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!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aesop Rock “None Shall Pass”

Image
My sisters and I drove together to our parents' house for Christmas this year. On our way back we reminisced about the drives to and from school when I had to drop them off when I started driving. They had to suffer through all of my weird music and mix CDs . As we talked more they recalled one song, however, that they always enjoyed and still remember to this day; "None Shall Pass" by Aesop Rock. Aesop Rock, or Ian Matthias Bavitz, is a hip-hop artist with lyrics and flow so intellectually on point, you can't help but feel intimidated at times.Aesop was even named the rapper with the highest vocabulary in all of hip-hop; the rapper with the most unique words out of all of his music. "None Shall Pass" has every indication of this too. The first verse, " Flash that butter gold, jittery zeitgeist "starts things off with no leniency. As much as I hate to say it...I honestly have no idea what this song is about. My only guess can be that of th
Read more

Bored and Needing More

Hello there. I will do my best to make this brief. My name is Calvin Ramsey and I would like to share one song with you every day of the week. The songs are chosen at random and will range from all kinds of genres. I hope you enjoy
Read more

Benoit Pioulard “A Coin on the Tongue”

Image
I have always loved this song. The happy acoustic guitar and the ambient wind noises. The atmosphere of the song alone is almost just as good as the warm vocals and percussion. " Say hello to the end, and its big fucking, jack-o-lantern grin" I can't help but interpret this song as another avenue of dealing with life's shit. " Blackened nails and acumen,  Lacerated fists full of arrowheads,  Arid bones and hollow men,  Lie down on marrow beds" Putting forth the effort of staying alive and pursuing happiness all for the same inevitable end...death. Might as well enjoy it while we are here right?
Read more