Zeppelin of the Rings???

Before we start, let me excuse the lame title for today's post. I couldn't think of anything catchy and cool. Okay... Let's continue.

Can I start off today by saying that the picture I used for this post is pretty awesome? That being said, what's not left to be said about Led Zeppelin? They've been called many things by many people including the title, Greatest Rock Band of All Time. (My personal pick is The Beatles or Led Zeppelin. I can't pick.) This is easy to agree with after listening to Led Zeppelin, since they've written so many incredible songs, including what I believe to be the greatest rock song ever. (I'll blog about that some other time during Rock Week!)

I think Led Zeppelin is amazing. Jimmy Page is tied for my favorite guitarist of all time. He is an insane guitarist, and every time I listen to the guitar solos in "Since I've Been Loving You" I want to just start playing guitar. Which I usually do. His style of guitar is so unique because it blends folk and rock/metal together so well. He may not look like much, but this guy to the left (Jimmy Page) is one of the greatest rock gods ever. As is all of Led Zeppelin. They rule.

Every one loves Led Zeppelin now. If you don't then there's something wrong with you. However, when Led Zeppelin was first founded, they were not treated well. Their debut album was thrashed for sounding too weird, but today it's considered one of the greatest albums ever written. What's that tell you about our society? We're all jerks. (Like I needed to write the obvious.)

I don't think bands should be considered bad if they're music is different. I love any band that has their own style. (Coheed and Cambria, Pink Floyd, U2 etc.) However, Led Zeppelin has some of the most unique sounding songs, and that's why they've been around for over forty years.

So? Led Zeppelin has awesome sound, and is considered the Greatest Rock Band of All Time by many. But where did they get their inspiration? Hey kids, it's time for Brandon's Useless Knowledge!

The members to Led Zeppelin were all geeks. Their symbols are pretty nerdy. I think it's awesome.

Led Zeppelin received a large amount of inspiration from the J.R.R. Tolkien novels Lord of the Rings. Wait! What? Lord of the Rings is a book? Yes poopy pants! (Sorry if that offended anyone...) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was published as three separate books in 1954-1955. It was originally intended to be one large book, but Tolkien was convinced by his publishers that no one would read a book that long... which might've be true. Anyways, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant read Lord of the Rings and were touched by the messages of the books. The stories and characters of the books greatly influenced the lives of the members of Led Zeppelin spiritually, physically and musically.



Isn't strange that the books inspired Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to move out into the country together? They moved into the country together where they tried to get more in tuned with nature. Why? I have no idea, but as a Lord of the Rings junkie, I found this awesome. My favorite bands and I have a similar passion. (Go us nerds!)

Musical, Led Zeppelin has written several songs that contain very detailed lyrics and references from Lord of the Rings. The song "Ramble On" has lines that directly refer to characters from the books and it even includes fun little lines that only the big fans/geeks will notice. The first line in the song, "Leaves are falling all around," is a direct reference to a poem Legolas sings in the book. The song even mentions the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and his encounters with the creature Gollum.

"T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor I met a girl so fair. But Gollum, and the evil one crept up"

Doesn't that sound strangely familiar? Led Zeppelin didn't stop there though. The song "Battle of Evermore" is all about the battle of Pelenor Fields. It includes references to Aragorn as the Prince of Peace, the Nazgul and more. The song Misty Mountain Tops is a reference to the Dwarves, in Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp they sing about a dog named Strider (Aragorn) wandering through the woods. Stairway to Heaven can also be interpreted to have Lord of the Rings references, however I've never read any official information confirming that it does or doesn't refer to the Lord of the Rings... The list goes on, but I'm getting tired.

In the end Led Zeppelin and Lord of the Rings were an awesome combination. What more can you ask for? The only better thing would be if a magical Leprechaun brought you beer. (Not saying I drink. But that would be pretty cool.) So, hopefully you learned something today. Now go and tell your mother the uselesss knowledge you learned! By the way, Happy Birthday Jordan. :)