I have never owned a Led Zeppelin album.

In many ways, I should probably have to hand in my “card” as a music blogger, fan and, indeed, as a musician. It’s a shocking oversight on my part, especially given my love for bands like Rush who owe their style and existence to Led Zeppelin.

I’m not quite sure why I never really got into the band. I had heard the classic songs, of course, though I may not have always known they were by LZ. Still, more recently, I’ve had the feeling that I owe it to myself to start listening properly.

I bought Led Zeppelin IV last week and I’ve been listening to it during my commute. Needless to say, I’m loving it. A lot of other music makes more sense now.

Are there bands or musicians you’ve just never listened to, or pursued? Any surprising or glaring holes in your musical experience? Am I the only one?

I hope not!

I wanted to officially welcome Stephen Herron as an tremendous addition to the Tunesmate blogging crew. He is not only classically trained as a musician but he also has much to say about it. Please join me in welcoming Stephen to the tune team.

http://www.tunesmate.com/blog/author/stephenherron

It’s almost been four years since Weird Al’s last CD, who should he parody? Last time Al covered Chamillionaire’s “Ridin Dirty” as “White and Nerdy”. Rumors say Lady Gaga is his big target, who do you suggest? Perhaps Al should do an classic song again like Garth Brooks “Friends in Low Places” and record “Seniors With Hip Replacements”?

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/23/weird-al-lady-gaga-parody/

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P94tzjG2lAE

I don’t know what it is about Giant Eagle, but the other day I was waiting in line and they had a little video monitor playing ads. All of a sudden, the above Mentos Ad came on and I had a flash back. For a second, I thought I was back in 1994. I remember this ad vividly because I always thought wouldn’t it be cool to have a car phone. I am surprised when old ads continually get played. A few others that come to mind are always around the holidays like the Budweiser Clydesdales and Folger’s Crystals ads.

Why do old ads still get played, are they that good?

It’s one of my personal theories about music. If a tune is good, it’s always good, no matter what you do to it, whether it’s covered by another artist, remixed or mashed-up.

Perhaps the best example of this is Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. When Johnny Cash covered it, even Trent Reznor had his doubts. But after he heard Cash’s version, he said the following:

I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning — different, but every bit as pure

Not every cover version works, perhaps. A few, like the above, actually reinvent the original song and improve upon it. Others, like all the songs being covered on the TV show Glee try to retain the spirit of the original. I’m a huge fan of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ which has been on the show (and will be on the Season Finale tomorrow night). I also used to believe that some songs were sacred, but I do quite like the Glee cover. Is it because the song is so good that it works no matter who sings it? I think so.

Another (more obscure) example is the song Just Good Friends by the Scottish singer, Fish. He originally recorded that track for his album Internal Exile but later released it as a duet with Sam Brown. The original song was more or less a rock piece, but the duet was more country. Amazingly, re-recording the song as a duet added some layers of complexity to the song, changing it into something slightly different than the original, but just as good.

So, what do you think? Are there songs that remain good no matter what? Let us know!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWg2vLEyRZc

Tunesmate is compiling a list of the best duets. Does the Lisa Marie and Elvis Presley make the list?

Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’

HANSON |

Yesterday was Will Smith’s 41st birthday.  Can you believe he’s 41 already?  So, in honor of his Freshness, what’s your favorite Will Smith/DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince song?  Mine would be above.

And, by the way, yesterday was a heck of a day for entertainment birthdays:  Mark Hamill (a.k.a. Luke Skywalker), the late Christopher Reeve (a.k.a. Superman), both Catherine Zeta-Jones and her hubby Michael Douglas, and Barbara Walters, among others.  Of course, how do I know all this crap?  It was actually my birthday, too. 

Recently, I realized more than ever before that part of the brilliance of U2 is the degree to which each member of the band brings something to the music.  For many a U2 song, take out any one of the band members–Bono, The Edge, Larry, or Adam–and the song is just not the same.  Each truly adds to the complexity of the composition.  Perhaps this is no more apparent than in U2′s rendition of the Bob Dylan classic (though many know it through Jimi Hendrix) “All Along the Watchtower” from Rattle and Hum.  Indeed, for as significant as The Edge is to the catalog of U2 music, there’s a case to be made that he’s the most subdued performer on this track.  There may be no finer example of the combination of the past and what in the late 1980s was the present of rock in a song showcasing all performers than this song.