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TIL that despite lyrics to the contrary, Freddie Mercury was indeed a Star Wars fan

Who can forget:

A Jedi Knight at the Opera
Radio Jar-Jar
C3POhemian Rhapsody

...or indeed “Living On Han Solo”

The lord of the rings is better than star wars though, certainly?

OPO: Lord of the Rings Vs Star Wars (Episodes 4-6)

As someone said earlier, Bolan was a lot more Tolkienesque than LZ or any prog band, but in a charming wtf-is-he-on-about kinda way.

― Are Animated Dads Getting Hotter? (Tom D.), Wednesday, June 30, 2021 1:44 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

It could be that a person likes Bolan and so finds his Tolkienisms "charming" and another person does not like Led Zeppelin and so finds their Tolkienisms offputting.

And even stranger, those might be the same people.

Bolan was a little Hobbit himself, elfin and barefoot.

But "Gollum, the evil one" in Ramble On is one of the biggest buzzkills in music for me. Might as well have been "Oscar, the grouchy one".

Sorry if being pedantic, but isn't it "Gollum and the Evil One..."? I was definitely a LotR and Zeppelin dork as a kid and remember being disappointed that the song was only using LotR references that didn't make much sense as metaphors for what seemed like dumb love lyrics.

Plant = Legolas
Bonham = Gimli
Page = The Necromancer
Jones = I dunno, Christopher Tolkien or someone

xxp Sorry, I'm just loling that somehow LZ's three slight Tolkien references are somehow heavy-handed but Bolan splashing Tolkien-juice on every square inch of his catalog is some charming elfin sage.

Bolan is more likable

xps You're right, but I hadn't heard it that way until now.

I didn't say it was charming. xxp

He is more likeable, though. Not that it's really saying much.

Led Zeppelin is ruined for me because they were always surrounded by “urban legends” like the shark story, which was told to me in middle school by someone who was like impressed by it. Many artists mistreated young women, but it was part of the brand with them, the aura, and it turns my stomach.

However, I am not perfect on this. When when the levee breaks comes on the radio i pump it up. But there is an urge, i feel, to resist led zeppelin

Hobbits arent elflike ffs

Bolan is more likable

Bolan was basically a Muppet; T.Rex always sounded to me like a version of "rock music" aimed at small children. All the tropes, blown up to cartoon size, and all the sharp edges rubbed off.

Unfortunately you’re wrong. The songs are simple but infectious.

Are there Tolkien references on The Slider? I never noticed.

Bang a Gong (Pipeweed Bong)

I assume that there's something Tolkien-related going on with My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair but Now They're Content to Wear Stars in Their Brow?

Hobbits arent elflike ffs

All the same to me, I'm afraid.

^gets it

Bolan is more likableI like Bolan more.

― treeship., Wednesday, June 30, 2021 3:06 PM (seventeen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Fixed it for you.

Sorry, I'm just loling that somehow LZ's three slight Tolkien references are somehow heavy-handed but Bolan splashing Tolkien-juice on every square inch of his catalog is some charming elfin sage.

The person who said LZ were heavy-handed was not the same person who said Bolan was charming... so that doesn't work? Personally, I like LZ well enough but have never taken any notice of their lyrics - Gollum and all - whereas many's the time I've chuckled along to Bolan's folderol nonsense.

Are there Tolkien references on The Slider? I never noticed.

It's mostly pre-fame Bolan.

Well, the point of comparing it to Star Wars references was to say, I don't know how the Tolkien stuff would have hit a 1970's person, because I wasn't there. Maybe it wasn't much different to hearing some pop-punk band sing "use the force" in 1996. Probably not, but i can't know that.

anyone arguing that the beatles aren't shit at this point are melts. I've done extensive research on this subject and am completely correct. comments are closed.

I have a lot more context at my disposal for the Star Wars stuff. Whereas if referencing LOTR was Robert Plant's way of injecting levity into LZ songs, I wouldn't know.

The context I do have suggests that it wasn't.

Apparently, he regrets is a bit now, at least according to Planet Rock:

Elsewhere in the interview, Plant said his contributions to Led Zeppelin were sometimes “great” and sometimes they "missed the mark.”
Elucidating further, he explained: “My peer group were writing substantial pieces of social commentary, and I was willowing along the Welsh borders thinking about Gollum.
“I liked what I did, but now I look at it and go ‘Wooh, that was a bit iffy.’ But I do like ‘Stairway To Heaven. I can look at it objectively. I can’t always get my head around it, but it does do something substantial.”

https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/robert-plant-took-inspiration-from-pink-floyd-for-led-zeppelins-final-show/

I would dispute that the Tolkien stuff is a central part of any of LZ’s identity as there’s so much more that comes to mind first - the riffs, Bonham, Page as producer and Jones as studio wiz, the sound of the songs and Plants voice - before any of the lyrics

there’s so much more that comes to mind first - the riffs, Bonham, Page as producer and Jones as studio wiz, the sound of the songs and Plants voice - before any of the lyrics

It's kind of fascinating that the only time anyone discusses Led Zeppelin's lyrics, it's to point out a line they hate. I can't recall anyone ever having anything positive to say about their lyrics.

Just to tie everything together, did people know that an adaptation of Lord of the Rings starring the Beatles was suggested at one point?

Paul as Frodo
Ringo as Sam
John as Gandalf
George as Strider

I said something positive about the lyrics to "Carouselambra" above!

omg lock thread

It rings a bell but I might be thinking of ringo as larry the dwarf in 200 motels.

anyone arguing that the beatles aren't shit at this point are melts. I've done extensive research on this subject and am completely correct. comments are closed.

Well, this is a thread for controversy after all

I can't recall anyone ever having anything positive to say about their lyrics.

"Rock and Roll" is an effective and subtle portrait of a failing marriage.

"Sick Again" is a heartfelt depiction of the difficulty of dealing with recurrent illness.

"'immigrant song' that's where i'm a viking!"

People putting down Plant's Tolkien lyrics should give a listen to the Humble Pie record I have on:

"Lord, sometimes... ya make me feel so bad!
Sometimes... ya make me feel so sad!"

By the standards of the era and the genre, he wasn't egregious.

it do be like that tho

the bo hansson lord of rings album fucking rules

sorry not a controversial op

Yeah but it's instrumental, if he'd called it "A Trip Along The Waterways Of Sweden" or whatever people would be raving about how much it sounds like fjords. Does rule though, whatever it's about.

Are the various Swedish concept albums about Moomins (e.g. peter Lundblad and Trobjorn Ekelund) nursery rhyme shit or epic fantasy shit?

I have one that's kund of jazzy vocal music, it's pretty good

This one

https://www.discogs.com/Tove-Jansson-Mika-Pohjola-2-Erna-Tauro-Johanna-Gr%C3%BCssner-Muminr%C3%B6ster-Moomin-Voices/release/6063322

I have that one too, it sounds a bit like Dungen. And i think a third one in addition to "vem ska trosta knyttet"