BartCop's most recent rants - astrocat-121227.htm

Let's fight about Led Zeppelin

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Subject: Let's fight about Zep

Actually, anyone (like me ... 6 years younger than you, but musically we appear to
have moved in entirely different circles, possibly because in my case backwood southwest
Arkansas has always been at least a decade behind the times) who cut his teeth on punk
would pretty much have rather been anyone *but* a member Led Zeppelin, all of whom
were seen as walking (OK ... staggering) examples of everything that was horrible, bloated,
self-indulgent & drug-dazed about rock'n'roll circa 1976.

Some 36 years later, I'd say that's still the case.
Dan in Montgomery

I'm not sure exactly what you're saying.

Are you saying if you could pick out the 5 prettiest girls at every concert to have brought
backstage to enjoy (pre-AIDS) during or after the show - you would pass that up?

Are you saying if you had a private jet and could fly it anywhere, you wouldn't?

Are you saying if you could afford pounds of cocaine and endless containers of cases
of Dom Perignon 1961 and the best Acapulco Gold, you wouldn't use any?

Plus, it was a different time.
Some of the excesses of forty years ago are seen in a different light in 2013.
maybe that's why Robert Plant claims "It was all a blur."

But I'm guessing, once again, Zeppelin is guilty of having made it to the top.
If REO Speedwagon had a reputation for excesses on the road, would anyone notice?

Subject: Let's fight about Zep

Bart,

I’m certainly not going to knock Zeppelin. 3 great musicians & 1 great front man
who ended up being greater than the sum of their parts. What’s not to love?

But music is such a subjective thing. For example, I can say I’m partial to David Gilmour
without in any way denying Jimmy Page’s greatness. Or that for all of the soul and energy
Robert Plant put into his singing, he doesn’t have the versatility of Paul McCartney (just listen
to him singing “Til There Was You”, he could have made it as a leading man on Broadway or
the West End) or of Freddie Mercury, who could sing in absolutely any style (sometimes in
the same song!) and be brilliant in all of them.
Dave in Deer Park, NY

I agree with paragraph one.
I also agree that Gilmour is on rock's Mount Rushmore.

But Zeppelin were the kings of versatility, especially compared to their peers.
Take the songs on their last planned album, In Through the Outdoor.
1. Hard-crunching dinosaur rock.
2. Latin salsa
3. Never heard a song like "Fool In The Rain" my whole life, before or since.
4. Best country song ever written.
5. Hard rock with new synthesizer experimentation section
6. A slow, sweet love song
7. Gut-wrenching blues that BB King would kill to own

Now, compare that to one-style Hendrix, who played everything the same.
Not to disparage Hendrix, but if the subject is versatility...
(BTW,. do you think Gilmour is versatile?)

Granted, Plant/Zeppelin have no business on Broadway or the West End.
They ruled hard rock until they broke up and some people hate them for that.

Subject: Led Zep

Hey Bart, meet your first Charlie Watts fan.

Is he the best drummer in the world? No.

Does he have exciting stage presence? No.

Does he play a lot of wild and fancy stuff? No.

Has he played on hit records for over 30 years? Yes.

Why? He's an old school time keeper and he CONTROLS the band.
If Charlie is off, the whole band sucks. If Keith is semi comotose Chas keeps it together.
Ringo and Charlie are peas from the same pod. Moonie was OK until he turned into
"KEITH MOON THE LOON". Some folks think that's great, I never could catch the
groove after a while. Bonham was a bit flashier and more technical, but he still kept the groove.

I'm a drum performer and teacher and I think it's sad that there are no Charlies or Ringos
inspiring the beginning drummers. When I was a kid I played along with all the 60's drummers
and, even as a beginner, I could understand and approximate their drumming.

Now the technical level of pop music drumming is way beyond most beginners comprehension.
What to do? AC/DC, Stones and Beatles to start them off.
Then we can move on to more complex stuff.

Hope I didn't bore ya...
Pat O'C

Pat, thanks for that.

Subject: Bart the mind-reader

I always hoped I could play the guitar like Jeff Beck
but I had to settle with only playing as well as Jimmy Page!

ha ha

You know Jeff Beck is more talented than Jimmy Page
or anyone else for that matter!
Bret from Elmira :)

I think Page would agree, but is that what rock n roll is about?

Has Jeff Beck ever filled American stadiums with fans?
Can the average music fan name three Jeff Beck songs?
Have you ever heard a Jeff Beck song played in a nightclub?

Rude Rich used to rave about the greatness of Jeff Buckley,
but if nobody ever heard of him, does he count?

I'd guess that there are 100 guitar teachers who play better than Jeff Beck
but they have families and day jobs and no exposure - do they count?

One of the best guitar players I've ever heard, Fuzz Foster,
put a new engine in my 1974 Pontiac, does he count?

Years ago I amended my "Page is best" to "Page is the most exciting"
because when it comes to rock, isn't that the only thing that matters?

That Last Zeppelin concert in 2007 drew 20 million requests for tickets.
That's a lot of excitement.

On his best day, could Jeff Beck draw 5 percent of that?

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