Blues or Rock, About a Rock Legend or Blues – Hmmmmm – Part I

First of all, if you are truly tuned into the intricacies of music you will want to spend some time on this article. This is my own views and presentation on this particular subject. I hope to get some constructive feedback and compelling argument. I do want to know what you feel on the subject.

Who:

He comes from one of the greatest rock bands of all times with his colleagues Jimmy, John Paul & John; he epitomized heavy metal as we know it today. Together as a band they captured the world as probably the most popular rock band in the world, turning Led Zeppelin into a household name.

Why:

What I want to talk about today is not about Led Zeppelin but about the front man Robert Plant. He is more than just rock. Led Zeppelin may have put him on the map but his talent goes much deeper than that.

I would like to take you through a series of songs that I think define the man as heavy blues. This is not a biography of the man; it is just my own views of his talents. I have been asked in the past this question. Who is your favorite blues artist or singer? I have always replied with this answer. Robert Plant, Well the looks I get of puzzlement and the reply, but he’s a rock star. For some reason this has stuck with me all these years and I feel the need to present my argument. Now that it’s not the 70’s anymore, I find this much easier to explain using video and the power of the internet.

The Argument:

Have you ever really listened to the voice of Robert plant? The passion that he displays when performing just blows me away. Even today he still shows that passion. How many musicians that have displayed such a body of work still can come out on stage and present something new and nail it. I mean capture an audience with a roar of pleasure from a memorable performance.

Let’s start out with a classic from Led Zeppelin II. I have searched high and low for just the right videos for this presentation. This song had its first official release on October 22, 1969. Listen to the power of Whole Lotta Love in probably the best performance ever recorded. The song has been recorded live many times but this is Whole Lotta Love at its best.




Now that we established who the band is and you are just getting warmed up to a little Zeppelin, I guess you are ready to read between the lines and listen to this next performance. The song is Kashmir and I want you to pay close attention to the style in which Robert Plant sings this song. The way he uses the mic and sound effects, is done with such genus. This song to me is a true work of art and a pleasure to present to you.




This next song is as complex as a song can get and only Robert Plant can sell it with such force. I have always found Achilles Last Stand to be the most complex song, especially to perform live as you will see in this next video.

What happens here is something you hear from Page & Plant in interviews over and over again. They exclaim that their music was always on the cutting edge and this is a magic that is a once in a lifetime phenomena that can not be repeated. I think this holds true with the performance of this song. I have searched for other recordings but none as powerful as this piece. If you get the chance, find the original recording from the album Presents. Awesome!




Yes this is rock but what do you consider the blues? Let me try to put into perspective what I would consider the blues.

The Blues:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes. It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression in African-American communities of the United States from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads.[1] The use of blue notes and the prominence of call-and-response patterns in the music and lyrics are indicative of African influence.

The blues influenced later American and Western popular music, as it became the roots of jazz, rhythm and blues, and bluegrass. In the 1960s and 1970s, a hybrid form called blues rock developed from the combining of blues with various rock and roll forms.

You see, the blues does not have to be this slow deep depressive song that makes you want to put your head down and cry. This is the misconception to the blues. The blues come in many forms and styles. I have always considered Robert Plant one of the premier and authentic blues voices of the century.

In this next video you will see a different side to his talent as a singer. This next series of videos were filmed in the 90’s but the songs were created in the 70’s. Note the passion he still possesses. He still enjoys himself when he is out in front of crowds. I am going to show you two songs from the album Led Zeppelin III. I can still remember hearing these tunes for the first time when I was about 10 or 12 years old. All I can say is WOW!!! I am deeply moved.

Let’s start with Gallows Pole. This song is a pure timing song. I believe it was created just to raise the level of the audience. It starts slow and just keeps building to an abrupt end. Great Song!




This next one is one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard. I am to this day taken by this song. That’s The Way is a song that is so deep. You can interpret anyway you choose. It drums up specific memories for me.



And last from this set is my most favorite song by Led Zeppelin. It just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t include Thank You. Even though it is from Led Zeppelin II, it fits with this set. Note the addition on the end; it’s a nice touch I think.



In Closing:

At this point, I don’t want to make this post to long so I will end it here. I will be setting up the second part of the post within the next couple days. I hope this has been an experience for you and I hope you enjoy viewing as much as I enjoy creating it.

Don’t forget to comment with your views of weather or not Robert Plant is a true blues artist or not. I just want to hear what others think, good or bad, so come on and let’s start a debate.

Preview:

Next we will be covering Robert Plant the man and un-zeplified. This will be an in depth view on how his passion for great music has taken him to places that no one ever expected.

Bob Dylan Or Not? After Reading The Story You Decide.

I posted this story in another blog a while back but had problems with the layout. I think re-posting in this blog will do some justice. Anyway, the story starts with this video.

This was filmed somewhere around 1975 but he had the basic song down in 1971. Watch the video, read the story and tell me what you think.



I would like to tell you a little story about this video. Well it's not exactly about this video but about this song. Every time I hear this song, it reminds me of a day back in the spring of 1971.

I was hanging out with Pez in back the tracks and we were wishing we had something to smoke. I just remembered that I lost a pack of smokes on the old toe path on the hill by St, Peters Church. Ah, the kicker; In that pack of smokes was a chunk of hash. I told him I lost it two days ago and looked everywhere and couldn't find it. So off we went on the first adventure of the day.

We came out of the tracks by Brian's house, IE: Pez and came across a friend. PT was just coming from Pez's house and said his grandmother told him he was with me around here somewhere. PT had a nickel bag and wanted to smoke. Great Timing, we were ready. Pez told him where we were headed and off we went.

At the top of the hill on the old toe path there is an old headstone as a marker of the priest who first founded St. Peters and I was near that marker when I lost my smokes, so we started to kick over the dead leaves. About 20 minutes later Pez lets out a yell, FOUND IT. He opens up the pack and sure enough, a nice foil wrapped chunk of hash about the size of a sugar cube. I guess you would call it a dime back in 1971. PT said; Let's go to John's house and play some music and off we went.

Now this guy John was a complete hippie he had hair that went almost to his belt and a beard almost as long. He lived about a quarter mile from me on Mountain Road in a very cool A-Frame cabin that he built himself.

Now this man never worked, he never left his property and always had great smoke and lots of it. My parents would kill me if they knew I was hanging out with the likes of him but I did and it was always an adventure.

We got to his back door through a path through the woods from the back of my house. In we went. John was sitting in a rocking chair on the enclosed back porch and had company. A tray of some Colombian gold sitting on a coffee table in front of him with about 5 dubies rolled..

I walked up to the table and put the chunk of hash on the tray and asked for a pipe. Of course John was all excited and said I have something that will go nicely with that and he got up from his chair and disappeared into the other room.

Now here we are left on the porch with this guy that no one knew who he was. He reaches over and shook my hand and said; Hi, my names Bob and you are? I grabbed one of the dubes and said; Don, this is Pez and PT. We all exchanged niceties and proceeded to party.

John comes back into the room with a 6 pack of bud and a baggy with what looked like dries up mushrooms. John, What the hell is that, I said? He said; peyote buttons. Never heard of them. He proceeded to crush one and sprinkled the powder on top of a chunk of the hash he just put into the pipe and handed the pipe to me.

The very first hit I almost hit the floor. A rush come over me of the likes that I have never felt before. This stuff was great, I thought and we partied for about an hour.

After awhile we were just kicking back and this guy bob picked up his guitar and started playing around with it. He was very good and the sound was great. He sang this song that he said he just wrote a couple of days ago and was just trying it on for size. That was his words about One More Cup Of Coffee.

Now I didn't find out until about two years later that that man sitting there partying with us was none other than Bob Dylan. We were a bunch of care free kids looking for a party, that's all.

I think this video at the top of this post was from about 1975 but he played the song for us in 1971. I swear that this is a true story and I hope that it wasn't the peyote buttons. This really happened.

Our Music And Our Memories (Part 1)

The British Invasion

I don’t know what it is of late but it seems to be that everyone has been reminiscing about music of the past. Many have been thinking about songs and memories that relate to remembering a past relationship, an area where you used to hang out, old friends, first loves and good times. It all seems to be a trend that I have been reading about lately

I have been involved in discussions of late about music and related categories. It’s not like I was specifically looking for this subject, it just seems to be the area of interest lately.

For me, it’s always been about the music. I somehow can feel every note; I tend to feel the emotion that I read in the artists eyes. It’s uncanny how I experience this; it’s almost like being one with the artist and feeling the energy of the audience as if I was the artist myself.

I have always been drawn to the British invasion, you know, like Zeppelin, Beatles, Stones and The Who. I tend to feel like the Brits took American rock and roll and were in such awe that they added their own culture and somehow created this magic that can’t be explained. I love this style of music and just can’t get enough of it.

What I want to do today is give you some examples of some of the songs and performances of artists that capture this magic I am talking about. It’s a thing I can’t explain but maybe by seeing for yourself you get an understanding of what I am experiencing.

I am going to start with The Rolling Stones who I have gone to see a couple of times and was blown away each time that I have gone. This first song that I want you to experience is a close version to the concert that I went to. It’s not the one but the magic is still there.

The song is Love In Vain and it gives a true interpretation of how emotionally connected they are to each other and how watching them you will feel connected also. This song has awesome power. I recommend turning to full screen mode and turning up the volume and let the song take you away.



This next song is probably the best version I have ever heard. The song is Kashmir by Led Zeppelin and the powerful vocals of Robert Plant are just so off the chart that you just can’t put it into words.




I hope you can feel the emotion that I get from these two performances. They are two truly talented bands and should be taught to all the young just so they can see that their parents weren’t always so old and annoying.

The next post I will pick two more samples and we will move on from there. Thanks for reading and comments are always welcome.

Take care!

Did We Do The Right Thing?

I read an article about how we raise our children and society today. This article struck a chord within me and inspired me to write this article. I am not sure if this is off topic, I’m leaning towards on point with a futuristic twist. It’s the only thing I could come up with to make it fit.

First off, here is the article that started this post. I feel that it is only fair to give a link back to the person who inspired me to write this. I thank you Whimsicalpam for your inspiring article.

Bubble Wrap Society

Where is the best place to start?

I guess most of us born in the 50s spent the best part of our teenage years through the early part of the 1970s. We had parents who had some pretty harsh restrictions. When I was in my pre teens in the 1960s, I remember getting into an argument with my older brother and I called him an ass hole. My mother just happened to be right there and I took about 5 smacks in the face and ended up with a very bad bloody nose from it. Because of it, I knew that when my father came home from work, I would end up with welts on my ass and legs from the beating I would get from the belt. By today’s standards, that would fit in the category of abuse, but in the 1960s it was considered discipline.

These stories are common place for many my age. Most that I have talked to about it didn’t consider this abuse. This was a normal punishment when you were a kid. The results from all of this was, You didn’t curse, You didn’t talk back to your parents, You observed manners at the dinner table and you most certainly did not butt in to adult conversations. This was the way it was and you made sure you followed the rules, mostly out of fear.

In August of 1970 I turned 13 years old and things started to change. I started to let my hair grow and spent much of my time with people who believed in peace and love. It was very cool as people were very friendly towards each other. All we did was basically live together in our own little community in the woods and party all the time. I soon became very comfortable with that lifestyle and just put up a front with my real family.

Living that lifestyle and rebelling against the restrictions of my real family lead me to believe that I would never put those types of restrictions on my own children. Many from this time frame believe the same thing. We are all about free will and are hell bent and determined not to raise our own children in the same manner that we were raised.

A Debate To Defend:

Now that the background of my 50s born life is in place I can put to you the question as was put to me and let you determine the outcome. My stepson said he had a theory on why society today is as bad as it is. He seems to blame it on our generation. I understand some points that he makes but I am not sure that I agree with his whole theory.

1. We were born in the 1950s to parents who were strict and set in their ways.

2. We vowed to never treat our own children in the same manner that we were treated. This all comes after having a taste of the teenage rebellious years in the 1970s.

3. Having children of our own who rebelled against us in the 1980s for the restrictions we put upon them.

4. Our own children now in their 20s and 30s have children of their own who are even more rebellious to the restrictions we imposed on our own children and the restrictions they imposed on them.

Now, I can’t speak for our parents but I’m sure that in some form of way our parents rebelled against their own parents for the way they were treated when they were growing up.

Who’s Fault Is It Anyway?

We were rebels. We fought against a system we felt was unjust. We spoke up against a nation that we were discovering, had its own political agenda and felt that it needed to be changed. We set out to do just that and did.

Every generation makes a statement and leaves an impact on the next generation. Our generation made such an impact on society that it is being looked at as the cause of most, if not all of the issues in our society today. I suppose some of that is true but I don’t think I am ready to be blamed for all the turmoil that makes up a large percentage of our society.

Are we to blame? I put the question to you.

Hey, How About Some Stones

I’m talking about a British band that helped to change the shape of the 70s. The music that came out of The Rolling Stones through the 70s was definitive for the times. With their bad boy image and drug related antics, The Rolling Stones have carved their place in history.

Here are some of the best in my opinion. Watch the videos below and tell me what you think.

Let’s start with Loving Cup from Exile on Main Street, recorded in 1972



Rock & Roll Circus You Can't Always Get What You Want



Notice John Lennon at the end.

Rock & Roll Circus Sympathy for the Devil



These are just a few of the songs by The Rolling Stones. There have been many more over the years but I just want to stay in the 70s for now. Drop me a comment and tell me what you think and what your favorite is.

The Music, The Magic, Part One

One of the big thrills about growing up in the
70s was the music. When I started smoking pot and by the way I don't smoke
anymore. That was a long time ago. While under the influence, I discovered
music that would change and shape my life forever.

My first ever concert was The Woodstock Festival.
I was 12 years old in August of 1969. My families house was located about
12 miles from the concert site. We hiked the railroad tracks that ran near
my house and camped along side. You have to understand that Upstate NY
was very undeveloped. It was nothing but farm country and woods as
far as the eye could see.

In my experience, anyone who has grown up in a
city environment has no concept of what it is like growing up in the country.
Life is completely different to the extent of this; People were more trusting
as they had no reason not to trust. People had less fear as most everyone
new everyone else and those we didn't know someone in our community knew
of them and spread the word pretty fast. I live in the city of Philadelphia,
PA, now and the trust level is non existent compared to what I grew up
in.

I Got The Home Sick Blues

Here are a few pictures of where I grew up through the early part of the 70s. This first picture is not the greatest but it is the only picture I have left of the house I grew up in. The house was built in the early 1800s and had 13 rooms. Remember that I have 9 Brothers and Sisters.

This picture was taken somewhere around 1962
judging from the fence. We built a new wooden fence around the front in
1969. Sorry for the B&W. The house sits on about 2 full acres of land
with about 1,000 acres of woods behind it. Notice the hill it is built
on. Just to let you know we lived on a mountain. As a matter of fact, the
name of the road that this house sits on is named Mountain Road.

Overlooking The Village Of Rosendale

This picture was taken from the railroad bridge that runs near my house. When I was a teenager this bridge was still in
use. It is now a walkway and doesn't go all the way across anymore. This is a picture of the Village Of Rosendale. When I first moved there the population was only about 200 people. I'm not sure what it is now. Take in the view, it still is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

At this point I am going to leave you with
a picture from Woodstock and hope you will return for the next entry.

This is probably the most powerful pictures that tells the story of how great it was to be a part of history. Note: To the top left of the picture you will notice the wooded area. We had a campsite in the woods just at the line. We weren't the only ones, there had to be about 100 or better campsites over there.

As I think back, I feel as though I was very lucky in this time period of my life. It was a magical time in history and I was very lucky to be a part of it.

A Little About Me

I was born in 1957 and lived through the later part of the 1970s in a small village called Rosendale in Upstate NY. I turned 12 years old in 1969 and instantly became hooked on that time frame in my life. I have 9 brothers and sisters 8 of which who are older than I am. I am the second youngest out of ten kids.

The closest in age to me is my brother John who is 3 years older than me. He was 15 and already living the life of peace and love and introduced me to many wonderful people. I used to listen to his records and found I loved this stuff. I started listening to everything I could and before I knew it I had a guitar and started to learn.

It was the biggest thing to go out camping with all your friends, grab a few guitars; a couple of cases of bud, a quarter pound or two and your favorite girl friend and you have the makings of a memory. I don’t know if it was the smoke but sometimes the music we created was awesome. I don’t know if that word is even used anymore but that is the only way to describe it.

I live in the city of Philadelphia, PA, and life now is so different from when I was a teen back in the 70s. The value on life is not what it used to be. Violence is everywhere and it is dangerous to travel alone anywhere you go.

I am saddened by how the world has changed. The people growing up in the late 60s and early 70s realized that peace, love and happiness was much more enjoyable and productive than war and violence. Although we did have our moments, the price of peace cost us dearly.

What was growing up in the 70s like? For me it was about the music. Music in the 70s shaped the decade into the most historical time frame of the modern age. People found a way to get their point across to the world and opened the eyes to many different things that we were blind to. We managed to stop a war that we had no business being a part of. We proved we could gather into a crowd of over 500,000 people for 3 days and not kill each other, try that now.

If you are a 70s teenager or even have parents and heard stories from them, comment here I would like very much to hear from you.