Published on Oct 12, 1999
It is no big secret that Led Zeppelin got many of their ideas
from the blues legends they had grown up listening to. It even hit
the point where the late Willie Dixon sued the band – and won –
claiming plagiarism of his song “You Need Love” on Led Zeppelin’s
hit “Whole Lotta Love”.
So what would happen if some of today’s blues artists –
including some living legends – stole the music back and returned
it to its roots? It’s an intriguing concept, and one that has been
turned into reality with the release of
Whole Lotta Blues: Songs Of Led Zeppelin.
Zep purists, be forewarned: while there are similarities between
the originals and the cover versions presented here, the format of
many of them is going to be radically different. It may shock some
people – it may even offend some. But there’s no denying that many
of these artists have found the heart of the songs themselves in
their translations.
Just listen to the way that Otis Clay tackles “Since I’ve Been
Loving You” and hear the spin that the vocalist puts on this track.
While the original version was bluesy enough, Clay and the backing
musicians make this one burrow even deeper into the vein of the
blues, and it becomes a track that just pours out emotion from all
corners.
The same could be said for Robert Lockwood Jr.’s take on “Bring
It On Home,” starting out the piece with an acoustic Delta blues
sound, then kicking things up a little more with the full band
(though it should be noted that Lockwood does not play guitar on
the second half of the song). Likewise, the duet between Otis Rush
and Eric Gales, their take on Willie Dixon’s “I Can’t Quit You
Baby,” just throbs with power, and should not be missed.
There are a few tracks that might take a couple of listens to
really get into. Once you’ve spent some time wih Clarence
“Gatemouth” Brown’s take on “Rock N’ Roll,” or even if you have
some knowledge of Brown’s blues style, you’ll appreciate the new
levels he tries to take the song to. It’s intriguing, to say the
least – and, for the most part, it works well. Chris Thomas King’s
version of “Hey, Hey (What Can I Do)” is one that I had to listen
to several times to really appreciate, but it did grow on me.
I can’t say the same about a few takes on
Whole Lotta Blues: Songs Of Led Zeppelin. The original take
of “Custard Pie” by Gales proves to me that this song was never
meant to be done in a Delta blues style. I also found I couldn’t
get into the version of “When The Levee Breaks” by Magic Slim,
Billy Branch and James Cotton. (For that matter, did we really need
more than one take on some of these songs? And why were some songs
broken up into two distinct tracks?)
For the most part,
Whole Lotta Blues: Songs Of Led Zeppelin is a pleasant
collection that pays tribute to the roots of the music without
sacrificing much of the original sound (if not the bombast).
Although some diehard Zep fans might need to spend the better part
of a day with this one, it will prove to be a disc worthy of their
time.