Author Archives: Dave Cross

Let It Bleed

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This week’s (ok, it’s actually from a couple of weeks ago – I’m catching up) is the Rolling Stones’ Let it Bleed.

Some Historical Context

My earliest memories of popular music are from the late 1960s. It was a time when the Beatles dominated. But the Stones were the only band who came close to equalling them. That, at least, was the popular belief of that time. Looking back on it now I’m pretty sure that the Beatles’ influence has been overstated. I’m not one of those people who argue that the Stones were the better band. But there’s no question that their career has lasted longer.

I don’t remember the Stones in the 60s. I do remember them in the 70s. I remember seeing the “Only Rock ‘N’ Roll” video on top of the pops. I had a copy of Rolled Gold and that pretty much saw to all of my Stones needs.

In the 80s I had a flatmate who was a huge Stones fan, so I got to know their work far better than I had before. And Let it Bleed was one of his favourites. I got to know it well. But it’s twenty-five years since I heard it. I’m looking forward to hearing it again.

The rest of this blog post will be written as I listen to the album.

The Songs

1. Gimme Shelter

I’ve loved this song since I first heard it. I still love it. I have nothing to add.

2. Love in Vain

This is pretty standard slow blues. It’s a good song and performed well. But anything would struggle to be noticed when following “Gimme Shelter”.

3. County Honk

This was a songs that really surprised me when my flatmate introduced me to the album. It’s a country version of “Honky Tonk Women”. I loved the original (a single that wasn’t on any album) but this version is also really good.

4. Live with Me

Until now, the album hasn’t really sounded like the Stones. The first three tracks have seen them experimenting with different styles. This sounds more like a typical Stones song. And, I’m afraid, it rather suffers for it. One of my least favourite tracks on the album.

5. Let It Bleed

Another one that I remember well from the 80s. I particularly remember that it was really easy to play on the guitar. My flatmate and I used to play it together. The recordings have, thankfully, gone missing. I’d forgotten that some of the lyrics were rather risqué.

6. Midnight Rambler

One the original vinyl, this song opened side two. And it’s a cracking start. It has to be one of the Stones’ best songs.

7. You Got the Silver

Another one that, to be frank, is just a bit of filler. Don’t remember having heard it before.

8. Monkey Man

Not sure about this one either, to be honest. It’s a bit derivative.

9. You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Another absolute classic. One of my all-time favourite songs.

In Summary

Bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. In “Gimme Shelter”, “Midnight Gambler” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” this album has three of the Stones’ finest songs. But there are also two or three songs that are purely filler.

★★★★★

Week Notes 39 & 40

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Blogging

Another fortnight of limited blogging. The sum total is two classic album posts and a rant about woo-mongers.

Wasted Inches came to an end about a week ago. I’ve now republished all of the stories that I originally published back in 2002.

Health

Still not running. Still losing weight rather slower than I’d like.

Through a sequence of events that I’m still not really clear about, at 10am this morning I was at Balham Leisure Centre being given a tour of the facilities. I came away with a free one-week pass and a list of classes. I’ve even booked a gym induction session for next Friday. I should probably, at least, get back into the habit of swimming there. I used to enjoy that. Not sure why I stopped.

Training and Speaking

Yesterday was the second Perl School class. It was a repeat of the first one – Modern Perl for Non-Perl Programmers. I sold a reasonable number of tickets and I think the attendees all found it useful (perhaps even enjoyable).

The next Perl School is in two months time. That’s going to be on Moose. The one after that (which isn’t scheduled yet) will probably be on database programming using DBIx::Class.

I’ve also finalised the details of next year’s public training courses that I’m running in association with Floss UK and O’Reilly. There will be two two-day courses. One on intermediate Perl and one on advanced Perl. More details and a booking form are on the Floss UK web site.

Other Programming

I’ve spent some time over the last couple of weeks revisiting a couple of long-term projects. I should really try to get at least one of them finished.

Films

I saw Looper. I enjoyed it. It’s one of those films that you shouldn’t think about too hard. I’m sure the plot has lots of holes in it.

Gigs

On Thursday I saw John Cooper Clarke at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. I’ve been a fan since Disguise in Love was released in 1978 but I haven’t seen him live for over thirty years. I’m afraid it was a bit of a disappointment. He’s very disorganised. He spent far too much time rifling through piles of paper looking for the poem he wanted to read. He also spent too long telling jokes rather than reading poems. And I was surprised that he didn’t do more of his older, well-known stuff. The only “greatest hit” that he read was Beasley Street.

On the plus side though, his book Ten Years in An Open Necked Shirt has finally been republished. I’ve been trying to get hold of a copy for twenty-five years. The occasional copy the comes up on eBay sells for silly amounts. I bought a copy from the merchandise stall for £8. It’s highly recommended.

Other Stuff

On Thursday I became a great-uncle for the first time. I’ve always considered myself a pretty good uncle – but this seems to be some kind of promotion.

What Doctors Don’t Tell You

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There’s a new magazine in the shops this week. It’s called What Doctors Don’t Tell You and I’m reasonably sure that no-one who reads this blog would be at all interested in reading it. If you think that you might be then try looking at the sample pages on their subscription site.

It’s all complete nonsense, of course. And many of the usual suspects are already hard at work debunking it. Which has led to a predictable reaction from the magazine’s editor. I hope she remembers what happened to the last people who tried to sue Simon Singh for libel.

As always with woo-mongers there’s a fatal flaw in their argument. Their argument, paraphrased, goes something like this:

People get bad service from medical professionals, therefore patients should turn to alternative treatments instead.

There are, of course, two elements to that statement. No-one would deny that the first half is accurate. Of course there are problems with the National Health Service. Some doctors don’t keep as up to date as they should with current research, big pharmaceutical companies have too much power, the government is trying to destroy it. No-one is going to deny these problems exist. I haven’t read it yet, but I believe that at least one of these issues is the subject of Ben Goldacre’s new book.

But those problems don’t lead inevitably to the conclusion that the woo-mongers draw. Just because there are problems with the NHS, that doesn’t mean that you should abandon it and put your health in the hands of people peddling unscientific nonsense. I don’t understand how anyone can reach that conclusion from our initial premise.

No, surely the only sane reaction to our initial promise is not to run to the arms of the woo-mongers, but to see what we can do to fix those problems. I have no easy answers. It’s not the kind of issue that can be solved overnight. But it’s never going to solved if we all stop using the NHS and replace it with magic water and prayer meetings.

I’m torn on the best action to take. Generally I think that we should all do what we can to stop people reading this magazine. I’ve emailed the relevant people at WH Smith, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose and a couple of times, when I’ve seen the magazine on sale, I’ve hidden it behind copies of Practical Parenting. But at other times I think that we should just let the gullible idiots read this stuff and use whatever treatments they like. Let Darwin take care of the problem.

The downside of that approach, of course, is that they’ll continue to use their magic potions most of the time, but will switch to using real medicine when it really matters. Or use both together and claim that it’s the eye of newt homeopathic remedy that cured them. So perhaps we should make them choose. Use whatever nonsense treatments you want, but don’t come crying to the NHS when you want real treatment.

Wow. That turned out quite a lot angrier that I thought it would be. Sorry about that.

System of a Down

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Last week’s classic album is System of a Down’s eponymous début album.

Some Historical Context

System of a Down completely passed me by. I had never heard of them until at some point in the last few years I read an article on the Guardian web site called “100 essential albums from the last ten years” or something like that. I used that article as the impetus to buy half a dozen or so albums that I’d never heard of. One of those album’s was System of a Down’s second album, Toxicity. I listened to it, decided that it really wasn’t for me and put it to one side.

Then, a few weeks ago, I got involved in a discussion about choosing a single iconic album to represent each of the last twenty-five years. Some of the people involved in the discussion were appalled that I hadn’t considered SOAD’s first two albums for 1998 or 2001. In case I was missing out on something good, I listened to the first album and decided that it really wasn’t any better than the second one. SOAD were really not a band who I enjoyed.

So imagine my excitement when the band’s first album was pulled out of the hat and became last week’s classic album of the week. This will be the second time I’ve heard this album. Yes, I have preconceptions, but I’ll try to be fair.

The rest of this blog post will be written as I listen to the album.

The Songs

1. Suite-Pee

It’s difficult to review this without sounding like a cliché – “this isn’t music”, “I can’t make out the words”, “he’s just shouting”. If I want to listen to stuff like this then I know where to find Napalm Death.

2. Know

Oh. At least this one has a bit of tune. Not a very good one, but a tune nonetheless. Are we sure it’s not the chap from Napalm Death on lead vocals?

3. Sugar

I’m hating this. But we persevere. There’s a false ending just before the two minute mark, but the songs all sound so similar that it could just be the break between two shorter songs.

4. Suggestions

This started ok. Nice little bit of guitar. But within seconds it turned into the usual dirge. Oh, and a bit where they put on comedy voices like Monty Python’s pepperpot women.

5. Spiders

They’re trying to lull me into a false sense of security here. This starts off sounding almost musical. I bet it won’t last. [time passes] Ok, I was wrong. It stayed vaguely musical for the whole three and half minutes. Not good, just vaguely musical.

6. DDevil

Back to their usual sound. It’s terrible. Mercifully short though.

7. Soil

More of the same. I’m losing the will to live.

8. War?

How much more of this is there? There’s nothing constructive to say about this at all. It’s just horrible.

9. Mind

Ok. Here’s another one that sounds different. And not entirely horrible. Then at 1:45 it goes silent and comes back sounding rubbish again. And at about 3:00 we’re back in their usual style. Then it spends three minutes wandering around various styles – none of them very good.

10. Peephole

Between the usual dross there’s an interesting little guitar riff trying to get out here. Soon gets buried though.

11. CUBErt

Another one that sounds like it might be interesting – for about ten seconds before the usual nonsense sweeps in. Almost over now. I need a drink.

12. Darts

I have nothing more to add.

13. P.L.U.C.K.

Last song. I’m going to get though this. Lucky the album is only 40 minutes long.

In Summary

I hope I never have to listen another note by this band. It is horrible. I know this is just my opinion and a lot of people don’t share it. There’s a lot of evidence that many people see something in this noise that I just can’t.

I guess this is how Daily Mail readers felt when they heard the Sex Pistols for the first time.

★★★★★

Machine Head

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This week’s (actually two weeks ago’s – I’m a bit behind here) classic album is Deep Purple’s Machine Head.

Some Historical Context

I’ve never heard this album before. Oh, I know Deep Purple, of course. When I was a teenager, we all had, at least, a copy of 24 Carat Purple. Later on I also bought In Concert and Come Taste the Band (neither of which are particularly good).

But I’ve never listened to Machine Head all the way through. So there will be songs I know well and songs that I’ve never heard before. Also, it’s been about thirty years since I played a Deep Purple album, so this will be interesting.

The rest of this blog post will be written as I listen to the album.

The Songs

1. Highway Star

We start with one that I know, but not particularly well. That’s probably because it was on Made In Japan – a live album that many of friends had. It would be a pretty standard fast blues if it wasn’t for Jon Lord’s organ solo. I’ve never been that impressed by fast guitar solos, but I like a drop of Hammond organ.

2. Maybe I’m a Leo

A much slower song, and one that I don’t know at all. Seems to be relying a bit too much on Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar skills. Which makes it all a bit dull.

3. Pictures of Home

Another one I don’t remember ever hearing before. And I’m starting to remember why I stopped listening to Deep Purple thirty years ago. I’m sure it’s all very technically accomplished. But it’s just boring. Even the Hammond solo can’t save it.Oh, and a false ending. How interesting.

4. Never Before

And here’s one I know well. Perhaps it’s just the familiarity, but I like this a lot more than the last couple. It sounds like they’ve actually thought about constructing a song rather than just running a few solos together.

5. Smoke on the Water

Side two starts with the band’s best known song. But this isn’t the version that I know best. 24 Carat Purple included a live version from Made In Japan. And that version has a lot more power than this one does. This sounds positively weedy in comparison. Still a great song though. And still one of the first riffs that any guitarist learns.

6. Lazy

I think I know this one, but the beginning sounds unfamiliar. Nope. Halfway through and I still don’t recognise it. It’s all a bit “Jazz Odyssey” for my tastes. Oh, wait. After four and a half minutes the vocals come in and I recognise it. It can’t be this version I’ve heard before. Maybe not even by Deep Purple. Unimpressed.

7. Space Truckin’

And finally, another song that I know vaguely from hearing live albums at friends’ houses. Lyrically, at least, they seem to trying to channel Hawkwind. But even on their worst day Hawkwind are head and shoulders above this.

In Summary

I remember Deep Purple being far more interesting than this. Perhaps my musical tastes were less developed. Or perhaps they have other albums that are better. As I said, I stopped listening to Deep Purple about thirty years ago and I now know that I was right to do so. I’m unlikely to try them again in the near future.

★★★★★

Week Notes 37 & 38

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Blogging

Two blog posts here in the last fortnight – one classic album review and some advice for recruitment agents. There was a rant about magazines publishing bad code over on my Perl blog too.

Not a hugely productive two weeks – but there have been worse. I have a few ideas for posts (and I’m a couple of classic albums behind).

Alternative Freak is still running. And Wasted Inches is getting very near the end.

Health

I’ve stopped running. That’s not intentional. Three weeks ago I hurt my leg when out running and decided I’d take a few days off. But I haven’t got back into it. The colder weather and darker mornings don’t help, I suppose, but I really need to galvanise myself into getting out there and starting again.

So, of course, my weight loss has slowed down. But this week I passed another important milestone. When I weighed myself on Friday, I was two stone lighter than I was on 1st January. Now I know that losing two stone in nine months isn’t a  particularly impressive rate, but it makes me happy. I reckon I need to lose about another stone and a half.

I’ve been buying quite a lot of new clothes as my older ones were starting to look a bit loose on me.

Training & Speaking

The Perl School course in two weeks time still isn’t anywhere near selling out. I’m really surprised that a cost of just £30 makes such a large difference to the sign-up rate.

And immediately after that course (well, I get Sunday off) I’m running three days of training for a corporate client. So there has been a lot of slide-tweaking going on around here this weekend.

Then I need to start thinking about the next Perl School and my tutorial at the London Perl Workshop. Conveniently, the LPW tutorial will be a cut-down version of the Perl School course. You could even seen it as an advert. It’s almost like I’ve thought about this stuff.

Technology

I’ve been having one of those periods when technology is actively fighting against me.

First there’s my BeBox. That’s the combined ASDL Router and Wifi access point I get from Be. A few weeks ago I got several emails from them telling me that I had to upgrade the firmware so that it would support their new network (I suspect that has something to do with IPv6). The upgrade seemed to go ok, but since then none of the devices on the home network have been able to see each other, although they can all connect to the internet with no problems. I thought I’d fixed it two weeks ago, but the fix didn’t seem to last long and the problem is back.

Then there’s my Nexus 7. During the week it slipped out of my hand and fell onto the pavement. Now there are annoying lines on the screen. I suspect that the guarantee won’t cover that, but I’m hoping that I can claim it under the accidental damage cover on my household insurance.

During the week the Amazon Cloud Player became available in the UK. This is good news, but it had a big downside. They’re revamped the way you buy MP3s from them and, in the process, have removed support for clamz (an unofficial piece of software that made it far easier to download MP3s purchased from Amazon). It seems that they want you to buy MP3s and then download them from Cloud Player. But under Linux, you can only download MP3s one at a time. So effectively they’ve made it incredibly difficult for Linux users to buy MP3s from them.

I’ve been using Linux as my primary desktop for about twelve years. I’ve survived the years when you had to compile you own network drivers if you wanted to connect to the internet. I thought that things would eventually get better.

But over the last few months I’ve had too many occasions when I couldn’t do what I wanted because a web site or a piece of hardware didn’t support Linux. I’m seriously considering switching to a Windows desktop with Linux in a VM (or, perhaps, the other way round).

Films

Finally got round to watching Primer last night. Might need to watch it a few more times in order to understand what the hell is going on.

Gigs

Last weekend I saw Dexys (the band formerly known as Dexys Midnight Runners) at the Barbican. I was a little disappointed. The main part of the show was their new album played through. I knew that was going to happen, but I thought it was a little self-indulgent. Once that was finished, they played a few oldies. But too much of the time was wasted by a stupid extended sketch about a policeman. And the Come On Eileen went on about twice as long as it needed to. It seems that they find it really difficult to end songs. I shan’t bother going to see them again.

In sharp contrast, on Friday I saw Kathryn Tickellat the Purcell Room. She also played her new album all the way through. But Northumbrian Voices is an excellent show. She combines spoken word (taken from interviews) and music into a fascinating look at a dying way of life. It’s well worth seeing.

Dear Recruiter

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Over on LinkedIn, a recruiter on one of the Perl groups has asked for what people want from recruiters. He’s interested to hear what recruiters do that give them such a bad reputation. I thought that was an interesting question to answer, but as it might be interesting to other recruiters I’ve decided to answer it here rather than in in LinkedIn walled garden

So here are some things that recruiters can do that would make me happier to deal with them.

Understand the Industry

I’m not expecting every recruiter to be an expert in every technology that they deal with, but it’s not hard to get an overview of what things are and how they hang together. In the case of the programming language I’m most interested in, it would be nice if they could learn that it’s called “Perl” not “PERL”.

Don’t Just Use Keyword Searches

I understand that they all have lots of candidates in their databases. And I know that keyword searches are a quick way to find the candidates that will be interested in a particular role. But that method will often find a lot of false positives too. And every false positive that you contact is another person who you are potentially annoying.

Over ten years ago I spent three weeks writing Perl code that interfaced with a SAP system. I still leave that work on my CV as it’s a useful idiot filter. If I get email about a SAP role then I know that it comes from a recruiter who doesn’t read CVs.

By all means use a keyword search to find potential candidates to contact. But read their CVs before emailing them.

Answer Your Email

Is it really so hard to answer email? Oh it’s fine when you first get in touch with me. If you’re trying to sell me a role then you’re happy to answer email almost instantly. But if I’m emailing you in response to an advert you’ve placed on the internet then probably 80% of the time I never get a response. And if I phone to chase up then you’re always “on the other line” and you never call back. You may have decided that I’m not right for the role, but it would be useful for me to hear your reasons.

The worst time to not get replies to emails is when you’ve sent my CV to a client and they’ve turned me down for some reason. Over the seventeen years that I’ve been a contractor there are probably twenty jobs that I’m still waiting to hear back from. Of course I’m not holding my breath. But it’s just rude not to give feedback.

Make Notes

Something like this happens regularly. I get an email from a recruiter asking if I’m interested in a role. I reply saying that I’m currently very happy in a contract that doesn’t end for another three months. The next week I get another email from the same recruiter asking if I’m interested in a different role.

If I tell you that I won’t be available for three months then you should read that as “don’t contact Dave about new contracts for at least two months”. Why is that so hard to understand? And, no, I don’t really expect you do remember who I am from one week to the next, but surely it’s not too hard to have a “do not contact before” note somewhere on your records.

It’s almost as bad when it’s different recruiters from the same agency who contact me. Surely they share these details on a centralised database. Don’t they?

Learn English

We’re supposed to have a professional relationship. So you should be communicating in a professional manner. And that means taking care over your writing. Perhaps I’m not typical but it takes me a great force of will to read past “Hope your well” at the start of an email.

Just a few suggestions from me. I’m sure other people who read this will have their own pet hates. Please feel free to add them in the comments.

Nevermind

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This week’s classic album is Nirvana’s Nevermind.

Some Historical Context

I know I heard this soon after it first came out. A colleague at work lent me a cassette (remember cassettes?) of it. I remember listening to it for the first time on my Walkman (not really a Sony Walkman – some other brand) and being really impressed by it.

I didn’t buy it at the time. In fact I’m not sure I ever bought it. I think the CD I have may well have been left behind when my stepdaughter moved out of the house.

While I was impressed by Nirvana, I was never a huge fan. The only album I ever bought was the MTV Unplugged one. I never saw them play. I do, however, remember exactly what I was doing when I heard the Kurt Cobain was dead.

The rest of this blog post will be written as I listen to the album.

The Songs

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit

I’ve loved this song since I first heard it. It’s one of the all-time great ways to start an album. I don’t think there’s anything particularly revolutionary here – slow verse followed by a “let it rip” chorus – but it all hangs together really well.

2. In Bloom

This is pretty similar, to be honest. The verse isn’t quite as quiet as on Teen Spirit, but the pattern is the same. And it’s still really good. Why change a successful formula?

3. Come as You Are

This was another single from the album (Teen Spirit was the first). It’s been a while since I’ve listened to this album all the way through and I’d forgotten just how strongly it opens.

4. Breed

Ok, I admit that a lot of the songs on the album sound a bit similar. And this means that in some cases I’m not entirely able to match the song with the title. Until it started I had no idea what this songs was going to sound like. But now I recognise it. And like it a lot.

5. Lithium

Another on built one the same formula as most of the album. It’s funny how some albums can sound samey and you start getting bored by the end of side one, whereas others (like this one) can be just as samey but each song still sounds fresh. I suppose it comes down to whether or not you enjoy the formula.

6. Polly

And here, finally, is a song that goes beyond the standard Nirvana formula. It’s a sweet-sounding acoustic. It’s only when you listen to the lyrics that you realise it’s about a rape.

7. Territorial Pissings

This also goes against the slow verse/fast chorus template of most of the album. But it moves in the opposite direction to Polly. Everything is fast in this song. I think it’s probably one of the least memorable songs on the album.

8. Drain You

We’re a couple of songs into side two of the album here. And, to tell the truth, the saminess is starting to show a bit.

9. Lounge Act

More of the same. Nothing wrong with it, but we’ve heard it all before.

10. Stay Away

This one stands out a bit. The slow verse bit isn’t as slow as some of them.

11. On a Plain

Getting toward the end of the album, so it’s time to start bringing out some big tunes. I don’t often listen to albums all the way through any more and listening to these classic albums has reminded me just how carefully songs are ordered on an album. I was convinced this was called “On a Plane”. I was wrong.

12. Something in the Way

The last track on the album (the next one is a hidden track and doesn’t appear on all pressings) is something a bit different – it’s all slow, like an extended verse from the rest of the album. This and Polly show that the band were far more versatile than their critics give them credit for.

13. Endless Nameless

After a couple of minutes silence we get this. It’s pretty much just noise. I don’t think I can remember a hidden track that actually improves the album it’s on. This is no exception. And it goes on for far too long.

In Summary

This is still a really good album (well, with the exception of the hidden track) but more than anything it’s a reminder of just how much potential Nirvana had.

It’s not the best classic album we’ve had so far and, to be honest, it gets a bit too samey in the middle of side two, But I don’t listen to this album enough and I’m glad I was pushed into it.

Rating

★★★★★

Week Notes 36

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Blogging

Another week with just a classic album post. I thought I was starting to get into blogging again, but that seems to have been a short blip.

On the other hand, I’ve relaunched the Alternative Freak site. People who have been reading my blog for several years might remember this from 2006/7. It’s a novel that a friend of mine has written in the form of a teenage diary. We decided that it would work well as a blog. The last time we tried it, not many people read it. So we’re trying again. But this time we have the added power of Twitter. I’ll probably publish it as a Kindle book too at some point.

I don’t expect many of my blog readers will want to read it. But if you have teenage children they might find it interesting.

Health

I mentioned last week that I had pulled a muscle while running. That was probably a bit over-dramatic, but something started to hurt a bit. So I’ve rested it for a week.

My weight stayed pretty stable for most of the week, but this weekend I’ve been eating rather a lot and I’ve put on a couple of pounds. I expect I’ll try a run tomorrow morning and see how that goes.

Training & Speaking

There’s a Perl School course (Modern Perl for Non-Perl Programmers) coming up in four weeks. And I’ve just arranged the one after that. It’ll be on Object Oriented Programming with Perl and Moose and it’s on 8th December.

Films

I thought the new Total Recall was better than most people seem to think. I mean, sure, the whole premise of the tunnel through the Earth was mad, but once you’ve suspended your disbelief about that the film was quite a lot of fun.

General Stuff

It was my birthday on Friday. I was 50. I’m not entirely sure how that happened. I’m even less sure how I feel about it.

Still, it was an excuse for a couple of really nice meals out. And hence the couple of pounds that I mentioned putting on earlier. Swings and roundabouts.

We thought it might be nice to spend yesterday afternoon in Greenwich. Which it would have been if someone hadn’t have dumped a bloody great Olympic venue in the middle of Greenwich Park. That made it all very difficult to get around. It takes ages to get up to the observatory. We only just made it in time for the last planetarium show of the day.

Led Zeppelin 4

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Yes, I know that’s not what it’s really called. But it was easier than looking for all the individual runes.

Some Historical Context

Another album that I feel like I’ve known forever. Although, I know I haven’t known it as long as something like A Night at the Opera. This was something that definitely knew well in the late 70s. I remember it being a big deal when Led Zeppelin played Knebworth in 1979. I wasn’t there, but a good friend was (and then didn’t shut up about how great it was for over twenty years).

I had this album on vinyl. I guess I bought it in about 1980 (nine years after it was released). It had a gatefold sleeve and an inner sleeve with the lyrics of Stairway to Heaven on it. I miss the kind of packaging you used to get with vinyl albums.

Anyway, it’s an album that I know and love. I don’t listen to it too frequently these days, but I’m looking forward to this.

The rest of this blog post will be written as I listen to the album.

The Songs

1. Black Dog

And we’re straight in with some no frills heavy metal. Robert Plant shrieks the lyrics unaccompanied and the band respond in kind. I was about 16 when I first heard this and it made a huge impression. I still want to start banging my head whenever I hear it.

2. Rock and Roll

Another song that is instantly recognisable to anyone with any interest in British rock. When they recorded the song it had actually been about fifteen years “since the rock ‘n’ roll”. Now it’s been over fifty. That’s the kind of thing it would say about this song if they played it on Top of the Pops 2. But, of course, Led Zeppelin were never on Top of the Pops.

3. The Battle of Evermore

This is probably my favourite song on the album. It’s completely different to the first two tracks and has the sublimely wonderful Sandy Denny joining Plant on vocals. Oh, and the lyrics mention stuff from the Lord of the Rings – which would have had sixteen-year-old me squealing with delight.

4. Stairway to Heaven

Yeah. It’s that one. The song that is banned from being played in every guitar shop in the world. You know how it goes. It’s all slow and then it gets a lot faster. You probably love it – I know I do. I have nothing further to add.

5. Misty Mountain Hop

Have to say that some of side two (and this is the start of side two for those of your who don’t remember life before CDs) suffers a bit in comparison to the wall-to-wall classics on side one. This is great, but it’s definitely one of the weaker tracks on the album.

6. Four Sticks

Another non-classic that suffers from being on this album. But, once again, there’s really nothing wrong with it at all. If I’m asked to name the tracks on the album (not, I admit a task I’m often set) then this would be the one I’d forget about.

7. Going to California

Another slow one. And another one that I really like. Apparently it’s about Joni Mitchell.

8. When the Levee Breaks

And a really  strong track to end. It’s a heavily reworked version of an old blues number. Love the tightness of the rhythm section.

In Summary

This album is over forty years old, but it still holds up well today. I probably haven’t played it all the way through for about six months and I’ve really enjoyed listening to it again today. I should get into the habit of playing it more often.

Rating

★★★★★