https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJ0zCD3tdA

Although my wife and I differ in musical tastes (she more hit oriented and popular and me more heavier and obscure), we’ll often find common ground on certain artists or hits from a particular area.  We were friends before we first started dating, so I had a good feel for things she may or may not like but I always would throw in something she may not expect just to gauge her interests.  Sometimes these surprises were music related and when I would play “Close To You” by Maxi Priest it quickly became our first song.

For you readers out there this tune is pretty far removed from what I normally listen to; however, it does have specific musical elements that have always appealed to me:  the funkified yet slightly reggaeish beat, groovalicious bassline, killer melodic hook, and great singing.  As a singer, Maxi Priest has a smooth, R&B inflected vocal steeped more in classic soul\R&B greats and on this cut he brings the cool during the verse and sultry heat during the chorus.  A nice touch is also the string section, which intertwine some fine countermelodies with New Jack swing and cool funk.  A fabulous combination.  Some of you may listen to this and say “it’s not reggae” or “it’s not funk” but that’s the beauty of music-  sprinkle a little bit of this and a little bit of that to come up with something different and catchy.

After near 25 years of being together as a couple we’ve picked up quite a few other songs that have become shared favorites, but when we are on those long road trips (and sometimes short ones) and I’ve got control of the playlist “Close To You” is always on it.  And get yer mind outta the gutter!  Not necessary to get jiggy to enjoy this bad boy, just a warm fire and glass of wine and…  ummm…  where was I?  Fun to sing along with at any time-  now if I could only convince her to sing it with me at a karaoke bar…

When many people think AC/DC, you may think Angus Young’s non-stop movement on guitar or possibly Brian Johnson belting out tunes in his beloved flat cap.  Or some old school fans may think of bare chested Bon Scott singing his heart out with a mischievous grin and glint in his eye.  However, many may not think of the heart, soul, and engine of the band-  rhythm guitarist and founder of AC/DC, Malcolm Young.

After suffering from dementia over the past few years, Malcolm Young died today at the relatively young age of 64.  From the band’s inception since around 1973 until 2014, Young was a constant presence in the band (save for a few shows missed in the late 80s) and well known for his extremely solid rhythm playing and as main songwriter on all AC/DC material.  While brother Angus was like a tornado on stage, Malcolm was always rooted to the spot behind the microphone but rhythmically bobbing and bouncing with the beat-  yellow Gretsch guitar in hand and leading the charge.  To steal a quote from Angus:  “My part in AC/DC is just adding the color on top.  Mal’s the band’s foundation.  He’s rock solid and he pumps it along with the power of a machine”.

I’ve always looked at AC\DC as a bit like a “gateway” rock band for kids and I mean this in a good way.  I know my son and my nephew were influenced when they were at a young age- the sense of rhythm, groove, and feel are in the pocket, easy to sing along with, and fun to let out your inner air guitarist.  As a budding guitarist, these songs were also great to play along with and certainly helped with timing, feel, and a keen rhythmic sense.  For all that, we have a huge debt of gratitude to pay to Malcolm Young.  Thanks for the outstanding catalog of music and may you rest in peace.

Those of us that grew up with the good ol’ days of radio and are aware of the current (and fairly limited, in my opinion) classic rock station playlists can probably rattle off a number of artists that are/were in constant rotation on the dial.  There would always be a good dose of Stones, Beatles, Hendrix, AC/DC, Eagles, maybe a bit of Van Halen, etc, that you’d come to expect at any time during the day (sometimes multiple times during the same hour) due to the popularity of said artists.  But out of all artists and songs that continue to play on rock radio, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” still ranks high on the list as one of THE most played songs ever.  But is that a good thing?

We all have bands, songs, or artists out there that we are tired of hearing due to incessant use in movie soundtracks and commercials.  At one time you may have had a favorite song that when it came on the radio you’d crank the volume just to bop your head and sing along but now you just skip over it as you scan through the dial to find something fresh or new.  Maybe what was the coolest thing ever at one time is now deemed “old hat” or a guilty pleasure and you’ve moved on to other types of music.  No problem with that, but there has to be songs out there that still get a reaction…  right?  RIGHT?

So let me get to the point.  I was reading a music board online where somebody made a comment about how sick and tired they were of hearing “Stairway To Heaven” and it made me think-  ok, I get it…  the song has been a rock radio staple since its inception and is likely playing on multiple stations right now, but there is NO WAY that I could be sick of “Stairway”.  The song has always held some sort of mystical hold over me unlike your typical verse/chorus/verse hits of the day, where the hook stays in your brain like an earworm and won’t let go.  But are those typical hooks in “Stairway”?  I don’t think so.  Granted, I may skip over it depending on the mood but there’s always that hesitant pause whether it pops up on the iPod or if I catch part of it on the radio.  It still retains that “wow factor”.

What is it that makes “Stairway To Heaven” so transcendent and truly mesmerizing?  Let’s break it down:

Intro (00:00-00:52)

Stairway’s spellbinding intro is truly a thing of beauty-  Jimmy Page’s fingerpicked pattern weaves magic immediately, not only via those classic notes but also from the feel and slight echo of an open room that allows for a deeper and more resonant tone from the acoustic guitar.  At the thirteen second mark comes the magical Mellotron from John Paul Jones, sounding as a mix of multiple flutes and angelic voices caressing and countering the guitar melody to capture the listener’s senses.

Vocal (00:53-2:13)

At the 53 second mark, the melody repeats itself as Robert Plant sings the first few lines of verse for the next minute and a half.  The lyric is mystical, not quite direct and to the point but more opaque yet picturesque and one in which Plant ably handles with a subtle and understated touch here. The vocal melody slightly counters the other two; leaning more closely to that of the guitar but balanced well against Jones’ descending notes on the Mellotron.  Not much change here musically other than a brighter flair from Page’s guitar at the tail end of this section, broadening the palette as he doubles up on the notes from the original introductory pattern (one of those “aural treats” that pop up from time to time throughout the song).

That Strum and Build (2:14-4:17)

At the 2:14 mark comes another change, more of a strummed pattern against the introductory melody as Plant sings the “ooh it makes me wonder” line twice but now you will notice more layers and different instrumentation as the song starts to build.  Additional guitar and organ tracks are layered into the mix, thickening the sound and heightening the tension of the song as the tempo starts to increase ever so slightly (listen to the outstanding keyboard work from Jones here) while Plant continues to weave understated vocal magic.  This entire two minute section is a textbook example of how you can double track and add additional instrumentation to create depth and richness to build a song.

Bonham! (4:18-5:32)

A little over four minutes into the song comes John Henry Bonham, often viewed as the “engine room” of Zep but here relegated to more of a backing player adding occasional dabs of color to this section.  This section is very similar to the previous two minutes but with the addition of drumwork, which as always with Bonham is solid but here is much more understated and fitting the groove of the song.  Snare work has some tasty fills and his footwork is on point but the depth is just how hard he hits-  some of this may be due to the mix but could very well be due to the big man knowing exactly when to push and pull back on his playing.  One of my favorite parts of this song (really!) is how the groove changes ever so slightly in his playing as he switches from the hi hat to the cymbal around the 3:14 mark.  Another aural treat…

Guitar solo (5:32-6:44)

Like a clarion call comes three electric strums from Page echoed by Bonham’s tribal pounding, giving us all notice that a major change is in the works.  And what a glorious change it is-  layers of guitars, bass, and pounding drums give way to one of the most well known of all recorded guitar solos, one which continues to receive high marks in “greatest guitar solos of all time” polls, and one with a well defined intro, middle, and outro section.  And pay attention to what’s behind that solo as there is a slinky grooviness in Jones’ bass playing and Bonham’s thunderous triplets.

The End (6:45-8:03)

Let’s not forget Robert Plant’s magical moments here-  after Page’s solo Plant returns and ups the ante vocally as he belts out a verse in his upper register, a forceful presence marking that “our shadows taller than our souls” and “when all are one and one is all”.  The band continues to ride out the hard groove found in the previous guitar solo section, coming to a halt as Plant ends the song with the classic “and she’s buying a stairway… to heaven”, ending the song on a quieter note similar to the calmness and serenity found during the intro.

In conclusion, each time I hear “Stairway To Heaven” I’ll still catch different things or focus on different areas that I’ve never really noticed before.  Maybe I was concentrating more on the guitar and vocal melody on one listen but the second time around I’ll notice more subtleties in the drum work or keyboards.  And on the headphones?  Good God…  even MORE to enjoy.  So if you ever feel that you are sick of “Stairway”, just take the time to listen…  relax and let it soak in…  you may just catch something that you’d never noticed before.

My how time changes one’s perception of things…  both of these albums came out at an important time of my life.  I had just hit my teen years and was starting to listen to more heavier music, moving away from more melodic and song oriented material featured on the local Top 40 station to something a bit more rebellious in spirit down the dial on the rock channel.  Also during this time I was ravenously absorbing anything and everything in the local music mags like Hit Parader and Circus as I had to know all things about my music heroes.  And one of the biggest stories in those rags at the time revolved around Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career vs Black Sabbath’s new life with singer Ronnie James Dio.

Many of you know the story…  Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of one of the forefathers of heavy metal in Black Sabbath, is sacked by said band in favor of former Rainbow belter Ronnie James Dio.  After (future wife) Sharon Arden shakes Osbourne out of a drunken stupor, he proceeds to put together a new band consisting of rock vets Bob Daisley on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums along with a young hotshot guitarist in Randy Rhodes and releases an earth shattering debut album chock full of monstrous metallic riffery mixed with keen melodic moments.  The Ozzman plays up his “madman” character to the hilt and Rhodes becomes the next guitar star on the block due to less blues based structures and more unique lead scales, which helped turn the album into a massive hit.

Likely less well known (at least in the US) is how the Sabs tabbed Dio.  After firing Ozzy for not being up to the task, the rest of the band gave some thought to where to go next-  grab a new singer altogether and come up with a new band name, or stay with the tried and true Sabbath moniker?  Cooler heads prevailed (or maybe it was Sab manager Don Arden- yes, Sharon’s father!) and the band stuck with the well known name after picking up Ronnie James Dio, who brought in an entirely different attitude, musical approach, and vocal style compared to his predecessor.  That, plus the ability to spin a lyric (previously handled by bassist Geezer Butler), refined the band’s sound on new album Heaven and Hell and kept the Sabbath name at the forefront of metal at the turn of the decade.

So which album is better?  I’ll admit, back in my youthful days I was a big Ozzy fan and I believe (although I’m not entirely sure) that it was the first album I ever bought with my own money.  Songs like “I Don’t Know”, “Crazy Train”, “Mr. Crowley”, “Suicide Solution” et al were filled with some of the heaviest riffs imaginable-  I’d never heard anything like it.  One of my best friends was a budding guitarist and took to the album, quickly learning to play the brief instrumental “Dee” and wowing us in the process.  This was entirely different from KISS and AC/DC and Van Halen; this was hot, new, and fresh.  We were hooked and I played the album nonstop.

All that said…  the title cut from the Sabbath album made a major impact as well.  Whereas the local rock station was all over the Ozzy album, only “Heaven and Hell” received significant airplay with maybe a handful of plays of “Lady Evil”.  As for the rest of the album…  not a thing.  However, the song “Heaven and Hell” was monolithic; a seven minute slab of dynamics, structure, and tempo that weaved its magic on my feeble mind and a lyric that was totally unlike the party hearty/boy meets girl stuff of some of my other favorite bands.  This was deep, somewhat evil in tone, and a bit dark.  I loved it, but due to lack of radio play and fellow interest from friends I shied away from picking up the platter.

After years of Ozzy fandom and love for Blizzard of Ozz, it was soon eclipsed after I finally picked up Heaven And Hell.  For me, there is more depth and enjoyable moments in all eight songs and it is one of those rare albums that I will let run all the way through without skipping a cut (well, occasionally “Walk Away” will get bumped).  And I hate to say it, but I’ve not played Blizzard in its entirety since those teen years.  I don’t know why-  is it due to overplay?  No – as a whole, the songs just don’t quite stack up against the H&H album.  The Ozzy album was certainly the fun album that I understood as a kid, but as I grew older and matured I could fully appreciate the complexity and weight of the Sabbath album.  It’s just a different feel between the two entirely.

And what an album Heaven and Hell is!  Kicking off with a face melter in “Neon Knights”, Sabbath’s confidence is riding high as they feed off the energy of new singer Ronnie James Dio.  We get our first taste of “look out!” from Dio in next track “Children of the Sea”, a dark rumbling tale that was the first track written for the album, and some solid rock with some great Tony Iommi guitar work in the underrated “Lady Evil”.  Outside of my love for the title cut I also give high marks to “Die Young” and “Wishing Well”, both molten slabs of metal with solid and intricate playing with killer production.  And last but not least, the potent yet beautiful tapestries of “Lonely Is The Word”, mixing a menacing riff with some melodic guitar touches and a great Dio vocal.  All in all, an excellent album that ranks high on my list of all time metal favorites.

Ok, ok, ok…  how about we compare Heaven and Hell with Paranoid?  That, my friends, is a post for another day 🙂