This is Week 34 of Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag; we are
asked to choose a song by a group or solo artist whose
name begins with the letters O or P. This is my choice.
Unless you’ve been living on Neptune all your life, which I highly doubt, it probably won’t be necessary for me to tell you too much about today’s performer. Still, it’s never a good idea to assume so I will give you a brief rundown.
Happy belated birthday to my featured singer who was born August 20, 1948 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England. He is a rock singer-songwriter famous for being the lead vocalist of one of the most influential bands of all time. He is known for his powerful style and wide vocal range. After his group’s breakup following the sudden death of the drummer in 1980, my featured singer pursued a successful solo career. Throughout his career, he’s been influenced by many styles such as blues, folk, 50s rock and roll, dance pop, and more.
In 1984, he formed an all-star retro rock group with musicians Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Phil Collins and had a top ten hit with a remake of a golden nugget by Phil Phillips. Their version reached the Top 40 while Phil Phillips went nowhere with the song.
In 2007, my featured artist began recording and performing with American bluegrass star Alison Krauss. To see and hear them together is magical … especially in person. A duet album was released in October 2007 and met with enormous success. He and Krauss are still touring.
I’m sure by now you have figured out who my performer is … the one and only Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin. However, the song I’ve chosen today is not a Zep song. It is a number from Plant’s second solo album, The Principle of Moments; the song is “Big Log”.
Robert Plant’s lyrics were often influenced by the books of J.R.R. Tolkien. “Big Log” is a mythical, extended metaphor for a lost love: “My love is in league with the freeway … My love is the miles and the waiting.” A “big log” is also common lingo of tractor trailer drivers; it is the book in which their road hours are logged. In the song “Big Log” we see the connection between the road and love and the countless hours we all log on both.
Since the words “big log” are not mentioned anywhere in the song, many people think the actual name of the song is “My Love Is In League With the Freeway”. The obtuse title is typical of Plant’s solo work as well as work with Led Zeppelin, which often featured songs with titles that had little or nothing to do with the lyrics.
In the video, Plant’s classic car overheats at a desolate desert gas station, which causes him to muse upon lost love. Credited to Green Back Films, it’s almost a minute longer than the song itself, with the extra time given to dreamlike scenes in the barren landscape, a strange hotel, and a swimming pool. The video was shot at the Glass Pool Inn in Las Vegas, Calico Ghost Town and the Armargosa Opera House and Hotel in California.
The success of “Big Log” was a boon for Plant; part of the reason he made The Principle of Moments was to have material for touring. He didn’t want to play Zeppelin songs because he was determined to carve out his own solo legacy.
In 2004, bassist Viktor Krauss covered “Big Log” on his second album. His sister, Alison Krauss, sang lead vocals on his version. Plant has often remarked on how much he loved Krauss’ voice. Eventually, he and Alison began recording together and released Raising Sand, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
This is “Big Log” by Robert Plant.
Big thanks to Glyn for hosting Mixed Music Bag every week.
Thanks for joining me today and spinning some tunes.
See you on the flip side. 😎
NAR©2024
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