I'm a fan of Led Zeppelin but I don't idolize anybody, not even Jimmy Page. He's one of my very favorite guitarists which makes me a fan but no, I don't idolize him. I agree that it says a lot but it doesn't speak to one's immaturity, whether it be me or Johnny Cash. I'm a fan of Johnny Cash and this particular photo is very representative of him. Cash was known for blazing his own path and for not taking shit off of anyone. That's what it means to me, it doesn't have anything to do with immaturity.

I'm still absorbing the album so I really don't have an opinion to offer up on it just yet but I will say I'm glad it's not just a continuation of Raising Sand (as much as I loved that album). I can definitely hear elements of some of the stuff that was more evident on The Mighty Rearranger so this is more like a proper Plant solo record than something like Raising Sand. As for buying music without hearing any of it beforehand, I do that all of the time. After all of these years there are still some artists I'm very loyal to who's records I'll buy on the day of release such as Jimmy Buffett, Ryan Adams (even though I don't have his new one), Plant, R.E.M., John Prine, Drive-By Truckers and a handful of others.

I agree. This collection really helped expand my knowledge of rock n' roll in general and "garage rock" specifically.

You're in for a real treat. Most of their albums have received the deluxe treatment so I suggest going for those. I never even knew about the expanded version of Nuthin' Fancy until just a few months ago when I heard a live version of Railroad Song at one of my favorite local eateries. Hell, I didn't even know a live version of that song ever existed.

What about Rhythmeen? I've seen both that one and XXX in the budget bin recently but haven't picked up either because I was afraid they would only be more of the same. There for a while it seemed like Billy Gibbons said each new ZZ Top album would be "a return to the grease pit" but most struck me as their usual post El Loco sound. With Rick Rubin at the helm, I'm hoping he can boil them back down to the bare basics before the drum loops and synths set in. By the way, they're in town this weekend with Tom Petty but the order is wrong. Tom Petty should be opening for them, not the other way around. That's said with all due respect to Mr. Petty, of course. Kinda like when Steve Winwood opened for him here a couple of years ago.

Speak for yourself, he's not my idol.

From Paste By Bonnie Stiernberg ZZ Top Working on New Album with Rick Rubin, Black Keys ZZ Top have teamed up with super-producer Rick Rubin for their 15th studio release. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2003’s Mescalero will be out by the end of the year and will also feature a collaboration with The Black Keys. Guitarist Billy Gibbons told Spinner that the album will have a raw sound. “We’ve enjoyed a friendship with Rick, which now includes an opportunity to focus our collective energy in a studio setting, which is actually more like bringing the live show into the room,” he said. “The art of capturing the maverick rogue called ‘live in the studio’ is what Rick does so well — better than anyone.” Gibbons is also excited to work with the Black Keys, referring to them as “a couple of really fresh blues-based rockers that truly say it.”

If I understand correctly, I believe the point is, if Plant feels he can't do Led Zeppelin songs justice with Led Zeppelin themselves, then why is he doing them on his solo tours? If that is indeed the point, I don't recall Plant saying he couldn't do them justice with Page, Jones and Jason Bonham. My impression is that he would feel chained to the past if Led Zeppelin were to become a touring entity again. Far too many artists have already gone that route, very few of which succeed in still maintaining the sense of urgency and originality associated with them. Foghat tours without "Lonesome" Dave, Skynyrd tours without Lynyrd Skynyrd (save Gary Rossington), Little Feat tours without Lowell George, the list goes on and on. Even though I wasn't in attendance, I'm just grateful they got back together for the Ahmet benefit. If ever the time is right maybe they'll work together again but I'd rather see each member continue down their own path than see a half-assed version of a band calling itself "Led Zeppelin". The concert halls are already full of artists that don't know when to call it quits, we don't need another one to add to the mix.

I really don't see Plant performing Zep songs as part of his set as "hypocrisy".

So, just because Plant doesn't want to take part in a full on Led Zeppelin reunion, he shouldn't include their songs in his setlists? Not to mention, the tour is in support of his new Band of Joy album. Yeah, he will be doing some Zeppelin tunes but the entire tour isn't based upon that (nor was the last tour or any solo tour he's ever embarked on).

Several of these (the War On Drugs, Breathe Owl Breathe and Woods) are recent discoveries from last weekend's first annual Hopscotch music festival in Raleigh. Plans for next year's festival are already in the works. CD Vinyl

Curtis Loew wasn't released as a single post-crash, I'm just saying that over time it got requested at radio a lot as a fan favorite and now receives a good bit of airplay. Not as much as Freebird or Sweet Home Alabama but more than your average deep album track. As far as the growing up in the South thing is concerned, I'm not sure if it's still the case but at one time the most popular radio station in the country was a Country music station based out of New York City. When the Drive-By Truckers first released Southern Rock Opera (their paen to arena rock, what it was like to grow up in the South in the 70s and tragic story arc of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd), lead singer and songwriter Patterson Hood said the album was better received up North than it was in the South. This fits the thematic aspects of that album very well, one of which is how you have to leave where you came from to fully appreciate it. This is also addressed in Mark Kemp's book, Dixie Lullaby, which tackles many of the same issues that are so prevalent on Southern Rock Opera. Strangely enough, author Mark Kemp met Patterson Hood (and heard Southern Rock Opera) by the time he was almost finished with the book but thankfully it wasn't too late to include it in Dixie Lullaby.

On a similar note, I wonder why Robert Plant's most ardent critics continue to bash his current musical direction when it is steeped in many of the very same influences that Led Zeppelin was. That doesn't mean I believe everyone should like it and it is above criticism, I just don't understand the use of phrases like "hillbilly music" which are meant as a slight. Particularly when most of John Paul Jones' work (pre-Them Crooked Vultures) was just as entrenched in bluegrass, folk and other styles largely associated with Americana music. Something has changed. In the 70s, Lynyrd Skynyrd were liberal Democrats who actively campaigned for Jimmy Carter. Today's Lynyrd Skynyrd (which bares little to no resemblance to the original) are the polar opposite politically speaking. Several years ago, during the height of the Toby Keith/Dixie Chicks controversy over the war in Iraq, a book called Rednecks and Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music which attempted to explain the shift in political beliefs. Yes, this had more to do with country music but it can be applied to Skynyrd (and their fanbase) as well. The country music world is filled with conservatives which makes lefties such as Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard (who both penned controversial anti-war songs at the time) stand out like sore thumbs. Back more directly to the subject at hand, I have a friend I haven't seen in years that was one of the most liberal people I knew. These days, this person is a far right wing conservative. At one time, due to their religious beliefs, this person shunned all rock n' roll, save for Christian rock. I don't know what changed but the last time I saw him, he was back into rock n' roll, partook of weed, drank like a fish and cussed like a sailor but still held tight to his political and religious beliefs. All of these things seem to go against the grain of what is normally associated with people with such conservative religious and political beliefs.

What is "garanre rock"? That's a term I've never heard before.

I'm not sure if it was ever released as a single but The Ballad of Curtis Loew definitely got a lot of airplay in these parts. That was post-crash so I'm thinking it was being played more as a deep album cut and probably because it's a very heavily requested fan favorite. I don't think living in the South exposed one to more of their music. They received airplay and toured extensively, neither was confined just to one region. In one interview I heard with Gary Rossington, he said Confederate flags were more prominent in the audience north of the Mason-Dixon line than they were down South.

Am I Losin' would have to be right up there. Others would be Don't Ask Me No Questions, All I Can Do Is Write About It, Was I Right Or Wrong?, Four Walls of Raiford, Made In the Shade and Every Mother's Son. There's plenty of others but I'll stop there.

From Pitchfork: Jack White Invents a New Type of Vinyl Record The new Dead Weather single will be available as a Triple Decker Record™. Jack White's the Dead Weather are putting out a new single for their track "Blue Blood Blues". Ho hum. But wait! It's being released in three different versions: a 7" record (with the B-side "Jawbreaker [live]"), a 12" record (with the B-side "No Hassle Night"/"I Just Want to Make Love to You [live]"), and a totally new form of vinyl recording that Jack's calling "the Triple Decker Record™". It's basically the "Blue Blood Blues" 12" single... with a 7" record of an unreleased Dead Weather song inside of the 12" record! Only 300 will be available starting September 17-- go to the Third Man site for more info. If you, too, are slightly confused by this innovation, please watch Jack White explain his newfangled old school/new school technology in a tutorial video below:

No, I didn't. I made the show they were playing (that included John Howie, Jr. & the Rosewood Bluff, American Aquarium and Lucero) but missed Max Indian. It was their last concert for a while as one of the members (Jeff Crawford) is moving to California. Most of the other members are going on as Nudehues. They played their debut show during Hopscotch as well but I didn't get there in time to see them. On the broader subject of Hopscotch, check it: Public Enemy, Broken Social Scene Lead Hopscotch Fest

New Neil: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid88099121001?bctid=608837617001 Edited to add: Is there any way to embed videos besides those hosted on YouTube such as Vimeo or this one (which comes from Gawker)?

Max Indian "Heaven Help Us"

What's your take on the early stuff like the Chronic Town EP, Murmur, Reckoning and Fables of the Reconstruction? I ask because so many people that came onboard with Losing My Religion are totally unaware of the stuff that came before and believe that Out of Time is their first record.

I found the album in the budget bin years ago. I'm pretty sure I still have it somewhere.

Well said. I figured it's just because Jethro Tull doesn't really fit into the overall theme of his show. I'm not even a big fan of Petty's music (nor do I hate it) but I enjoy his program on XM. Some of the celebrity DJ shows that dominate the XM/Sirius lineup just aren't all that great but you can tell that Petty puts a lot of time and effort into his, making it an even more enjoyable listening experience.

Looks like Alice is doing the exact same setlist he did for his Theatre of Death tour (not that there's anything the matter with that).

I think it's a very rare thing for an artist to be an active participant on their own message board.