john rah essay

Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions
I was still reluctant to like Led Zeppelin when I was already in college. Their fourth studio album, the man with the faggot of sticks on his back, seemed too blunt. Or contrived. Or something. It annoyed me to see everyone jumping on the band wagon, as they say. I wanted Dizzy or Eddie Harris live at Newport.

I layed my trumpet down after high school and was becoming a fan of blues with guitar.

After getting back from the rocky mountains, my dad helped me move out of the house. Into a different kind of mad house, for all houses are. With my friend who played guitar. We was going to make a band. I had a bass I didn't know how to play and another friend bought a set of drums. Gretsch.

He didn't more in with us. Just his kit.

We painted the Wall on the wall of the basement and the floor on the floor. And egg cartons on the low ceiling.

Nothing much came out of it then. Except two singer song writers.

We had a third room mate for a while. A street rat, like my friend. And I was telling him my problem with this, back then, Led Zeppelin madness.

"You've got to hear the first ones."

This turned out to be true. It didn't take long and I wanted to hear anything but the fourth. Though I did learn Stair Way to Heaven after inheriting the sheet music with my first six string. A friend in college sold it to me. His teacher died so he gave up guitar. My friend. The teacher gave it up. All of if. The life part.

I don't know when I heard the BBC sessions. I never had a copy of it until I saw it in a used CD store. 5 cents short of 8 euros. Bloody hell.

Seldom had I given Euros for music.

But it couldn't be stopped. There was something about it that I'd heard on the radio sometime somewhere that had left it burnt in my mind over 20, or about 20 years.

There are a couple brilliant live Zeppelin collections. The 3CD box set video DVD thing is good if you can afford it. But if not, and you only get to get one on a dessert island. With running water, of course.

Then the BBC sessions for their childish innocence. 20 year old kids much more on it than anyone at the time. Sure, the Beatles were nice but if you want something as sex or masturbation music and Bachman Turner Overdrive doesn't cut it, the raunchy blues rock of the BBC sessions takes you smooth, hard and slow to where you need to go.

Every song smells of sex.

I remember seeing Page and Plant Live open air in Denmark. Not Led heavy but it was very inspirational to see the grin on Jimmy's face from start to finish. He loved playing and guitar is how he did it.

There might be a few guitar players as good but none better.

Anything and everything made you feel what he wanted you to feel. With the feeling that he wasn't really trying.

Playing. A magician. And a living Legend. Something for the kids to look up to. Aspire to.

The gods are us.

Jimmy is humble proof.