Patterico's Pontifications

6/8/2013

Saturday Night Music

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 11:00 pm



Taurus, by Spirit.

Led Zeppelin opened for Spirit early in their careers, and heard this song live. You will not have to listen closely to hear the inspiration for Stairway to Heaven.

(h/t D.L.)

33 Responses to “Saturday Night Music”

  1. Thieving bastiges!

    Gazzer (1b70d8)

  2. and then Uncle Jack took out teh Fresh Garbage…

    Colonel "Icy" Haiku (fa70e5)

  3. Saw Spirit open for Cream in ’68 at teh Anaheim Convention Center and it was… Awesome!!!

    Colonel "Icy" Haiku (86ce72)

  4. Now I feel bad for not giving you a heads up that there’s a forty-eight hour Perry Mason marathon on the Hallmark movie channel. There’s still twenty more episodes to go, though.

    nk (875f57)

  5. Greetings:

    Back in the summer of ’68, I was doing some of my military service down in Georgia. One Sunday, I managed to call my Big Sister who was summering on the then somewhat larger Jersey Shore.

    Part of her update was that she had be to a Joe Cocker concert the night before and it was great but the opening act was awful. Led Zeppelin was what she called them.

    De gustibus, non argumentum.

    11B40 (558944)

  6. LZ needs to add a credit for Randy California.

    Captain Ned (401d83)

  7. FWIW, I once heard a Zeppelin song on Sirius’ “Deep Tracks” that sounded like a sibling of Yes’ Roundabout, and I wondered who did which first. I still wonder, if someone out there knows what I am talking about and has an answer.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  8. Writer Iain Banks has died. Cancer at the age of 59.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  9. We all thought Randy California was so hot. Loved going to see Spirit at the old Golden Bear in Huntington Beach.

    Dana (ee9cef)

  10. nice..

    The Emperor (15596f)

  11. At least Led Zepellin didn’t steal my phone records or stick the I.R.S. on me !

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  12. Dana, one of my closest friends (a person I only met much later as an adult) was born, grew up, teen-aged, and went to college in golden California during its most golden days. I would never in a million years trade my later life with hers–but of those early Cali years I’m sort of jealous.

    elissa (819385)

  13. Don’t worry, elissa, Governor Jerry ‘Moonbeam’ Brown and the rest of the left wing brigade keeps promising us that a new golden age of California is just around the corner.

    If we only give them more money, they’ll make it happen. Or something.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  14. Elephant Stone don’t turn this thread into another political right wing, left wing brawl. keep it as it is; a thread about music, good music. 🙂

    The Emperor (ca9435)

  15. The Emperor, ha, ha, I’m sorry if my obviously cheeky dig at Governor Moonbeam struck a sensitive nerve with you.
    Elissa and I happen to agree on politics, so it isn’t a “right wing, left wing” brawl.

    Since “Goin’ to California” is one of Led Zeppelin’s best known songs, I feel that a crack about California’s golden age is within bounds.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  16. okay dude…

    The Emperor (d25300)

  17. #9 Kevin M — Yes, Iain (M.) Banks passing is a shock, it was only in April he said he had less than a year. One of the world’s greatest imaginations is gone. RIP, my condolences to his family and many friends.

    htom (412a17)

  18. @ #8 MD in Philly:

    I think you’re referring to “Black Mountain Side”, released on LZ’s first album, recorded in October 1969 and released in January 1969 (US) and March 1969 (UK). Yes’ Fragile was released in November 1971.

    Here’s “Black Mountain Side”:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbsquT1zamE

    Captain Ned (401d83)

  19. Make that October 1968

    Captain Ned (401d83)

  20. Actually Captain Ned, that wasn’t it, but I went to the trouble of looking it up myself on an alphabetical list of Zeppelin songs. iwas thinking it was something about the Iliad and the Odyssey or some such Greek epic, and sure enough, looking from a to Z, was Achilles Last Stand.

    Of course, the thing about Roundabout and many Yes songs is you need to ask, “just what part of that song does it sound like”.
    It may be that just the base riff at the beginning of Achilles sounds like a base riff in one part of roundabout
    and what I see about Achilles says it was released in 76 or such.

    Interested in your opinion if you want to take the time.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  21. I meant to say thanks for the effort there, Captain Ned.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  22. Three points to make here…
    Randy California took one tab too many and thought he was channeling teh late Jimi Hendrix for a while there…

    Not many bassists as talented as Chris Squires of Yes…

    That Spirit song (I’ll have to research) that had a lyric something like “death falls so heavy on my soul” was awesome! So awesome, I’ll have to find and post it.

    Colonel Haiku (879b60)

  23. Oh, and Led Zep stole almost their entire catalog, mostly from old blues men.

    Colonel Haiku (879b60)

  24. And the late country Dick Montana and his band did their version of “Stairway” with its lyrics put to the theme from Gilligans Island. Zep sued to keep it off the air, teh weak suck sods.

    Colonel Haiku (198f23)

  25. The Colonel makes a good point…American blues artists such as Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Charley Patton, Son House, Skip James, et al, were hugely influential upon rock in general, but especially the British blues-rock explosion of the ’60s—Stones, Clapton, Zep, etc.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  26. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek post some years back claiming that Led Zepplin actually got its inspiration for “Stairway” from a 1967 Mormon children’s song called “Stairway of Lasting Joy”. My wife happened to play it on the piano, and I thought, “Gee, that sounds familiar.”

    Heh.

    bfwebster (e0c464)

  27. Man, do I ever miss the Golden Bear back in 60’s HB.

    Dirty Old Man (0a4088)

  28. @ #21 MD in Philly:

    Yep, I can clearly see the resemblance in Achilles Last Stand. And yes, you’re also right in asking what part of Roundabout it sounds like.

    Achilles is from the album “Presence”, recorded in 18 days in Nov/Dec 1975 with Plant in a wheelchair after a bad car wreck, and released March 31, 1976.

    Captain Ned (401d83)

  29. Thanks Captain Ned

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  30. Golden Age of R&R, dirty ol man!

    Colonel Haiku (1cfc51)

  31. The entire first album by Spirit is awesome.

    This link is to the album; 11 original tracks and 4 bonus tracks.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLkekPi9qsY

    JoeH (942134)


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