Time to get the Led out

Another reason to get a turntable: I never replaced my Led Zeppelin albums with CDs. It was an era -- a fabulous era of early heavy rock/metal discovery during the Seventies -- that I pretty much boxed up and put away with the rest of my vinyl.

Some music passes you by. Other music you just get past, never really intending to, it just happens as you travel through life taking those many unforeseen twists and turns. Only after later reflection, usually triggered by some sonic sensory message, you are reminded: That was pretty good shit, wasn't it?

The trigger for me came when "Communication Breakdown" was piping through the office speakers the other day. (Satellite radio is a beautiful thing to have in the workplace. Somebody should commission a study!) I still have the Jimmy Page riffs in my head. I awakened to them this morning without needing an alarm clark to jolt me.

That's Zep. We were inseparable pals who eventually went our own ways. There was a period in my life during which I'm sure I argued that Led Zeppelin IV was one of the greatest albums ever made. Or was it II? What always makes the argument so difficult is that several Zep albums warrant consideration. Rank their first four any way you want, that body of work is amazing.

I don't know that I'll be blasting Zep from my second floor flat, but it's going to be there like ammo, ready to load and fire. Of course it's possible this is just some form of therapy. Don't they say the first step is recognizing you have a problem?