October 31st, 2012 | 5:24 pm by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

Watch Led Zeppelin “Play Their Hearts Out” Performing “Kashmir”

In 2007, Led Zeppelin reunited for a rapturous, one-off set at London’s 02 Arena as part of a tribute concert for Atlantic Records’ beloved founder Ahmet Ertegun. Few of us will ever be so lucky to catch the rock legends live, so the performance was filmed for a concert film called Celebration Day, which will be out on DVD November 19th. Read our full review of the film here.

If you missed the film while it was out in theaters or are otherwise waiting until the film’s home release, there’s this: the band rocking their classic (well, one of them!) hit “Kashmir.” The guys sound nonetheless for their time away, and not at all like they are “just hangin’ on for dear life,” like Robert Plant said. Rather, in the words of Jimmy Page, they “really played their hearts out.” And we’ll savor it, because you never know when this sort of magical classic rock moment might come again.

RELATED: Return Of The Kings: Led Zeppelin’s Celebration Day
Led Zeppelin Address Reunion Rumors In NYC Press Conference: “The Tail Should Never wag The Dog”

Led Zeppelin Blast Off With ‘Kashmir’ at London Reunion [RS]

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October 17th, 2012 | 10:45 am by Ben Smith (@BHSmithNYC)

Return Of The Kings: Led Zeppelin’s Celebration Day

These are strange times. It used to be that when a band broke up, you could no longer see them live. These days, however, it seems every rock band that has ever existed, from the biggest names in rock to the most obscure of punk groups, is back on the road. Outside of a few, poorly-executed one-offs, 70s hard rock giants Led Zeppelin are on the short list of bands who have not taken the big paycheck to put on a reunion tour, thus when word spread in 2007 they would take the stage at London’s 02 Arena to headline a tribute concert for legendary Atlantic Records’ founder Ahmet Ertegun, it was greeted as the second coming and set the stage for a full-fledged reunion tour.

The dead have risen from their graves.

The concert itself was received rapturously. Everyone from classic rock royalty to the band’s old nemesis, Rolling Stone, proclaimed its greatness. The masses awaited for tickets to go on sale, credit cards in hand, bedecked in new-vintage Urban Outfitters 1977 tour shirts. And then the greatest rock n’ roll reunion tour of all time didn’t happen. Singer Robert Plant went on tour with Allison Krauss, bassist John Paul Jones formed a new band with Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and guitarist Jimmy Page did a movie with Jack White. Five years later, a suitably mysterious countdown clock on the Led Zeppelin website and Facebook page built up anticipation once again that the band were finally announcing the release of Celebration Day, the concert film of the band’s 2007 performance.

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October 9th, 2012 | 2:30 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Led Zeppelin Address Reunion Rumors In NYC Press Conference: “The Tail Should Never Wag The Dog”

Led Zeppelin Celebration Day Press Conference

Memo to rock journalists looking to score a big scoop by getting the surviving members of Led Zeppelin —from left to right above, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant— to comment on whether or not the band will reunite for an extended concert tour: A direct line of questioning is most certainly NOT your best bet to get them to address the issue that is on everyone’s mind. No less than three journalists were met with glares of steely silence by Led Zeppelin in a press conference held at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art earlier this afternoon, but an indirect question about the band’s onstage vibe during the December 2007 performance at London’s O2 Arena that is the basis for their upcoming concert film Celebration Day resulted in the closest thing to an answer that the band would give on whether we’ll ever see any more Zeppelin shows.

“That night, back then, we were just hangin’ on for dear life,” Robert Plant told the crowd of 150 journalists or so. “We were just watching each other, we were so happy we were getting it right. There were moments in it where we just took off, pushed off into some place. The responsibility of doing that four nights of week for the rest of time is a different thing. We’re pretty good at what we do, but the tail should never wag the dog. If we’re capable of doing something in our own time, that will be what will happen. So any inane questions from people from syndicated outlets, you should just really think about what it takes to answer a question like that in one second. We know what we’ve got.”

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September 21st, 2012 | 3:33 pm by Ben Smith (@BHSmithNYC)

AMERICA’S HARD 100, Day 7 – Vote To Determine The Greatest Hard Rock Song Of All-Time

It’s Day 7 of the VH1 Classic America’s Hard 100 Countdown Poll and we’ve got another batch of classic hard rock and heavy metal tunes that need sorting! We’ve put together a list of 100 essential rockers but we need you to vote on them to let us know where they should fall in the America’s Hard 100 Countdown when it airs this November.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You can vote AS MANY TIMES and for AS MANY SONGS as you want, simply click on “Return To Poll” after your initial ballet. If your favorite hard rock jam is missing from today’s list please click on one of the previous days polls which are still open and keep checking back daily as we add new songs to new lists.

Today Nirvana’s grunge anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit” goes up against Metallica’s breakthrough hit “Enter Sandman,” Zeppelin’s epic “Kashmir” and classic tunes by Van Halen, Def Leppard and more!

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September 15th, 2012 | 12:00 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Introducing AMERICA’S HARD 100, The First VH1 Classic Countdown Show Determined By Fan Votes!

VH1 Classic Presents America's Hard 100

For years and years, VH1 and VH1 Classic have been putting together awesome music-related countdown shows that run the gamut from the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs to the 40 Greatest Metal Songs. These shows were painstakingly put together after endless hours of debate from not just music critics and our crack team of show producers, but also with input from the artists themselves. However, VH1 Classic’s upcoming countdown show, America’s Hard 100, will be different in that it won’t be a team of producers who determine the show’s results — this time around, it will be YOU, the FANS, who determine which songs fall in which order!

Over the course of the next 2 weeks, we’ll be soliciting YOUR VOTES to determine what is the greatest hard rock song of all-time. We’ve put together a list of 100 songs that you’ll be able to choose from, broken down into 10 series of 10 songs, to make voting for your favorite hard rock songs as easy as possible. Each day for the next 10 days, we’ll reveal a new list of songs that you can vote on. Vote early and vote often –and for as many songs as you’d like!– and you’ll be able to see the final results when America’s Hard 100 airs in November.

Today, our list of 10 songs include songs from rock powerhouses like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Scorpions. Check back tomorrow at noon eastern to vote on the likes of Alice Cooper, Def Leppard and Twisted Sister. But for now, here’s our first group of 10 songs for you to vote on. Remember, it will be YOUR VOTES that determine the end result of America’s Hard 100!

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August 28th, 2012 | 5:30 pm by Christina Leake (@_bobina)

THAT METAL DEBATE: Top 5 Worst Album Covers (On Great Albums)

Last week on That Metal Show, we were joined by comedian/guitarist Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) and former front man of Queensryche Geoff Tate, who talked about the betrayal that came with the implosion of the band. Also on our mini stage, we had guest shredder George Lynch joining in on the action.

This week’s TMS Top 5 is different from the rest. Instead of choosing a list based on just the music, we decided to combine music and looks to come up with the Top 5 Worst Album Covers, but the albums have to be great. (We are superficial, we know.) Here’s what we came up with.

TMS Top 5 Worst Album Covers on Great Albums

1. Riot – Fire Down Under

Eddie, Don, and Jim all agree it’s an amazing record, but Riot has had a series of horrendous album covers so we can’t really say we’re surpised by it being #1.  Jim also said it makes him want to club a baby seal. (Don’t worry PETA, no seals were harmed during the filming of That Metal Show).
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September 16th, 2011 | 5:15 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Ideas That We Love: Pat Monahan From Train Should Team Up With Led Zeppelin Guitarist Jimmy Page

The frequent emails that irascible music industry veteran Bob Lefsetz sends to his list of well-connected music biz types are pretty hit or miss. Oftentimes, they present passionate, well-thoughted arguments about the past, present and future of the music business, but just as frequently, they seem to be repetitive and somewhat curmudgeonly in nature. Last night, however, he sent out an email that contained an idea we initially shrugged off as preposterous, but ultimately, one that we couldn’t get out of our head. He writes:

“Best piece of gossip I ever heard about Train? Pat Monahan was suggested as a replacement for Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin. The idea was dismissed out of hand, but it?s a brilliant one, one Jimmy Page should still act on.

Pat Monahan can sing those Zeppelin tunes, he?s got the pipes, he does them in the Train show. And he can write.

Everyone—even Howard Stern!—knows that Monahan is one of the strongest singers working these days. That said, it wasn’t until we watched this bootleg footage of Monahan belting out the Led Zep classic “Ramble On” that we thought this idea had legs.

Wow, right? Now it’s time for you to weigh in.

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September 1st, 2011 | 11:30 am by Lacey Seidman (@Lacezilla)

Fine Wine: 15 Men in Music Who’ve Aged Remarkably Well

As the Red Hot Chili Peppers release their tenth studio album this week, we can’t help but daydream ruminate about how much of a sex symbol frontman Anthony Kiedis was—who could forget the sock?!—and still is. Time has been kind to Mr. Suck My Kiss, and he is definitely not alone in that regard; there’s an entire legion of men in music whose good looks and sex appeal have fermented in the manner of a perfectly-mature wine.

Whether you grew up with one of their faces taped to your Trapper Keeper or you’re old enough to be their mom, there’s a hunk on this list for you. From rock to hip hop, songwriters to bass players, we’ve got Arena Gods, men who are Good With Their Hands, Smooth Operators, International Flavors, and like the Chili Peppers’ singer, Spicy Sex Symbols. Keeping it simple, we’re celebrating the 45 to 70-year-old vintages by exhibiting their physical evolution through their respective careers. You’ll be taking in images from when they got their start, their “middle years,” and how they look in the present. Take a moment to step into the wine cellar and relish in each man’s beauty of the past and, at the end,?toast to their continued maturing in the future by weighing in on who you think has aged best. Apologies in advance for the ladyboners!

May 31st, 2011 | 12:45 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Trent Reznor And Karen O Cover Led Zeppelin In The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Trailer

Over the long Memorial Day weekend, we’re guessing that most of you probably took advantage of the good weather and went outside to barbecue with friends and family. However, those of you who are either heliophobic or addicted to air conditioning likely took to the Internet instead, where one of the weekend’s biggest stories revolved around the supposed “leak” of the redband trailer for the upcoming film, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The highly-anticipated adaptation of the best-selling book by the late Stieg Larsson not only stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, but is also directed by the maestro of gloomy psychological thrillers, David Fincher.

The trailer is somewhat unique in that it doesn’t contain a single line of dialogue, but that doesn’t mean that the tone of the film isn’t readily apparent. Keeping in line with the graphic content of the novels, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo looks to be Fincher’s most ominous and scary film since Se7en, thanks in large part to the decision to score the trailer with Trent Reznor and Karen O‘s hauntingly driven cover of Led Zeppelin‘s “Immigrant Song.” There’s a certain mystical feel to the Led Zep original, but Rezner and O’s swaps that essence for something, well, colder; it’s got a sonic aura that’s as icy as the Scandinavian landscapes contained within the film and, frankly, gave us nightmares when we went to sleep last night.

Even though this trailer only contains a small portion of the song, this new take on “Immigrant Song” already ranks among our all-time favorite Led Zeppelin cover songs. Do you feel the same way? What Led Zep cover songs are your favorites? Hit us up in the comments below!

November 15th, 2007 | 11:36 am by Jim Macnie

Trampled Under Foot: Zep?s Hidden Gems

oldzep.jpg

Certain Led Zeppelin tunes are played to death, and others languish in the background. Here are 10 that deserve to be spun a bit more often then they usually are. Whether you’re making a last ditch attempt to win tickets to the band’s reunion show, or getting psyched for next Tuesday’s DVD release of The Song Remains the Same, or hanging out watching earth-shaking videos, you should get familiar with the following 10 tunes. By the way, which Zep track do you think deserves more dap?

1. Black Mountain Side
This acoustic ditty from the band’s first album vibes like a jukebox raga, illustrating Jimmy Page?s other interest besides the blues: Celtic folk tunes. Played by Bert Jansch, the endlessly rippling tune was called ?Blackwaterside.?

2. Living Loving Maid
We all know that the band liked to stretch the hell out of its songs ? melodrama was its middle name. But for every ?Dazed and Confused? there was a compact ass-kicker. The first album had ?Communication Breakdown.? On the second, it?s this nugget.

3. Celebration Day
It?s the giddy side of the blues, with Plant singing the praises of New York street scenes and Page working the slide guitar like it was his own private joystick. Good helium vocals by the blond god on this III track.

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