A Whole Lotta Love
Moving forward in my timeline of influential music, I present to you another band that has had an impact on my life. The artistry of Jimmy Page combined with Robert Plant’s chilling vocals, John Paul Jones’ creative talents, and John Bonham’s outrageous drum solos make up, you guessed it, Led Zeppelin.
A couple of months ago, I was riding in the car with my dad and my 9-year-old younger sister, McKala. Out of nowhere she says, “This is Led Zeppelin, right, Dad?” I was amazed and proud to call her my little sis.
Ever since I could remember, Zeppelin has always been played in my house. Seeing McKala’s excitement about a band that she knew my dad and I took a common interest in made my day. Listening to Led Zeppelin is about the only thing we have in common. With the 13-year gap in age, and her obsession with horses (I have a huge fear of them), it is hard to relate to her. However, through music, we are able to relate to one another.
Another artist that we both completely obsess over is Taylor Swift. I know, a 22 year old listening to the country-pop songs of TSwift is probably something I shouldn’t admit, but McKala and I have seriously bonded while performing our own concert inspired by Taylor Swift.
Just for kicks, in case you do not know who Taylor Swift is:
But enough of TSwift, although, as much as I do love her and her ability to bring my sister and I together, let’s get back to Zeppelin.
I read Hammer of the Gods a couple of summers ago, and developed a greater understanding and appreciation of Led Zeppelin. They struggled in the beginning (as most bands do) and created a style of music unknown to the world. They broke the mold creating a new kind of rock and roll, and established a precedent for future bands (in my opinion) such as Queen and Wolfmother just to name two.
Zeppelin experimented with their music using synthesizers and melotrons. Their music evolved through experimenting and often times stumbling across some of their most famous chords and riffs. They strayed from the bluesy sound of their early days and started focusing on a more “heavy metal” aspect (not metal by today’s standards, though, but an intial precedent, remember).
I believe that Zeppelin’s stage presence also broke the mold of their time period and influenced others to do the same. Here’s a video of Zeppelin performing a popular song “The Ocean.” Pay close attention to Robert Plant and the way he moves and becomes one with the music. Also, notice his attire. I do believe the clothing speaks for itself (I’m not sure if he was the first to rock out the super tight pants, but I know he has started a trend here).
I would have loved to have been the publicist for Zeppelin back in the day. Traveling with them on concert tours and having to constantly defend their actions would have been an interesting and challenging job to say the least. However, I probably would quit after they continued to trash hotels and wreak havoc everywhere they went. Again, mixing pleasure with work doesn’t seem to work out for me.
“Lend me your ear
and I’ll sing you a song.”
I’ve decided to begin my journey through music with the icon that started it all for me: The Beatles.
At the ripe age of 12, I made my journey across England with my grandmother and aunt to explore a world unknown to me. As we traveled through England we eventually made our way to Liverpool, where I discovered a band I had never known before. I had heard of The Beatles and knew a few of their songs, but being in the same place where they got their start had the biggest impact on me.
The Beatles made music unlike anything ever before and took the world by surprise. The original ‘boy band’ (I like to think with more class and talent by far), George, Ringo, Paul, and John, embarked on a journey that would forever change their lives as well as impact so many others.
Their music spoke to a new audience and evolved throughout time adapting to the changes around them.
The periods of their music (think of the transition from Please Please Me to Sgt. Peppers and Yellow Submarine to Let It Be) are distinct among one another and mold to sound like their respective environment. As much as I hate to reference a sing-along, chick flick, Across the Universe is an amazing tale of their music’s journey told through the lives of a group of young people.
This is my favorite clip from the movie:
Now away from this movie and more on inspiration. The Beatles inspired so many by breaking the mold of society at that time. They went beyond anything that had been created and produced a type of music that was not expected throughout their career.
The evolution of their music is why they are one of my favorite bands of all time. I like that their songs are different and each album has its own identity. I believe that is what is wrong (well, not necessarily wrong, but uninspiring) with today’s artists. I hate it when I get all excited for so-and-so’s new album to come out only to be disappointed that it sounded just like his/her last one. A great example of a modern band that constantly intrigues me is Radiohead (more to come on them).
Back to breaking the mold and remaining relevant to society. The lyrics of some of The Beatles songs directly relate to what was going on in the world. For example, “Revolution” was written in direct response to the Vietnam War which inspired so many American youth.
To this day, I could listen to every Beatles album back to back and never get tired of the songs. They are still as popular as they were back in their beginning (at least in my opinion). With the release of Beatles Rock Band, I believe my previous statement stands. There is a Cirque du Soleil program in Vegas called “The Beatles — Love” that is inspired by their hit song, All You Need Is Love.
Obviously, The Beatles have been very successful, and essentially, they need no PR team. I’m sure they did along their way to superstardom and definitely during their career, but now they are so influential and established that my expertise would not be needed. I know a large part of this is because they are no longer an active band, but the PR help they did have back in the day definitely brought them to where they are today.
I could go on and on about The Beatles and their impact and how they have inspired so many current bands. They are a classic example of what music is to and depending on the mood I’m in and what day of the week it is, there is always a Beatles album I can put on that will directly relate to how I am feeling.
