Led Zeppelin

[anduin]

I believe that it is common knowledge that Led Zepplin was influenced by Tolkien. But in case it is not, I thought I would post an example. :) Ramble On Leaves are falling all around; Its time I be on my way. Thanks to you I'm much obliged For such a pleasant stay But now its time for me to go; The autumn moon lights my way. But now I smell the rain and with it pain And its heading my way. Mine's a tale that can't be told. My freedom I hold dear. How years ago in days of old When magic filled the air. "Twas in the Darkest depths of Mordor I met a girl so fair, But Gollum and the Evil One Crept up and slipped away with her." Now accepting comments... :P

[bmilder]

Cool :) I think there's a page dedicated to the similarities somewhere on the web... Actually I don't really know what Led Zepplin is other than the fact that it's obviously a band of some sort :D

[anduin]

Yeah there is....I copied the text from there :) But I've known about that song for awhile...I dated (long ago) a Tolkien/Zep fan. <a href= http://www.auburn.edu/~speedhe/allusions.html>Here's the link :)</a>

[Loopy]

D@mn, I'm glad I got online today! I'm a huge ZepHead. It is actually because of Zep -- Misty Mountain Hop, specifically -- that I started reading Tolkien in the first place. A friend told me that the lyrics of MMH were supposedly one big reference to The Hobbit. She couldn't vouch for that, because she only knew because her ex-boyfriend was a Tolkien/Zep fan. But I had to read it and see for myself! So Misty Mountain Hop is my favorite of all Led Zeppelin's Tolkien references (Battle of Evermore a close second), though I won't analyze the song here. I wouldn't want to bore everyone with a reeealy long post ;) I hear Styx songs are laced with Tolkien references too. But I don't really listen to them so I don't know much about it.

[anduin]

Misty Mountain Hop and Battle of the Evermore are two of my favorite Led Zep songs....actually LZ IV is my favorite LZ album!!! :) BTW, I wouldn't be bored if you analyzed Led Zep's Tolkien references....that's why I posted this topic. :) Use the link above to cut and paste the lyrics if you want.

[Darth Tater]

I was wondering when someone would start this thread. Analyze away.

[anduin]

Actually, Tater, I can't believe it took me this long ;)

[Loopy]

The title is an obvious reference :) As for the rest of the song: Just in case anyone didn't already know, the lyrics (which I pick apart below) supposedly parallel the first chapter of The Hobbit. Walkin' in the park just the other day, Baby, What do you, what do you think I saw? Bilbo is relaxing at home in the peaceful Shire when suddenly... Crowds of people sittin' on the grass with flowers in their hair said, "Hey, Boy, do you wanna score?" The Dwarves come through the grassy Shire in their brightly colored hats (hence flowers in their hair) with plans for an adventure in which Bilbo will, as we know, score big. And you know how it is; I really don't know what time it was, woh, oh, So I asked them if I could stay awhile. So Bilbo asks them in and they stay awhile I didn't notice but it had got very dark and I was really, Really out of my mind. It is getting late and all this talk of adventure has stressed poor Bilbo out Just then a policeman stepped up to me and asked us said, "Please, hey, would we care to all get in line, Get in line." Well you know, They asked us to stay for tea and have some fun, Oh, oh, he said that his friends would all drop by, ooh. This part is tricky. The Dwarves don't think Bilbo is up to the adventure but Gandalf insists that he go (Does anyone else have a better interpretation for that part?) Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see, And Baby, Baby, Baby, do you like it? There you sit, sitting spare like a book on a shelf rustin' Ah, not trying to fight it. You really don't care if they're coming, oh, oh, I know that it's all a state of mind, ooh. Bilbo, who has spent his life sitting spare like a book on a shelf rustin' , is not sure of himself, and furthermore is feeling a bit peevish. But he must now look inside himself and decide whether or not he will fly off without his hat the next morning :) If you go down in the streets today, Baby, you better, You better open your eyes. Folk down there really don't care, really don't care, don't care, really don't Which, which way the pressure lies, He knows it will be a tough journey, but he is determined to prove his worth So I've decided what I'm gonna do now. So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains Where the spirits go now, Over the hills where the spirits fly, ooh. I really don't know. And the last part speaks for itself

[anduin]

Where's that ICQ number you promised? :)

[Loopy]

It's in my profile now. I just got home 10 minutes ago. :)

[anduin]

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 8*)

[Loopy]

I heard "Over the Hills and Far Away" on the radio yesterday :D

[Pharazir]

Tolkien wrote a 9-verse poem called 'Over Old Hills and Far Away' Its in The Lost Tales. I've tried to match the lyrics to the Zep song, but it doesn't really work!.

[Rumble]

Ever heard of the Austrian band Summoning? They litterally combine Tolkien's verses for their lyrics. Here's a part from the song 'Khazad-Dum'

From ashes a fire be woken
a light from the shadows shall spring
renewed shall the blade that was broken
the crownless shall again be king
The world is grey, the mountains old
the forge's fire is ashen cold
no harp is wrung, no hammer falls
the darkness dwells in Durin's halls
the shadow lies upon his tomb
but still the sunken stars appear
in dark and windless mirrormere
there lies his crown in waters deep
'till Durin wakes again from sleep
a deadly sword, a healing hand
a trumpet voice, a burning brand
a lord of wisdom

It goes on, adding a few more lines and verses from other parts of the book. I would highly reccomend giving the band a listen if you ever come across one of their cd's. It's highly atmosperic music and IMO truly captures the spirit of Tolkien's works.

[juntel]

Have you ever tried to read LoftheRings backwards?
You will then see the true meaning of Tolkien's world!
:):rollin::)

[anduin]

Welcome Rumble, to the fantastic world of Entmoot!

You are from the Netherlands? Which city? I am going to Amsterdam in June for my honeymoon :)

BTW, that band sounds pretty cool! :8

[Rumble]

I live near Rotterdam.
Amsterdam for your Honeymoon????? That's one I haven't heard before :)

[anduin]

Well, I was never know for doing conventional things. :)

[Elanor]

That is nifty. I used to live in Nijmegen.

[sparksterboy]

Im listening to Zepplin now, I didnt realise I was evening doing it until I read the title of this thread, oh well.

[Comic Book Guy]

Tolkien wrote a 9-verse poem called 'Over Old Hills and Far Away' Its in The Lost Tales. I've tried to match the lyrics to the Zep song, but it doesn't really work!.



The song was written late 60's/ Early 70's and the Lost Tales was published far later.

[Cirdan]

Oh cool, an ancient thread revived!

The link above is good, but Kashmir is actually about... Kashmir.

I think it sound like Middle Earth, but so does "Ten Years Gone".

I've burned a compilation CD of Zeppelin songs that remind me of the first time I read the books; sitting in an old winged back chair drinking Darjeeling tea...

:slips into old man nostalgic moment:

[olsonm]

Originally posted by Cirdan
The link above is good, but Kashmir is actually about... Kashmir.Actually, Kashmir is about Morocco!:eek: But your point still holds.:D

[Cirdan]

It could be about sweaters....

mmmmm cashmir:)

where'd you get the Morocco twist. I haven't heard that one... or I'm getting senile:confused:

[olsonm]

I have a CD (Led Zeppelin Profiled) with an interview with Plant where he says that he wrote the lyrics while driving through Morocco.

[Cirdan]

Oh, I found this, too.

Led Zeppelin
Kashmir
By the time Led Zeppelin arrived at their 7th year together as a band, they had reached the pinnacle of their dreams by having a tenacious hold on both their fans and the music industry. In 1975, they were constantly selling out concerts throughout their world tour, their new album "Physical Graffiti" was #1 in the United States and the United Kingdom, and all five of their previous albums had re-entered the charts. The double album "Physical Graffiti" was Led Zeppelin's first under their new record called Swan Song, which was named after an unreleased Jimmy Page instrumental. The Swan Song label was formed in January of 1974. The band wanted to produce a purely straight forward rock album for this new label, one that would reach it's highest point with a composition called "Kashmir". A song that required the creative input of all band members, and provided a positive definition of what Led Zeppelin was all about. Today's show will feature the one song that the band felt was the purest of all of their recordings together.

Originally known as "Driving to Kashmir", this song first appeared as a riff from Jimmy Page's home studio. This riff derived from an extensive guitar cycle he had worked on over the years. Initially, Page worked on this idea with John Bohnam's beautifully understated drumming, then with singer Robert Plant, who added the lyrics and the middle section, and finally with bassist John Paul Jones, who contributed the bass riffs, as well as, all of the orchestral string parts. The inspiration for Plant's lyrics arose from a long drive he took in an area in Southern Morocco once known as the Spanish Sahara. A frequent visitor to Morocco, Plant found himself on an endless, desolate, desert road that was confined by ridges of sandstone on either side. The lyrics, along with the bands high degree of interest in Indian & Arabic music provided the necessary influence for the blending of orchestra and mellotron with duplicating guitar parts. This resulted in a song which provided a mixture of sounds that lose their individuality and become wholly unique as a form of musical expression. Here is "Kashmir" a perfect blend of lyricism, innovation, and tradition that culminated in the musical individuality of a band called Led Zeppelin.

SOURCE: Led Zeppelin boxed set, liner notes Movers & Shakers

RECORDED: March 26, 1995

[Cirdan]

My 500th Post!

I wanted to post my 500th here because for me, as with others in this thread, was fortunate enough to have the explaination of the lyrics by a friend, point me to a world within the pages of a book that effected me more than any other piece of fiction. That there are movies and action figures leaves me with a melancholy feeling, not unlike the elders of the Moot feel about it's changes (see decline opf the Moot thread). At the same time I'm so glad that so many people will eventually be turned to the books by popculture, just as I was; giving us a common point of reference, which I think is what the Moot is about.

Thanks, also to the people who have worked so hard to make the Moot work. No, no Oscar type name scroll. You know who you are.:)

[Eldanuumea]

Cirdan, how about a little Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong? (probably mispelled!)
Plus a bit of Patchouli burning in the distance.....

[BeardofPants]

New Led Zep fan at your service. :) However, I just downloaded their version of "house of the rising sun" and I can't find out which album it's from anywhere. I don't suppose anyone here knows? *hopeful look* Thanks in advance. :)

[anduin]

Are you a 100% sure it is them? Where did you get the recording?

[Eldanuumea]

New Zep fans always welcome!!
The animals did the definitive version of "House of the Rising Sun"....I can't say I remember a ZEp version, but I'll ask my son, who owns more of their albums than I do.
Incidentally, a guy at Barnes and nobles slipped me a sampler CD from Robert Plant's soon-to-be-released new solo album, and it has a knockout version of "Morning Dew." If the whole album is as good as this sampler, I can't wait to hear it!

[Lizra]

There are certain songs that bring back intense memeories of pharmaceutical concotions :), The entire Houses of the Holy album is one of them. Also of that era is Pink Floyd, Dark Side. Boy, when those albums came out, well.... tea, incense, patcholi, tapestries, Cherebidies (sp), (is that what those funny Indian cigarettes were called? ) Oh yeah also, American Beauty by the dead.

[BeardofPants]

Originally posted by anduin
Are you a 100% sure it is them? Where did you get the recording?

No, I'm not 100%, but I'm fairly certain. I downloaded it off both Kazaa and limewire - there were multiple copies of the track. The song itself is a folk/traditional that has been done by a multitude of artists, such as the animals, the doors, the greatful dead, and bob dylan.

[Comic Book Guy]

Is it a live recording?

[BeardofPants]

Originally posted by Comic Book Guy
Is it a live recording?

Not as far as I can discern. The only conclusion I can draw is that it's a bootleg.

[Cirdan]

Well, I found this site (http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~qr6y-ykt/) which documents 498 different bootleg albums:eek: ...I checked the first twenty or so and there weren't any covers other than some Yardbirds stuff which doesn't really count.:cool:

[BeardofPants]

Thanks Cirdan! :) I'll check through them when I've got some more time to spare... :eek:

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by BeardofPants
Thanks Cirdan! :) I'll check through them when I've got some more time to spare... :eek:

Cool, BoP. Be forewarned, though, one album tends to resemble the next one, and the next one, and the next one, and the next one...:)

[Samwise Gamgee]

Hey, nobody mentioned Stairway to Heaven yet! I lnow it's not as lyrically rich as Evermore, Ramble On or MMH, but the aura it creates is def ME, oh and it does have the lyric 'there's a feeling i get as i look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving' (I forget if that last bit is right, but thats t gist i think) which is def wot Frodo was thinkin as he stood and to his east was mordor and west home, well...i like 2 think!
________
Wong Amat Tower Condo Pattaya (http://pattayaluxurycondos.com)

[Comic Book Guy]

Hey, nobody mentioned Stairway to Heaven yet!

Thats because Stairway to Heaven has nothing to do with Tolkien and Middle-Earth. The band often deny this and say it's about Celtic mythology, I see no reason to not believe them.

[Snowdog]

The animals did the definitive version of "House of the Rising Sun".... The Animals collectivly wrote House of the Rising Sun, though Alan Price was the only one given credit. This would be a sore subject among the members of the Animals for years to come. Hey, nobody mentioned Stairway to Heaven yet! Stairway to Heaven has to be the most overrated song the Led ever done. When I got and first played the Zep IV album having not heard anything from it before (New Years 1972), I didn't care for Stairway. it was too meandering and sleepy, though I did like the last part. Then it became the huge radio icon song through the 70s and 80s, and now I just can't listen to it. And I never thought Stairway had anything to do with Tolkien anyway, so I believe the band.

[Ñólendil]

It's about Celtic Mythology, it certainly has no more to do with the Lord of the Rings than the Lord of the Rings has to do with Celtic Mythology.

But I love Stairway to Heaven. I'm not one of those that only likes the "fast and loud" songs. I love the sound of that song, it's just enchanting. Of course, I also like the kick ass part at the end. I find it moving, the whole thing taken together. Another one of my favorites is the Rain Song, which also has nothing to do with the Lord of the Rings as far as I know. The only Tolkien Songs I think are Battle of Evermore, Misty Mountain Hop and possibly Ramble On and I Gotta Leave You, Baby.

[BeardofPants]

Originally posted by Snowdog
The Animals collectivly wrote House of the Rising Sun, though Alan Price was the only one given credit.

No, I'm pretty sure that it's a traditional folk song.

http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/3448/house.html

[azalea]

I would also venture to say that the songs mentioned may refer to LotR, but aren't necessarily about it. I especially disagree with Misty Mountain Hop being about LotR. It's about drugs and ennui, and it happens to mention the Misty Mountains as a place he wants to go to. At least that's how I see it. *waits for deluge* Oh and I like Stairway, too, but Battle of Evermore is my favorite off that album.

[Cirdan]

Yes, Misty Mountain Hop was nit about LotR.

There is a thematic similarity between Led Zeppelin's music and Tolkien's work. Both were interested in mythology and fantasy. Many of Zeppelin's songs are mystical in nature. There are themes in the film "The Song Remains The Same" that expound on Page's interest in magic as well as the other's interest in medieval themes. The influences are simliar so I associate other songs with LotR, like "No Quarter" even though there isn't a direct link. The same goes with "Kashmir" and several other songs.

[Snowdog]

(Snowdog: 'The Animals collectivly wrote House of the Rising Sun, though Alan Price was the only one given credit.'

Beard of Pants: "No, I'm pretty sure that it's a traditional folk song." Yes, you are correct and I stand corrected. I should have remembered as I am a Woody/Pete fan. I went off my 45 label which gives writing credit to Alan Price and read some Animals band history notes that had to do with the royalties paid for the song. Being that I saw Zep in 1969 and again in 1977, they would play many songs (especially in 69) such as Train kept a Rollin, Smokestack Lightning, Crossroads, etc, and at the pop festival there was a reel-to-reel at the soundboard so its very possible there is a bootleg out there with a Zep version of the Rising Sun.

Now, taking credit for public domain/traditional songs is nothing new in music, and Led Zep has been guilty of such as well (Dazed & Confused (http://www.geocities.com/shindig_magazine/pdf/dazed.pdf) by Jake Holmes & Nobodys Fault But Mine by Blind Willie Johnson for example). It is the way of the business.

Ñólendil said: "I'm not one of those that only likes the "fast and loud" songs." I'm just clarifying here that I love Zeps mellower music, for Zep I & Zep III are a couple of my favorite albums. On IV, I think Battle of Evermore is a way better song than Stairway. I just never really cared for that song is all. I know I'm in the minority here when it comes to liking/not liking that song, but then, I always have been since the album's release. :)

[BeardofPants]

No, you're not the only one. :) I've just started listening to Zep recently and I'm just not sold on Stairway to Heaven. I guess it's because it's not as ... hmm... I dunno... complicated? as some other stuff that I've listened to. Not that I'm trying to be a musical snob or anything, but Battle of Evermore and Kashmir are just brilliantly written - and it seems that that is what Stairway to Heaven *should* be like. Eh, not that I have anything against it, cos it's an okay song in a folksy way - but Bob Dylan does them better... Okay, now I really am rambling! :o :eek:

[Comic Book Guy]

My opinion is that Led Zeppelin's best folk song is "Going to California", it's a very 'soft' song. I love the Battle of Evermore until it gets to the weird ending, I don't understand it.

[BeardofPants]

Originally posted by Comic Book Guy
I love the Battle of Evermore until it gets to the weird ending, I don't understand it.

The lyrics, or the music?

[Comic Book Guy]

The music, it doesn't fit in with the rest of the song.

[azalea]

What are your favorite songs off of each album?

I = How Many More Times
II = Bring it on Home
III = Since I've Been Loving You
IV = Battle of Evermore
Houses of the Holy = No Quarter
Physical Graffiti = Ten Years Gone
In Through the Out Door = In the Evening
And I forget what comes next, was Achilles Last Stand on Coda? If so that's my favorite on that. Did I miss one?
EDIT: Achilles' Last Stand is on PRESENCE; my favorite off of Coda is Poor Tom.
second edit: okay, if I get to pick a song off of each of the 2 PG albums I pick Bron-yr-aur as my other one.

[Cirdan]

I - "Dazed and Confused"
II - "What Is And What Should Never Be"
III - "That's The Way"
IV - "Rock and Roll"
HH - "No Quarter"
PG - "Kashmir" & "In The Light" (2x album...)
Presence - "Nobody's Fault But Mine"

[Lizra]

"Rock and Roll" is sooooo good!

[olsonm]

I - Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You.
II - Bring it on Home
III - That's the Way
- Four Sticks
HotH - Over the Hills and Far Away
PG I - In My Time of Dying
PG II - In the Light
Presence - Hots on For Nowhere
ITTOD - Fool in the Rain
Coda - We're Gonna Groove

[BeardofPants]

Okay, after much downloading and listening, here is my preliminary list thus far:

I - Your time is gonna come
II - Thank you
III - Tangerine
IV - Battle of Evermore
HH - No Quarter
PG I - Kashmir
PG II - In the Light

I haven't made it past that point yet with the other albums.

[BeardofPants]

In throught the out door: All My Love.