Play | The Rhapsody Editorial Music Blog

Car Radio Revelations: Finger Eleven & More

by Chuck Eddy

This is an example of how you can be both an obsessive music listener and totally out of it these days: Finger Eleven, who are apparently a band from Canada, have this song called "Paralyzer" that's been in the Billboard Hot 100 for 47 weeks now; it climbed as high as No. 6. They also apparently had another real big smash called "One Thing" in 2004. But even though I spend most of my waking hours keeping up with new music, and even though I spent most of the past year working at Billboard of all places, I had no idea at all what Finger Eleven or "Paralyzer" sounded like until last week. To my surprise, it's pretty good.

"Hey Man, Is That Freedom Rock?"

by Nate Cavalieri

According to a report by Reuters, the results of a survey taken by Jacobs Media found that "if you are male and a Led Zeppelin fan, chances are you may be leaning toward voting Republican in the U.S. presidential election." Certainly curious inbox fodder for those about to rock, but a close look finds that summary to be a bit misleading, and the fine print analysis to be downright alarming.

Best of 2007: Rock

by Nate Cavalieri

The more we reflect on the year in rock, the more it feels like a long afternoon spent at the multiplex. There were well-anticipated (if only occasionally) satisfying blockbusters, nubile starlets debuting in breakthrough roles, and a sprinkling of art-house crossovers. Like sequels to our favorite flicks, the parade of marquee reunions offered both spine-tingling and unsightly results. The year's other rock-related stories, like Phil Spector's trial, Van Halen's roller coaster and the lumbering maneuvers of the record industry, were chock-full of surprise endings. Here are the top 10 memorable rock'n'roll moments of 2007.

Led Zeppelin: The Reunion

After weeks of feverish anticipation, insane ticket prices and desperate fans pleading to attend, Led Zeppelin finally played their reunion gig yesterday at the O2 Stadium in London. If, unlike some lucky people, you didn't get to attend and tailgate in one of these fancy Zepmobiles -- check out the bootleg footage of "Kashmir" above. Read what the critics had to say, then look back at a few of our own Led Zep Bluffer's Guides.

Further Reading:
Led Zeppelin Reunion (The Daily Telegraph)
"Led Zeppelin Finds Its Old Power" (New York Times)
Video Zeppelin (PLAY)
Review: Led Zeppelin @ Grande Ballroom, January 1969 (PLAY)

Ahmet Ertegun: The Man Who Made Led Zeppelin

Andrew Loog Oldham delivers a fascinating requiem for the musical Svengali—dictatorial managers who molded the artists they represented. Oldham himself helped mastermind the Rolling Stones ("I told them who they were," he writes, "and, sure enough, they became it.") His focus is on the late Ahmet Ertegun, the Turkish-born founder of Atlantic Records who died in December of 2006. (Monday’s Led Zeppelin reunion gig is a tribute to Ertegun, as well as a fundraiser for the Ahmet Ertugen Education Fund—check out these last-minute rumors about which other stars might be joining Zep onstage). 

Bluffer’s Guide to Led Zeppelin: Metal Bloodline

by Jen Guyre

The jury will always be out as to who is the definitive heavy metal band: Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. But it can not be denied that Zeppelin’s bludgeoning interpretation of the blues, fantasy-/myth-fueled lyrical concepts, occult fascinations, and hard-partying lifestyle have become a cornerstone of metal’s livelihood. Maybe even its foundation.

Live: Led Zeppelin @ Grande Ballroom, January 1969

by Jaan Uhelszki

We've talked about the albums, but you're not talking Zeppelin unless you're talking about them live, on stage, conquering all they saw before them. One such witness to Zep's live fury was Jaan Uhelszki, a writer and editor for Creem Magazine during its '70s heyday. We're proud to call Jaan a member of our own team, and we're thrilled to present her kaleidoscopic recollection of how the (mid)west was won.

Bluffer's Guide to Led Zeppelin: Freak Folk Progenitors

 

Over the past few years the term "freak folk" has entered the pop music lexicon -- even if it hasn't dented the general public's consciousness. Freak folk holds meaning for music critics and for a certain percentage of hairy youths and flaxen-haired maidens who enjoy riding unicycles at street fairs. If you neither review music for a living nor unashamedly ride unicycles, there is no cause for alarm. Freak folk is easy to grasp: It's basically indie folk-rock made by shirtless men with misshapen beards. Freak folk is also distilled from the air by beautiful elfin women who strum harps while singing forest hymns to flora and fauna.

Bluffer's Guide to Led Zeppelin: World Champions

In 1978 Argentina won a controversial World Cup on their home turf, a moment of ecstasy amidst the agony of military dictatorship. Across the sea, it was summer, and, as Zeppelin lore has it, the boys caught the futbol fever from the telly. The Carnavalesque rhythms of the South American stadium would turn up on "Fool in the Rain," recorded that fall and included on In Through the Out Door, the band's last original studio album. Led Zeppelin's Latin-tinged hit single (the group's final charting song) features John Bonham pounding out a marching beat, punctuated by whistle calls that would have been as at home on that era's disco floors, as at a Carnaval or Mardi Gras parade. While there's a distinct sambaesque flavor to the drum breakdown, its reported Buenos Aires-based inspiration would actually have been the beating of drums and stadium chants with origins in the murga or African-rooted carnaval songs of Argentina and Uruguay, which have similarities to the samba but are not the same. There are more subtle Latin influences at play in "Fool in the Rain": a rocking piano montuno and an acoustic guitar melody that to Latin-sensitive ears echoes traditional Cuban changui.

"Secret" Zeppelin

by Matty Karas

One of the upsides of being the Hugest Rock Band in the World is that you and your songs will be remembered forever. One of the downsides is that the world's collective memory seems to have a 20-song-per-band limit. If you are the Rolling Stones, your "Obsession" probably doesn't make the cut. If you are Van Halen, forget about being remembered as an "Ice Cream Man." These are the songs that don't show up on any greatest-hits collection, maybe not even on the four-disc box set. Celine Dion's new single has a better chance of getting played on rock radio. Or take, say, Led Zeppelin. "Dazed and Confused" you know. "Rock and Roll" of course. But what about their foray into power-pop? Or the synthesizer epics? Or the pretty acoustic tunes that don't erupt into heavy-metal thunder?