None of these things have a damn thing to do with the fact that Raising Sand is not a bluegrass record. The charts don't mean shit and just because Alison is considered a "bluegrass" artist also doesn't mean a damn thing. Plant is classified as a "rock" artist and the album has also done well on the triple A charts (Adult Alternative), what does that have to do with the sound of Raising Sand? Not a fucking thing. They're all just meaningless labels. Raising Sand has it's own sound which isn't easily classified and why should it be?

Bullshit. What is "physically demanding" about what Page does? I bet Page couldn't even keep up with Angus Young these days. It's not like he's been touring steadily since Zep broke up, whereas all the artists I mentioned have recorded and toured throughout their respective careers.. Hell, Page would become winded just trying to keep up with Keef these days. Either way, his age is no reason to throw in the towel. Then again it's not like he's been musically active since the demise of Zeppelin. Having seen Plant on tour this past summer I wouldn't say he was doing anything "half-assed", much less the few Zeppelin songs he did.

There's plenty of great music being made these days as well, the 70s don't necessarily have a handle on that.

They never intended to find a soundalike singer or to use the name Led Zeppelin. It's also worth noting that the report doesn't include a single quote from Jimmy Page. Instead, they're from Jimmy Page's manager, there's a huge difference.

I don't hear even a hint of "bluegrass" on Raising Sand. As for the length of time it's been out, it was released on October 23rd, 2007. It didn't even come out in 2008.

I always thought it spoke volumes about Lynyrd Skynyrd's prowess as a live act that Pete Townshend handpicked them to open for the Who on the tour for Quadrophenia.

I don't get the "Zeppelin" is no more thing myself especially since they've made a point of saying they weren't going to perform under that name anyway. I also don't get how people think Page is too old to perform. Take a look around and you'll soon see that hasn't stopped Dylan, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Willie Nelson, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, McCartney and lots of others from recording and touring.

I'm looking forward to it as well. I also think it's very cool that Guy Clark has saluted Townes by included at least one cover on each of his albums. Have you seen this yet? If not, it's a definite must for any fan of Townes.

Thanks for the update, this is the first album I heard from him back in '83:

If you don't have a copy of the expanded version of this be sure to procure yourself a copy. It wasn't until I read the liner notes that I realized the amount of splicing that went on but it still doesn't detract from how great of an album it is.

Again, there is no such thing as a "best" anything. If someone feels like the Jonas Brothers are the best, that's up to them. I don't have to agree with them but they have every right to feel that way. It's just music, not some sort of competition. Who or what I listen to on any given day isn't determined by that artists' ability, it's determined by what mood I'm in. Ability (or one's perception of it) doesn't even enter the picture.

Read the entire Q & A here.

There is no best band, artist, guitarist, drummer, vocalist, etc. Who one considers the "best" is only a matter of opinion. I do have favorites though and at the top of that list for me is the Beatles. I'm sure everyone else's mileage varies and as well it should. It would suck if everyone liked the exact same thing.

Judging from their MySpace site, I'd say yes. There have been some very drastic changes since the merger with Sirius, even with the Deep Tracks channel but it's still one of the main ones I listen to. You can always do the free trial thing online first to be sure it's something you'd be happy with. Other than college radio and a few stations I tune into online, it's my primary listening choice.

Perfect for a late night drive coming home from sitting in with a friend during his radio show tonight.

It doesn't look like the Arc Angels are over. I just saw a partial list of bands scheduled to perform at SXSW in Austin this year and their name was on there. You can read the list here. He was definitely appreciated back in the day but I agree, he's not someone featured prominently on "classic rock" radio so he's kind of been lost to time. Thank goodness XM's Deep Tracks channel plays lots of his stuff (both old and new).

Speaking of the Troggs, R.E.M. also do a damn good cover of their song Love Is All Around that was included on their first Unplugged performance which you can see here. The author of Wild Thing (as well as Angel of the Morning), Chip Taylor is also well worth checking out. His recent duet albums with Carrie Rodriguez are a good place to start. His latest is another in his series of albums full of "cowboy" songs except this one has a bluegrass angle. His Geronimo's Cadillac record was my introduction to him but I'm also a huge fan of his Cosmc Cowboy Souvenir album. He initially got a lot of recognition during the beginnings of the country rock/"outlaw" period along with fellow songwriters Steve Goodman, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willis Alan Ramsay, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, etc. Jimmy Buffett even namechecked him in his song Migration from his A1A album: Lookin' back at my background tryin' to figure out how I ever got here. Some things are still a mystery to me While others are much too clear. I'm just livin' in the sunshine, Stay contented most of the time. Yeah, listenin' to Murphey, Walker and Willis, Sing me their Texas rhymes.

Definitely one of my favorite renditions of Highway 61 Revisited. A few years back when Charlie Sexton was playing with Dylan he ripped it a new one as well. I'm sure Johnny would've been proud.

I know that's the song he's probably best known for but Geronimo's Cadillac was also pretty successful. He's also done a series of Western albums in recent years that have been very well received. Oddly enough, when he started acting he had to start using his middle name (Martin) in order to avoid confusion with another actor also named Michael Murphey.

Click on the link below to watch a stream of a professionally shot full length Truckers show. Why this hasn't been commercially released is anyone's guess. Drive-By Truckers recorded live at Paradiso-Main Hall

I've listed movies in this thread that I've seen at the theatre, on TV and ones I've rented. I'm not sure what the intention of the person that started the thread was but wherever I may have seen them, they're all movies.

I already had my interest piqued on Tinariwen but when a musician friend mentioned them recently that was the straw that broke the camel's back as far as me finally making a purchase. She recommended either the new one or Amassakoul. The record store had both. I chose the new one for no particular reason. I'm sure I'll be picking up their other records soon enough.

Even though I already own it on CD, I had a vinyl copy of Brighter Than Creation's Dark in my hands at the record store this afternoon but considering I already had three CDs picked out I figured I better pass on it for now (not to mention I'm miles away from my turntable [which is in storage anyway] and my vinyl collection). Not sure if you've seen it but you can pick up a huge chunk of the Truckers catalog on vinyl for $100 through MusicDirect. Not a bad deal at all if you ask me.

It'd be hard for me to say as I really don't think in terms of what is "best" when it comes to music. Plus, they're all three very different albums. The Gourds record is a mixture of country, soul, zydeco, rock, folk and bluegrass as most of their albums have been. This one is no huge departure from that but is very solid sounding so far. As far as Tinariwen is concerned, I'm only a few songs into their album and I'm not really sure how to explain their sound in words as it is very unique. All I can say is if you like "world" music (whatever that is) then they're probably up your alley. I'd seen them mentioned here as well as in an interview with Buddy Miller from the last issue of No Depression where he's explaining how he met Robert Plant and came to be a guitarist in the Raising Sand Revue. Besides Emmylou Harris (it was at one of her concerts where they first met) their only other common ground was being into Tinariwen. If you're interested in hearing what they sound like by all means go to their website and give them a listen. If you're even the least bit musically adventurous, I think you'll like what you hear. As for Zooropa, it's been years since I last heard it but to the best of my recollection it's perhaps U2's most experimental album. It was also on sale in the used section for $3.99 so I could hardly pass it up. I know that doesn't answer your question as to what's the "best" of the three but I honestly can't answer that. I like them all.