First off, Led Zeppelin front-man Robert Plant celebrates his 68th birthday. Plant was born in Staffordshire, England in 1948, muddled about as a child, impersonating Elvis, then left home at age sixteen to pursue a music career. He popped back into school to train as an accountant, but quickly dropped that. Plant worked several Joe jobs and sang with various bands until one day he met a bloke named... John Bonham. Page and Jones joined in, and the rest is history.
Long hair, bare chest, tight pants... yep,
you're a rock star
Led Zeppelin was a favourite in my early days of buying records and appreciating rock music. I was a dedicated fan during my teens and early 20's, but over the years, my tastes have changed enough that I rarely revisit Zep tunes. Still, the album IV (untitled, actually) is what I'd consider one of the best rock albums of all time, and definitely my preferred Zep album. From the call and response heavy blues of Black Dog to the sonic rowdy blast of Rock and Roll; from the folky Hobbit-oriented Battle of Evermore and pumping Misty Mountain Hop to the groovin' Four Sticks and Going to California; and of course... from the epic and over-rated Stairway to Heaven (a masterful and memorable guitar solo, though) to perhaps the heaviest Zep track ever... When the Levee Breaks. Hard to believe this was a 1969 release - it has generally aged well.
Zeppelin, of course, went on to become one of the most popular rock bands of all time. When the boys dissolved the group after the death of drummer Bonham in '80, Plant immediately carried on with a successful solo career. I liked a bit of his early stuff, particularly his first offerings, Pictures at Eleven, which was loaded with great tracks (Burning Down One Side, Fat Lip, Worse Than Detroit), followed by The Principle of Moments, boasting a few strong songs (In the Mood, Other Arms, Big Log). And just a little bit of his Now and Zen album, which I felt was just too slick for its own good. Ship of Fools is a good one, though.
Alongside Elvis and Morrison, Plant made a statement as a top vocalist and charismatic frontman in the world of rock music. His unique and soaring vocal style set the standard for singers to this day. His influence cannot be denied... just look at other 70's and 80's hard rock and metal singers; everyone wanted to look and behave like this pioneer of the then-newborn arena rock genre.
Happy Birthday, Robbie!
And in this corner:
Mister Philip Lynott (rest in peace... he passed away in 1986) would have been 67 today. Lynott was born in 1949 in Staffordshire, England, though in a different part of the county than where Robert Plant came about. A messy family situation led four-year-old Philip to live with his grandmother in Dublin, Ireland. Phil was first exposed to music via his uncle's record collection, and by age 16, he was singing in a band in Dublin clubs. The revolving door of guitarists and other issues led to the splintering of the group. Back in the saddle, Phil was demoted from vocalist, but some rest solved his tonsil problem. He took up the bass guitar and in '69 co-founded Thin Lizzy, singing and taking on most of the songwriting duties. Despite Lynott's multi-tasking chores, he was too reserved to step into the spotlight - quite literally. His efforts to be more confident and charismatic paid off: Thin Lizzy met with greater audience response, thereby bumping band popularity and record sales.
The Top 10 hit Whiskey in the Jar, a cover of a traditional Irish song, gained Lizzy a commercial foothold, but they floundered until 1976, when The Boys Are Back in Town song became a huge international hit. That year's album Jailbreak should have pushed the band into the stratosphere, but more internal issues put progress on hold. Eventually, things clicked and a few hot albums got Thin Lizzy back on track. In the late 70's and early 80's, Lynott had some side projects on the go, but drug and alcohol problems made it difficult for him to continue that pace.
As a teen, I only ever heard a couple of Lizzy tunes on the radio: Jailbreak, and The Boys Are Back in Town. And I never saw their albums in the record shops. Slim pickings in my area. During high school, I got to know a few guys in a band, one of whom wore a Thin Lizzy patch on his jacket, and the group covered a song or two. Years later, I picked up the Dedication compilation, and while I enjoyed it a lot, I never sought out any Thin Lizzy studio albums. I admit there is good solid songwriting and showmanship there now that I've looked at some video recordings of some of their performances. Lynott pumped out standout melodic bass to accompany his low-register vocals. A class act.
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