Who out there ISN'T a Led Zeppelin fan? This is one of the world's greatest bands. They are so great, that more than 30 years after the fact, the radio stations still play their tunes as if they were only just put out by the record company yesterday. Everyone knows at least one Led Zep tune, because several other bands have used Zeppelin-esque guitar riffs in their songs, made use of the lyrics, or even had Jimmy Page himself playing original stuff on their song. Anyone who is a J.R.R Tolkien fan will also know that Led Zeppelin was more than just a little bit influenced by "The Hobbit", and "Lord Of The Rings", and "The Silmarillion", but one wonders if Mr. Tolkien was also a Led Zeppelin fan himself? It's altogether possible, as he was still living up until 1973, and Led Zeppelin put forth Led Zeppelin I in 1969, with II, III, and IV all out by the end of 1971, and each of these albums has hobbit - ish tunes on them, except number I. I have an exceptional lineup for you, complete with extensive research into the songs as far as the Tolkien aspect goes, which I hope you will find quite interesting, as I did.

I am starting off with a well-known song called "Misty Mountain Hop", which right away, you can see there are references to Tolkien. The mountains on the eastern boundary of Wales are referred to as the "Misty Mountains", which influenced both J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Plant.

"I didn't notice but it had got very dark and I was really
Really out of my mind
Just then a policeman stepped up to me and asked us said
Please, hey, would we care to all get in line
Get in line
Well you know
They asked us to stay for tea and have some fun, hoh hoh oh
He said that his friends would all drop by, ooh ooh ooh ooh

Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see
And baby, baby, baby, do you like it
There you sit, sitting spare like a book on a shelf rustin'
Ah, I'm not trying to fight it
You really don't care if they're coming, hoh hoh oh
I know that it's all a state of mind"..

Firstly, when the dwarfs came over, they spent the night at Bilbo's, and they stayed up rather late, and Bilbo doesn't "know what time it was." The aforementioned part may refer to the morning when Gandalf meets Bilbo, otherwise, the order of things wouldn't fit. There is no reference to time in the passages about the meeting, but there are several references to it in the party. Bilbo tells Gandalf to "stay for tea and have some fun." Gandalf asks Bilbo "why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see" and thus persuades Bilbo to consider going on an adventure with him. He sits in Bag End "like a book on a shelf." He doesn't much like the majority of people in Bag End, (hence the line "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve!"..(from "The Fellowship Of The Ring") so he is packing his "bags for the Misty Mountains". The Misty Mountains are located near Rivendell, and separate the east from the west. The spirits may be referring to the Grey Havens, where the immortals go once they tire of Middle Earth. (from "The Return of the King")

"Which, which way the pressure lies
So I've decided what I'm gonna do now
So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains
Where the spirits go now
Over the hills where the spirits fly"..

Next we move onto a most excellent song called "Ramble On", which is in keeping with this line of thought. This song is probably one in which most people are familiar with, having been widely played even nowadays on the radio.

"The leaves are falling all around
Time I was on my way
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged
For such a pleasant stay

But now it's time for me to go
The autumn moon lights my way
But now I smell the rain
And with it pain
And it's headed my way
Ah, sometimes I grow so tired
But I know I've got one thing I've got to do

Ramble on
Now's the time, the time is now
Sing my song
I'm goin' 'round the world
I got to find my girl
On my way
I've been this way ten years to the day
Ramble on
I gotta find the queen of all my dreams"..

Most likely, "Ramble On" is about Frodo's stay in Rivendell, while the Council of Elrond decided what they planned to do about the Ring. If you recall, before Arwen found them, Frodo had been injured by the Ringwraiths, and was fairly near death, and Arwen rode like hell to get him to Elrond, who was the only one that was able to heal him. Ane then Elrond explained how he attempted once to persuade Isildur to throw the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom while there was still a chance for evil to be overcome, but Isildur had not the strength to part with it. Frodo enjoyed his stay, (and who wouldn't! Rivendell is a glorious place) but he also knows that he has a very serious task ahead of him, hence the line "it's time to ramble on". "Ramble" simply means "to walk", and there are rambler's associations here in the UK for those who enjoy such a thing..

The verse about Gollum is a most interesting and popular part of the song. The mention of Gollum, from the Tolkien Trilogy, makes this song's relation to Tolkien the most widely known. As the evil began to creep back into Mirkwood after the One Ring had been lost, the wizards - Saruman, Gandalf, and Radagast - were sent to help counter the sorcery of Sauron. We know previously that Gollum was the long-time owner of the One Ring (having originally stolen it from D顧ol) and that when it was "stolen" from him, he emerged from his pool beneath the mountain in search of it. ("Baggins Baggins, we hates it forever"!) He was captured by Frodo along the cliffs of Emyn Muil, and lead him by secret paths into Mordor. When Frodo is standing before the crack in Mount Doom preparing to throw the ring in, Gollum snatches the ring and slips, and falls into the crack, carrying the ring with him. (from "The Return Of The King")

Heavy stuff..But Led Zeppelin were not the only band to be influenced by Tolkien - Sting, from The Police was too. Those who know, know that Roger Sumner (Sting) was once an english teacher, so it's altogether possible that he would have also read and been utterly fascinated by the Tolkien books as well, and even went so far as to take a name derived from The Hobbit - Sting, was a sword..Eventually, Sam Gamgee ended up wielding Sting, but that's getting off the subject of this band :o) But it goes to show how far reaching Tolkien's works actually have gone and how many they have seriously influenced over the decades..And this next song, I think, really goes into major detail, and culminates things nicely. "The Battle Of Evermore" was based completely upon the events which take place in the Battle of Pelennor fields from "Return of the King". The time span of the song encompasses events from Aragorn's parting for the Paths of the Dead until the end of the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

"Queen of Light took her bow
And then she turned to go,
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom
And walked the night alone"..

The "Queen of Light" is Eowyn, the daughter of King Theoden, who slays the Black Captain. The Prince of Peace (I believe) is Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth, who fights bravely, and returns from battle unscathed to rule Gondor until Aragorn can take the throne. (from "The Return of the King")

"Oh, dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the morning light.
The Dark Lord rides in force tonight
And time will tell us all"..

Sauron is (I assume) the Dark Lord, though I have also seen it be said that it could also be referring to the leader of the Ringwraiths, which would make sense because they are the ones out there on horseback, and it does in fact say "the Dark Lord rides in force tonight", though it may not imply that he is literally riding, but has henchmen doing it for him, hence the reference of the Wraiths.

"Oh, throw down your plow and hoe,
Rest not to lock your homes.
Side by side we wait the might
Of the darkest of them all"..

At the start of the seige of Gondor, the workers on the fields flee to the Tower for protection. Then, the people watch and wait for the onslaught of Mordor. As the battle continues, the Riders of Rohan and the Men of Gondor must fight 8 of the Ringwraiths in hand-to-hand combat as well as Sauron's other dark legions, but worse than these is the Black Captain, fallen King of Angmar, their ultimate threat, who was eventually slain by Eowyn.

"Oh, war is the common cry
Pick up you swords and fly
The sky is filled with good and bad
That mortals never know

The pain of war cannot exceed
The woe of aftermath
The drums will shake the castle wall
The ring wraiths ride in black, ride on

Sing as you raise your bow
Shoot straighter than before
No comfort has the fire at night
That lights the face so cold"..

"The good and bad that mortals never know" are the magicks of Gandalf, and the horror of the Wraiths mounted on their mumakil. At this point, nigh on half of both sides have been slaughtered. As far as the aftermath, thousands of men died on those fields, including the Wraith King and King Theoden of Rohan. Those who were fortunate enough to see morning, were left the daunting responsibility of gathering the dead in massive funeral pyres. The last verse really needs no explanation to describe be brave, be strong! Think positive, all is not lost. (from "The Silmarillion" and also "The Return of the King")

"The magic runes are writ in gold
To bring the balance back
Bring it back

At last the sun is shining
The clouds of blue roll by
With flames from the dragon of darkness
The sunlight blinds his eyes"..

Gandalf's runes are written in gold which could bring back the balance to good, and what a hell of a war it was, and the effort that it took, not just in a physical sense, but mental and emotional as well..Everyone was drained in more ways that one, but they had won..It is also said that by the time the events in "The Lord of the Rings" occur, the balance has shifted drastically toward evil. While the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is taking place, Frodo and Sam are heading up the Orodruin to destroy the Ring, which would of course "bring the balance back." (from "The Return of the King")

Great stuff huh? The movie is exciting, but it leaves out alot, I assure you. Definitely read the books. Everyone must read them at least once in their lives. And the way Robert tells the tales through the lyrics, isn't it spectacular? He claims, but many disagree (myself included) that the song "Stairway To Heaven" has nothing to do with anything Tolkien, but it has been suggested that this is in fact incorrect. If it is not, I wonder what was going through his head when he penned the lyrics to it, because they are quite out of the normal realm of songwriting. I am by NO MEANS criticising this song! It is one of the best Zeppelin songs ever written, and for definite, the most popular one they ever wrote, and most likely one of the more popular songs of all time! Take a look at this passage -

"There's a feeling I get when I look to the West
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking"...

As previously mentioned, Gandalf and the other wizards arrived in Middle Earth from Valinor (the sacred lands of the Valar, banned to mortals) and like the Elves, they would return when their work on Middle Earth was complete. However, the beauty of the land captured the hearts of all who set eyes on it, forever leaving them yearning to return. Gandalf's hardest tasks befall him during the War of the Ring; even Frodo notices that he looks older, more worried, and even more careworn than ever. I believe this is what Plant is referring to in this verse. Also, Gandalf is famous for his colored smoke rings, and "those who stand looking" are more than likely the Dunadan (Rangers) who patrol the land in disguise, protecting it from evil. (from "The Simarillion" and also "The Fellowship of the Ring")

In a more specific context, the lines above are from "The Hobbit" where Gandalf, the 13 dwarfs, and Bilbo are coming down from the Misty Mountains after murdering the Great Goblin. The party makes their way to the home of Beorn, the Skin Changer on the edge of Mirkwood. Bilbo more than once wishes he was back home over the Misty Mountains. Which corresponds to the lines above. Leaving Beorn's house, they are given ponies and a horse, for Gandalf to ride, to the gates of Mirkwood. Beorn loves his animals and indeed, he would let no harm come to them. He and his creatures are seen by Bilbo off to the side of the trail, watching them at night in secret. Upon reaching the gate, Gandalf confirms Bilbo's suspicions. These are "Those who stand looking"..

"A new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter"..

Plant could also be referring to the Woodland Elves who make their home on the skirts of Mirkwood, opposite that of Beorn. While in Mirkwood, day was as night with no light whatsoever. Bilbo could not even see his hand before his face, but he could see eyes. Big eyes, little eyes, and eyes of all colors. Toward the end of the path through the forest, they came upon the elves hunting for deer and rabbits, with big bonfires three times. They could hear their laughter and see them glittering in jewels and hear their songs, but each time the company approached, they would flee. Finally, there is a passage in "The Hobbit", where Tolkien writes of the Men of Dale -

"Some sang too that Thror and Thrain would come back one day and gold would flow in rivers, through the mountain gates, and all that land would be filled with new song and laughter"..

And finally..No review on Led Zeppelin would ever be complete unless I tossed "Whole Lotta Love" in the mix :o) According to Robert Plant, this was THE song written for hot, steamy sex sessions, complete with a bit in the middle where you are supposed to reach a ummmmm - climax :o)

"You've been coolin', baby, I've been droolin'
All the good times, baby, I've been misusin'
A-way, way down inside, I'm gonna give you my love
I'm gonna give you every inch of my love
Gonna give you my love
Hey-ah, alright, let's go

Wanna whole lotta love
Wanna whole lotta love
Wanna whole lotta love
Wanna whole lotta love

Way down inside, woman
You need, yeah, love"..

Well, it's not Lord Of The Rings, but it sure screams out with some undeniable visuals! Something to consider next time you require some mood stimulus. Doesn't it just totally grab you all at once and keep your attention? I am sitting here reading these words, and what I am thinking is a hot bedroom scene, no romantic settings at all, just all passion. The kind of passion where everything around you sort of melts away into the background and your mind is fixed firmly on the NOW as opposed to anything else. It is a described moment of frenzy of wanting and needing. Jimmy's screaching, undulating guitar provides momentum, and heightens the awareness, and broadens the perspective. The sensations that are overtaking your mind and body, overwhelm the senses in wave after gorgeous wave of sexual deliciousness, that continues to mount until finally simultaneous explosions become the forefront, Robert is screaming, and you are screaming, the emotions you feel produce a dizzying effect, the energy is BIG and BOY is it grand! What a hell of a feed thanks to Robert and co. Ok, it was short and sweet, but I got to the good stuff, lickety split eh? :o)

That about wraps it up ladies and gentlemen..One hopes you thoroughly enjoyed this very different review - Thanks go out to the Tolkien Estate, and to Led Zeppelin for having the imagination to create some of the world's best music..For those wishing to relive the moment, this site is the official Atlantic Records Led Zeppelin site, and also has some song tracks on it. The site can be accessed by clicking here and you will need realplayer or real one in order to play the clips. For those interested in the Lord Of The Rings, this site is more than worth a look, just click here

So, this has become a music, book, and movie review all in one, it is my Christmas present to you all, and I hope you all thoroughly enjoy it :o) Until next month, best wishes to all for a safe, happy and bless餠 holiday season...

Dark Blessings~

Silver

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