Prepare Yourself For...Woodstock!

In celebration of yet another anniversary of Woodstock, Oh By The Way Which One Is Pink? will be Woodstock central for the month of August. But before we begin, a little history about the event.

Woodstock (the original one) was held from August 15-18, 1969, in Bethel, NY on a 600-acre farm. It was originally scheduled until the 17th but the concert ended up spilling over into the 18th due to rain. Over 100,000 tickets were sold prior to the event but they became unnecessary when 500,000 people swarmed the farm to listen to both popular and upcoming acts of the day. It is one of the most pivotal points in music history. 32 acts performed for the half a million people that showed up. It was truly 3 days of peace and music...and a lot of rain.

A few fun facts:
-Originally, only 50,000 people were expected to attend. After the sale of 186,000 pre-sale tickets, only 200,000 people were expected and the venue had to be moved to the 600-acre farm. The event eventually became free for those who hadn't purchased tickets yet due to numbers and organizers deciding to cut the fence the night before the concert due to last minute venue changes.

-Creedence Clearwater Revival was the first famous band to sign on and after they did, more of the big name acts signed on. However, CCR is a little bitter about their experience since they were given a 3:30 am slot and excluded from the Woodstock movie.

-Joan Baez was 6 months pregnant during her performance.

-The Jeff Beck Group was purposely disbanded before Woodstock so the band wouldn't be preserved.

-The Doors cancelled at the last moment because they thought it would be a second rate version of the Monterey Pop Festival, but later regretted the decision.

-On August 17, Sullivan County declared a state of emergency due to the influx of people for the concert. 10,000 National Guard Troops were almost called in to patrol the event.

So prepare yourself for a remembrance of Woodstock for the whole month of August!

In Rainbows

In Rainbows was released in 2007 by the English band Radiohead. It was self-released and the band did something pretty surprising with the album - they let the fans pay whatever they wanted for the album, whether it be 1 cent or 100 dollars. Rainbows ranks #336 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It also happens to be my favourite album produced by Radiohead to date. Also, Radiohead is pretty rad to begin with in case you haven't heard.

The album took two years to record (2005-2007) since the band went on tour in 2006, and many of the songs from In Rainbows debuted on this tour. But don't be fooled by how long it took to put it together: In Rainbows is a pretty intricate and complex album. As a whole, a lot of emphasis is placed on the music and less so on the actual lyrics. If you listen to any of the songs, Thom Yorke (vocalist) makes sure his harmony blends and melds with every song. It's certainly a unique style and it works quite well on this album and fits in with Radiohead's overall style.

In Rainbows artwork, designed by Stanley Donwood

"Nude" was originally written in 1997 and represents the band's merging of minimalist, electronic, and dub influenced musical style with a quiet ballad. "Bodysnatchers" was recorded during what Yorke calls a period of hyperactive mania and was inspired by the book The Stepford Wives and Victorian ghost stories. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" is very caustic and is about the oblivion one feels before passing out say after a night of drinking. Though there is no official concept to the album, Yorke says the album's lyrics are based on "that anonymous fear thing."

Radiohead: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, and Phil Selway.

Any and every song on this album is amazing. The best way to experience it, in my opinion, is to sit down and just listen to it front to back since it's only about 45 minutes long. Then, once you've embraced it, take it on long drives with you, or even short ones - "15 Step" is a sweet song to jam/drive along to. And then go listen to some of their other albums: Kid A, OK Computer, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, and King of Limbs (their most recent). Every album is different and hasn't disappointed me yet.

For tours and band news: www.radiohead.com
Twitters:
Radiohead - @radiohead
Thom Yorke - @thomyorke
Philip Selway - @philipselway

Another Brick In The Wall #3

Click here if you haven't read Part 1 or Part 2.

And now, we continue on our journey with Mr. Pink Floyd. We last him while he was at school, and now he has declared that he doesn't "need [any] arms around me." Though we hears smashing at the beginning of "Another Brick In the Wall Pt. 3", he continues to build his wall.

Pink's Mum

Next, we find Pink conversing with his mother. In "Mother," Pink expresses his fears and asks many questions to his mum and instead of comforting him, she says that "Mama's gonna make all your nightmares come true." In this song, we find that his mother is very controlling and overbearing and she wants him to stay by her side even when he grows up and gets married. Mother encourages Pink to build his wall and says "Of course Mother's gonna help build the wall." In the end, Pink asks "Mother, did it need to be so high?" So is Pink questioning the necessity of the Wall or does he just feel overprotected?  [Fun Fact #1: Nick Mason had a tough time with the time signatures that he turned the drumming duties over to a studio drummer.]

We hear a skylark singing and a child takes our attention away from Pink and his mother by saying "Look, Mummy, there's an aeroplane in the sky." The lyrics describe a memory of the Blitz, the bombing of the UK during World War II. However, in Roger Waters' recent tour, he uses the song as a metaphorical cultural bombing and plays animated videos of corporate logos and religious symbols being dropped from planes.

Pink's wife, portrayed as a Praying Mantis since she seems to feed off of him, a trait of female Mantises.

But Pink is on the move (we can infer this from the airport announcement we hear at the beginning of "Empty Spaces") to America for his big Rock 'n' Roll Tour. This tune has Pink wondering how he should finish building his wall while his marriage is suffering due to his physical distance while on tour and the incomplete wall. But the Wall isn't completed until "Young Lust." Technically, the word "wall" doesn't finish until the bluesy, raunchy song "Young Lust" starts. 


Thus, Pink has found the way to work on the wall: cheating on his wife while on tour. He asks if a "dirty woman" would help "make [him] feel like a real man" since his wife is so cold. The real twist to this song is the ending when Pink calls home collect via telephone operator and a man at his residence picks up the phone and hangs up twice, implying that Pink's wife is cheating on him too. [Fun Fact #2: The collect call recording was done by co-producer James Guthrie while working on the album in LA. He phoned his neighbor in London, pretended that he had caught his wife cheating, and the studio recorded the surprised operator's reaction.]

To hear about how Pink deals with this revelation, look for Part 4, coming soon!

Piece of Cake

Cake was formed in California in 1991, currently consisting of vocalist John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson, and drummer Paulo Baldi. They're known for their sarcastic lyrics, deadpan vocals, and wide range of musical influences from mariachi to funk. My favourite Cake song? "Short Skirt, Long Jacket." I just love all the instruments involved - there's like 12 different ones in the first 20 seconds of the song. And the lyrics are pretty fun and unique. I mean I've never heard a song describe a girl with "fingernails that shine like justice" or "smooth liquidations." They're fairly creative and always fun.

The Cover of the "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" Single

Another popular song of theirs is "The Distance" from 2001's Fashion Nugget. It was pretty big on the radio a few years ago. And all of their albums have the same format: CAKE in big letters in almost always the same font, a single coloured background, and an animation of some sort in the middle with the name of the album nearby.

They also have done a number well-made covers, one of which is of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." You can listen to a sample of it here from their website. You can listen to other bits and pieces of their songs on their website too.

Anyway, these guys are pretty fun and always a good time to listen to. They've got a wide styling of music that's unique and almost always surprising.

For more Cake news go to: www.cakemusic.com

T. Rex: Not Just A Dinosaur

Although T. Rex was only active for 10 years (1969 to 1979), they produced some sweet hits. One of their most famous is "Bang A Gong [Get It On]" which is an awesome song to dance around to.

Originally called Tyrannosaurus Rex, the band was primarily formed by Marc Bolan and Steve Took and started out as a folk band. Around the time the band went electric (1970) and started producing hits, the group shortened to just T. Rex. They started the trend of glam rock, a style in which bands would wear outrageous clothing, makeup and hairstyles and often appeared androgynous (if you're having a hard time thinking of examples, think David Bowie, especially in his Ziggy Stardust days). 

In 1970, T. Rex released "Ride a White Swan," their first pop hit and by 1971, they were Top 20 in the UK.   In the same year, Electric Warrior was released with even more hits on it. A new fever was sweeping the nation, "T. Rex-tasy," the fad that paralleled Beatlemania. The line-up of the band changed a lot through the '70s with Bolan its only constant member.

The classic T. Rex line-up: Bill Legend, Mickey Finn, Marc Bolan, and Steve Currie.

The Slider was released in 1972 and was much more successful in the US than the UK. "Metal Guru" is a great song off the album. In 1973, the release of Tanx marked the end of the classic T. Rex line-up. Bill Legend quit during recording because of Bolan's growing egotism that was fueled by money, success, and alcohol.

In 1974, Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow was released and was reminiscent of the old Tyrannosaurus Rex days when the band was folkier. Soon after, drummer Mickey Finn left T. Rex. 1975 marked Bolan's attempt at going solo with his futuristic album Bolan's Zip Gun. It was gunned down by media since it copied Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, though Bolan maintained that he had been thinking of producing under the pseudonym Zinc Alloy through the '60s.

Electric Warrior - my favourite T. Rex album

T. Rex's penultimate album Futuristic Dragon was released in 1976 and did okay. The band went on TV shows and toured a lot to promote it. Bolan dropped his egomaniac ways and talked about getting back with Took and Finn. Those plans were bashed quickly after the band released their final album in early 1977, Dandy in the Underworld, what was to be their comeback album. Later that year, Bolan died in a car crash, Took died in 1980 from an overdose of morphine and shrooms, and Steve Currie died in 1981 in a car crash as well. Only Finn died from natural causes in 2003.

Though T. Rex had a short life span and an even shorter period of popularity, they still put out some great boogie music and pioneered glam rock. They're often glossed over, but T. Rex definitely stands with the greats of Rock in my books.

RIP Jon Lord

Yesterday, the world lost the co-writer of "Smoke On The Water," Jon Lord. Lord is best known as the keyboardist for mega-band Deep Purple. While in the band, he fused classical and blues music together seen in their tunes "Concerto for Group and Orchestra," "Space Truckin'," "Highway Star," and "Child in Time." Lord said that Deep Purple was "as valid as Beethoven" in an interview with NME in 1973. In their heyday (1970ish), Deep Purple was as popular as Led Zep, The Stones, and Black Sabbath, and sold over 100 million records.  

Lord performing in 2004 in Berlin at a gala.

Lord retired from Deep Purple in 2002 and continued to work on solo projects and collaborations. One of his recent collaborations included working on a single with WhoCares, a supergroup consisting of Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, Black Sabbath guitarist Tommy Iommi, Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain, and Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. Last August, he revealed that he had pancreatic cancer and would be taking a break from touring, but not from writing music as it would be part of his therapy.


Here's to Jon Lord and the hits he wrote for Deep Purple. His music will always live on.

The Story of Syd Barrett

In 1975, Pink Floyd released the album Wish You Were Here. A conceptual album written all by Roger Waters, its about feelings of alienation, remembering former member Syd Barrett, as well as a critique of the music business. The album is definitely one of their more interesting ones to me at least. Fun fact: The cover was shot at the Warner Bros studio complex in California.

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is just one big tribute, split into two halves (Waters' idea), to Barrett. It's a song that shows how fond Waters (and most possibly the rest of the band) felt about him. He is recalled in many lines like "Remember when you were young? You shone like the sun." During the recording of "Crazy Diamond" a fat and bald man entered the studio, presumed to be an EMI staff member. Eventually, the band recognized him as Barrett, their former member. Some of the former band mates were reduced to tears as he sat in on the recording and did not understand its relevance to him. Supposedly, Barrett's conversation was not entirely sensible. He left later without saying good bye and never saw any of the band members again before his death in 2006.

Wish You Were Here album cover

 "Diamond" moves seamlessly into "Welcome To The Machine" which starts with a door opening, the symbol of the musical discovery and progress, and ends with a party, symbolizing the greed of the industry and lack of real contact with people. "Have A Cigar," the song from which this blog is named, further breaks down the music business filled with fatcats with such lines of "we call it riding the gravy train," and "the band is just fantastic, that is really what I think/oh by the way, which one is Pink?" which the band was asked on more than one occasion. The song ends with a radio being tuned to various stations and eventually settles on a station that starts playing "Wish You Were Here."


The title track was recording and produced to sound like it was coming from a radio (the radio part was recorded from the one in David Gilmour's car). It contains lyrics both referring to Barrett's condition as well as the dichotomy that Waters felt within him - an idealist and yet also a domineering personality. To me, it's a song about missing someone whether there is a physical or emotional distance. Also, I think that the line of the "two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" is certainly a unique line. I can listen to this song on repeat for hours. The title track is then followed by the reprise of "Crazy Diamond," and it's just as spectacular as the first half.


If you haven't listened to this album yet, listen to it in its entirety. It's beautiful. It's not the most coherent of concept albums as it hits many points, but it's a beautiful album. Waters knows how to write a good set of lyrics and the band does an excellent job making the music work and make sense.

Why Def Leppard (and Rick Allen) Is So Awesome

Def Lep has put out a ton of great tunes to sing along to, like "Pour Some Sugar On Me." But you know what's my favourite song to jam out to? "Photograph." I was driving into work yesterday (the dreaded weekend work) and this song came on and oh my goodness, if you were travelling on 95 at the same time as me all you heard was a lot of "WOAH"s and "PHOTOGRAAAAAPH" coming out of my little car.

The beauty of "Photograph" is just that it is so much fun to sing along to. I still don't know half the words, but it's a good time anyway. In case you would like to sing along yourself, the song (with lyrics) is included right here:

"Photograph" is from Def's 1983 album Pyromania.

But you know what is the coolest part of Def Leppard? They have a one-armed drummer. In 1984, Rick Allen, aka "Thunder God," lost his left arm in an accident and thought he could no longer play with Def Lep. His band mates in conjunction with Simmons helped build an electric kit for him to play on and in 1986, Allen made his one-armed debut with the band. Originally, the band had a drummer play alongside Allen, but when the extra drummer missed a gig, the band realized that Allen could drum all on his own. Allen is considered one of the Top 10 greatest drummers. Def Leppard went on to releasing Hysteria in 1987, and the rest is history.

For more touring dates and news, visit their website: www.defleppard.com
Twitters:
Def Leppard: @def_leppard
Rick Allen: @rickallenlive
Phil Collen: @philkcollen

The Brown Bomber

Nicknamed after the airship that looms in the brown background over the band, Led Zeppelin II was released in 1969. For many, it was the album that brought them to love Led Zep. To some critics, this is the album that invented heavy metal, thus the double meaning to Brown Bomber since that was heavyweight boxer Joe Louis's nickname and this album packs a pretty big punch. But it's pretty amazing that the album even got made at all.

II was written and recorded while the band was doing a huge tour in the US in 1969. They used random studios located in London, New York, and even Vancouver whenever they had to time to record. Lyrics were written and songs built in hotel hallways after hours. Jimmy Page was flying all over the country during the tour to produce the album when he had time. This album should have been an absolute disaster, but somehow, Led Zep managed to bring the energy of a live performance into an awesome album.

The Brown Bomber

The album had 400,000 pre-orders and became a #1 album in the US. The album starts off with "Whole Lotta Love," a song that would become Led Zep's anthem. The brass and raunchiness of the song can still take you by surprise. This tune also set the structure for future dance songs with a relentless riff, a breakdown, a build, and then a final drop. And this song is a hard to one to follow. One of my personal favorites off the album is "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)." It's got a sweet riff throughout and its a great song to just listen to.


The album ended up outselling Abbey Road (Beatles) and Let It Bleed (Rolling Stones) but was the subject of many lawsuits. "The Lemon Song" started as an honest cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," but Led Zep ended up getting sued for forgetting to give credit where it was due. They were also sued by Willie Dixon when they borrowed some lyrics from Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bring It on Home" for their own song of the same name (which the band maintains was supposed to be a small tribute to him). Despite these lawsuits, the success of Led Zeppelin II showed that Led Zep could pay any price and were a force to be reckoned with in the world of rock.

A Band With a Lot of Beards

Ah, ZZ Top. Formed in 1969 in Houston, TX, the band has kept the same three members, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard, for over 40 years! They were originally rooted in blues, but also added in contemporary influences. Lyrically, they have a superb sense of humor and a love of sexual innuendo.

Their name comes from looking at posters on Gibbons' apartment wall. There were two posters in particular: Z.Z. Hill and B.B. King. The Name "ZZ King" was suggested, but was changed to ZZ Top since the King poster was on the top.

One of their most famous songs, "La Grange," came off their Tres Hombres (1973) album was written about a brothel in La Grange, TX. The tune has a great driving riff, Texan slang, growling guitar, and is all over the blues rock genre. It is considered one of the greatest guitar tracks by Rolling Stone.  It was about in this point in time when Hill and Gibbons grew their chest length beards.

Gibbons and Hill with their trademark beards.

"Sharp Dressed Man" is a personal favorite. It's off of their 1983 album Eliminator, which spawned hits like "Legs," and "Gimme All Your Lovin'." Eventually, "Legs" lead the band to their first MTV award for Best Group Video.

In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where they played "La Grange" and "Tush." Recently, the band announced an upcoming album, their first since 2003's Mescalero, and a single off of it, "I Gotsta Get Paid," appeared on the Battleship film soundtrack.

Keep track of their upcoming album and tour dates: zztop.com
Follow the band on Twitter: @ZZTop

Why I Love "The Ocean"

"The Ocean" is off Led Zep's Houses of the Holy (1973). It's definitely in my Top 10 of favourite tunes. It starts out with a chant by drummer John Bonham and I'm glad they kept the chant and the squeak of his bass pedal in the final recording. "The Ocean" does this really awesome switch between 4/4 time and 7/8 time. Plus I love all how the song has so many pieces to it: the rock verses, the short lull before a huge storm of rock, and the doo-wop at the end. It's a really great example of Led Zeppelin's contributions to the world of rock.

But my connection to "The Ocean" isn't just relegated to its sweet jams. In 2008, my family and I went to Aruba, the place where my mother spent her childhood. We were standing atop a dune looking out at the ocean and my mum told me about how "The Ocean" always reminded her of her life in Aruba and how she and her friends would sing along when it came on the radio.

Houses of the Holy

Now that I live in a place where it's a short trip to the beach, I understand how awesome "The Ocean" is. Sure, the lyrics aren't about how sweet it is to live near the beach, but it talks about the power of the ocean, how it washed away the mountains, and how he can sing to it. And now, my love of "The Ocean" is a connection I have with my mother.

"The Ocean" has its own familial piece to it. Robert Plant wrote in a sweet little love ballad to his daughter Carmen. "Now I'm singing all my songs/to the girl who stole my heart./She is only three years old/and that's a real good way to start." Whenever Led Zep performed the song live, Plant would update the lyrics with her current age.


Just a hint, but there'll be a piece on Led Zeppelin II very soon :)

A Short History of The Who

Formed in 1964 by Pete Townshend, Keith Moon (one of my favourite drummers), Roger Daltrey, and John Entwistle, The Who is yet another well-known British rock band. Their popularity was quickly boosted by pirate radio stations that played their first hit single "I Can't Explain," which was inspired by The Kinks. In 1965, My Generation was released with favourites "The Kids Are Alright" and "My Generation," which was one of the first songs that contained a bass solo.

In 1966, A Quick One was released, but Townshend wanted to make it more cohesive than just a collection of songs. The last track, "A Quick One While He's Away" is their mini rock opera tune. 1967 brought The Who Sell Out, a concept album of an offshore radio station, complete with commercial jingles. This album too had a mini rock-opera called "Rael." From the same album, "I Can See For Miles" became a huge single in the US.

Tommy, their full rock opera album, was released in 1968 and it became a huge landmark in the modern music scene. Tommy tells the tale of a deaf, mute, and blind boy who ends up becoming a leader of a messianic movement. "Pinball Wizard" is a sweet jam off this album. In 1970, The Who became the first rock band to perform in the New York Metropolitan Opera House to perform Tommy in its entirety.

In 1971, The Who put out Who's Next featuring the most excellent "Baba O'Reilly," which is also a great example of early synthesizer use in rock music. Following this was Quadrophenia, the band's second rock opera about a boy named Jimmy who struggles to find his identity.

The Who performing in 1975

In 1975, The Who By Numbers was released and it's fairly dark and a little creepy in contrast with other Who albums. Who Are You was released in 1978 and it was the band's biggest and best selling album. Unfortunately, less than a month after its release, Keith Moon, who is probably most famous for setting his drums on fire, died of a drug overdose. Kenney Jones from Faces replaced Moon. Two albums were produced after the change: Face Dances (1981) and It's Hard (1982) but many fans were not as receptive due to a change in sound. The Who broke up in 1982.

They received a Lifetime Achievement award in 1988 from the British Phonographic Industry and in 2001 from the Grammy Foundation. In 1990, The Who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Follow the band on twitter: @TheWho
For more news about the band: www.thewho.com

Let's Bungle in the Jungle

Formed in 1967, Jethro Tull is a British rock band with its own flair led mainly by Ian Anderson. They started with experimental blues rock, added jazz, classical, rock, and a flute and came up with a really interesting and unique sound. I mean, their music regularly features a FLUTE, how awesome is that?!

While finding their unique sound, the group released Stand Up (1969), their only #1 album in the UK. "Nothing is Easy" is one of the best tunes on it, in my personal opinion. In 1971, their best known work, Aqualung, was released. "Aqualung" is one of my favorite songs and rock along to - it's a got a sweet opening riff. Also, a lot of the songs on the album refer to "the Aqualung" somewhere in the lyrics and I'm a fan of the interconnection. "Locomotive Breath" is also a popular song off the Aqualung album.

Aqualung is considered  a concept album about the difference between religion and God, despite the band's denial. 

In 1972, Thick as a Brick was released and it's a rather unusual album - it has only one track, of the same name as the album, and is 44 minutes long. It was the first dive into the progressive rock category for the band (probably why they're listed in the same category as Pink Floyd and Yes). Then, in 1974, War Child produced fan favorite "Bungle in the Jungle," now a mainstay on some radio stations. 1975's Minstrel in the Gallery is claimed to be the band's best album by die-hard Jethro Tull fans.

The next phase of the band was more folky rock. Three albums were produced in this phase: Songs from the Wood (1977), Heavy Horses (1978), and Stormwatch (1979). At this point, the classic Tull period ended when John Glascock died and Barrie Barlow left because of Glascock's death, leaving Anderson as the sole original member.

Personally, I'm a fan of their music from the original members period of 1967 to 1979. They're still putting out music today (and haven't stopped since formation) and are currently on their Thick As A Brick 2 Tour.

To check out tour dates, go to their website: www.j-tull.com
Follow them on Twitter: @jethrotull

The Most Famous Telephone Number In History (Probably)

On my way to work this morning, I heard this song and realized it's been a while since I've sung along to "867-5309/Jenny." This set of numbers is probably one of the most famous and easily remembered telephone numbers today. Written by Tommy Tutone, 867-5309 is Jenny's telephone number and he's got it.

Now, young me thought that Jenny was a girl that Tommy had a crush on and finally got her phone number from her and he's going to call her soon to ask her out. Alas, grown-up me now knows that he's just looking for a good time and got Jenny's number on the wall of the men's bathroom. So is she a hooker, call girl, escort? Or did one of her friends/ex-boyfriend get pissed off with her and write the number down so she gets calls at all hours of the nights?

You too can help spread the word about Jenny!

My heart goes out to those who have been cursed with those digits as their telephone number. Did the band realize that 555-5309 indicates a fake number and that he would have saved dozens of people the trouble of answering the phone only to hear someone on the end answer "JENNY?! Is that you?"

Unfortunately, the band isn't really known for any other song, so maybe I'll give them a break on that front...

Led Zep: The Beginning

Led Zeppelin, one of the most beloved bands of all time, was really just created to keep some Scandinavian gig commitments in 1968. The Yardbirds, which at the time consisted of Jeff Beck, Keith Relf, Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja, and, of course, Jimmy Page, suddenly broke up while on tour (Fun fact: Page was brought in when Eric Clapton left). Page became the sole remaining member and he and manager Paul Grant had to get a band together to finish up the tour. With some help, he found singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham.

The band played old Yardbirds tunes as well as new songs like "Killing Floor/The Lemon Song" which wouldn't be recorded until Led Zeppelin II. In just weeks, the band learned to play together and threw superb and fluid shows, unusual for a band who had been together for so short a time. But this smashed together group had a lot of chemistry and decided to keep going together, but in a new direction. With all the old links broken from The Yardbirds, in November of 1968 the band revealed their new name: Led Zeppelin.

The members of Led Zeppelin

You may wonder where the name comes from. Keith Moon (the drummer from The Who) quipped that the last Yardbirds line-up would "go down like a lead zeppelin." Page, Plant, Bonham, and Jones decided that they could use the line for an identity change and removed the "a" from "lead" as to avoid pronunciation confusion of the band's name. Thus, Led Zeppelin was born.

In January of 1969, Led Zeppelin was released after a short 36 hours of recording. Every track rated 4 stars or higher on their debut album, which included hits like "Dazed and Confused" (an old Yardbirds tune), "Good Times, Bad Times," and "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You." It's clear that some of their songs had roots in old Yardbirds songs, but it can be seen that Led Zep had their own sound - and they were transforming and rocking the blues genre. The band had incredible power, riffs, and swing, and these qualities would be brought in greater quantities to each successive album in the next 10 years.

Visit their website for even more info: www.ledzeppelin.com
Jimmy Page's Twitter: @jimmypagecom

AMERICA!

Happy Independence Day! There's so many great songs about America in the world, but I think I'll let John Candy show case Springsteen's "Born in the USA" and "Oklahoma" from the musical of the same name. The clip is from 1995's Canadian Bacon where John Candy and company try to declare war on Canada.

In all seriousness, enjoy your 4th of July. Crack a few Buds, light up some illegal fireworks, and sing songs about how you're proud to be American.

Today in Music History: July 3rd

Today, Jim Morrison was found dead in his bath tub in Paris, France in 1971 at age 27. He had a severe drug and alcohol problem, which was most likely cause of death, though no autopsy was performed and the cause on record was heart attack.

Morrison performing with The Doors in 1967

Born in 1943, Morrison was the lead singer and lyricist for The Doors and was also a poet. In 1965, after graduating from UCLA with a degree in film, Morrison helped in the formation of The Doors. The name was taken after Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, a reference to unlocking doors of perception through psychedelic drug use.

Morrison co-wrote some great Doors' hits like "Touch Me," "Light My Fire," "Break On Through (To The Other Side)," and "Love Her Madly." He didn't write his lyrics alongside an instrument, but he made up vocal melodies to go with his lyrics and the band would provide chords to complete the song. Morrison rarely played an instrument at shows or in studio.

There has been and will continue to be speculation with Morrison's death since there was no autopsy. And is the 27 Club a real thing since Morrison is a "member"? Regardless, Morrison was a lyrical genius and participated in the process of creating beautiful music for the masses.

"Hotel California"

"Hotel California" is the quintessential summer song for me. When I hear it on my way home from work, I turn up my bass to full blast, put down the windows, and turn up the volume. It's a great tune to belt out the lyrics to and it's my first day of Summer song. My personal favourite version is the live recording from their 1994 Hell Freezes Over Tour. The dual guitar solo at the end is probably one of my favourite jams.

The Eagles used The Beverly Hills Hotel for the cover of Hotel California (February 1977)

The tune was written by The Eagles, a ridiculously awesome band, and released in 1977. At face value, the story is about a weary traveller who finds himself at an initially inviting and tempting hotel to stay at, but later he finds out that "you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave." But of course, a song like "Hotel California" should not be taken at face value.

"Hotel California" is an allegory about greed, self-destruction, and hedonism in the music industry of the '70s.  It's a song about the underbelly of success and excess in America. Don Henley calls it their interpretation of the high life in LA. Apparently, when the band first drove in to LA, it looked so inviting and like a place where dreams could come true. After years in the industry though, they found the bad part of fame and success.

As far as the debate about the nomenclature of alcoholic beverages is concerned when it comes to the line "So I called to the captain / Please bring me my wine / He said, 'we haven't had that spirit here since 1969,'" don't take that at face value either. Clearly, wine is not a spirit since spirits are distilled and wines are fermented, so it's clearly not a mistake on The Eagles's part. I've always interpreted it to mean that the captain hadn't seen someone with that much life and spirit in a long time, not that he was out of that particular wine. I mean, if you're at a luxury hotel, even a nightmarish one, $10 says they've got a ton of awesome vintages of wine.

It's summer time. Celebrate by listening to "Hotel California" on full blast and enjoy the sweet guitar at the end.

"Everybody Talks"

I know the single came out in March, but I just can't stop dancing around to "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees. It's off their latest album Picture Show. If haven't yet, you can hear a high quality online version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psdJcrNda84&feature=related. And honestly, I have no desire to analyze the lyrics, only the desire to jump around to this song and make the world dance with me.

Everybody Talks Single Album Art (2012)

Neon Trees is from Utah and formed in 2005. You probably heard their single "Animal" in 2010. The name was taken from the neon lit trees outside of In-N-Out Burger restaurants - oddly enough it turns out that one of the members' Dad designed those neon lights that inspired the band.

Anyway, their first album Habits came out in 2010 and is just as great as their new album Picture Show. I've listened to both albums front to back and I don't think there's a bad song on either.

To keep up with Neon Trees tour dates visit their website: www.fameisdead.com

Or follow them on Twitter: @neontrees

The Best (and Worst) of Canadian Music

Happy Canada Day! In celebration, I've made a list of the finest (and most embarassing) musicians and bands hailing from the Great White North. Make sure you grab a poutine before reading.

The Best:
Bachman-Turner Overdrive - "Taking Care of Business" says it all
Website: www.bachmanandturner.com
Twitter: @randycbachman

Tragically Hip - They're from my university town and they turned out some pretty sweet jams, so what's not to love about them?
Twitter: @thehipdotcom
Website: www.thehip.com

Barenaked Ladies - "But not a real green dress, that's cruel"
Website: http://barenakedladies.com/
Twitter: @barenakedladies

Neil Young - "Bruce Springsteen?! He's like the American Neil Young" - Robyn, from How I Met Your Mother
Website: http://www.neilyoung.com/index2.html

Rush - One word: "YYZ"
Twitter: @rushtheband
Website: www.rush.com

Bryan Adams - Yes, he's got the sappy tunes, but you gotta admit, "Summer of '69" is an awesome song!
Website: www.bryanadams.com

The Tragically Hip's album Up to Here (1989)

The Worst:
Nickelback
Celine Dion
Justin Bieber
Avril Lavigne

I think the above artists need no explanation as to why they are all embarrassments to Canada.
That's about it today. Time to grab a Blue and a poutine and celebrate Canada's birthday!