This is a 1973 recording of "Black Dog" in which the band is in perfect form. Robert Plant's sensual vocals contrast richly with Jimmy Page's heavy, frustrated guitar and John Paul Jones' bluesy, understated bass. John Bonham's drums bring it together with their strong, powerful motions.
One thing stays true throughout all of their music. I suppose one could call it "soul," if they wanted to. I would. Don't ask me to describe it or define it, but it's there. The instruments, the vocals; every sound is alive. Every sound thinks, feels, and moves with the listener.
This is a recording of "In the Light," off of the album Physical Graffiti.
If I'm wrong about any of this stuff, and I'm sure that I am, please don't be too mean to me.
1 comment:
I think one of the things I love most about Robert Plant's vocals is that they carry HEAVY emotion. With every note (particularly the lower or higher accented notes), his voice quivers. The quivering has ALWAYS gotten to me and it's actually sent chills down my spine. What's amazing about Zeppelin as a whole is that the entire band seems to do the same thing. I won't go into too much detail about how they do it; all I know is that I hear it and feel it.
I love how, in especially live performances, Robert sacrifices "proper musical techniques" (breath control, following notes, etc.) simply to sing it as he feels it. That's often been a big debate with musicians and musical theater people. Sometimes sacrificing one element for another works and sometimes it really, really doesn't. Zeppelin is one of the FEW bands that can actually DO it successfully. Of course, that's where the "soul" comes in. . . ;)
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