Led Zeppelin "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?"

During these past four months a co-worker and I have had to drive around thirty minutes to Lawrence, KS and back. We meet up at our warehouse (which happens to be in a cave) and head out to Lawrence to install at Kansas University. The co-worker and I have made up a couple of rules. 1st rule - we alternate driving to and from site. 2nd rule - whoever drives gets to play the music. Now, both of us have quite different tastes in music. There are those one-offs that we both like; but for the most part we just don't carry similar tastes.

One day as I was playing music just shootin' the shit with him, I asked, "You like Led Zeppelin?" He replied by saying something along the tentative lines, "Ya you know, they're alright. I mean. Show me one song that I haven't heard from Led."

Challenge accepted.

I started off kind of weak; just to test his knowledge. I started with "Misty Mountain Hop". He looked at me with of sense of "Come on man. Course I've heard this". Okay. Okay. I played a couple of more songs and eventually got to my Ace of Spades. I smiled and started playing "Hey, Hey, What Can I do?". He hadn't heard it. SCORE! Success was mine. I had prevailed.

It didn't change his opinion of Led much, however.

"Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" is a perfect example of a "deep cut"; a song or moment in an artist or bands' discography that most people aren't aware of. In fact, it was the ONLY Led song that wasn't released on an album.It was the b-side of "Immigrant Song" outside of the United Kingdom and eventually on the b-sides of Coda, a collection of unused music throughout their time as a band for 12 years. Coda apparently meaning the end of a body of structure or passage in music or literature. The collection has some killer cuts too: "Traveling Riverside Blues" and "Ozone Baby". But the stand out is absolutely "Hey, Hey, What Can I do". It's got every element of a great Led song. A good melody and warm guitar, a woman, those irreplaceable Robert Plant high-pitched shrieks. Just an overall great warm song that you can't help but sing along with.

Such good songs that go unnoticed.

With any band or artist that we like, we are aware of the "top hits" or their "singles". Not that that is a bad thing; those songs are what get noticed. But sometimes, including myself, we can shun away how much other music our favorite music-makers create.The transitions in their music over time and how much better (or worse) they become. I've had many songs and early albums pop up through a little deeper exploration. Sometimes those discoveries become my favorites... like Led Zeppelin's "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do".

So this week I got two challenges for you.
1. Listen to this Led Zeppelin song.
2. Pick a couple of your old or current favorite bands/artists...and dig. Go back to some of their old         albums or earlier songs and check em out. You may be surprised what ya find!