Category: Metal Madness

🤘🏽 ☠️ 🤘🏽

During the late 1960s and early 1970s a new musical genre developed into a phenomenon that is still going strong some 50 years later and shows no sign of slowing down. In case you didn’t get the hint from my new header image, I’m talking about heavy metal!

Today I’m featuring the final group from the “unholy trinity”, a band that has been my go-to metal group since it’s inception. There has always been something very special about this favorite group of mine – whether it’s the incredible vocals, the blistering guitar or even just the name itself, I was and still am a big fan. You’ll soon see why I feel as I do.

Bill and I got to see these guys on October 22, 1971 in the Felt Forum which was the theatre inside Madison Square Garden. We saw a lot of groups at the Forum but the night of October 22 was memorable. Earlier in the day while I was out with my parents, our house was burglarized. I recounted the incident on my website; the story is called “Poor Althea’s Boy” – https://theelephantstrunk.org/2023/08/17/poor-altheas-boy/

On the ride into Manhattan for the concert, I found my mind drifting back to just a few hours earlier when we discovered the house had been burglarized. There’s a dreadful sense of losing control, deeply unsettling feeling of being violated attached to a crime in your home, your safe place. Uninvited people were in our house, going through our personal property. To say it’s disconcerting is putting it mildly. Thank goodness no one was home at the time except the first floor tenant and he heard nothing nor was he harmed in anyway. He had his headphones on and was completely oblivious to what was going on upstairs.

I asked my parents if they wanted me to stay home with them that night; they said no, the police had everything covered. I was relieved; I needed a diversion, something magical to take my mind off the break-in.

Deep Purple was just the ticket.

Deep Purple got its start in London in 1968. Originally formed as a psychedelic and progressive rock band, the group shifted to a heavier sound in 1970 with their album “Deep Purple In Rock”. In the early to mid-seventies, Deep Purple had been referred to as “Britain’s hardest and heaviest metal group” and was listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as “the globe’s loudest band” for a 1972 concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre. To date the band has sold more than 100 million albums.

Just like any other band who has endured the test of time and is still touring today, Deep Purple has had multiple reincarnations. For me, these members formed the greatest lineup: Ritchie Blackmore consistently at the helm as lead guitarist; Jon Lord (keyboard, strings), Roger Glover (bass, 1969-1973) followed by Glenn Hughes (bass, 1973-1976), Ian Gillan (lead vocals, 1969-1973) followed by David Coverdale (lead vocals, 1973-1976) and Ian Paice (drums); original members Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice are still with the band in concert today.

In no particular order, here are some of my favorite songs. Listen to any, listen to all; each one is great!

This is Deep Purple!

Now for the mother of all Deep Purple songs.

On December 4, 1971, Deep Purple was in Montreux, Switzerland to record the album “Machine Head”. On the eve of the recording session, a concert with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention was held in the casino’s theatre. This was the theatre’s final concert before the complex closed down for its annual winter renovations, which would allow Deep Purple to record there. At the beginning of the Mothers’ synthesizer solo on “King Kong”, the place caught fire when “someone stupid” in the audience fired a flare gun towards the rattan-covered ceiling. Although there were no major injuries, the resulting fire destroyed the entire casino complex, along with all the Mothers’ equipment. Here is the retelling of that night’s events – a saga set to music.

This is “Smoke on the Water”.

That’s the way it is with heavy metal and groups like Deep Purple; you can’t stop at just one!

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Metal Madness featuring the last member of the “unholy trinity”.

But wait! Something doesn’t add up!

Today’s edition covered the third Tuesday in October; what about weeks four and five? Well, have no fear; I am prepared! I will be stepping outside the realm of the “unholy trinity” next Tuesday; please join me to see who I’ve chosen for Week #4. I think you’ll agree it’s a good fit. 🤘🏽

Thanks for reading my posts and for being a great audience and good sports. I look forward to catching up with you again next week.

See you on the flip side.

I’m The Sicilian Storyteller

NAR © 2023

🤘🏼 ☠️ 🤘🏼

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new musical genre was developed. It kicked in the door of the music world and turned into a phenomenon that is still going strong some 55 years later. And there are no obvious signs of it slowing down any time soon. In case you didn’t get the hint from my subtle new header image, I’m talking about heavy metal! 🤘🏼

We all know what it is: a genre of rock music that developed largely in the United Kingdom and United States with roots in blues rock, acid rock and psychedelic rock. Metal bands created a thick, monumental sound characterized by distorted guitars, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and loudness.

WHAT?? Oh, I think I know what you’re trying to say, Mr. Wikipedia –

In other words, heavy metal crashes through the safety of your walls, grabs you by the throat, flips you around like a rag doll, tosses you upside down onto the Helter Skelter for a few spins at Mach 3.3, drags you off by your hair, straddles you and screams in your face “HEAR ME!”, then slams you down Centerstage Row A without any sissy earplugs where you stand dripping in blood, sweat and tears, wonky legs barely supporting you, arms extended, fingers shaped like 🤘🏼 as your heart races frantically inside your chest like John Bonham on speed, your head starting to erupt into a trillion bits and, like Ozzy, you howl at the moon “All aboard! This is bloody freakin’ awesome!!”

Get the picture? Good. Now let’s get this show on the road!

In 1968 three of the genre’s most famous pioneers were founded. Often referred to as the “unholy trinity”, their hope was to attract wide audiences with their musical message; they were often misunderstood and ridiculed by critics. That didn’t stop them.

That same year, March of 1968, Bill and I met on a blind date. The following week for our second date, we went to the concert mecca of the Lower East Side of Manhattan – the Fillmore East. It was our first time there and the start of a long run of concerts. Ten months later we saw a relatively unknown group at the Fillmore who would go on to become one of the greatest bands of all time. That band is the group I’m featuring today in Metal Madness.

Between 1968 and 1977 – the period known as B.K. (Before Kids) – Bill and I saw the “unholy trinity” as well as many other groups, multiple times. Back then, even the good seats were cheap and we were always in one of the first three rows. I laughingly remember the night Robert Plant tossed back his magnificent mane of blonde curls and rained droplets of sweat on us. It was fabulous!

Allow me now to delve a little deeper into our first group in Metal Madness: Led Zeppelin.

Formed in London in 1968, Led Zeppelin developed their style by drawing from a variety of influences, including blues and folk music. The band was comprised of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy guitar-driven sound, they are cited as one of the forerunners of hard rock and heavy metal music. Zeppelin has been credited as significantly impacting the nature of the music industry, particularly in the development of album-oriented rock and stadium rock.

Led Zeppelin is one of the best-selling musical groups of all time, with total sales estimated at over 300 million records sold worldwide. The group achieved eight consecutive UK #1 albums and six #1 Albums on the US Billboard 200, with five albums certified diamond in the United States. Rolling Stone magazine once described Zeppelin as “the heaviest band of all time”, “the biggest band of the 70s”, and “unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history”. Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum’s biography of the band states that they were “as influential during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s”. That’s quite a statement.

For me listening to these great songs is like eating potato chips; I can’t eat just one! I have several video selections for you today. Listen to any, listen to all; the choice is yours and each one is great!

Ok, no more talking; it’s time for some music. And if you look hard enough, you just might spot me in the audience!

This is Led Zeppelin!

I’d like to close with what I consider to be an indelible moment in time – Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart performing at the Kennedy Center in a concert honoring Led Zeppelin. This is no hype; you’ll know what I mean when you see the reaction from the honorees watching from the best seats in the house. The song is one you all know; it has been called “the single-most important and celebrated song Led Zeppelin ever recorded”.

This is “Stairway To Heaven”.

That’s the way it is with heavy metal and groups like Led Zeppelin; you can’t stop at just one!

I hope you enjoyed your first ride on the Metal Madness Express. Thanks for being here! I’d love to know your thoughts so kindly leave a comment.

Please join me right here next week for an introduction to the second group in the “unholy trinity”. Can you guess who it is? You don’t want to miss it; I’m just warming up! 🔥 🤘🏼

See you on the flip side.

I’m The Sicilian Storyteller

NAR © 2023