The Healing Power Of Rhythm Guitar

I found the best live Led Zep album ever.

A friend of mine bought a huge box full of CDs for $30 at a yard sale and he let me pick through them after he took first dibs. I picked a bunch of later Beatles that I didn’t have (more on that later) a couple early Metallicas (maybe more on that later) and Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes – Live At The Greek.

Good God, the Page album kicks some serious ass. And you know why? Rhythm guitar. Go ahead, try and find me better live Zeppelin. Why the Zeps never bothered to just hire some schmuck to hammer out chords I’ll never know. Big mistake in my book.

Chris Robinson isn’t quite Robert Plant, but he’s damn close. And he’s certainly better than the current croaking Lawr version of Plant. The drummer? Hey, Bonham’s my favorite drummer of all, but I guess this teaches me that it was more his innovative style than difficult technique because I don’t miss anything here. This bass player can’t match JPJ on the Lemon Song solo, but it’s not that big a deal.

This has depth and crunch and balls like nothing Zep ever released live.

If someone were to find some buried old Led Zeppelin live tape and it sounded like this, the entire rock world would shit its pants. I swear to God.

6 thoughts on “The Healing Power Of Rhythm Guitar

  1. Agree completely on Zep and no rhythm guitar live. That is one big difference between us Steve, to me Bonham is nowhere near the top of the drummer list although he did some good shit. He’s good for a certain feel like When the Levee Breaks. Hal Blaine, Charlie Watts, Bennie Benjamin, Panama Francis, Ringo, Paul Thompson, Jerry Nolan and Tommy Ramone, these are the great rocknroll drummers to me, and whoever played the drums on this:

  2. I dunno Gene. Good thing I’m too far away to punch in the stomach, but the Mashed Potato drumming seems pedestrian to me. Although I would have me a wiggly dancer or three. But you connect way more with that early 50s-rock thing than I do. Certainly has to do with the fact that you’re a little older than me.

    As for drumming, I’d like to do an entire study sometime on the Ringo/Don Powell backbeat. I love that shit. Surely Ringo didn’t invent it, but no one can tell me who did.

    Take a look at this great live clip. The Don Powell slammin’ backbeat, Noddy’s heavenly shriek, Hiwatt stacks. Boner city.

    http://youtu.be/z8EBculI-ag

  3. Great version of a fabulous song, no problems with the drums, but should we give him a free pass on the hat? Even if not, we haven’t given Slade enough time.

  4. Love the hat. Dopes like Kanye and Lorde could only wish to dress (or be) half that cool. Shit, let’s hear it for “Noddy” the only one of the three deserving of one-name recognition.

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