h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK, I'll see if I can get something started and then everyone can start commenting and, hopefully, filling in the gaps. Watch this space...

Good, because I have no idea how we should go about this. Are we giving a brief history of the album, or a review and discussion of the songs, or both?

I suggest a bit of background history of the album. With some albums this is quite easy, for example Derek and the Dominoes "Layla and Other Assorted Songs", George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass", Miles Davis "Kind of Blue", "Get Back - the Lost Beatles Album", "Graceland" by Paul Simon to name just a few. The history of particular songs can be quite eventful. I think there may already be an entry to Stairway to Heaven. Try to give dates of when the album was recorded. Perhaps the circumstances they were recorded under, such as how Mike Oldfield mad to use odd bits of studio time to record "Tubular Bells" as other paying people had booked the studios here and there. Give a full tracklisting of the album and the musicians on it though I'd advise against saying who was on each track as that can be repetitive. For example point out that a 16-year old Phil Collins was on track such and such on "All Things Must Pass". Where the album was recorded can be interesting like "The Basement Tapes" were recorded in Bob Dylan's basement in his Woodstock home when he was recuperating from a motorcycle accident. The album wasn't released for seven or eight years after it was recorded. Only give a generalised review as to the sort of style of the album was and how it varied from others. There's probably not much point in giving it a huge review like you might read in the papers or music magazines as that is one person's opinion being thrust upon the audience. Obviously praise or slate the album but don't make it the bulk of the entry. The history of the album will tend to be more interesting and will grip the reader's attention. These album entries should really be about a piece of music history, where they came from and their effects rather than a catalogue of what and who's on the album and how good/bad it is. Hopefully this has helped to clear things up.

It sounds like *you* should be the one writing these entries....

It sounds like a nice idea but unfortunately my knowledge of Led Zep albums is rather scant. I am, however, considering to writer entries of other albums but I'll keep those quiet until they're actually done.

OK, let's go. I've set up some entries at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A602236 - "Led Zeppelin - The Albums"

There's not much there yet, but I hope that everyone will have something to contribute - ideas, song info, anecdotes, controversial opinions... you know the sort of thing. I'll start adding stuff myself now that the basic template is there (that was tiresome) and hopefully we'll soon have a nice comprehensive Zep entry for H2G2.

Wow! That's pretty impressive. Let me do some digging--it will take a few days--and I'll add some stuff to the album(s) I'm interested in. I certainly hope some of the other researchers in this forum, and anyone else who is interested, will join in.

Great job Dan!

Ive heard little blurps here and there that several members of Zepp (ie. Plant and Page) were tied up pretty heavy in the occult, whichcraft and the like. like ive said, these are just little blurps and i dont hear much else about it other than Jimmy Page living in the house of the late and renowned satanist Alister Crowley. And after all, there are alot of references in their songs about magic and folklore and whatnot.Any body have any answers?



P.S just for the record, the godzilla thing pissed me off too.

Crowley= occultist, not Satanist. He'd try anything. (And very good at mountaineering...)

He bought his house indeed and has a large collection of artefacts. Much of the occult song stuff appears to be Tolkien/Norse based

(well, that was informative.) Sorry.
(also annoyed about Godzilla, speshly now they are using it on the adverts for 'Ali G in da USAiii. )

I got a few axes to grind here. First of all, kashmir is quite a song, i agree, but "Angel of Death" by SLayer is the most powerful rock song ever.

Second of all, Led Zeppelin are most certainly NOT the most overrated rock band. They have earned every syllable of breathless hyperbole ever uttered by every mopheaded metalhead, rock critic, and everyone else, and with f*ckin gusto.

Thirdly, taht Puff Daddy matter is F*CKING SACRILEGE!! It almost as bad as when-get this-PUDDLE OF F*CKIN MUDD AND FRED DURST (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH) COVERED THE SONG "Thank You". It makes me mad...MAD...MMMAAD...MMMMMAAAD...MAD....MAAAAD, MMMMAAAAD... also sacreligious is when Ozzy redid Iron Man with...BUSTA RHYMES!! ooohhh, Ill kill them all...christ, how could page, plant, jones, and osbourne LET these people DO this? WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYY?!!

Hey, could I do II?

I know this is a bit of a late one - last posting in 2001 etc, but if your scheme for doing LZ albums individually is still a faint memory, count me in for LZ III. Best album I own. PG is cool, but I guess that old Bron-Y-Aur magic just does something for me. That and the fact that I think Jimmy is the most underrated acoustic guitarist ever (apart from the bloke who did the Bagpuss music - now there was a TRUE genius!). Anyway, Yeah, the original post was a bit dry, but for all the juicy details just buy (or borrow. Or steal) Hammer of the Gods. What is it with the whole baked bean thing?
Blessed Be...

I must join the chorus is people disappointed at such a lack of information in an edited entry. C'mon, there isn't even any mention of that shark! Or what the three other guys were doing when Bonzo was playing Moby Dick on The Song Remains The Same...

there is not much mention of a lil' song called "ACHILLES LAST STAND"!!! I think it's comparable to RUSH and Joe Satriani's and the like...no wonder Led Zeppelin was the cutting edge for head bangger music and later metal and it's followers of speed metal and grung etc.....screamer Robert Plant is still kick butt...and still as cute...what a hot in voice and body. I hope we know in the future what an influance that Plant contributed to with his aaaaaah sighs and ooo frenzy sexy sound...smooth as he could be , he could turn around and scream your jeans off...from whispers to screeches Robert is simply an amazing performer. OOOXXX to you my golden god of love...so then we switch gears to Mr. Page awesome licks and there it becomes an orgasmic murrmer of bump and grind and slick tones of pure raw apeal...an aura of applausable explosives...meshing with Plant's shaking & Jimmy's sizzle...it's amazing anyone could walk staight after hearing one of thier songs...now add John Paul Jones whippy beat of the keys and theres extacy/JPJ some other insterment was killer deal...one more to go Bonzo's off beat sounding left field in the loudest way possible...you got people screaming for more...but it's all finished, peaking & tweaking it's zzzzz time.