Just listen Kashmir, Live from Celebration Day. Plant’s voice matured, Page’s guitar is wild, but under the Master’s control, Jason truly follows his Father’s footsteps and JPJ is freakin’ awesome foundation to this enormous energy release. Like H bomb slowly went off on that stage.
Okay: JPJ and Jason are foundation worthy of any R’N’R Gods there was, is, and ever will be; those two can lay over it their sound and words as they see it fit, and we will be blown away. If we are not blown away, we should call 911 and ask for help, for we are dead.
Yes, I am blown away by that particular version of Kashmir. Yes, I was teenager when they were in orbit - therefore I am biased; NO, they are not my favourite band.
1974, New Year: my sister came back to the middle of nowhere from University and brought me a present: Pink Floyd’s Meddle. I pulled the LP out, see 5 songs on A side, flip it over and it says only one thing: Echoes.
So, my No1 song in modern music is Echoes. But surely, that Kashmir is easily between best 10.
If you wondering, my No1 is Beethoven’s 7th, and 2nd is Khachaturian’s Masquerade:
3rd is Echoes, 4th is Hendrix’ Little Wing, 5th is Moonlight Sonata, 6th is Band’s Load...
Emotional bias is dictating No 7 to be When The Levee Breaks. Only because the town I am from was flooded in 2014 severely despite a "big and strong" levee system. However... there is much better, much more emotional version than Minnie and Led Zeppelin: Playing For Change.
8th is easily that Kashmir. THAT live version.
9th should be the most spiritual song I ever heard: Brian Blade and Fellowship Band, Improvisation. Mortals, drop on your knees. Seriously, unbelievable.
10th: Doors, The End. Vinyl, original issue. No, not Apocalypse Now. Original LP version, rising more questions with every verse... just imagine hearing it for the first time, but now. All the children are insane. Waiting for the summer rain. Yeah.
So, Led Zeppelin is just one snippet of the times long gone. And they were considered POP MUSIC at the time. Let that sink in. Pop music. Yep.
11th: Cash, Hurt
12th: Trucks, This Sky
13th Queen, Propeth’s Song
14th Led again Zeppelin, No Quarter
15th Beethoven’s 9th - if not jumping to 8th and pushing everything down...
16th Bach, Ave Maria
17th Jethro Tull, Thisck As A Brick, entire freakin’ album.
18th Beetles, Let It Be - actually, that entire album. Yes. Everything else was... not quite honest. Except maybe
19th All Things Must Pass, entire album, of course...
20th ...