An ode to a boy band - I

This is no ordinary listing but then the subject ain't ordinary either. Welcome to the world of music of Jones, Bonham, Plant and Page – the inimitable quartet that changed the meaning of the word rock music and were the true fathers of crossover music, much before the Beatles and other Johnny-come-lately types. Anyone who has seen the live performance video of the Stairway will testify that no one could match them for the sheer energy of their performance in the drug filled haze that was everywhere- on stage and off it too.
In this limited space I have tried to come up with what zeppelin means to me as a band, as a breathing and living entity in itself years after its demise, as a tool of emancipation for all who care to lend an ear or two and a piece of their soul. Given below is an alphabetical listing of a few songs of zeppelin (I am still discovering the music you see…) that I have to come to love and will continue all through my life.

Achilles’ last stand

This is one helluva energetic song what with the drum beats that break into a frenzy.
This song also helps one go on an ego trip with ‘the mighty arms of the Atlas hold the heavens from the air’ line. Awesome solo piece towards the end… all in all a great number.

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

Led zepp prove that they are equally adept with the folksy kind of songs. The foot starts tapping and soon breaks into a stomp!! One of the best crossover songs to ever come out of mainstream rock music!!

Black Mountain Side:
Whoever says that an acoustic guitar doesn’t suit rock needs to listen to this. Catch Page at his best with the lilting yet arrhythmic rhythm. The tabla in the background makes it difficult to believe that this one too is from Zeppelin’s stable. However variety has always been their trademark… and this one just takes it one notch higher!!

Carouselambra –
Carousel == drunken revelry. Need I say more? One of the very few songs in which jimmy, using his Gibson EDS-1275 is very muted and underplayed. The song is characterized by the heavy synth-work of Jones. The song almost reaches progressive proportions and is characterized by the three sections each being distinctive in tempo and sound.