Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Been thinking about an exchange I had with someone in another thread. I won't rehash it, but they stated that they though it was lame that some of us "worship" Led Zeppelin here....funny thing to say on a LZ board, but it made me want to make a statement of sorts. It made me want to stand up and say, not explain to anyone, but testify why the boys mean so much to me. Now, this can get stupid and overly sentimental in a hurry, but hear me out. Music these days has lost the aura of magic it once possessed, now that's my humble opinion, it's not up for debate, just humor an old man. I remember before MTV and iPods, back when you would wait impatiently for a new album to come out by your favorite band. You'd catch an ad for the forthcoming disk in Circus or Hit Parader, circle the date on your calendar, it was coming, like a force of nature...you could just "feel" it in the air. The day would arrive and you'd camp out in front of your friendly neighborhood record store to get your greedy little hands on the vinyl. I remember my older sisters boyfriend driving me to pick up "Presense" at Zip's records in Tucson, AZ when I was 11, "would there be enough albums for everyone !" would I be too late ?" This was after all LED ZEPPELIN ! These days, you can download your tunes, see their mugs plastered all over the place, and back when MTV was actually about music, there they were, on your TV screen. That aura of magic and mystery is gone, and for me, no one else personified those two elements like Led Zeppelin. I first heard "Misty Mountain Hop" back on a summer evening in 1975 and was instantly hooked, now I know that I'd head other Zep songs before, but that was my moment in time, my moment to give myself over to the music. I don't know if it was the hypnotic groove or the mention of the "Misty Mountains" that grabbed me ( I was reading the Hobbit for the first time) but I was grabbed. The next day I went out and bought LZIV with the bucks I had earned cleaning yards. Since that fair day back in my youth, Led Zeppelin have been my constant companions. They have seen me through dark days, when I had nowhere else to turn, Before football games the "Immigrant Song" and "Achilles Last Stand" pumped me up and sped me out onto the field. "Stairway" was on the first time I realized I was in love with a girl. Their music has inspired me to study religion, sprituality, history, mythology and folklore. Their music has been my companion through many a painting and project. One of the most poignant memories I have is driving home from the hospital with my wife and new born baby girl, listening to "Over the Hills and Far Away" knowing my life had changed on that day and would never be the same. And, last but not least, my my, have they partied with me ! Drunken debauchery is nothing with out Zeppelin ! What I'm saying is I do worship the boys, for what they have given me, what they have added to my life. All this "Zeppelin Owes US !" crap disgusts me. They have given us all more than enough, they paid with Blood, Sweat and Tears, WE, actually have taken from THEM, think about it. If anyone else wants to share similar thoughts, please do. I'm not ashamed to share this with all of you, If I'm a "lame fanatic" so be it....it sure has been fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxyMKII Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 I don't disagree with you at all, but feel that every generation feels the same way you do. I'm sure that people who were teenagers in the 60's would say that music had lost it's aura by the mid 70's onwards and conversley kids of the 80's would say the same about the 90's onwards. I don't think that any generation is right and the others wrong, I think it is not only about the music, it's about the times places and things you associate with it. As for music becoming more disposable, I think that it is untrue to say that but that the methods in which it is available may make it feel that way for older generations (including myself I may add).... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 Well, I can't say that I wrote that to debate the state of modern music...just my own thoughts and feelings about Zep... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadScreamingGallery Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Thank you for so boldly sharing that. May I add my tale? For many of us, Zep music has been the soundtrack to our lives. The band has inspired and influenced many of us to take the roads we have chosen. Even on a Zep board, there will be those who don’t agree with the roads I’ve chosen but they are my roads and my choices. When I state that I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without Zep, it is no exaggeration. I am going to put the Epilogue to my tale first: Epilogue: The love of my life (who is now my husband) and I have been together since I was twenty years old. During those years we have lived a rich and wonderful life. We have children, careers, and countless great adventures. Our excitement and zest for life, and one another, has never wavered. All that said, through “good times, bad times” my love for Zep and their music has never diminished. I am blessed that the love of my life understands that. I have been a fan since the days of LZI, when I was a ten-year-old. A ten-year-old who was described by one of my teachers as “a little lost soul”. I’ve already shared some of my story on other threads and I don’t think that any of it bears repeating here. When LZ came along, they opened up the world to me. Zep owes me nothing. Of my Zep experiences, I can say that I am grateful and indebted and humbled and privileged. Bless them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 Wonderful Post ! Thank you for sharing that ! Sounds like 10 was the time for both us us to discover LZ . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadScreamingGallery Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Wonderful Post ! Thank you for sharing that ! Sounds like 10 was the time for both us us to discover LZ . Why, thank you. I know that there are more than a few people on this board who discovered Zep when they were 10. Interesting age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 Why, thank you. I know that there are more than a few people on this board who discovered Zep when they were 10. Interesting age. Yeah, for me it sure was.... Thanks again for your great post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 I witnessed the original exchange on this site between Bilbo the Rover, a well established member in good standing, and a single-digit post newbie who apparently had discovered Led Zeppelin this summer. I found it troubling as well, because if people with common interests and values cannot get along in these forums the site is essentially doomed. Membership has more than doubled over the past two weeks, yet there remains but two moderators. Far be it from me to tell anyone how to run a website, but I will say that I believe well-moderated forums are the best. Membership can also exert it's influence on violators of site decorum and basically shove them out if necessary. So long as the worthwhile contributors outnumber the dummies, dorks and trolls I'll stick around and contribute what I can. I believe this threshold is subjective but it is also a lot like obscenity: you know it when you see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorzep Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Nice post Bilbo. In The Evening was the song that comforted me through the worst emotional low of my life. I walk around and hear Zeppelin songs in my head all day every day. I dream (really dream, when I'm asleep) of being at shows in the 70's (though I never attended one). It's like being haunted, but in a very, very good way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 I witnessed the original exchange on this site between Bilbo the Rover, a well established member in good standing, and a single-digit post newbie who apparently had discovered Led Zeppelin this summer. I found it troubling as well, because if people with common interests and values cannot get along in these forums the site is essentially doomed. Membership has more than doubled over the past two weeks, yet there remains but two moderators. Far be it from me to tell anyone how to run a website, but I will say that I believe well-moderated forums are the best. Membership can also exert it's influence on violators of site decorum and basically shove them out if necessary. So long as the worthwhile contributors outnumber the dummies, dorks and trolls I'll stick around and contribute what I can. I believe this threshold is subjective but it is also a lot like obscenity: you know it when you see it. Thanks Brother Steve, Thanks for the support , I've always enjoyed your posts, this place would be empty if you and folks like you were gone and it was left to the Orcs.....God Bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 Nice post Bilbo. In The Evening was the song that comforted me through the worst emotional low of my life. I walk around and hear Zeppelin songs in my head all day every day. I dream (really dream, when I'm asleep) of being at shows in the 70's (though I never attended one). It's like being haunted, but in a very, very good way. Great Post Thor ! I'm glad you found some comfort through a hard time. What a great way to spend your sleeping hours, I've had my share of Zep Dreams myself, posted a few on the old board, maybe I'll dig 'em up...Thanks again ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninelives Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Bilbo Bilbo Bilbo - what can I say other than that was really really lovely and touching. Thank you for sharing that. You said so many things I can completely relate to. I was so little when I discovered the mighty Zep - a mere 5 and I thought Black Dog was the coolest song ever. Then I got the whole album and I played it start to finish on my cheap turntable until I wore it out. I was too young to understand what they were all about but I was moved by their music in a way I've never experienced and I was pretty heavily into rock and folk music very early on. I hope all this sense of entitlement from fans goes away and people can just celebrate the fact they got together for a really wonderful reason and that even if they choose not to carry on, the memories won't go away and their music will continue to live on for generations to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 Bilbo Bilbo Bilbo - what can I say other than that was really really lovely and touching. Thank you for sharing that. You said so many things I can completely relate to. I was so little when I discovered the mighty Zep - a mere 5 and I thought Black Dog was the coolest song ever. Then I got the whole album and I played it start to finish on my cheap turntable until I wore it out. I was too young to understand what they were all about but I was moved by their music in a way I've never experienced and I was pretty heavily into rock and folk music very early on. I hope all this sense of entitlement from fans goes away and people can just celebrate the fact they got together for a really wonderful reason and that even if they choose not to carry on, the memories won't go away and their music will continue to live on for generations to come. My wonderful friend 9, so sweet ! you beat me by 5 years ! Thank you for your post ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninelives Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 My wonderful friend 9, so sweet ! you beat me by 5 years ! Thank you for your post ! It helped having older siblings and a very cool mom showing me the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 It helped having older siblings and a very cool mom showing me the way My daughter wears her Led Zeppelin shirt to school and tells all the second graders how cool Robert Plant is. If she hears them on the radio she comes running to tell me, her favorite song is "The Ocean" followed closely by "Rock and Roll". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Symphonictank Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 I don't disagree on any point in the original post. Today's music does not have the mystique of the 60s, 70s or early 80s. The artists aren't as interesting because the big stars of today are just tabloid featurettes and the rising stars are swimming in a much more diverse field of musicians and music. Anyone with a computer, a couple hundred dollars of software and some instruments can produce their own release these days. The supergroups seem to be a thing of the past (apart from those who still survive, of which, only fractions of the original members are still playing together). It was the supergroups who carried the mystique for their followers, whether is was the Stones, The Who, Beatles, Zep, Floyd, they were all surrounded by a certain amount of intrigue in the pre-cable, pre-tabloid world. Rumours spread by word of mouth and tooks months or sometimes years to spread and even longer to disavow or disprove. Those days are gone... Here's a story that fits with the mood of the original post. At the age of 8, I had 3 8-track tapes at my disposal during the long summers in the woods of northern Michigan (all the rest of the 8 tracks were my parents tapes of Hank Sr, old gospel, etc - which didn't really interest me at the time because it was "old folks music"). The 3 tapes were: Chicago II The Guess Who - Share the Land Led Zeppelin III Each of these works influenced me musically, spriritually and emotionally, but 35 years later, guess which one of these are still in my regular listening list? You guessed it right, Led Zeppelin III (still their most ground-breaking release along with Presence IMNSHO). This album sowed the seeds that made me pick up my first guitar at 11 years old. By the time I was 12, I remember hearing Achilles Last Stand during an all-Zep weekend broadcast on WRIF Detroit, and I ran out the next day looking for the album "Presence" (after counting up penny rolls and whatnot) and instead only found this crazy film soundtrack called "The Song Remains The Same." (which I quickly shelled out $12.99 for - very expensive for the time). Needless to say, I was swept away by the lengthy improvs on the album and soon bought every Zeppelin release, guarding them as some of my most dear musical treasures. Similarly, I remember waiting for Pink Floyd's "The Wall" to be released a couple of years later, and the original post describes how I felt while waiting for it to come out (and then waiting to get the cash I needed to buy it). My thought at the time: "What if something happens and I die before I get the opportunity to hear this" - what a meathead kid I was...LOL... Same thing happened with "in Through the Out Door" and many other releases by other artists. 33 years after picking up my first guitar, and still being an avid player to this day, I have to say that Jimmy Page as a player and Led Zeppelin as a group are my primary musical influences. They are also a big reason why I went back and found some of the blues and jazz roots artists that influenced them and have come to embrace blues as my primary musical form. I owe a debt to these musicians for having brought such wonder and joy into my life for a mere pittance on my part. I'm glad for the new (re)releases this year and even more glad that I'm financially capable of buying all of them without a second thought. I'm happy to put some $$ in Zep's pockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 ^ Thanks Tank ! great post ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephead2 Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 I am a Zephead. Have been for 30 some odd years.. At the time I was a huge Kiss fan. I thought that they were the best. Remember this "You wanted the best, you got the best, the HOTTEST band in the world............... KISSSSSSSSSSS" To me it was all about the show. The music meant nothing. Then I got hit with Whole Lotta Love and was hooked. I bought every album they had (does anybody remember albums ) Posters, t-shirts, magizines. They showed me just how powerful music could be in the right hands. I remember going to see The Song Remains The Same in the movies a hundred times and acting like I was there at MSG. Zeppelin was on another cloud when it came to music. The problem with bands today is, they all are raised on the same music. Zeppelin cam in as 4 guys with different musical tastes that incorparted them all in their music. There is no Zep sound. Listening to music today, bands have the same sound. It's like Linkin Park. It's the same every song. I love GodSmack, but each album (Sorry so used to saying that) has the same sound. I love Bad Co. but the same sound. They were the sound track of my youth and still are today. I remember when my girlfriend and I(soon to be my wife) fell in love. She was becoming a Zephead, but wasn't all the way yet. We were out driving and I told her to lay the seat all the way and close her eyes. I put The Rain Song on and told her to really listen to the music. Feel it. After the song was over, she looked me in the eyes and said "I Love You Too." That is the difference between Zep and the rest. Robert didn't need to sing in The Rain Song. The music told you exactly what is happening. Zep put everything into there music and it came out crystal clear. I had the good fortune to see the Page/Plant UnLedded Tour and it was one of the biggest highlites of my life. I was afraid I was going to be like one of those Beattles chicks in the old concert footage. But I held it together. So I am hoping and praying that they come around again to the Washington DC area so the misses can experience what the Mighty Zep is all about. They might be older, but the passion for music is still there and that's what made them the best there ever was. ( Doesn't hurt when you are a great musicians either) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted December 15, 2007 Author Share Posted December 15, 2007 ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzfan715 Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 I wasn't around in the 70s or the 80s, but I made it in the early ninties. Had it not been for Zep the soundtrack for me would have been Backstreet Boys or N*Stink. I know what you mean though. The release of a new album is nothing now. I'd love to camp out in front of a store waiting to get my hands on vinyl. When TSRTS came to theatres recently, I was so worried I wouldn't get tickets I bugged and bugged my mom to let me use her crdit card to get them, and finally she gave in. I hadn't ever been so excited in my life. Then I got there and I was disappointed. (Stay with me here, it isn't what you think.) There were about 20 people in the audience and two teenage girls who were just a little older then me got up and WALKED OUT! The movie was amazing. So lound I thought my head would explde, now I ccan't wait for a concert. I was for sure that more people would have showed up for such an event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irg82 Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I wish I was born in the fifties/sixties... :'( :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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