It's been quiet from me again for about a week, but have no fear, I am back again... I have known this was the song I would play today for quite some time - I just had to think about the approach for a minute or so (maybe 10,000 minutes, but who's counting). Anyway - the song is No Quarter and the artist is Led Zeppelin. And the version is from Celebration Day, so it is only 10 years old, and it features Jason Bonham on drums.
I think this might start my trinity series... I have three favorite Led Zeppelin songs that tower over anything else they've done, so I started thinking about finding three songs from other bands as well - especially if there is one of them I haven't played yet. For Led Zeppelin, my trinity is When The Levee Breaks from their fourth album (1971), Kashmir from Physical Grafitti (1975), and today's song, No Quarter, from Houses Of The Holy (1973) - although I play the live version from 2007.
I still remember when I got Houses Of The Holy. I bought it on cassette tape, and it wasn't very expensive. I remember wondering about the song titles, especially D'yer Mak'er, wondering how the hell I was supposed to pronounce that (hint: Jamaica - but that took a lot of reading of their history to figure out). But I had no expectations at all to No Quarter, a song that came out of nowhere and swept me off in a blizzard, because that is what I am feeling (the winds of Thor are blowing cold). This is John Paul Jones' finest moment in Led Zeppelin - his electric piano completely owns this song. And Jimmy Page's guitar isn't far behind. Bonzo's drumming was always understated on this song - but in his son Jason Bonham's hands, it gets even better. And Robert Plant... Well... He is Robert Plant. He is releasing a new solo album on Friday, and I am excited about that.
But to me, No Quarter is simply one of Led Zeppelin's finest moments - regardless of version. And I hope you will enjoy it as well...
As if on cue, today's song was one of the two songs that gave rise to the title of the compilation album from yesterday. Stairway to Heaven was released on the fourth Led Zeppelin album in 1971, and has grown immensely in stature over the years. I have been tired of it. Really tired of it. To the point where I have thought that it has been one of the most overrated songs in rock history. Yet today I am playing it. I am remembering back to 1985. JFK Stadium in Philadelphia (these were the days before corporate sponsorships). The massive anticipation of a possible Led Zeppelin reunion following John Bonham's death in 1980. I wasn't awake when it happened, but we had it all taped on VHS, so I did get to see it. It was Jimmy Page and Robert Plant - and that was all that mattered to me then. Phil Collins is a good drummer, but he ain't no Bonzo. Watching it now it is really cringeworthy, but back then I was caught up in the moment. "Does anyone remember laughter?" Robert Plant's question just really doesn't sit right with me, but it is imprinted in my brain.
So after a while I soured on Stairway to Heaven. But then, in 2003, they released the live album How the West Was Won, and Pagey's guitar is amazing. Not in the solo part, but in how he fills in all the other little pieces. And I had to start listening again. In 2007, ten years ago, they performed at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, and that is in all likelihood the last time they will play together. On drums, they had a great person to fill his dad's shoes: Jason Bonham. The concert was fantastic. It is released on DVD as Celebration Day. It is mind blowing how good they were. And it is even more mind blowing that they turned down a lot of money to go back on tour. Bonham, Page, and Jones were reportedly willing, but not Robert Plant. And I really respect that decision. They got to do a proper goodbye in massive style, and they got to do Ahmet Ertegun proud. He signed them and had a huge part in their success.
But today we go back to Headley Grange in 1971. Led Zeppelin had set up shop there to record their fourth studio album, and it did yield spectacular results, from acoustic romps (The Battle Of Evermore) to bluesy footstomping hard rockers (When the Levee Breaks). And there, at the end of side one, is the song that bridges both sides of Led Zeppelin - and both sides of the album. Stairway To Heaven. It starts out as a nice acoustic ballad, turns around on Pagey's blazing solo (he doesn't shred, but you can feel every note of the solo hit your spine), and explodes with Plant's fury before it is all subdued in the end, with the afterglow of "...and she's buying a stairway to heaven." It is a great song. And although I find it to be overplayed, I can't deny the power it holds.
I knew it would be easy. The guitarist was of course Jimmy Page, the band was Led Zeppelin, and the song was Kashmir from Physical Graffiti (1975). I love this song - the riff draws me in fully every time, it is one of the all time greatest rock riffs in my opinion. And while Jimmy Page shines here, it is the arrangement work of John Paul Jones that is the star in my opinion. I believe he is one of the most underrated musicians of all times, and his contributions to Led Zeppelin cannot be overstated despite that Page and Plant get the spotlight and the tragedy of John Bonham also overshadows him. I love the way he plays the bass - but his keyboard work on many songs (take No Quarter, for instance) is also spectacular.
Now as for tomorrow's question, the link is John Paul Jones. He played on a song by THE elder statesman of British rock and pop (he was always more pop than his counterpart in a very popular band). Since it's Christmas, I will give you an easy one and ask for this person's band as the fifth question. I am still looking for a song, album, and year from this artist as well. I would like to give you one more hint about the song - it was originally on his first solo album following the demise of his second band, and the first album after his counterpart was shot - but the album I am looking for, where John Paul Jones plays bass on the song (which is kinda ironic, given...), was also a movie soundtrack. I haven't seen the movie, and to be honest, I don't think I want to... That should do it...
I am repeating what I did yesterday and digging out a post from November 2008. I might continue this at least tomorrow as well, and then we'll see when we get to Thanksgiving. Anyway, here goes:
There are so many love songs out there that it is sometimes hard to find the right one. However, this little song by Led Zeppelin, found on their momentous second album, Led Zeppelin II, has just about everything I could ask for in its lyrics. Yes, it is sappy, but it is sappy in such a good way - just listen to those words:
If the sun refused to shine
I would still be loving you
When mountains crumble to the sea
There will still be you and me
I have to confess that I don't remember the rest of the words, but after looking them up, I decided against citing them here. It did turn a little sappier than I expected - but the four lines above have always moved me deeply. Add to it a cute melody and a spine-chilling guitar workout by master Page, and you have a true masterful love song. And Plant's vocals are outstanding - I have always liked the Unledded version where he goes "bam ba-bam ba-bam ba-bam - I wanna thank you" over the organ punctuated by the guitar/rest of the band.
However, the Unledded version does lack the rhythm section that really made Led Zeppelin great. John Bonham is unfortunately no longer with us, but John Paul Jones, to me the true unsung hero of Led Zeppelin is still around - and the footage from London's O2 Stadium in 2007 with Jason Bonham on drums was spectacular.
The last time I published this, I used the version from Unledded, but today I am going for the original from Led Zeppelin II. Please enjoy Thank You!
Today marks my fifth anniversary as a naturalized American citizen. That means I had spent twelve years here before I decided that it was time to recognize the fact that this is my new home - even though I still talk about Norway whenever I talk about home. I am thinking that today is a good day as ever to try to write down my memories about the immigration process I had to go through - the process so many Americans seem to think is way too easy.
When I initially decided to get married to an American citizen and move here, I had to apply for a K1 visa, also known as a fiancée visa. We started the process when I was over here visiting my now ex-wife, so it started in February 1999. The paperwork was extensive - my ex-wife had to guarantee that she would sponsor my stay and assume financial responsibility for me for a five-year period, and there were triplicate copies of the application form that had to be filled out by both of us. I think we had requested the form before I left, but we ended up having to mail them back and forth between Norway and the US. I had to have a chest x-ray, blood work, and a physical by one of very few approved doctors in Norway. That meant that I had to travel to Oslo. To save on travel expenses, I tried to do that on the same trip as I would get the visa itself. Luckily I had relatives in the area and my dad's car, as he was working in Australia that summer. I greatly enjoyed my stay with my aunt Anicken and uncle Arne - I could talk about them for a long time, they are such great people and I am happy to be a part of their family - they provided a quiet and low-stress environment for me at a very stressful time. I was under the gun - this was late July, and I was supposed to fly out August 5. I did get the visa and was good to go.
When you arrive in the US under the K1 visa, you have to get married within a certain period of time - I think it was three months, but we had it scheduled for one week later. Then the immigration process is such that when you first come over and get a work permit, you get a temporary one. All of that happened in 1999 for me. It is a cumbersome process, and since it regionalized based on where you live, you may have to travel great distances to get to the right office. In 1999, I had to get fingerprinted in St. Louis and then I was processed through the Chicago INS office. While it was cumbersome, it did go smoothly, and I was soon the proud owner of a temporary residency card and a work permit.
In 2001, my temporary residency card was converted to a permanent residency card. In order to get through this process, I had to get my tuberculosis check and a physical with a civil surgeon. I had just moved to Greenille, Michigan from Robinson Illinois at this time, and finding a civil surgeon took a little bit of time - and I am not just talking about finding one to schedule an appointment with, but also actually finding the office since I was that new to the area. To complicate matters further, the TB shot I had received as a child in Norway made me test positive on the pirquet test, so I needed a chest x-ray. It all went well, and I got my appointment for the interview to become a Legal Permanent Resident. It was scheduled for September 20, 2001. Yeah. There was a lot of nervousness in the air when we went to the INS office in Chicago for the interview, but once we were in there, things were a lot calmer.
It is really interesting seeing immigration lawyers calling their clients names. They clearly don't know each other most of the time - it seemed like they met for the first time right then and there. We had done this on our own, so we were nervous, but we had thorough documentation (thanks to my very meticulous ex-wife) - and we had the ace up our sleeve: Not only did we have a joint bank account, but we also had our first child. Everything we had read and heard about the process was wrong for us. It was a breeze. Of course, having her be a college instructor and me employed by the same college helped - the only thing they balked at was that we had come to the Chicago office since we had moved to Michigan and now belonged to the Detroit office, but even that was forgiven and I got my permanent residency. I know it didn't go as smoothly for everyone there, though. I remember people coming up to the immigration officer I interviewed with, asking for her to reconsider.
Almost ten years later, it was time to renew the permanent residency, and INS had become USCIS. At this point, with two daughters and a solid career here, it was clear that I wouldn't be moving back to Norway. The only reason to hold on to my citizenship there was an emotional one. And since my emotions are tied more strongly to civic engagement and participation than to any sense of nationalism, I decided it was time to apply for citizenship instead. Once again there was a little bit of a process - and a lot bit of cost, as every single form has a fee attached to it. The paperwork was filled out in May or June, I believe, and I had my interview in Detroit in September, the morning after a massive rainstorm had left part of Detroit and its roadways flooded. The citizenship test I took was not very extensive - I just had to answer some basic questions about who Michigan's senators were, who the president was, and a few more about the political process. Being a political junkie, it was really easy for me - and I think the ease with which I did answer the questions helped in my determination. I then had to sit and wait before I was called back and told that I was approved and that the citizenship oath could be taken at the Gerald Ford museum in Grand Rapids on November 16.
On the day, my family was there with me - my wife and two kids, and my mother-in-law. We were also joined by my very good friend Kathleen Owens, who just left GR to live closer to her kids in North Carolina. The ceremony is something I would encourage every American to attend. The unbridled joy on display for people who have waited and dreamed of this citizenship should be a very different patriotic jolt for jaded American citizens whose idea of patriotism is an uncritical chanting of U-S-A, U-S-A... I am not saying all American citizens are jaded - but for those who are, this is a great thing to watch. Also, for those dismayed over the direction the USA is heading, seeing this will remind you of the ideals this country truly is trying to uphold.
Some people have asked if I regret giving up my Norwegian citizenship in lieu of the latest election results. And I don't. When things don't go your way, giving up and leaving may be the comfortable thing to do, but I am here to stay. Not even Donald Trump as president will change that.
The song for the day is very appropriate. Led Zeppelin from their third album. I do come from the land of the ice and snow. Enjoy this Immigrant Song!
January 12, 1969, was when Atlantic Records unleashed a juggernaut on the unsuspecting public. After The Yardbirds started dissolving in 1966, their latest added member, guitarist Jimmy Page, who had worked as a highly sought after session musician, wanted to keep the band going under the name The New Yardbirds. Fellow session musician John Paul Jones joined him on bass (and keyboards) - they had done work together on the Mickie Most produced Beck's Bolero (my dad had an album with Mickie Most produced songs that included this track and a few other great songs of the mid to late sixties) - and they found Robert Plant singing with the Band of Joy, who in turn recommended the thunderous John Bonham - or Bonzo - as a drummer.
They were initially granted permission to use the name The New Yardbirds to fulfill some Yardbirds obligations in Scandinavia, but had to change their name once that tour was over. Keith Moon of The Who eventually provided inspiration for the name, stating that it would "go over like a lead balloon" leading to the name Led Zeppelin. Surviving recordings from the Scandinavia tour clearly shows the force of this new band - but the best evidence is the tour-de-force of an opening album that starts out with Good Times Bad Times.
Those drums. Those thundering drums. That's all you hear as this song starts, and they keep on driving the song throughout.
When I purchased Led Zeppelin's fourth album from a used record store located behind EPA, one of the bigger department stores in Trondheim - and my favorite, because they had an ice cream counter there that sold strawberry soft serve ice cream (or even a twist with strawberry and vanilla). Anyway, I saw this album cover that had a picture of an old man carrying a bunch of sticks hanging on a wall with disintegrating wallpaper around it. I had no idea what it was, but the guy running the store was Geir Otnes, an older kid from my neighborhood who sang in the band Team, which gave him instant rock-star status in my early teenage eyes, and he pointed out that it had Stairway To Heaven on it. Now I have to confess that I actually didn't know the song yet - but I had heard of it, and that was enough for me at that time in my life (ah - who am I kidding - I am pretentious enough to still let reputation be enough for me to pursue music. What can I say? It's an approach that has worked for me). The album didn't appear to have a name - but there were four symbols that showed up - one for each of the band members. It was their fourth album, and since the previous ones had been named Led Zeppelin I-III, it is most commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV
The album had a gatefold sleeve, which was a trait usually reserved for double albums, and when I opened it up, most of the inside was black, but along the top edge was something that looked like a wizard on the edge of a cliff overlooking a village with a lantern that held a star. Turning it from landscape to portrait orientation, it was magical and mystical in a way that can't be captured in a booklet that is 5" by 5" - or online. That awe-inspiring approach to artwork is what I miss the most about vinyl records. Pulling out the record sleeve, it was paper that to me appeared as parchment - and it had the lyrics of Stairway To Heaven on it, filling one side completely. The other side of it listed the songs and credits, and it featured the four symbols.
I bought the record, took it home, and put it on the turntable. As the needle dropped, the static gave way to a barely perceptible guitar sound before Robert Plant wailed "Hey, hey mama, said the way you move's gonna make me sweat, it's gonna make me groove..." Black Dog was an instant hit with me, and followed by Rock And Roll it is a great one-two punch that leaves you reeling. Another rocking song there would knock anyone to the floor, so they put in The Battle of Evermore, showcasing their folk influences and using Sandy Denny from Fairport Convention to duet with Robert Plant. And that's where they lost me when I first listened to the album. In my eyes, they barely recovered with Stairway to Heaven, which, even though I love the song, is one of the most overrated songs in rock history (and the subject of a current plagiarism law suit). Side B followed a similar pattern, although Misty Mountain Hop and Four Sticks were far from as powerful as Black Dog and Rock and Roll - but Going To California was as much of a buzzkill for my 13-14 year old self as The Battle of Evermore had been on Side A.
But then there were drums. John Bonham's thunderous approach to the rhythm of Memphis Minnie's When The Levee Breaks was amplified by the echo in a staircase of Headley Grange, a run down former poorhouse that was converted to a studio by the use of the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, which has been used for both studio and live recordings by a multitude of bands, including it's owners, The Rolling Stones. Jimmy Page's guitar riff follows, and Robert Plant plays a mean harmonica on top of it. John Paul Jones' bass is almost not heard in the beginning, but it is there, following the guitar riff - and becomes more obvious on the break between verses. This is a great example of the power of Led Zeppelin, and is to me one of the highlights of their recording career.
Today when I listen to their fourth album, I can honestly say that I love all 8 songs, but the song that always makes me come back for more is the album closer - and just remember that "if it keeps on raining, the levee's gonna break"
Ever since I heard Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast and not much later watched the movie The Omen, the number 666 has been high on my list of interesting numbers. Since I am not a Christian, this interest is more curious, especially in how this number came to symbolize evil (if I were, I doubt I would focus as heavy on Revelations as the current rapture believers (I almost called them a rapture cult)). So, when I drove to Molde with my friend Hanne Kapelrud - I must have been in my early twenties - I simply had to turn down onto state highway 666 when I saw the sign. What I didn't expect was how this little detour would make me feel.
Hanne and I were on our way to visit a gathering of teetotalers in Molde, about 3-4 hours drive from our hometown, Trondheim. It was a strictly social event for us, and our spirits were high on our way there. The weather wasn't the best, but it wasn't horrible either, and we had Led Zeppelin's first album playing on the car stereo. It was getting dark, and Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You had given way to You Shook Me and, finally, Dazed and Confused. That's when we saw it: the white rectangle symbolizing a state highway with the number 666 in it. The decision was immediate. I turned on my turn indicator, and exited on to state highway 666.
We were not going to go far, but the rain had intensified and the darkness was embracing the car, the wet, black night sucking all reflections out of the headlights. Dazed and Confused entered its psychedelic section, and I could not find a place to turn the car around. Right then and there, I felt like we were sucked down this road with no recourse - and the stereo spewed out the doom of Jimmy Page attacking his guitar with a violin bow.
Now it couldn't have lasted very long, but it felt like it did. The feeling stayed with me, and it is revisited every time I listen to Dazed and Confused from Led Zeppelin's eponymous debut album. Please enjoy!
There are so many lovesongs out there that it is sometimes hard to find the right one. However, this little song by Led Zeppelin, found on their momentous second album, Led Zeppelin II, has just about everything I could ask for in its lyrics. Yes, it is sappy, but it is sappy in such a good way - just listen to those words:
If the sun refused to shine
I would still be loving you
When mountains crumble to the sea
There will still be you and me
I have to confess that I don't remember the rest of the words, but after looking them up, I decided against citing them here. It did turn a little sappier than I expected - but the four lines above have always moved me deeply. Add to it a cute melody and a spine-chilling guitar workout by master Page, and you have a true masterful love song. And Plant's vocals are outstanding - I have always liked the Unledded version where he goes "bam ba-bam ba-bam ba-bam - I wanna thank you" over the organ punctuated by the guitar/rest of the band.
However, the Unledded version does lack the rhythm section that really made Led Zeppelin great. John Bonham is unfortunately no longer with us, but John Paul Jones, to me the true unsung hero of Led Zeppelin is still around - and the footage from London's O2 Stadium from last year with Jason Bonham on drums was spectacular. My plea is simple: Robert Plant, please join Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones on an upcoming tour with Jason Bonham on drums. It won't work with anybody else - it's like Queen without Freddie Mercury. If you do, I'll celebrate Thanksgiving every day for a year!
At that point, my lunch break appears to be over, and I'd better get back to work again. I leave you with the Unledded version of Thank You - please sit back and enjoy!
