Led Zeppelin
Alter Bridge/Slash frontman Myles Kennedy, who was almost ‘in’ Led Zep a few years ago, guides you through a whole lotta rock’n’roll.
Led Zeppelin had such a profound effect on me when I was trying to find my identity. When John Bonham died [in 1980], I hadn’t discovered the band yet. Which doesn’t surprise me, given that my biological father’s love was Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass, so Led Zeppelin wasn’t gonna make it into his household! But I heard Whole Lotta Love on the radio and was captivated. Then I had an English teacher who lent me a cassette of the fourth record. I had a boom box, and I went out to my step-dad’s barn, doing chores, and I remember playing that cassette all afternoon – and not getting my chores done, because I was just captivated. It was the riffs. It was the singing. It was all of that. But there was also something mysterious and dark, and that’s what really drew me in.
“I was definitely a Page man. The first Zeppelin song I learnt on guitar was Rock And Roll. There was this one key lick at the end of the solo – learning that was a big thing. But it’s a challenging song, because that opening drum riff kinda throws you off. I can’t tell you how many bands I’ve played in that had a hard time with that. But that’s what makes it so cool, that it’s unpredictable.
“I never had the opportunity to see Zeppelin live. I wish I’d seen the reunion. The only thing I did see was when Robert Plant and Jimmy Page reunited in the nineties. But working with them [in 2008] felt surreal. Jimmy played the Les Paul, and just being in the room with that guitar would have been enough for me. But standing next to him as he’s playing these iconic riffs,the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. We played No Quarter. Kashmir, we did Carouselambra which was a really challenging arrangement. A lot of wonderful moments.
“Ultimately, Zeppelin are the reason I ended up taking this career path. Which albums should you listen to first? Well, the fourth record is obviously such a defining body of work. The second album, y’know, it’s riffs galore, with Whole Lotta Love and the arrangement of Bring It On Home. With Houses Of The Holy, there’s such a beautiful haunting element in The Rain Song and
No Quarter. When I heard Friends, from the third record, that helped me discover alternate tunings, and Jimmy’s solo on Since I’ve Been Loving You is just brilliant. And then Physical Graffiti is just fearless, and has iconic songs like Kashmir and then something as beautiful as Ten Years Gone… Man, this is tough! It’s like trying to pick your favourite child, y’know?”