The Album Review Club - Week #119 - (page 1405) - People On Sunday - Domenique Dumont

crublue1 said:
Seems I'm very much in the minority here, but Led Zep have never appealed to me much, maybe it's an age/ generational thing, let's have a think.

This was released in 75, when I was 8 years old. By the time I reached my mid to late teens, they were often portrayed (wrongly, looking back) as rock dinosaurs, old hat, something your dad listened to.
With all the music, trends and fashions available to a young impressionable lad, they never had a look in, not a chance. Only hippies and old rockers listened to Zep, not cool teenagers like me lol. I was more interested in punk and new wave back then.
Put it this way, if you had a girl in your room and played her some Zep, there's no way you'd be getting past first base.

As I got into my 20's and my music tastes expanded, I tried many times to get acquainted with them, to try and understand what all the fuss was about, but to no avail I'm afraid. There was much more exciting rock available at the time, no need to visit the past, everything I thought I wanted/ needed was happening there and then. Add the fact I was too young to really appreciate musical artistry and song writing, and it's easy to see how they (and many other groups from this era) passed me by.

Since then I've tried a few more times, always thinking I'm missing out, but here I am, much older,
but no wiser when it comes to Zep.
I must be honest here and say I'm not even that keen on the "hits" (for want of a better word) stairway, whole lotta love etc, don't really do it for me, so the rest of their not inconsiderable back catalogue isn't gonna cut it either...

They divide opinion probably more than any other band, in my experience anyway. Those that like them do so in an almost cult like manner, those that don't, REALLY don't, and can be quite vocal about it. Not sure why.
Maybe the haters can't admit, or can't hear the talent.
I can do both, but that doesn't do enough for me to enjoy their work. In the same way I can appreciate a painting, without wanting to hang it on my wall.

I'm no where near qualified to critique such a legendary band (so I wont), and to add to that it's hard to quantify why I don't like them, mainly because, on paper anyway, I should feel the opposite.
The best I can come up with is that the vocals seem a little distant, like they turned him down a bit, and here's the main one, the riffs, while excellent, are often just repeated all the way through the song, sometimes to a point where the riff becomes the song in itself, and kind of becomes lost as an impact, if that makes sense.
Yep, that's all I've got, pretty pathetic reasoning I know, but it's hard to find fault when a band is so talented, I just can't find the words to describe why I find the sum of the parts a bit underwhelming.

I do hope this sounded fresh, new and innovative back then, and in a way I wish I'd of been at the right age when it came out, it's great to carry an album through life, and I fully understand why this might be one that many would pick for such a journey, and who am I to question that?

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr Ob's intro, this is obviously an album dear to his heart, unfortunately for me, it's not one I can embrace with the same enthusiasm.

For the legacy, the obvious talent, and the joy they bring to others, it's a respectful 5/10 from me, I'm genuinely sorry I'm not able to give it more, but I have to be honest, even if I can't find the logic to explain it.
Click to expand...

Blimey, that's pretty much how I've always felt about Led Zep

I'm looking forward to giving this album a proper go though and hope the penny drops, they're obviously one of the best bands ever
 
Onholiday(somemightsay) said:
Honestly don't really mean to be, but you've got to have room to go (especially in a top 1000 list).

Probably my favourite album (of which you Foggy are already aware of) I would give it a 9 purely as I imagine it's creater would think it could be bettered (as surely everything can be improved upon can't it?).

But these are the fine margins that we are working in at the higher end of the scoring aren't they.

I have discovered a lot of decent stuff over these threads - plus I've just handed out an 8 ffs.........!! ;-)
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Nothing wrong with being a tough grader! The general public aren't tough graders. Someone has to be. I think I am. We've had some erstwhile shite on the other thread. But we've had some good stuff too.
 
Onholiday(somemightsay) said:
Do we know why not?

Technology works in their favour nowadays (granted it's post 2000) as it allows them to still operate as a 4 piece.

How good do they sound?
Click to expand...

They sound superb at the O2 gig. A good friend actually got to go: chanced his arm on a touted ticket.

Don't know exactly why Plant wouldn't do the tour but he has always refused. He has been very productive and happy doing his solo stuff.

One observation I heard that may just have some validity was that when Robert Plant is in a room, he is the centre of attention, until Jimmy Page walks in.
 
OB1 said:
They sound superb at the O2 gig. A good friend actually got to go: chanced his arm on a touted ticket.

Don't know exactly why Plant wouldn't do the tour but he has always refused. He has been very productive and happy doing his solo stuff.

One observation I heard that may just have some validity was that when Robert Plant is in a room, he is the centre of attention, until Jimmy Page walks in.
Click to expand...
I heard him interviewed to say he much prefers the music he makes now and that he had done Zeppelin
Certainly his solo stuff hold a far greater variety and is quite different to zeppelin. The guy just wants to continue to be a troubadour.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Ha ha — too true, @Onholiday(somemightsay) is the toughest grader here I bet if we went back and looked at average scores.
Click to expand...
Do not fret, my friend, not only does the master spreadsheet keep track of the average scores, but it also keep track of the number of votes people have cast, the actual scores they cast and thereby the average.

I can confirm that whilst @Onholiday(somemightsay) is indeed careful with his votes, and would be in the relegation zone, he is not the most frugal voter!

I was going to publish some scoring averages every 10 albums or so.
 
RobMCFC said:
Do not fret, my friend, not only does the master spreadsheet keep track of the average scores, but it also keep track of the number of votes people have cast, the actual scores they cast and thereby the average.

I can confirm that whilst @Onholiday(somemightsay) is indeed careful with his votes, and would be in the relegation zone, he is not the most frugal voter!

I was going to publish some scoring averages every 10 albums or so.
Click to expand...
Got to be @BimboBob surely? ;-)
 
crublue1 said:
Seems I'm very much in the minority here, but Led Zep have never appealed to me much, maybe it's an age/ generational thing, let's have a think.

This was released in 75, when I was 8 years old. By the time I reached my mid to late teens, they were often portrayed (wrongly, looking back) as rock dinosaurs, old hat, something your dad listened to.
With all the music, trends and fashions available to a young impressionable lad, they never had a look in, not a chance. Only hippies and old rockers listened to Zep, not cool teenagers like me lol. I was more interested in punk and new wave back then.
Put it this way, if you had a girl in your room and played her some Zep, there's no way you'd be getting past first base.

As I got into my 20's and my music tastes expanded, I tried many times to get acquainted with them, to try and understand what all the fuss was about, but to no avail I'm afraid. There was much more exciting rock available at the time, no need to visit the past, everything I thought I wanted/ needed was happening there and then. Add the fact I was too young to really appreciate musical artistry and song writing, and it's easy to see how they (and many other groups from this era) passed me by.

Since then I've tried a few more times, always thinking I'm missing out, but here I am, much older,
but no wiser when it comes to Zep.
I must be honest here and say I'm not even that keen on the "hits" (for want of a better word) stairway, whole lotta love etc, don't really do it for me, so the rest of their not inconsiderable back catalogue isn't gonna cut it either...

They divide opinion probably more than any other band, in my experience anyway. Those that like them do so in an almost cult like manner, those that don't, REALLY don't, and can be quite vocal about it. Not sure why.
Maybe the haters can't admit, or can't hear the talent.
I can do both, but that doesn't do enough for me to enjoy their work. In the same way I can appreciate a painting, without wanting to hang it on my wall.

I'm no where near qualified to critique such a legendary band (so I wont), and to add to that it's hard to quantify why I don't like them, mainly because, on paper anyway, I should feel the opposite.
The best I can come up with is that the vocals seem a little distant, like they turned him down a bit, and here's the main one, the riffs, while excellent, are often just repeated all the way through the song, sometimes to a point where the riff becomes the song in itself, and kind of becomes lost as an impact, if that makes sense.
Yep, that's all I've got, pretty pathetic reasoning I know, but it's hard to find fault when a band is so talented, I just can't find the words to describe why I find the sum of the parts a bit underwhelming.

I do hope this sounded fresh, new and innovative back then, and in a way I wish I'd of been at the right age when it came out, it's great to carry an album through life, and I fully understand why this might be one that many would pick for such a journey, and who am I to question that?

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr Ob's intro, this is obviously an album dear to his heart, unfortunately for me, it's not one I can embrace with the same enthusiasm.

For the legacy, the obvious talent, and the joy they bring to others, it's a respectful 5/10 from me, I'm genuinely sorry I'm not able to give it more, but I have to be honest, even if I can't find the logic to explain it.
Click to expand...
I'm two years older than you and in my world -- an all-boys Catholic high school in downtown San Francisco in the early 80s -- you were either a Zep fan, a Who fan, a Stones fan OR a Beatles fan. Everyone had a clear fave. I was a Who fan. Punks were not allowed -- they'd have been booted out of school by the Jesuits.

It was college where my taste expanded because my roommate (he of the orange mohawk and the Bert and Ernie earrings) had an enormous collection of punk, new wave and electronica, and eventually became heavily-involved in the punk scene in DC which was very influential at the time. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of music and I took my cue from him and branched into all sorts of different genres.

Then in graduate school in the early 90s I did pro bono work for a nightclub/concert venue/glorified bar in San Francisco (helping them to manage revenue and expense) and got to see a lot of bands very early on in their careers (I learned performers don't make very much money, and neither do nightclubs, unless they sell a LOT of booze).

I kind of missed the 2000s and beyond getting older and having kids but even today I still read a lot of music criticism and will take a stab on bands/records well-liked by critics I respect.
 
crublue1 said:
Seems I'm very much in the minority here, but Led Zep have never appealed to me much, maybe it's an age/ generational thing, let's have a think.

This was released in 75, when I was 8 years old. By the time I reached my mid to late teens, they were often portrayed (wrongly, looking back) as rock dinosaurs, old hat, something your dad listened to.
With all the music, trends and fashions available to a young impressionable lad, they never had a look in, not a chance. Only hippies and old rockers listened to Zep, not cool teenagers like me lol. I was more interested in punk and new wave back then.
Put it this way, if you had a girl in your room and played her some Zep, there's no way you'd be getting past first base.

As I got into my 20's and my music tastes expanded, I tried many times to get acquainted with them, to try and understand what all the fuss was about, but to no avail I'm afraid. There was much more exciting rock available at the time, no need to visit the past, everything I thought I wanted/ needed was happening there and then. Add the fact I was too young to really appreciate musical artistry and song writing, and it's easy to see how they (and many other groups from this era) passed me by.

Since then I've tried a few more times, always thinking I'm missing out, but here I am, much older,
but no wiser when it comes to Zep.
I must be honest here and say I'm not even that keen on the "hits" (for want of a better word) stairway, whole lotta love etc, don't really do it for me, so the rest of their not inconsiderable back catalogue isn't gonna cut it either...

They divide opinion probably more than any other band, in my experience anyway. Those that like them do so in an almost cult like manner, those that don't, REALLY don't, and can be quite vocal about it. Not sure why.
Maybe the haters can't admit, or can't hear the talent.
I can do both, but that doesn't do enough for me to enjoy their work. In the same way I can appreciate a painting, without wanting to hang it on my wall.

I'm no where near qualified to critique such a legendary band (so I wont), and to add to that it's hard to quantify why I don't like them, mainly because, on paper anyway, I should feel the opposite.
The best I can come up with is that the vocals seem a little distant, like they turned him down a bit, and here's the main one, the riffs, while excellent, are often just repeated all the way through the song, sometimes to a point where the riff becomes the song in itself, and kind of becomes lost as an impact, if that makes sense.
Yep, that's all I've got, pretty pathetic reasoning I know, but it's hard to find fault when a band is so talented, I just can't find the words to describe why I find the sum of the parts a bit underwhelming.

I do hope this sounded fresh, new and innovative back then, and in a way I wish I'd of been at the right age when it came out, it's great to carry an album through life, and I fully understand why this might be one that many would pick for such a journey, and who am I to question that?

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr Ob's intro, this is obviously an album dear to his heart, unfortunately for me, it's not one I can embrace with the same enthusiasm.

For the legacy, the obvious talent, and the joy they bring to others, it's a respectful 5/10 from me, I'm genuinely sorry I'm not able to give it more, but I have to be honest, even if I can't find the logic to explain it.
Click to expand...
Excellent contribution to the thread mate.

All I would say is, are you really sure they are the band who divide opinion more than any other?
(Have you ever asked anyone in real life, if they like Radiohead ? ;-)
 
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