Achilles Last Stand 4/8

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Rock And Roll", How The West Was Won
- Robert Plant, "Hurting Kind (I've Got My Eye On You)", Manic Nirvana
- Led Zeppelin, "When The Levee Breaks", IV
- Justin Adams, "Wayward", Desert Road
- Robert Plant, "Road To The Sun", Sixty Six To Timbuktu
- Led Zeppelin, "Hot Dog", In Through The Out Door
- Robert Plant And Alison Kruass, "Rich Woman", Raising Sand
- Led Zeppelin, "You Shook Me", Led Zeppelin I
- Led Zeppelin, "Moby Dick", Led Zeppelin II
- Spencer Davis Group, "Gimme Some Lovin'"
- Led Zeppelin, "D'Yer Maker", Houses Of The Holy
- Cream, "Crossroads"
- Led Zeppelin, "Misty Mountain Hop", The Song Remains The Same (2007)
- Roy Harper, "One Man Rock And Roll Band", Stormcock
- Robert Plant And The Strange Sensation, "Freedom Fries", Mighty Rearranger
- Robert Plant And Jimmy Page, "When The World Was Young", Walking Into Clarksdale
- Led Zeppelin, "Fool In The Rain", In Through The Out Door
- Led Zeppelin, "Celebration Day", Led Zeppelin III
- Them Crooked Vultures, "Mind Eraser, No Chaser", Them Crooked Vultures
- The Allman Brothers Band, "Ain't Wastin' Time No More", Eat A Peach

Achilles Last Stand 4/1

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Immigrant Song", How The West Was Won
- Robert Plant, "Calling To You", Fate Of Nations
- Led Zeppelin, "What Is And What Should Never Be", Led Zeppelin II
- John Paul Jones, "Daphne", The Thundertheif
- Robert Plant And Alison Krauss, "Please Read The Letter", Raising Sand
- Led Zeppelin, "Boogie With Stu", Physical Graffiti
- The Firm, "Spirit Of Love", Mean Business
- Led Zeppelin, "I Can't Quit You Baby", Led Zeppelin I
- Robert Plant, "Darkness Darkness", Dreamland
- The Yardbirds, "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"
- Led Zeppelin, "Travelling Riverside Blues", BBC Sessions
- Yes, "I've Seen All Good People"
- Robert Plant And Jimmy Page, "Most High", Walking Into Clarksdale
- Led Zeppelin, "Heartbreaker" into "Whole Lotta Love", The Song Remains The Same (2007)
- The Who, "Baba O'Reilly"
- Robert Plant, "Black Dog", Sound Electic
- Led Zeppelin "We're Gonna Groove", Coda

Achilles Last Stand 3/25

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Kashmir", Physical Graffiti
- Led Zeppelin, "Royal Orleans", Presence
- Robert Plant And The Strange Sensation, "Takamba", Mighty Rearranger
- Eric Clapton, "Travelling Riverside Blues", Sessions For Robert J
- Led Zeppelin, "What Is And What Should Never Be", BBC Sessions
- Robert Plant And Jimmy Page, "Rude World", Sixty Six To Timbuktu
- Led Zeppelin, "Good Times, Bad Times", Led Zeppelin I
- Led Zeppelin, "Since I've Been Loving You", Led Zeppelin III
- Robert Plant, "Far Post", Pictures At Eleven
- Traffic, "Dear Mr. Fantasy", Mr. Fantasy
- Led Zeppelin, "Black Dog", The Song Remains The Same (2007)
- Robert Plant And Alison Krauss, "Nothin'", Raising Sand
- Led Zeppelin, "Houses Of The Holy", Physical Graffiti
- John Paul Jones, "Nosumi Blues", Zooma
- Robert Plant, "In The Mood", Principle Of Moments
- Led Zeppelin, "Dancing Days", Houses Of The Holy
- Them Crooked Vultures, "No One Loves Me And Neither Do I", Them Crooked Vultures
- Led Zeppelin, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", Led Zeppelin I
- Led Zeppelin, "Bring It On Home", How The West Was Won
- Muddy Waters, "Rollin' And Tumblin'"

This Month In Led Zeppelin For April

Every month I have a monthly update on what happened in Zeppelin history. The first show of the month will include a This Month in Zeppelin feature where all of the important events of the month are announced. If there's an extremely important date (i.e. big album releases, deaths, births, ect.), I will talk about it as close to the date as possible. So, without further ado, this month in Led Zeppelin...

• April 26, 1969: "Whole Lotta Love" is played for the first time on-stage.
• April 6, 1970: Led Zeppelin are made Honorary Citizens of Memphis, TN followed by police action at their concert that night.
• April 19, 1975: The remaining 51,000 tickets for the two added Earls Court concerts sell in hours.
• April 30, 1977: Led Zeppelin sets the record for the highest attendance at a concert when 76,229 fans show up at the  Silverdome in Detroit
• April 13, 1981: Plant performs with the original version of the Honeydrippers that would release an album in 1984.
• April 28, 1990: Plant, Page, Jones, and Bonzo Jr. play at Bonzo Jr.'s wedding.
• April 20, 1992: Plant sings at the  Freddie Mercury tribute concert. He performed "Friends", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", and "Innuendo" with the remaining members of Queen.
• April 21, 1998: Plant and Page release their first album of originals together since Led Zeppelin Walking Into Clarksdale.

Achilles Last Stand 3/18

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Rock And Roll", IV
- Queen, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
- Robert Plant, "I Believe", Fate Of Nations
- Tinariwen, "Tamatant Tilay", Aman Iman
- Led Zeppelin, Over The Hills And Far Away", The Song Remains The Same (2007)
- The Yardbirds, "White Summer", Ultimate
- Robert Plant And Alison Krauss, "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)", Raising Sand
- Led Zeppelin, "In My Time Of Dying", Physical Graffiti
- Led Zeppelin, "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", How The West Was Won
- Son House, "Death Letter Blues"
- Led Zeppelin, "Whole Lotta Love", Led Zeppelin II
- Led Zeppelin, "Hots On For Nowhere", Presence
- Them Crooked Vultures, "New Fang", Them Crooked Vultures
- Roy Harper And Jimmy Page, "Nineteen Forty-Eightish", What Ever Happened To Jugula?
- Led Zeppelin, "The Song Remains The Same", Houses Of The Holy
- Robert Plant, "Burning Down One Side", Pictures At Eleven
- Led Zeppelin, "Communication Breakdown", Led Zeppelin I
- Led Zeppelin, "Gallows Pole", Led Zeppelin III
- Led Zeppelin, "Hey Hey What Can I Do?"
- Crosby, Stills, Nash, And Young, "Ohio", So Far

It's good to be back after a wonderful Spring Break of nothingness.  Went a little more Zeppelin heavy than normal, but today felt like a good day to do so.  Also threw in a new track from Them Crooked Vultures, who have a hilarious new video with Dave Grohl called "Fresh Pots":

I can certainly understand his addiction since I need my fresh cup of coffee every morning.  Any requests for next week.  Leave a comment and I'll get it on air for you next Thursday.

Album Of The Month For March: Presence

After Zeppelin's quick rise to the top in the late 1960s, the band continued to grow their empire through their 1975 release Physical Graffiti.  At this point the band had it all.  Each of their albums were highly successful and continued to blow away young minds across the globe.  Then disaster struck when the band needed to leave England to avoid heavy taxes on their hard earned money.  During Robert's vacation, he crashed the car with his wife and children (and Jimmy's daughter).  Robert broke his ankle and his wife was seriously injured.  Soon, the band decided to record another album fast to follow up their previous album even with Robert confined to a wheelchair.  Presence became a turning point for the band.  For the first time ever they completed an album with limited outside influence.  The songs were pure rock and left behind a few of their blues roots.  Even while rushing to complete the album and with Robert in his wheelchair, the band completed one of their most unique albums and sent the band in a new direction.

Release Date: March 31, 1976
Highest Billboard Position: 1
Sales Status: 3x Platinum

Track Listing:
1. Achilles Last Stand
The album starts with a slow guitar strum from Jimmy, then explodes into utter chaos to launch into one of Zeppelin's longest songs in their catalog.  The lyrics were inspired by a trip Robert and Jimmy took to Morocco and the folklore they loved to bring up time and time again.  The band, known for being stingy to film makers, allowed the makers of Dogtown And Z-Boys to use it in their movie.

2. For Your Life
For a band well known for their incredible amount of drug use you wouldn't expect them to criticize it.  With this song they went after the Los Angeles music scene for using far too much cocaine and ruining the music scene there.  This would be the first of many songs that detailed the band's personal experiences, something they rarely did in their early years.

3. Royal Orleans
The third track detailed one of the more interesting tales from Zeppelin's wild road adventures.  It described how John Paul Jones took what appeared to be a woman up to his hotel room from the bar.  They smoked weed and fell asleep on top of each other.  The joint, still lit as they entered their slumber, lit the room on fire.  In the commotion, everyone discovered that the person Jones brought to his room was in fact a transvestite.  The story became legendary and is one of few that includes Jones as a part of the band's escapades.

4. Nobody's Fault But Mine
The band never shied away from deep subject and returned to the devil once again on this song that starts with a sharp line from Jimmy.  The only song with source material outside of the band (no one has been credited with writing it, however it dates back to the earliest days of the blues), it sounded much more like the older tracks from Zeppelin.  With one of the more driving harmonica tunes by Robert, the song really feels alive as he describes being introduced to gong, having a monkey on his back, and the devil telling him to roll.  This is the highlight track of the album and one of the few they used regularly in their later shows.

5. Candy Store Rock
Robert's rockabilly style comes out strong as Jimmy pushes the song along with his strong blues riff.  Robert tries out his best Elvis impersonation and really shows how much song writing prowess he owns.  This song rarely hit the stage with Zeppelin, however Robert and Jimmy would use it during their tours in the 1990s.

6. Hots On For Nowhere
This is the most underrated Zeppelin song ever.  I mean it.  No one knows it.  Jimmy's groovy guitar with Jones' bass combine well with Robert's strong singing.  It rambles along well and is easy to rock out too.  I'm still confused why no one picked up.

7. Tea For One
This is a tough song to get in to.  I needed a few years to really give it a good listen.  It follows the guidelines of their normal ballads and lengthier song.  It builds up slowly, has a fairly good riff, and blues structure as a base.  Truthfully, Robert's voice doesn't cut through like it once did and it lacks the same punch it did on songs like "Dazed And Confused" and "Since I've Been Loving You".  If they recorded this before Robert's voice weakened, maybe it could sound better.

Random Fact:
The band finished recording the album in a mere 18 days.  They originally had two weeks, which included poor Robert confined to a wheelchair.  As their time started to run out, mainly because the Rolling Stones needed the studio next, Jimmy took on a heavy load of working on his overdubs.  He spent two straight days without sleep making sure the album was perfect.  When the Stones arrived, they were shocked to find that they actually finished the album.

This Month In Led Zeppelin For March

Every month I have a monthly update on what happened in Zeppelin history. The first show of the month will include a This Month in Zeppelin feature where all of the important events of the month are announced. If there's an extremely important date (i.e. big album releases, deaths, births, ect.), I will talk about it as close to the date as possible. So, without further ado, this month in Led Zeppelin...

• March 1969: The band performs for TV audiences. After many issues with the studio setups the band decides to never perform on TV again.
• March 5, 1971: The first live performance of "Stairway to Heaven" is in Belfast, Ireland.
  
• March 25, 1973: Houses of the Holy, the band's 5th album, is released.
• March 15, 1975: The Earls Court shows sells out in four hours
• March 31, 1976: Presence, the band's 7th album, is released.
• March 4, 1985: Jimmy Page's album with Roy Harper "Whatever Happened to Jugula" is released.
• March 22, 1985: Plant releases his first single from Shaken N' Stirred "Pink and Black" and John Paul Jones releases the soundtrack for the movie Scream for Help.
  
• March 14, 1986: The Firm begins their second tour.
• March 17, 2005: Plant is the speaker at the SXSW Festival and performs with the Strange Sensation later that night.
  

Listen for more info on these events along with the same great Zeppelin goodies only on Achilles Last Stand 4-6pm Thursdays on WECB (wecb.emerson.edu).

Achilles Last Stand 3/4

The Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "D'Yer Maker", Houses Of The Holy
- Robert Plant, "Burning Down One Side", Pictures At Eleven
- Robert Plant, "Darkness, Darkness", Dreamland
- Led Zeppelin, "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper", Led Zeppelin III
- Jimmy Page Ft. Robert Plant, "The Only One", Outrider
- Them Crooked Vultures, "Elephants", Them Crooked Vultures
- Led Zeppelin, "Misty Mountain Hop", IV
- Led Zeppelin, "Lemon Song", Led Zeppelin II
- Robert Plant, "If I Were A Carpenter", Fate Of Nations
- Led Zeppelin, "Night Flight", Physical Graffiti
- Robert Plant, "Big Log", Principle Of Moments
- Steve Miller Band, "Jungle Love"
- Led Zeppelin, "Nobody's Fault But Mine", Presence
- The Firm, "Fortune Hunter", Mean Business
- Led Zeppelin, "The Ocean", How The West Was Won
- Led Zeppelin, "Ozone Baby", Coda
- Robert Plant And The Strange Sensation, "Shine It All Around", Mighty Rearranger
- Led Zeppelin, "In The Evening", In Through The Out Door
- Robert Plant And Jimmy Page, "Yallah", No Quarter
- Heart, "Crazy On You"

Achilles Last Stand 2/25

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Communication Breakdown", Led Zeppelin I
- Robert Plant And Jimmy Page, "Rude World", Sixty-Six To Timbuktu
- Led Zeppelin, "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", How The West Was Won
- Led Zeppelin, "Darlene", Coda
- The Firm, "Dreaming", Mean Business
- Pink Floyd, "Have A Cigar", Wish You Were Here
- Led Zeppelin, "Foll In The Rain", In Through The Out Door
- Led Zeppelin, "Friends", Led Zeppelin III
- Them Crooked Vultures, "Scumbag Blues", Them Crooked Vultures
- Robert Plant, "Tall Cool One", Now And Zen
- Buffalo Springfield, "Bluebird"
- Bad Company, "Can't Get Enough", Bad Company
- Led Zeppelin, "Dazed And Confused", The Song Remains The Same
- Elvis Presley, "Burning Love"

Album Of The Month For February: Now And Zen

In 1985, Robert Plant reached a crossroads in his career.  His album Shaken 'N' Stirred tanked and he needed to bolster his sets on its supporting tour with songs from his 1984 project The Honeydrippers.  After a one off at Live Aid with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Phil Collins as Led Zeppelin, he briefly considered a comeback, however plans were nixed after a failed post-Live Aid appearance.  Robert took a few years off, only contributing to Jimmy Page's solo effort Outrider with vocals on one track "The Only One".  Finally in 1988, he returned to the spotlight as he released his first album in three years.  Although his songs still kept much of the computerized sound of his early work, this album sounded more natural than his first three releases.  He also brought back more of the bluesy sound from his Zeppelin years and introduced a middle eastern influence.  With this album, Robert resurrected his career and found a new sound for the next few years.

Release Date: February 28, 1988
Highest Billboard Chart Position: 6

Track Listing
1. Heaven Knows
One of two #1 hits on the record, "Heaven Knows" starts with a computerized sound leading to a hard drum beat.  It showcases Robert's rediscovered love of middle eastern music and also returns to a more natural format, although synthesized sounds still dominate the song.  Jimmy Page plays guitar on this one and helps Robert get back on track.

2. Dance On My Own
Another synth beat starts out this track, however the songwriting sounds more like Robert.  With a touch of rockabilly, Robert crafts a fairly standard rock song with a 1980s sound.

3. Tall Cool One
The other #1 song from this album included pieces that Zeppelin fans waited for years to hear: Robert accepting his previous work.  It includes samples of "Whole Lotta Love", "The Ocean", and "Custard Pie" along with Jimmy on guitar.  Before this album, he never played Zeppelin songs on tour and all but denied his existence in the band.  "Tall Cool One" signaled a return to old Robert, again writing a song with a little bit of rockabilly and blues involved.  The song was featured in a Coke ad based off of the music video.

4. The Way I Feel
At this point in the album, Robert pretty much combines his newer (well, kind of original) songwriting techniques with those of his previous solo efforts.  This sounds like a song that could easily appear on In Through The Out Door, although it is a bit more synthesized.

5. Helen Of Troy
This song is trapped by the sound of the era.  With all the new technologies and the preference for the high screeching guitar, this song sounds a little too much like hair metal.  Robert hated that term and certainly wouldn't want to create a hair metal song.  The synthesizer kills what could be an excellent piece of the album.

6. Billy's Revenge
The only track on the album void of heavy synths gets much of its influence from rockabilly like much of Roberts work in the late 1980s/early 1990s.  The guitar sounds good with Roberts voice without the computer sound and his songwriting really shines through.  He slowly moved toward making more songs that sounded like this over the next couple of albums.

7. Ship Of Fools
A standard Plant ballad, "Ship Of Fools" is almost a poor man's "In The Mood" and sounds awfully similar to "Like I've Never Been Gone" off of his first album Pictures At Eleven.  With a easy guitar guiding the song, Robert goes into his usual Western cultural reference that he had all but abandoned in his early solo work.  It was featured on the final two hour episode of Miami Vice, which gives it some 80's culture props.

8. Why
The most computer driven sound comes from this song and seems almost like a throwaway.  The lyrics aren't too complicated and the music seems fairly standard.  Not much to say about this one.

9. White Clean And Neat
Another very computerized track, Robert flexed his "I'm still not that connected to Led Zeppelin" muscles and produced another ho hum track.  It included an odd sample that just doesn't make sense so Robert didn't really finish off the original album strong.

10. Walking Towards Paradise (Bonus CD track)
This track, found on CD versions and the Nine Lives box set, is under the same vein of "The Way I Feel", except a little bit more upbeat and original.  It includes a lot of synthesized sounds, however the songwriting seems to be highlighting Robert's strengths rather than being too outside of the box.

Interesting Fact: Even though the album revived Robert's struggling career, he does not really seem to like it today.  He said in an interview with Uncut in 2005 that he could "hear that a lot of the songs got lost in the technology of the time."

Achilles Last Stand 2/18

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Down By The Seaside", Physical Graffiti
- Sonny Boy Williamson, "Bring It On Home"
- Them Crooked Vultures, "New Fang", Them Crooked Vultures
- Afro Celt Sound System ft. Robert Plant, "Let Life Begin Again", Sixty-Six To Timbuktu
- Led Zeppelin, "Rock And Roll", How The West Was Won
- Robert Plant, "All The Money In The World", Mighty Rearranger (Nine Lives Bonus Track)
- The Firm, "Spirit Of Love", Mean Business
- Led Zeppelin, "Four Sticks", IV
- Led Zeppelin, "The Rain Song", The Song Remains The Same (1976)
- Bob Dylan, "Levee's Gonna Break", Modern Times
- Led Zeppelin, "Immigrant Song", Led Zeppelin III
- The Jeff Beck Group, "Beck's Bolero", Truth
- Robert Plant, "Heaven Knows", Now And Zen
- Led Zeppelin, "Walter's Walk", Coda
- Led Zeppelin, "The Ocean", Houses Of The Holy
- Howlin' Wolf, "Killing Floor"
- Led Zeppelin, "Black Dog", How The West Was Won
- Robert Plant, "Worse Than Detroit", Pictures At Eleven
- The Yardbirds, "Train Kept A Rollin'", Ultimate!
- Led Zeppelin, "All Of My Love", In Through The Out Door

It's week two back on-air and the show is in full swing.  The album of the month review Robert Plant's Now And Zen will be up in the next couple of day.  Again gave you a taste of Them Crooked Vultures.  Check out the album review for more info on the release and check out their Youtube channel.  They not only posted the entire release, they continue to add new videos.  Here's part 1 of a series describing how the band got together:



Here's a video of the band preparing the album in the studio posted a little before the album release:



I'm still keeping my eye on new Plant solo album rumors, mostly coming from Lemon Squeezings, who says it will be called It's Rude To Say No.  Also I promise to put my breaks by Monday.  Honest.  Just got a little busy last week.  So until next time, keep reading and don't forget to listen every Thursday 4-6pm on WECB, the Underground Sound of Emerson College.

Them Crooked Vultures Review

 

After months of speculation of a Led Zeppelin comeback, all of the rumors were quieted when Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones couldn't find a good enough lead singer.  So that meant they could go back to previous projects.  Although there were some rumblings of Jones working with other stars of the hard rock world, this project came a little out of left field.  Josh Homme fronts the group on vocals and guitar, Dave Grohl moves back behind the drums, and Jones takes his familiar place on bass and keyboards.

When you first catch wind of this project, the first thought is "will this just be Queens Of The Stone Age+Foo Fighters+Led Zeppelin?"  Well, yes and no.  Josh Homme certainly brings the QOTSA sound to the group with a sprinkling of Foo Fighters from Grohl, however Jones brings a different sound than expected.  His contributions seem to follow his solo projects Zooma and The Thundertheif more than his Zeppelin work.

Overall, the album sounds very dark and dirty.  It steps outside of the hard rock idea box with a little more blues than you hear these days.  Homme sticks with his normal vocals for most of the album and doesn't really change up his style.  Grohl drops the hammer on the drums, especially on "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "Scumbag Blues".  Jones stays in the background like his normal self, however his contibutions are felt throughout.  He glues together the band much like he needed to during his day in Led Zeppelin with great bass lines in "No One Loves Me And Neither Do I" and "Elephants".  He also sneaks in a nice keyboard groove in "Scumbag Blues".

It's a good but not spectacular output from the trio.  The album seems a bit repetitive at times and no one song really shines through.  You should still pick it up if you have a chance, especially if you want to rock out.

Catch Up Time

It's been 9 months since the last time Achilles Last Stand hit the internet airwaves and much has
happened since then. Well, one really really big event occurred and the rest is mostly rumors.

The actual news: Them Crooked Vultures
After the obligatory Led Zeppelin reunion rumors for the decade, a new project quickly emerged. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame combined with Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones for a new album. They played the social media game like pros and did an excellent job of getting fans excited for the new release and tour. Although the band takes much of its influence from Homme, much of their sound comes from John Paul Jones' previous solo projects Zooma and The Thunderthief. Jones' multi-instrumental abilities shine through. The band's life span is up for question due to Homme and Grohl, however if they wanted to release another album they certainly could based off of the success of their self titled effort.

The rumor: Jimmy Page album and tour

As a fan of Zeppelin starting in 2002, I missed his last tour with Plant in 1998. He has kept a low profile since then with a few appearances here and there, including the one-off Ahmet Ertegun reunion in 2007 and joining Jack White and the Edge for the It Might Get Loud documentary. Not surprisingly he cannot keep up with the demanding schedule of a major recording artist. Even before he ravaged his body with elicit substances he had a history of health problems. At 66 he's the oldest member of Led Zeppelin and he started touring with various groups a half decade before Jones or Plant ever hit the road for the first time. He's been saying for the past few years he has songs ready to go and he received plenty of rest after three and a half decades of heavy touring. I think he'll actually get something out, however I'm not sure how long he can tour. Expect him to hit the major stops but not much more.

And the rest: Plant news
After a highly successful 2008 tour with Alison Krauss after releasing Raising Sand, Plant took it easy in 2009. He did his usual charity gigs and even received Commander of the Order Of The British Empire. Current news on him says he's recording but I've heard two stories.  Lemon Squeezings says he's working alone but rumor was that he was working with Krauss again.. Knowing Plant, he would move onto a brand new project quickly since he usually changes his image and sound every 2-3 albums. He could still break and sing for a Zeppelin reunion again, but I still don't see that happening as outlined in the past.

Achilles Last Stand 2/11

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Black Dog", IV
- Led Zeppelin, "Hot Dog", In Through The Out Door
- Robert Plant, "29 Palms", Fate Of Nations
- Howlin' Wolf, "How Many More Years", Complete Chess Recordings
- Led Zeppelin, "Over The Hills And Far Away", The Song Remains The Same (2007)
- Robert Plant And Jimmy Page, "Please Read The Letter", Walking Into Clarksdale
- Led Zeppelin, "Stairway To Heaven", How The West Was Won
- Led Zeppelin, "No Quarter", Houses Of The Holy
- Led Zeppelin, "Travelling Riverside Blues", BBC Sessions
- Robert Johnson, "Traveling Riverside Blues"
- Led Zeppelin, "Heartbreaker" into "Livin' Lovin Maid (She's Just A Woman), Led Zeppelin II
- Robert Plant, "Little By Little (Remix)", Pink And Black
- Them Crooked Vultures, "No One Loves Me And Neither Do I", Them Crooked Vultures
- Led Zeppelin, "The Rover", Physical Graffiti
- Led Zeppelin, "Baby Come On Home"
- The Rolling Stones, "She's A Rainbow", Forty Licks
- Led Zeppelin, "Good Times, Bad Times", Led Zeppelin
- The Firm, "Closer", The Firm

I'm back and the show's better than ever with a new addition to the music library Them Crooked Vultures!  So much news needed to be discussed, including the rumored releases from Jimmy and Robert.  I'll post up a wrap up of the news tomorrow in case you missed it and keep you posted of any new developments.  Album of the month should be selected by next week since there's so much to choose from. Break will be posted up in the next couple of days if you want to go back for any missed information.  I'll be back next week, same time, same place for another Achilles Last Stand, only on WECB The Underground Sound of Emerson College.

Correction

Achilles Last Stand is on 4-6pm, not 2-4.  That was the old time.  Old habits die hard I guess.  So listen in 4-6pm on WECB the Underground Sound of Emerson College.

First Show Back Tomorrow!!! Listen 2-4pm

 

Achilles Last Stand is back tomorrow!!! Wooooo!!!  Listen 2-4pm tomorrow for the best from Zeppelin along with forgotten tracks, outtakes, influences, and influencees (is that a word?).  Only on WECB The Underground Sound of Emerson College

This Month in Zeppelin for February

So every month I will have a monthly update on what happened in Zeppelin history. The first show of the month will include a This Month in Zeppelin feature where all of the important events of the month are announced. If there's an extremely important date (i.e. big album releases, deaths, births, ect.), I will talk about it as close to the date as possible as well. The list will end up on the blog. So, without further ado, this month in Led Zeppelin...

• 1969, the band had their first foray into the Billboard Top 40. They would not leave until well after their breakup.
• Feb. 28 1970, their name changes for one night in Copenhagen to "The Nobs" so that Countess Von Zeppelin, upset about the band's first album cover, doesn't sue them for using her name.
• Feb. 14, 1971, the band's long hair prevents them from being allowed into Singapore.
• Feb. 16, 1972, the release date of Houses of the Holy is pushed back due to album sleeve issues.
• Feb. 24, 1975, Physical Graffiti is released and sells incredibly well with over 1 million pre-orders already in place.
• Feb. 16, 1978, John Bonham, Richard Cole, and Peter Grant face a judge for their roles in a brawl during a show in Oakland. They all receive commuted prison sentences and a fine.
• Feb. 15, 1982, Death Wish II, the soundtrack that Jimmy Page recorded for the Charles Bronson film of the same name, is released.
• Feb. 11, 1985, Jimmy Page's new band The Firm release their self-titled album.
• Feb. 29, 1988, Robert Plant releases his 4th solo album (and 5th since Led Zeppelin broke up) Now and Zen
• Feb. 24, 1999, Jimmy and Robert win their first Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for their song "Most High"
  
• Feb. 13, 2005, Led Zeppelin receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.
• Feb. 8, 2009, Robert Plant wins Album of the Year with Alison Krauss at the Grammys for Raising Sand. They also win Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (for "Rich Woman"), Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album, Record of the Year (for "Please Read The Letter"), and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals (for "Killing The Blues"). They also performed songs from the album during the show with T-Bone Burnett.
  

It's Back....

It's been a long time since I rock and rolled (apologies for the bad pun) so it's about time Achilles Last Stand returns to WECB! You can hear the best of Led Zeppelin and more every Thursday 4-6pm. Unfortunately I have previous commitments the first week WECB returns to the internet airwaves, but listen on Thursday, February 11th for your favorite Zeppelin tunes, missed cuts, and the influences that made them great. There's much to discuss, like Them Crooked Vultures, a second Plant and Krauss album, and the supposed Jimmy Page album coming out this year. So listen in for the latest Zeppelin news, notes, and of course to let the led out only on WECB, the Underground Sound of Emerson College.