30?? It's what Jimmy said long ago in that interview you can see on the DVD: what got pumped through the media in the UK was what got popular - such as The Beatles. The blues based guys were digging up obscure records listening to Armed Forces radio, not listening to the dreaded Main Stream Media... Agreed. Even more outstanding is they didn't release many singles or have very much TV or (positive) magazine exposure in the States, either. They just perfectly filled the available niche, in person, in real time. This is why they are so beloved, I'd bet. And they keep on that way... how did those tens of millions of folks hear about the ticket sign up for O2 show? Not MSM

What an excellent topic! I can't speak to the fan base in Europe or the UK or elsewhere, but, are you saying you guys didn't have album oriented radio stations in the 70s? Those stations fit right in with Zeppelin not being a singles band, because they'd play whole albums sides or whole albums all the way through. I'm sure that had a lot to do with Zeppelin really getting launched in the US, and "allowing" them to experiment with longer pieces. Also, attending concerts with the other freaks was just the thing to do, and boy did Zeppelin play a lot of shows here.

The things it's possible to learn in this thread never cease to astonish me. Thanks, Steve.

Yeah, Under my Thumb probably gets the prize, but this one is a close runner up. Put me down in the don't like it category. Silly, egotistical lyrics and simple music. Right there on the short list of Zeppeliln songs I could cheerfully never hear again...

That's so cool. Yeah, music, travel, art, history, books, AND sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. A huge world, and brought about on their own terms.

Do not be afraid... Excellent point. Maybe that is part of what made them so interesting and exciting, too, especially to the more intelligent and aware. Think of what a boring, "ticky tacky," sameness we were all subjected to. Rock 'n Roll was a way out, and seriously, people with "hidden" knowledge were irresistable. Put the two together, it's a good thing. I'd have died of sheer boredom and frustration without that sort of outlet. Me, too, middlezep. I find that if I get bored with Zeppelin, I can switch it up. Live vs. Studio. Earlier vs. Later. Or I just take a break, but somehow I always come back. No one else holds a candle to them.

That one I noticed back in the day... especially that the true light is so far above it, and not easy to get to. Wow... yeah. I'd love a T-shirt of that! Then I could study it, too.

Thanks for that... for some reason, I didn't want to say "Star of David" although at first that's what I first thought of. It's been a long time since I had my hands on that actual cover. Looks like an item to add to the list. It's been a long time since I pored over an album cover looking for hidden meanings, too, come to think of it.

it commissioned. As for the picture, I don't think it need be a mystery. Perhaps Jimmy just liked it. Afterall, look at the third album. He hated that artwork. "one of England's most prominent occult figures" As one of the most prominent, why does anybody not know his name? Pesonally I just see a desire for a mystery and not a lot of substance. Furthermore, have you seen any of Jimmy's artwork? It's abstract. Nothing like the Colby art. Not that I don't think him capable, I just have doubts. And since we've decided the Hermit has horns, is he also standing on a dove? Discuss.

Lovely post. I see no reason to invoke hellhounds in that song, either, it's totally out of context. Maybe not as far out of context as telling Jesus to lick his pussy, but...

Not to mention, I've always thought that at the time, Zeppelin probably made more money than Cadillac off the deal. Or just made more money than Cadillac, period. So it could hardly be "selling out."

I don't think the lyrics mean the kind of tea you drink... "tea" was a slang term for pot, back in the day.

No sweat. Horses do like to have a job, but, they'd rather not work too hard, left to themselves. Like any self-respecting animal, they'll save the energy for when it's really needed. I love you avatar! Can I ask where you got it?

Thank you for your kind words. I'm not a member of PETA, and I think they take animal rights to an extreme. But I also think if they hadn't thrown blood or red paint on people wearing fur, it'd still be ok to wear fur, and so on. Sometimes radical action is called for. I know the old vacqueros wouldn't dream of starting a horse in serious work until they were at least four years old, because that's about when horses' bones have finished growing, and they are physically AND mentally mature. That's true of any type of horse, probably extra true of Thouroughbreds who are big, with fine bones. People who use horses daily in work realize there's no point in having one who's useless by age five because of early over work. It seems that nowadays people don't want to pay the price of feeding and training a horse for that long, they want the pay out, and they want it now. Of course a two or three year old is fast and athletic, but that isn't the point, if you care about horses. The great Grand Prix horses or show jumpers are sometimes in their late teens, for heaven's sake, think of the investment in those horses, time, money, and emotional. Well, first you'd have to scare the hell out of them to get them to start running, otherwise they'd be likely to go find some grass and start munching. That kind of group gallop is generally reserved for escaping marauding lions.

My sympathies too Lakey, also to you Del. My 23 year old Arab mare is profoundly lame now, messed up the annular ligament in her left rear hock. She's been ridiculously healthy and sound her entire life, in fact the exam for this was the first time she'd had a large dose of sedative and she was a cheap drunk, practically fell on top of the vet. She's been my best friend for a long time, gave me a beautiful filly 8 years ago, and she's off to surgery in a few weeks. Even if it turns out well, as the vet says it will, it's a whisper of things to come, and is very upsetting. They're such spiritual and giving creatures, I can't even stand to think about it. About this race and racing in general... good heavens, Eight Belles gave it her all, probably only second because of her injuries, which were probably worsening with each stride, and she was only out run by the best horse in years. I know horses love to work, love to run, and I don't have anything against racing per se. But it's a sin and a crime to run them so young, and to have a field that huge, with one filly in a huge group of colts. Doesn't anyone in that business have a lick of sense? That was a nasty display of human greed. I was in Louisville on business a few years ago and had some time on my hands, so I went to Churchill Downs, where a quiet little meet was going on. Very few people about. Never been so close to the track before and was watching the horses up close, a field of two year olds. Absolute babies, terrified and pushed way beyond their limits. It was eye opening and quite nauseating. There's enough money in this game that there should be a law against racing horses younger than four years old, far as I'm concerned. Make fun of PETA if you must, but these fantastic animals don't deserve to be exploited literally to death as Eight Belles was.

Really, what an idiotic statement from Stewart. I'd be curious what he thinks now, though.

Friday 8:13 AM in sunny California.

I don't know whether to count the repeats or not, LOL!! After some thought, well, yes, we count them. I think he does. So thank you, you've done my work for me and I appreciate it. Well, four members, Four Sticks, four runes, LZ IV has four songs to a side, "we've done four already..." etc. (By god we'll put meaning on it whether it's there or not. )

Which begs the question, what is the "hailla high hopes ball?" Possible partial explanation here: "... in a page on Old Norse it says that the word 'holy' is related to the word 'health', and moreover to the Old Norse word 'heilla', which means 'to invoke spirits'." http://inamidst.com/notes/hailla LOL, all my life I've tried to fit "for the girl I wrote this for" in there even though it's a poor lyric. I was desperatetly trying to relate it to having a date with someone, which at least means something in English.

I appreciate that. To have the sigil around and begin to not pay attention to it so that it's meaning is there even when you're not conciously aware is another use, such as: Thanks for the links, too. And now people will go forth and ignore this entire thread...

This is so awesome, thank you. And thanks to Evster, too. Great stuff. Hmmm... interesting, a japa malas, used in meditation for centuries (and the inspiration for the rosary) has 108 beads. To quote a lovely recent book, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: "Amid the more esoteric circles of the Easter philosphers, the number 108 is held to be most auspicious, a perfect three-digit multiple of three, its components adding up to nine, which is three threes. And three, of course, is the number representing supreme balance, as anyone who has ever studied the Holy Trinity or a simple barstool can plainly see." (I've tried several times to count the beats when Page does his bow ritual because it's asymmetric syncopation that I'm sure is done on purpose, but I always loose count because I love it and get lost in it, which may be its intent...)

This always makes me laugh, since one of the points of sigil is to conciously forget its meaning, and let the symbol work on the unconcious.