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Aug. 13, 2005 There are some people who are bigger led heads than me, but there are not many. In the evening when the day is done and it's time for me to look out my back window at the sunset and stare over the hills and far away, I still like to crack open a few cold ones and listen to good old Led Zeppelin. I try to limit myself to three beers, but if I go over the limit, it's nobody's fault but mine; drinking more than three beers sometimes makes it feel like my head's been trampled under foot. It's been more than ten years gone since I've listened to Led Zep with a fellow led head, and they would probably consider as heresy what I'm about to propose. It's time to retire "Stairway to Heaven" from radio play lists. "Stairway to Heaven" has always been Led Zeppelin's most popular song with the general public, but most led heads agree it's one of their worst songs. And it's not strictly resentment at the song because it's overplayed. Every led head that I've known would not rank the song in their top ten list of favorite Led Zeppelin songs. Compared to "Heartbreaker," "Custard Pie," or "For Your Life," "Stairway to Heaven" is a bore. Led Zeppelin IV is one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time, and I still like listening to it with the exception of "Stairway to Heaven." "Black Dog," and "Rock and Roll" still get a lot of air time, but I'm not tired of those songs. When the radio plays "Stairway to Heaven," however, I fell a little outraged. Couldn't they fry our heads with "For Your Life" instead? Turning the dial from the corporate-owned radio networks to a more modern progressive rock station leads to an uneven alternative. Most modern rock bands are Nirvana or Metallica wannabees, and frequently, they are terribly unoriginal. Some modern rock is quite good, but the majority is a whole lotta noise. The progressive rock stations will throw in Ozzie or AC/DC occasionally, but then they use the words "ancient" or "dinosaurs" when referencing the music. They would do well to throw in a few more dinosaurs on their play lists such as the Scorpions, Blue Oyster Cult, and Jimi Hendrix. But one dinosaur that progressive rock stations should keep off their play lists is "Stairway to Heaven," unless it's been done by Dred Zeppelin, the band that consists of an Elvis impersonator who does reggae versions of Led Zeppelin hits. One Led Zeppelin song that Dred Zeppelin has not copied is "Stairway to Heaven," and they have good reason not to. "Stairway to Heaven" is so tired that even Dred Zeppelin won't do it. ------------ About the author Mark Gelbart: My book, Talk Radio, is a black comedy about a radio talk show host who gets kidnapped and psychologically tortured by a loser. www.mark-gelbart.com Email: agelbart@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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