"Black Dog", Led Zeppelin IV
Oh, "Black Dog", what can I say about you? People just love "Black Dog". They expect a great deal of applause when they put it on. I'm the first to say, "'Black Dog'? Really?" I mean its legendary, of course... The elaborate JPJ-penned riff is fantastically busy. The band is gutsy and strong! They immaculately groove with a powerful force. Robert Plant howls, exclaiming things like, "A big legged woman ain't got no soul!" These are the type of things I fancy. Oh, this project will conclude soon. Everything harmonizes, rhapsodizes! Everything simply gels. Its catchy and so goddamn accessible. It isn't surprising its been such an enduring smash with the general public. The song fades out with the excitable outro solo from Mr. Page, and its just overall a happy number. So whoopdidoo, "Black Dog" is fine, sure. But don't expect me (or anyone else!) to be so utterly impressed when you put it on. Nope, I'm afraid you'll have to dig a little deeper than that. I'm so happy with this project, really. Will I have anything left to say about the band once its through? Its funny, because I've realized that the type of writing you do, more particularly how songs effect you, depends on your mood! The basis is essentially in tact. A good song isn't going to be bad on a bad day. Nor will a bad song suddenly become good! But the little details, not the broader picture... That definitely depends on the day. I've never written so regularly, not before this project. Now I can't even imagine not writing just at least simple snippet everyday. It led me to closely examine these songs... Some songs with which I had an incredibly refined opinion, others with which I came to some sort of conclusion. Its been fun. Sometimes tiresome. Occasionally, I thought, "Do people want to read about this stuff so frequently?" But then a really great song would come up, and I'd say, "Well, I want to write about it so frequently. That counts." And it isn't over yet! But if anyone has been kicking and screaming over such excessive LZ coverage (but then why why WHY would they be reading this blog, really? I can't go a few posts without bringing them up!) then be prepared for the completely random hoopla that is my iPod. I'll be randomly selecting one song a day once this little shindig of a project is over. I'm really excited to write about things I just normally wouldn't sit down to write about. But I've still got a bit more of Led Zeppelin to cover -- so hold tight! xo.
