The Song Doesn’t Remain The Same

Interesting article from Gibson on 10 Led Zeppelin Songs That Deserve More Attention.  Given corporate radio has reduced their canon to a handful of songs, the list should be much longer, but no matter.

Even the most ardent Zeppelin fan would admit that some tunes are less approachable than others, but the list serves as a great reminder that this band had simply incredible range.  They covered pretty much every genre of music that was even remotely popular during their day, and pushed us into a few new directions while they were at it.  They covered more real estate than anyone else.

Most bands find a sound and then hammer it into the ground.  The best bands challenge themselves, explore, experiment, investigate and instigate.  Sure, these guys always sounded like Led Zeppelin, but they had the range of about 10 different bands.

On Time

Gibson’s 10 Classic Rock Bands That Deserve Another Look shows how reductivist corporate radio has denied us some fantastic music.

All of these bands used to be mainstays on the radio – but sadly are now rarely heard at all.

Chicago created a revolution.  Three Dog Night were massive.  Rare Earth were fantastic musicians who cranked out monster hits.  Spirit were regarded as geniuses.  Everyone loved Steppenwolf.  The music has aged well.  So how come no airplay?  It’s a mystery.

What strikes me most about the list is the range of musical styles covered, and the fact that you could hear of of these bands on the same station in the same afternoon - a happy reflection of the time when these bands thrived, and perhaps another sad reflection of today’s radio.

Thanks for the reminder, Gibson.  Luckily, I have most of this music on my iPod.  Time to go have a listen.

The History of Cool

We tend to have a schizophrenic relationship with technology; we either think something is really cool, or we take it for granted.  Or maybe one viewpoint evolves into the other, as illustrated by Rolling Stone’s 24 Inventions That Changed Music.

From Thomas Edison’s phonograph in 1877 to the microphone to LP to the Compact Disc to the Internet  …  they’re all there.

It’s interesting to trace the evolution of media from wax cylinders through tape and vinyl to CD’s and computer drives.  Even more interesting, is to consider the evolution of playback devices from the Victrola to the cassette deck to the CD player to the iPod/phone.

The romance is connected to the playback device, of course.  I still remember the big honking furniture cabinets that housed the stereos of my youth.  More importantly, I remember how much I loved my first transistor radio.  It gave me freedom, independence, and the power to live in my own culture.  The transistor radio is probably the single biggest factor in the dominance of rock and roll.

That said, I remember how badly we all wanted a Walkman the moment they came out.  By then it was mug’s game though.  CD’s, mp3’s, iPods … I don’t miss my cassette tapes but I do get tired of replacing and re-organizing my media every few years. 

The stated theme of the list is recording and playing back music, so it’s more than a little curious that the Marshall amplifier is on the list.  Sure, that amp is the most famous, but it doesn’t relate to recorded music any more than the first Les Paul guitar or the first effects pedals.

The dates of some of the innovations are interesting, too.  When you think about how fast we moved from cassettes to CD’s to mp3’s, it’s amazing to realize the LP was invented in 1931 but 78’s were sold into the mid-50’s.  The biggest surprise, though is the vocoder, invented in 1940 for military use!  Take that, Daft Punk.

That Was Only Yesterday

Every time I hear War Pigs on the radio, I think, why is this happening?  Is that the best they can do?

I mean, I know Paranoid had an impact when it came out, and all that, but in my corner of suburban Canada, Black Sabbath enjoyed only a minor popularity.  There were many more copies around of records by the likes of Humble Pie, Spooky Tooth, Wishbone Ash, Spirit, Rory Gallagher, Savoy Brown and Uriah Heep.

Sure, Ozzy enjoyed an elongated solo career, and that allows for some revisionism.  And, no, I’m not a Sabbath fan, but really, check out some of the aforementioned bands.  There are far too many great bands that have had their entire canons reduced to one or two songs by classic rock radio.  And these bands don’t get any airplay at all! 

It’s a dreammare, brother.  It’s a ride on a hellbound train.  Those radio cats are withholding a lot of great music, and it’s got me feelin’ bad.

We Will Rock You

So, there are all these lists out there, but I can’t find a list of best rock anthems.  Curious or what?  Radio DJ’s, critics and the like use the term casually, but no one’s bothered to assemble a list.  Interesting.

Wikipedia says an anthem is a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people.  With that as a reference, we could easily come up with a few rock anthems, right?

Like: Won’t Get Fooled Again, Stairway to Heaven, We Will Rock You,

Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2, Born in the U.S.A., Imagine, Sunday Bloody Sunday

Or, if you soften the definition to say people easily identify with the song, you could add: Won’t Back Down, Hotel California, Smoke on the Water, Woodstock,

Bohemian Raphsody, Hey Jude, All You Need Is Love

Or maybe the song just gets your juices flowing, like: Armageddon It, Layla, Southern Man, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Solsbury Hill, Born to Be Wild, American Woman

Or  …  it just feels like an anthem, say: My Sweet Lord, Free Falling, Let It Be, or pretty much anything by Rush

Hmmm  …  that wasn’t easy.  Maybe the ‘identify’ bit makes such a list too personal; you could build your own list but couldn’t expect anyone else to agree.

Anyway, for my money, the song that should top the list is Won’t Get Fooled Again.  It kicks you in the butt, fills you with a “ya, dammit!” attitude, and entertains you with some of the most powerful rock ever recorded.  If that isn’t an anthem, I don’t know what is.

The Truth Will Come

I was in the car the other day and Stairway to Heaven came on the radio.  I overcame the (mild) reflex to groan, then settled in to listen.  Before long waves of memories and feelings began to wash over me.  I was grateful I had resisted the impulse to change the station.

Then I got to thinking: that’s what we dig about a great song.  The memories, the feelings, the associations – and not just in songs we’ve heard a zillion times.

A really good song will reach out and grab parts of the world around you.  It will latch on to little bits of you and make itself real.  It does so right away, and then only grows from there.  It attaches itself to you, and sticks with you forever.  It is everything you experience.

In essence, the song is about you.  So next time you hear a classic and think you might be bored, watch it; you’re kinda thinking about life.

It’s Cold In Oz

In the guilty pleasures department, one of my favourite bands, who just fell out of favour and dropped out of our consciousness, is Three Dog Night.

It’s curious: not one but three talented lead singers, a terrific band featuring solid keys and good guitar work.  Maybe a tad on the poppy side as compared to, say Led Zeppelin, but they had a long string of hits that you would think should hold their own against some of the over-played stuff on classic rock radio.

Maybe it’s because most of their material was written by other people?

They spread some solid joy to the world.  Too bad they still aren’t embraced by the family of man.

For Your Life

I always worry about what I’m going to find in reader’s/listener’s polls because they tend to reflect the conditioning and narrowness of corporate radio.  But Rolling Stone’s Best Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time is a happy exception.

Here’s the list:

 1. Stairway to Heaven

 2.  Kashmir

 3. Achilles Last Stand

 4. Since I’ve Been Loving You

 5. When the Levee Breaks

 6.  Whole Lotta Love

 7.  The Rain Song

 8.  Ramble On

 9.  Ten Years Gone

10. No Quarter

While these songs are common on current radio playlists, most of them are not songs that were big when their respective albums were new.

When Zep IV came out, Black Dog and Rock and Roll were played far more than Stairway to Heaven.  When the Levee Breaks?  Forget it.

When Houses of the Holy was released, Dancing Days and The Song Remains the Same were the popular numbers, not No Quarter and The Rain Song.

On Zep III, Since I’ve Been Loving You was passed over in favour of Celebration Day and The Immigrant Song.

The big exception on the list is Whole Lotta Love, which is a big exception of a song.

The article points out that 78 different songs were nominated, and that’s not surprising.  For most of their existence, Led Zeppelin was just about the biggest thing going.  A ton of great songs didn’t make the list.

But it’s nice to see the fans in charge for a change, you know, not getting trampled under foot by their friends in the boardroom.

Cry Me A River

Well, it’s official.  We’re bummed out.  German and Canadian researches have confirmed we prefer sad songs over happy ones.  The last 5 decades have been a slippery slope leading to Downerville.

Analysis of Billboard Hot 100 lists reveals that the number of songs in major keys is half of what it was 50 years ago.  Half.  And the tempo has slowed down.

To Hell with dancing.  We’re on a death march here.  No chirpy up-tempo songs for us!  Life sucks.  Don’t interfere with our misery.

Now, why is that?  I mean, in the 60’s we had the Vietnam War and impending nuclear holocaust.  He only had one (black and white) TV and our parents put on Lawrence Welk when we wanted to watch Get Smart.  Racial discrimination was considered acceptable!  We had reason to be worried.  We should have sung the blues from sunrise to sunset.  But we didn’t.  Life was cool.  We were optimistic.

I mean, everyone had jobs and all, and we hadn’t figured out that politicians lie to their own mothers, and we weren’t watching the planet being destroyed before our very eyes, but still …

OK, I get it.  But life can imitate art, and maybe we just need to buck up and change our tune.  Ain’t nothin’ but sorrow down this road we’re on.

Don’t Pass Me By

I know the Beatles had more than their fair share of hits singles, but you know what?  They could have had more.

They wrote so many great songs, and actually seemed to pull back starting in late ’65.  You know, so that they only had one or two songs on the charts at a time, instead of the three or four that was customary during the first couple of years.  They definitely could have maintained that dominance with the following songs:

No Reply  - B side I’m A Loser

You’re Gonna Lose That Girl  - B side It’s Only Love

Hide Your Love Away – B side Another Girl

Drive My Car – B side Norwegian Wood

You Won’t See Me – B side The Word

Got To Get You Into My Life  - B side She Said She Said

Here, There and Everywhere – B side Taxman

Back in the USSR  - B side While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Hey Bulldog – B side It’s All Too Much

Here Comes the Sun  - B side Oh! Darling

Judging by the Classic Rock radio playlists and revisionist history, many of these songs are now actually treated like singles. 

I know, I know: 27 number one hits is enough, plus another dozen or song right up there.  Then another dozen or so post breakup releases in the early days of compilation mania (yes, I know: including Got To Get You Into My Life and Back in the USSR).  But check out the list.  They had even more hits in their arsenal.

They sure were something.

Dream On, Dudes

Gibson has this list of 10 Power Ballads That Don't Suck.

Well, ya know, these are some pretty good songs:

Dream On – Aerosmith

Day After Day – Badfinger

Ballad of Dwight Fry – Alice Cooper

Bringin’ on the Heartbreak – Def Leppard

Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis

Learn to Fly – Foo Fighters

We are the Champions – Queen

More Than a Feeling – Boston

All the Young Dudes – Mott the Hoople

Purple Rain – Mr. Squirckle

The premise of the article is that power ballads “have gotten and undeserved bad rap,” that the “gaudy, bombastic videos” of the 80’s caused this otherwise charming genre to fall from grace.

Nonsense.  The videos just added visuals to the gaudy, bombastic music.

If you’re a fan of rock music (a dying breed, I know), you may point to the rise of rap or the laziness of grunge as the moment when the decline of rock began.  But a good case can be made against the power ballad.  Sorry, dudes, but the bad rap is deserved.

Re: the list.  They aren’t bad tunes, but they aren’t all really power ballads.

Radio Gaga

Hey! Buzz, why don't you just stop listening to the radio instead of complaining about it? Try internet radio, use your iPod, give it up, get a life.

I know, I know. And I try - I do - but it's hard.

It's hard because radio used to be so darn good, so fresh, so exciting, so inspiring. I know I can't have it, but I want it back.

I also know two other things:
1) I'm not alone
2) The decline has been long and sad

Queen, The Kinks, and Tom Petty have all produced classics lamenting the neutering and lobotomizing of radio during its relentless slide into a commercialized corporate commodity. They also shouted, "It used to be so good! I want it back."

Internet radio is OK, and I do enjoy the power of choosing from my own iPod playlists, but ... make that four other things I know:
3) Culture is supposed to be a shared experience, not solitary
4) The decline of radio is a metaphor for bigger problems in our society

All too often, when I listen to the radio I realize that I am not being entertained. I am being managed, manipulated - ripped off. And it doesn't stop there. TV, shopping malls, cellphones, sporting events ... it's everywhere. Our souls have been stolen, and placed on spreadsheets and sales charts.

Something beautiful and priceless has been made cheap and ugly. Paradise has been covered over with asphalt. It makes me sad. It makes me angry.

Tom Petty says it best in The Last DJ:
   As we celebrate mediocrity all the boys upstairs want to see
   How much you'll pay for what you used to get for free

It used to be so good! I want it back.

You Talk Too Much

For as long as can remember, I've been shouting at my radio.

Rather, I've been shouting at the DJ's who talk too much. Time was I used to shout when they talked over the beginning or the ending of a song I liked. These days, I wish they would.

You see, they used to talk over the beginning and ending of songs because they had stuff to say. Not always important stuff, but it was usually information: coming up in later in the program, one of those live, announcer-delivered commercials, whatever.

Thing is, they had songs to play and information to impart. so they talked over the music to cram it all in. And yes, those were the good old days, because now they talk to avoid playing music.

The more they talk, they less music they play. The less music they play, the less they pay in royalties. The less they pay in royalties, the higher their profits are.

You can picture the meeting, where the suits sit around a table and figure this out. You can imagine the internal memos to the DJ's exhorting them to blather on about how hung over they are, share drunken bar-style drivel (aka opinions) about things they don't understand, to drone on with celebrity gossip and incorrect factoids ... anything but play music.

Morning DJ's have supposedly been the funny guys for as long as I can remember. It was one of the first good ideas that got replicated by our culture to the point where it became pointless.

But the old morning DJ's were professional comedians. They wrote material. Today's clowns just ad lib, and pretend whatever nonsense they utter is funny.

The insult on this injury when you tune in later in the day (or Saturday morning) and they play back highlights of this garbage!

By contrast, talking over a bit of a really cool song was like living in paradise (well, maybe just a bit at the end of Hey Jude).

War is declared and the battle come down

So, you’re a public broadcaster that is working overtime to be hip, to be relevant.  The Olympics are on.  In London, a pretty hip place.  What theme song do you use to introduce your Olympic news updates?

London Calling, by the Clash.  A downer of a song.  An angry song.  An apocalyptic song.  A paranoid song.  By a punk band.  Come on, CBC.  Really?

Don’t get me wrong; it’s a great song by a terrific band.  I love it.

But are we so shallow, so inured to manipulation, so dumbed down that we aren’t supposed to look past the title?

Nuclear error?  Zombies of death?  London is drowning?  Help!

Assuming he collects some royalty payments, I suppose Mick Jones (alas, Joe Strummer is no longer with us) can laugh his way to the bank.  But as an artist, I gotta believe he’s just a little offended that someone would treat his masterpiece in such a superficial way.

I know, I know.   It goes on all the time.  Product commercials, political campaigns, whatever.

But is it hip?  Is it cool?  No.  It’s stupid.