Music Monday: Led Zeppelin

About a week ago, I was talking with a family member who is a big fan of the Temptations. I had to really rack my brain to think of some Temptations songs..."Sugar Pie Honey Bunch"...."My Girl"...that was it. And further research revealed that "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" isn't even the name of the song, it's actually "I Can't Help Myself."

This got me thinking about my musical blind spots. So, during my hour-long drive to work I would play a little game. I'd name a famous artist or group and see how many of their songs I could list. With Simon and Garfunkle I could quickly reach 10 and the Beatles was even easier to get almost 20 (and that is not just because my sons have been dominating Beatles RockBand this last week.) Early exposure to these greats certainly had an influence on me.

But with other famous bands, I didn't fare so well. Sure, I'd heard of them, but I couldn't ID much of their music. Rolling Stones: 2 (Satisfaction and Paint it Black) Pink Floyd: 2 (Money and Another Brick in the Wall). The Eagles: 1 (Hotel California). And then I came to a band that I couldn't name a single song for. Led Zeppelin.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame described Led Zeppelin's relation to the seventies thus: "as influential in that decade as the Beatles were in the prior one." If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will. Again and again, they are listed as one of the greats. So I've been perusing their work this week. Of course, I have heard their songs before. But now I can say, nonchalantly, "Oh, that's "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin." So when I started listening to "Stairway to Heaven" I actually bust out laughing. The song is forever tied in my brain to a terrible interpretive dance I saw at prom talent show. The dance, like the song, just went on and on, but the confidence of this girl was unwavering as she sashayed her across the stage, pirouetting, leaping, emerging from a cocoon. It is all seared into memory. At one point she tripped over a microphone cord but quickly recovered with a smile and a shoulder shimmy.

Robert Plant's banshee vocals, Jimmy Page's guitar ripping, John Bonham's soul-pounding drums and John Paul Jones on bass creates quite an experience, and it easy to see how they became the screaming voice of a lost generation. I hope you'll tolerate it for a week before yelling down the basement stairs at me to "Turn that noise down!!!"

Any musical blind spots you'd like to confess?