About LS.n


 
 

Review: Great White's 'Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin'
by Jody Beth Rosen

published 3/15/99

REVIEWS HOME



Jody Beth Rosen is a contributor to LeisureSuit.net based in Brooklyn.



MOST RECENT YAK ABOUT THIS ARTICLE:

Subj: Know your stuff before writing reviews.
You don't know the lyrics to Livin' Lovin' Maid or Immigrant song? They aren't that hard at all. As for the particular part in Ramble On...he's saying "in the deepest depths of Mordor.." It's from Lord of the Rings. He talks about it for like 2 more verses.
You said you didn't buy CODA? Come on, don't write reviews if you don't know the basis of it.

-- Brian MacCready
Apr 13, 2005 at 11:25PM

Read more or post your own





Be cool like us!
Are you getting our weekly update?





It's GOOD to share!
E-mail this article to a buddy

First thought upon listening to Great White's "Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin":

Hey, it really sounds like Led Zeppelin!

Second thought:

Yeah, but it reallysounds like Led Zeppelin.

Third thought:
Led Zeppelin ROCKS!

"Great Zeppelin" was recorded in 1996 at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana, CA. It's full of "live album" nuggets such as "Now a lot of people think this song is pronounced Die-r Maker . . . " and "We're gonna get the Led out!!!" ('course, the genuine Zep-ticle was guilty of this too (does anybody remember "Does anybody remember laughter?" from The Song Remains The Same?)

Covering Led Zeppelin isn't finger-painting--it takes at least two weeks of diligent practice in your friend Jared's basement. Great White has successfully copied the vocals and arrangements note-for-note and inflection-for-inflection, and even figured out the lyrics to "Living Loving Maid" and "Immigrant Song", and if that isn't enough, "Ramble On" ("in the darkest depths of murder? Mortar? Morton Downey Jr.?)

Part of me wishes Great White would have played around with the songs a bit, as the Gourds do with their covers, but I suppose changing "Greyhound Bus" to "grey school bus" on their version of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" is as creative as they'll get.

But the cover art (conceived by Eric Coubard) is brilliant, in a "Lick My Love Pump" kind of way. It's a large, airborne (think Hindenburg, or "Led Zeppelin I") great white shark (a-ha!), crashing through and blowing up what looks like a radio transmitter tower. Readers of my reviews know my relationship with album cover art and the social implications of it. Here we have the standard late '90s metal typeface (which is to say, low-budget California indie)-it'll always be either a mock-stamp print or a cursive, Desdemona-ish font cribbed from Microsoft Word-in this case, it's both.

The verdict? It's good. I can't imagine there are too many Great White fans left, but "Great Zeppelin" can't possibly disappoint them, and Led Zeppelin fans (maaaaaan) will find some reason why it's abominable. I dug Great White "Unplugged" and never loved Zep enough to buy "Coda." Whatever caste of metalhead I belong to, "Great Zeppelin" doesn't suck to me.


"Great Zeppelin: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin" will be released March 16th on Deadline/Cleopatra.


Your name:

Subject:


Comments:

Forward a copy of this yak to the LS.n Editors

Forward a copy of this yak to this article's author

If you want to get an e-mail if someone responds to your yak, give us your address below. It won't be made public.

THE YAK SHACK


Name: Brian MacCready
Subject: Know your stuff before writing reviews.
-- Apr 13, 2005 at 11:25PM
You don't know the lyrics to Livin' Lovin' Maid or Immigrant song? They aren't that hard at all. As for the particular part in Ramble On...he's saying "in the deepest depths of Mordor.." It's from Lord of the Rings. He talks about it for like 2 more verses.
You said you didn't buy CODA? Come on, don't write reviews if you don't know the basis of it.

Name: Andrew
Subject: Great White
-- Aug 28, 2003 at 11:59PM
I'm glad there's a way of sending feedback to the article's writer.

I'm wondering if the author plays any instruments, or has tried playing any Led Zep song? Just wondering.

"--it takes at least two weeks of diligent practice in your friend Jared's basement"? Jody Beth Rosen must be one amazing musician to feel that way. Hearing her play would be a privilege.

I've been playing acoustic guitar and singing for over twenty years. Jimmy Page's guitar arrangements are far from easy. I've been sticking with covering this material because there is so much to discover, as a musician, or just as a Zeppelin fan. I dare any guitarist to just toss off a song like "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", or "Bron-Y-Aur&quo t;. Toss it off convincingly, that is. If someone can, they should be richer and more famous than Page.

In a way, the "two week" comment reminds me of the line about "too many notes" from the film Amadaeus. Spoken by someone who can not begin to grasp what they are hearing.

Name: Whiplash
Subject: all of it
-- Aug 15, 2003 at 7:10AM
Ax some moron is dissin ya. actually if you are a musician two weeks is about right for 4 songs so... catching greyhound but not mordor mmm... need to stay in and read more ...no orange jumpsuits here they G.W. didn't do it...CB&ED dropdead backwoods green teeth country girls...some bands don't sound all that good live & ZEP was one of them people were too stoned to notice and memories are always kinder... Coverdale, Russell &Steve Perry have the best rock voices.

Name: AXEL ROSE
Subject: Review: Great White's 'Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin'
-- Jun 4, 2003 at 11:02AM
Great White now a cover band setlist
1. Im burning for you
2. burning down the house
3. great balls of fire

Name: AXEL ROSE
Subject: IM BURNING FOR YOU
-- Apr 18, 2003 at 1:26AM
Axel Rose says to quite your bitching cause great white should change their name to blue oyster cult cause they better be fearing the reaper now

Name: overtorqued
Subject: tragedy
-- Apr 12, 2003 at 4:31AM
Hey, I am sure Jack and the guys weren't setting out to torch everyone. It was obviously an accident, a huge, horrific, God awfull accident, but an accident none the less. They happen everyday. I mean, as someone already mentioned, Great white lost one of there own. They are in the same God forsaken boat as the rest of the unfortunate people involved in the sadness. I say give 'em a break, and try to not be too hard on those guys. Personally I don't care for piro's. Although I have reluctantly had them at Rickstock, but, like anything, if not taken care of correctly, it can bite you. In this case, really hard.

Name: AXEL ROSE
Subject: YOUR MAMMA
-- Apr 10, 2003 at 1:11PM
guns n roses rule and great whitee are fireballs HA HA HA

Name: Large Richard
Subject: Me
-- Feb 28, 2003 at 10:43PM
Nobody blows
like Axl Rose
that everyone knows,
but... "What was that punkass band's again?"

Name: axl rose
Subject: me
-- Feb 28, 2003 at 4:41PM
great white RULES!!!!!!

Name: Me2
Subject: Last Show
-- Feb 26, 2003 at 8:43PM
Let them cover "Jailhouse Rock" now. "You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see... c'mon and do the jailhouse rock with me" bend over for the soap assholes.

Name: BrownDog
Subject: Last Show
-- Feb 26, 2003 at 8:37PM
Here comes Great Orange Jumpsuit (hopefully)!

Name: Gary T
Subject: Just paying a visit
-- Feb 26, 2003 at 8:36PM
Was going to make some remarks about Ty and great White but your web site has that covered. Good work.

Name: An LS.n Reader
Subject: Review: Great White's 'Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin'
-- Feb 24, 2003 at 9:35PM
Sad and stupid but that's rock and roll. They lost one of their own, Ty Longley their guitarist. Somebody is gonna swing. My bet would be the pyrotechnician who set off those fireballs is going away if he's still alive.

Name: CB
Subject: Last Show
-- Feb 24, 2003 at 12:45PM
Piece o' shit band

Name: ED
Subject: LAST SHOW
-- Feb 23, 2003 at 10:38PM
NICE GOING ASSHOLES

Name: Dave
Subject: Review: Great White's 'Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin'
-- Jun 7, 2001 at 3:55AM
I had the chance to see Great white in the 80's in North bay ontario in a bar called Cortina's I thought they were amazing I love Led Zeppelin, I always have ans seeing these guys was the closest I will ever get to seeing the real thing. Very Impressive guys !!

Name: Sharkbait
Subject: This album ROCKS!!
-- Sep 17, 2000 at 4:22PM
I grew up listening to Zep and the first time we heard Great White's "Great Zeppelin", my husband and I were sitting on the tour bus with Jack Russell and Michael Lardie after a concert, and we were so impressed that my husband asked Jack Russell when Led Zeppelin was going to start paying THEM (Great White) royalties! GW are the kings of rock'n'roll!

Name: Hapie..
Subject: if you don't know..
-- Apr 19, 2000 at 8:08PM
him ya don't know Jack.. history will vindicate this band as one of the best to ever come out of the 80's.. there fans know.. ask me i'll tell ya..

Name: Shot
Subject: Ummmm.....
-- Feb 4, 2000 at 3:11AM
Do you even like music? It seems to me that you are trying to be funny because you possibly don't know about Great White or Led Zep? I would say "please redue your review, but i am not sure i wanna see that one eithor.

And Will, Saw Plant/Page at MSG in NYC and you are right, jack does better. Have had the thrill of hearing him do Rock n Roll in concert and having him sing "funny" lyrics to the Imagrant Song while standing in front of him. One of the most underratted singers and bands.

Shot
------------
Please Check out my Website
http://www.miasworld.com/shot
Shot in the Dark : A Great White Story

Name: dan
Subject: lyrics
-- Feb 3, 2000 at 7:21PM
Jody, honey, in "Ramble On", they're singing "in the darkest depths of Mordor", the land ruled by the Dark Lord in Tolkien's trilogy "Lord of the Rings" Don't you ever get out?

Name: Angel Del'amica
Subject: Such Bull Shit
-- Jan 31, 2000 at 2:28PM
It's takes longer than 2 weeks rehearsing in your freind Jared's basement to sound like Led Zeppelin. This Jody Beth Rosen (who the hell is that?) never picked up an instrument in her life.

Name: Will Stone
Subject: Great Zeppelin
-- Aug 17, 1999 at 5:39PM
Great White delivers yet again.
They got famous for all of the
wrong songs, and this album showdcases
some of the musical diversity of which they
are capapble. Jack Russel does
a better live Robert Plant than
Robert Plant ever did!


This page is best viewed with the latest version of the Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.

© Copyright 1998-2001 LeisureSuit Media, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
Some content is copyrighted by the author and is used with permission. No portion of this page or its content may be reproduced, in part or in whole, electronically, in print, or in any other form or by any other means, without the written consent of the LeisureSuit.net editors. Contact us at webmaster@leisuresuit.net.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]