quite a bit of time to get going.

Everything about it seems to have deep, deep meaning, though you have no idea what that could possibly be.

Ugh, the middle goes on and on forever, and you really does feel like it could never end.

Then, all of the sudden it speeds up toward the end, which is both exciting and totally throws you off-balance, to the point where your not sure at all what the hell is happening, what you are feeling or what you are supposed to do.

And then it ends, as quietly as it arrived, leaving you to figure out what the hell to do next.

(Maybe you are the same) I went through a long period where I just didn't want to associate with it, but now, looking back, I have fond nostalgia for it.

Am I talking about High School or "Stairway To Heaven"?

My 25th high school reunion is on Friday.  I don't know who the DJ is (not me!), but they should probably play "Stairway," as it was our prom song.

How did we think that was a good idea?  Is there a worse song to dance to?  Sure it starts slowly enough, but what the hell do you do when Plant gets to the "As we wind on down the road" part?  Do you continue to slow dance with your partner, pretending that the tune has not turned into a rock song so you can hold onto those precious last moments where you are pressing your body against a member of the opposite sex?  Or do you give it up and do your "Rock Out!" dance?  ("Freaks And Geeks" explored the same issue with "Sail Away")

I haven't listened to "Stairway To Heaven" in years, but I felt like I should for this post.  And I think I'm finally past the hump of the song being a totally burned-out cliche.  I actually enjoyed it again.  Yeah, some of the lyrics are very hippie-dippy, but it's a helluva song.  I can even put up with the flute.

I kind of feel the same way about high school.  I had no desire to revisit the awkward teenage years for my 5th, 10th or 20th reunion---I steered far clear.

But my view of the long, long, seemed-like-they-would-never-end years (that still somehow managed to end abruptly, dumping me fully into another chapter of life), has softened considerably.

So I'll be in Newburyport on Friday, and hopefully I'll enjoy the trip back to a certain, somewhat cliched place and time, as much as I enjoyed revisiting "Stairway."

But if the DJ plays it, I'll be sure to sit that dance out.


Hear the song on Youtube.


See the "Freaks And Geeks" scene on Youtube.

Pat Benatar "Heartbreaker"

How about this trio?

Pat Benatar does Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker."

Mick Jagger does Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker."

Robert Plant does The Rolling Stones' "Heartbreaker."

Hear the originals and see if you can imagine the switcheroo.

(Thanks for the idea, Craig Sherman!)


Hear Pat Benetar on Youtube.


Hear Led Zeppelin on Youtube.


Hear The Rolling Stones on Youtube.


For other Incredible Imaginary Freaky Friday Cover Tune Switcheroos see all the posts from this week.

Led Zeppelin "Over The Hills And Far Away"

If you were to ever hear stories about the biggest Rock song of the 90s, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," invariably, the name of The Pixies is invoked.

Kurt Cobain said it himself:

"I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it."

The Pixies cool trick of quiet chorus, loud verse became a popular motif for Nirvana, in songs like "Come As You Are" and "Heart Shaped Box." And the connection reinvigorated an interest in The Pixies, who'd long since broken up.

But I always wondered, What about Led Zeppelin?

The quiet/loud dynamic wasn't exclusive to The Pixies (though it was deployed quite expertly by them). There had been other bands who used it.

What about Led Zeppelin?

Kurt Cobain? A suburban West Coast teen growing up in the 80s? He HAD to be a Zeppelin fan.

Maybe at that time it wasn't cool to admit you liked classic rockers Led Zeppelin if you were in the 90s Punk Rock/Seattle scene.

But when I hear "Over The Hills And Far Away" I think, Kurt Cobain had to have had this song in him, at least in his subconscious, when he wrote his songs, right?



I got my answer, in part, with the Nirvana Boxed Set "With The Lights Out" which contains these Zeppelin covers.

Led Zeppelin “Misty Mountain Hop”

Hitting Random on the iTunes list . . .

You may or may not be able to imagine that your friendly neighborhood, mild-mannered afternoon DJ, was a major Led Zeppelin fan back in the day.

Maybe it’s not unusual. Probably every teenage boy, since 1967, goes through a Zeppelin phase. But I was definitely obsessive.

I bought every record and every bootleg I could find (on cassette!). I read the books, watched the movie, used time in art class to re-create album covers, in pencil sketches.

In putting together our Yearbook (Newburyport High School, 1987), we were all given the option to put a quote under our picture. The smart kids picked poems, the clever kids used Monty Python, and the cool kids used song lyrics.

Yeah, I wasn’t a cool kid, but we all want to belong.

Twenty-plus years later, I have to laugh at myself. Here at mvyradio, I put up the Lyric Of The Day, at the top of the station’s webpage. In nearly a decade of doing this job, I’ve come across hundreds of brilliant, thoughtful, insightful song lyrics.

But in 1987, I was insistent on using a Led Zeppelin quote. Two decades later, I just can’t figure out what my reasoning was.

“So I’m packin’ my bags for a Misty Mountain.”

That would have been great, if my life’s goal was to climb Everest, or attend the University of Denver or something. But I went to UMass and moved on to Florida (widely renowned for it’s towering peaks, you know).

I look at that yearbook photo, and do what we all probably do when looking at our yearbook photo. I shake my head, laugh, and say “What the hell was that kid thinking?”



See the song performed live in 1979.

Buy "Led Zeppelin IV".

Led Zeppelin “Dazed And Confused”

All Time Top Five Movies That Cribbed Their Name From A Good Song, And Managed To Be Pretty Good Themselves . . .

Thing that never get old to me . . . Led Zeppelin I and “Dazed And Confused.” I’m not saying I watch/listen every single day. But every couple of months when it comes around on cable/iTunes, I can find something new about it to enjoy. Textures, layers, nooks and crannies. Even after all these years, it still makes an impact.

Hear a sample of Led Zeppelin “Dazed And Confused”


See the a rare live Zeppelin clip, and a movie scene that sums up High School awkwardness.

Buy Led Zeppelin I, the movie on DVD and the movie Soundtrack.

The Section Quartet “Paranoid Android”

In an earlier post, I was talking about how I kept a Kevin Bacon song on my hard drive, not because I listened to it or even liked it, but more for the show and tell factor.

So if someone says in conversation, “What would some great modern rock songs sound like if they were rendered by a classical outfit?” I can point them to the Section Quartet.

Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” was perhaps the most unlikely radio/MTV success of the last 20 years. No chorus, no hook, indecipherable lyrics. It just wasn’t made for Pop consumption. But in spite of/because of its breathtaking, adventurous musicianship, it did achieve a level of mass popularity. And more so, it’s become a musician’s musician song.

One of the great, unposted outtakes from the mvyradio Archives is the band Moe taking on this song, acoustically. They did a tremendous job, and I sat slack-jawed in a crowded Louisville On-The-Road hotel room, as I watched them work through the twists and turns of the piece. And when it was over, one of the guys in the band said, “Well that sucked.” So we never got to use it.

On the album “Fuzzbox” The Section Quarter covers Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, and even The Postal Service. But this Radiohead track is the one that really lends itself to the violin-viola-cello instrumentation and the classical precision necessary to pull it off.

Hear The Section Quartet “Paranoid Android”

See the band, in the studio, creating the song, here