Get the Led Out!

Normally, I'm pretty skeptical of tribute CDs.  Who wants to hear a bunch of covers of classic rock songs that are usually inferior to the originals?  So I was pleasantly surprised --ok, more like blown away-- by a Led Zep salute called "Get the Led Out" issued by Bohemian Productions (BHP Music).   Bohemian Productions is an artist-run label headed by instrumental guitarist Brian Tarquin.  The label includes a range of prog-rock guitar virtuosos such as Chris Mahoney, James Ryan, Steve Morse, Allan Holdsworth, Zakk Wylde and others. 

"Get the Led Out" features a dozen classic Led Zeppelin tracks plus 4 bonus tracks featuring Jimmy Page.  What makes the CD really shine is that these are all instrumentals re-interpretations.  Now you might never have wondered what the heck Led Zep would sound like without Robert Plant, but if they were prog rock instrumental band as envisioned by Brian Tarquin, they would sound pretty amazing. 

Chris Mahoney starts the disk off with a rockin', stompin' version of "Whole Lotta Love" that is every bit as good as the original, but still has a unique flavor.  Other great cuts include "Moby Dick" by Randy Coven and Leslie West, "Dazed and Confused" by Brian Tarquin, an inspired acoustic version of "Kashmir" by Martin Winch, and another all-out rocker "Black Dog" by James Ryan.  James Ryan's guitar work is amazing and his solo couldn't be out-wah'd if you tried.  Some of the cuts like "Four Sticks" and "Friends" seemed a bit out of place to me, but that's probably got to do more with my own tastes and preferences than anything else.

I must admit, I had high expectations for the bonus tracks and was a little disappointed upon first listen.  Musically they are awesome; Jimmy Page's playing is as good as ever.  But three of the tracks have vocals by David "Screeming Lord" Sutch, and lets just say there's a reason Robert Plant did the vocals in Led Zep. Sutch's style is more suited to garage band than classic rock and he is clearly outmatched by the rest of the band.  Still as a bonus they're worth checking out.  And the final track, "Burn Up," with Keith DeGroot on vocals, is a great addition and an interesting musical departure for Page et al.  It would be interesting to get a few cuts from this session. 

"Get the Led Out" is a testament to the lasting power of Led Zep and the versatility of the music.  Overall, it's a must-have disk for Zepellin fans; and if you're a fan of prog rock, it's doubly good.  In an upcoming post, I'll take a look at BHP's "Guitar Masters Vol. 1" CD.

Update:
Also, sideways media has announced a drawing where you can enter to win copies of both "Get the Led Out" and "Guitar Masters Vol. 1".  Check it out!

• Amazon: Get the Led Out, Mothership, Led Zep DVD
• Bohemian Productions:  Main, Contest, MySpace
• Led Zeppelin: Official Site, Reunion, News

Comments

[Ovidiu - GuitarFlame.com]

Usually band don't even want to get back together, because it would hurt their image and sales of long time records. It is a risky thing to do.