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Led Zeppelin on Spotify!!!!!!!!!

Led Zeppelin finally hits Spotify!

I couldn’t use enough exclamation points in this title to express how excited this makes me. Having the Led Zeppelin library at my fingertips is feeling like a lightning bolt just touched the tip of my penis. Rolling Stone broke the story to me through email but it looks as if they were aware at 11am today. 28,000 followers already, I expect this number to grow past 200,000 in the first month.

The rollout starts today and will continue through December 15th, starting with Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II. Tomorrow, Led Zeppelin III and Untitled fourth album arrive. Friday brings Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti and Saturday will feature Presence and In Through the Out Door. Sunday, December 15th will be devoted to six albums: The Song Remains the Same, Coda, BBC Sessions, How the West Was Won, Mothership and Celebration Day.

I will be getting the lead out nonstop once everything is out and creating my own personal Led playlist. I’m excited for tomorrow because III and IV were my favorites. Their final 5 albums never wowed me as much but there are still great tracks on Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti. Music just got better.

The Beatles, AC/DC, Tool, Garth Brooks, Bob Seger and a handful of others remain unavailable on Spotify. When the Beatles are released on Spotify, all hell will break loose. I can’t tell if Spotify is good or bad for the bands but I can’t imagine more people being able to listen to your music as a completely bad thing. I can see how established bands who already have a fan base don’t want users listening to their music for free because these are their core buyers. For up and comers and legends, what’s the problem? Up and comers need people to listen to them and legends usually are not at their peak any more. Artists need to learn to adapt and Spotify is the wave of the music future.

By Tom Stortz|2013-12-11T16:24:33-05:00December 11th, 2013|Music|1 Comment

Tom’s Treasures

Here’s a post that will describe a few of what I consider the best of the best. What you’ll find in this post are my favorite books, movies, games, music and anything else I can think of to round out a full post. I may have to use a couple parts but I have high hopes for this type of post and the commentary it can potentially generate.

Favorite Movie – Schindler’s List

It made me cry. I thought about this topic for a while and no other movie I can think of made me cry like this one. Any movie that is able to deliver that kind of emotion has to be at the top of the list. Liam Neeson was phenomenal and even though it’s been years since I’ve watched it, that feeling at the end of the movie has never left me. I’ve seen many good movies too and it’s not only the crying factor, this was an all around wonderful movie. I think I may have shed a tear during 7 pounds as well for what it’s worth.

Honorable Mention – Shawshank Redemption, Platoon, Forrest Gump, Goodfellas

Favorite Board Game – Clue

It bothers me that more people don’t like Clue. People think it’s a complicated game and dismiss it. What they don’t realize is that they are missing out on a game that involves trickery, paying attention, and deducing from partial information. It’s a smart person’s game and if you don’t like it… Aside from the games when Bud, Bill, Chris, and myself used to play when we were little, I haven’t found a group of people who actually enjoy Clue. We are trying to get a Risk game together and I’m equally trying to find some Clue participants. Get a clue.

Honorable Mention – Stratego, Scattergories, Chess

Favorite Band – Led Zeppelin

This was pretty easy for me. I was listening to Rock and Roll the other day and every song I listened to after it was dwarfed in comparison. Led Zeppelin makes other music worse. The synergy created from all 4 members make this band legendary. I don’t think anyone has touched the benchmark set by them in 40 years. Here was a post I did a while back about my favorite Zeppelin songs. If I’m ready to rock out, I go with Zeppelin.

Honorable Mention – Beatles. Everyone else is on a different tier.

Favorite TV Show – The Wire

I thought about this for a little while and the answer is the Wire because it ended at the right time. Aside from docks season which was a little whack, every single episode and season delivered. I started drinking Jameson as my drink of choice after mimicking McNulty. Breaking Bad was a close second but I think Bud summed it up perfectly that season 4 didn’t leave a lot unanswered. The 1st half of the 5th season, although good, didn’t need to be. I’ll obviously watch the 2nd half but I think it should have stopped. Knowing when to end a show is important. Bad things happened with Sopranos, Dexter, True Blood… I think Game of Thrones has mighty potential though. I think I watched the Wire in a few weeks time playing episode after episode until my eyes closed. There hasn’t been a better TV show created. I do think it’s a bit unfair though to compare this with a 22 minute episode on a national network.

Honorable Mention – GoT, Breaking Bad, Seinfeld

Favorite Book – Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

This is a weird pick because I skimmed through 75 pages of John Galt’s speech (I’m sure this could be people’s favorite part) which was entirely overwhelming and the ending action scene seemed incredibly dumb, but for 3 months of reading this book I would be engrossed in the life of Dagney, Reardon, John Galt, and Francisco. I even took notes during this book and I was reading it for fun! The story shed light on different political and life views of characters which was mind opening. I probably missed many relevant parts of this story and forget them to this date but if I ever get the chance, I wouldn’t hesitate to re-read this book. This also made me read the Fountainhead which was also incredibly good.

Honorable Mention – Napoleon Hill The Law of Success & Stephen Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

By Tom Stortz|2013-06-17T21:26:46-04:00June 17th, 2013|Movies, Music, My Brain, Tv|2 Comments

Top 7 Led Zeppelin Songs

It’s funny because I didn’t enjoy Led Zeppelin growing up. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I truly discovered the power of getting the Led out. It started with Gusto giving me all their music on an external hard drive and then I read a biography and would listen to the music as their story progressed. Even after a good 3 or 4 years of solid enjoyment from Led Zeppelin, I’d still consider myself a novice. I’ll admit that I have hardly gotten into Physical Graffiti, Presence, or In Through the Out Door but I’m sure there are readers out there who have never even taken the time to listen any of the hardest rocking band on the planet. Without further ado, I’m going to bring to you my top 7 favorite Zeppelin songs in no order because that would be impossible.

Thank You

Ramble On

Rock and Roll

Over the Hills and Far Away

What Is and What Should Never Be

That’s The Way

The Song Remains The Same

Honorable Mention – Kashmir, Battle of Evermore, House of the Holy, Achilles Last Stand

By Tom Stortz|2013-01-30T12:51:52-05:00January 15th, 2013|Music|0 Comments

3 People I’d Have Lunch With

So I was watching Airborne the other day because Steve and I are aware it’s a complete classic from growing up in 90’s. If you aren’t familiar with this movie I wouldn’t say I highly recommend it but it definitely has its moments. Quick summary, a surfer guy from Cali moves to Ohio and falls for a girl while earning the respect of her brother in a rollerblade race down Devil’s Backbone. Anyway, they have a scene where Mitchell is talking with Nikki and the following conversation ensues.

Nikki: So, if you could have lunch with any three people in the entire world – alive, dead, fictitious, I don’t care. Who would it be?
Mitchell Goosen: Well, I’d have to say Tom Curren; greatest surfer in the world, now that would be cool. And, um, maybe Ghandi. Not for lunch though, he wouldn’t eat lunch.
Nikki: And the third one?
Mitchell Goosen: I’d have to say you.
Nikki: Me? You can have lunch with anyone in the world, and you would choose me.
Mitchell Goosen: You’re not just anyone. You’re special.

What a good pickup line. I wanted to give my 3 people I’d have lunch with though because I thought it would make for a good entry. I also want to point out that I could probably pick 100 people but this will get me started and maybe we’ll see a part 2 later.

Pete Rose

For those who might not know baseball here’s a quick Wiki bio: Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and outs (10,328). He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B & 1B). He’s arguably the best baseball player to ever play the game. However being the best baseball player is only a small facet of what makes Pete Rose so interesting. As a manager, and possibly as a player, he bet on the games he was coaching. He claims to only have bet on his own team (I’m not sure if that makes it better) but I assume that would be more ethical as a manager. You’re getting paid to win so betting on your own team isn’t really doing anything completely unethical. The whole scenario though is fascinating because he’s admitted to it and the his wish is to be entered into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Considering he’s one of the best players ever, you can see why this omission might make a man depressed. I just feel that Pete has been through so much and to sit down and hear his side (assuming he’s telling the truth) would be fun. The feelings of someone who is one of the game’s best players can’t make the Hall because he bet on his own to team to win and he’s being paid for his team to win. It’s just a really great story.

Led Zeppelin

I’ve been reading a biography on them and this is just an amazing band. I’ve grown to love their music and I’d probably list them right next to the Beatles. Slightly ahead in terms of enjoying the music but not from musical significance. The band was formed in 1968 with Page being 24, Plant 20, Paul-Jones 22, and Bonham 20. This group of guys were able to produce the greatest rock and roll in their early twenties. The meticulous producing and vision of Page at such a young age is just remarkable. The music is unbelievable and the more I read and understand it, the more I appreciate their work. Not to mention all the stories these guys would have from their touring days. I just read one where they tied a naked girl up in a bed and put a shark and some other fish they caught that day up her snatch and ass. This would be one of those lunches that you would never want to end. Music 40 years later still can’t touch this group. They are Rock and Roll.

Forrest Gump

A fun one obviously. I feel like I know people who are like Forrest. They are retarded yet somehow everything pays out for them in spades. You can’t really tell if what they do is the right way but they seem to make it work. His story is already told in the movie so I wouldn’t need to talk to him about his life. I think it would be entertaining to grill him on serious questions like “what’s the purpose of life” or “where do humans fit in the universe” and see what he says. His answers would sound real dumb and simple but probably extremely profound. Like you’d sit there thinking about what he just said and wouldn’t be able to decide if he’s just a complete retard or he actually knows what he’s talking about. I hope this last sentence will sum up why I think he’d be interesting because I don’t think I’ve done a good job so far. When you look at successful people you just assume that they are intelligent and they had to work hard to get there. People usually just don’t get lucky to make it. But a story like Forrest Gump sort of shows that this isn’t always the case. A bit bizarre I know but I still think this makes some point.

By Tom Stortz|2016-11-03T15:16:12-04:00January 6th, 2012|My Brain|2 Comments

Foster the People vs Led Zeppelin

Just to make sure Mark’s comment doesn’t get buried below I will share this song which I also think is pretty good. This song isn’t on Torches though which was why I’ve never heard it until watching the video. This was the first time I saw Mark Foster before and it sort of surprised me that his voice sounds that way even live. Foster the People sound like a really cool concert to go to even though the audience seems comatose. They rock out towards the end a bit but whenever I see people rocking out I always come back to this song.

If you don’t have the time to listen to the whole song I would suggest skipping to 3:30 to hear some of the best rock and roll of all time. This is why no one can compare to Led Zeppelin. You first hear Foster the People, one of the hottest groups out in 2011, rocking out and then you hear perhaps the greatest rock and roll group of all time putting them to shame. I know this isn’t a fair comparison but I’m just making a point of why rock has never stepped up to where it was back in the late 60’s, early 70’s. I wonder what Robert Plant thinks of these bands in today’s era?

I’m gonna make one final attempt to urge people to join spotify because it really is a cool service. I’ve been listening to my own music for the most part because like usual it’s very difficult to get people to create playlists so the entire community can listen to their music. Basically you share playlists with all your facebook friends but no one interacts but me and a few others. I’ve created lists with songs that I like and I pretty much just listen to them myself. However, I’d be happy for new people to introduce me to new music. A sample spotify:user:129434542:playlist:6jukaHPOTO8eRN5mbNLRqj

By Tom Stortz|2011-12-13T21:58:25-05:00December 13th, 2011|Music|0 Comments

Gusto’s Top 25 Musicians of All Time – 5-1

5. Led Zeppelin

I didn’t get Led Zeppelin when I was younger. I thought it was just a bunch of yelling and screaming and heavy metal BS. What a fool in the rain I was. Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 that consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham, and bassist John Paul Jones. The band played together for 12 years until Bonham died in 1980 (by choking on his on vomit after drinking too much) and this signified the end of Led Zeppelin. Bonham has been labeled as one of the greatest drummers of all time. John Paul Jones is currently playing with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme in Them Crooked Vultures. Jimmy Page is ranked as #9 in Rolling Stones top 100 guitarists. Robert Plant was the amazing vocalist and lyricist to this wonderful band and has had a successful solo career to boot. Led Zeppelin has sold over 200 million albums to date and some sources have the sales as high as 300. They are often cited as one of the key progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock. Their first 4 albums were titled Led Zeppelin I,II,III, and IV which makes for easy identifying. Classic songs like Black Dog, Kashmir, Stairway to Heaven, Immigrant Song, Going to California, Whole Lotta Love, What is and What Should Never Be (my personal fave), Ramble On, Moby Dick, Gallows Pole…. the list seriously doesn’t stop. This group has such an original, unreal sound that it’s hard to find anything like it. Bands today don’t compare with Led Zeppelin. A #5 ranking seems almost insulting but there really are only 4 spots better and there is no debate on one of them, which leaves 3 more open spots. Zeppelin is deserved of any of the remaining 4.

4. The Rolling Stones

We find another band who has caught my attention over the years. This isn’t like Ray Charles where I haven’t heard a song. I think the Stones are a great band and deserve a place in the top 10. Yes, I said 10 because even though they have countless amazing songs, I don’t find a ton that throw me over the edge.

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by guitarist and harmonica player Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart, with vocalist and harmonica player Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup. Jones initially led the band, but after teaming as songwriters, Jagger and Richards assumed leadership. Their worldwide estimated sales top 200 million albums. They have produced 22 studio albums which is a vast number. I think this is why I somewhat feel they have so many songs that I find them to be great, but not unbelievable. Their songs that top their list are Paint it Black, Sympathy for the Devil, You Can’t Always Get What you Want, Under my Thumb and Satisfaction. Others that I find very good songs are Midnight Rambler, Jumping Jack Flash, Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, Shattered, Miss You, and Gimme Shelter. They even have “great” songs which I don’t particularly like like Angie, Beast of Burden, Ruby Tuesday, and Get off My Cloud. The amount of quality songs that this band has blows away competition. You just can’t argue that current bands are better then the Stones because no one has done it for as long, with as much consistency. A Bigger Bang was released in 2005! Plus they are known to party harder then anyone. Keith Richards fell out of tree at 60+ years old. I’ve probably listened to 30 of their popular songs and am still missing 100 of their other good songs. It’s hard to touch the Stones.

3. Bruce Springsteen

He is the Boss. Hailing from right across the bridge, Bruce is our local hero. Bruce sings for every blue collar guy and the emotion in his music is unmatched. After hanging with Gusto I’ve grown a real appreciation for Bruce. His band is known as the E Street Band but without Bruce, I can’t see them selling out arenas. Bruce is the man. He has sold more than 65 million albums domestically and 120 worldwide. I think I hold Bruce higher then I should because he hails from New Jersey which is just a stones throw away from Philly. I make the analogy that people from the Northeast love Bruce the way the South love anything Country. Born to Run and Born in the USA are some of the finest albums ever produced. He has 20 Grammy’s, has influenced dozens of the best artists and just owns in life. Gusto would be quick to say that Thunder Road or Rosalita are Bruce’s best songs. I’d quickly add Glory Days, Jungleland, Downbound Train, Cover Me, Dancing in the Dark, Born to Run, Racing in the Street, and Growin Up. Even the soundtrack songs Streets of Philadelphia and Secret Garden are great. I’m probably a bit biased to Bruce as well and he’s probably a bit high on the all-time list, but I don’t mind.

2.Elton John

I know that Gusto is partial to Elton. He’ll say that he has a place in his heart for Elton and grew up listening to him. In his four-decade career John has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. His single “Candle in the Wind 1997” has sold over 33 million copies worldwide, and is the best selling single in Billboard history. Hard to argue with those last facts that Elton doesn’t deserve a top 5 spot. Billboard magazine has him listed as #3 most successful artists of all time. The Rolling Stone has him at #49 of the top 100. He adds 30 albums to his amazing arsenal of talent. I think some people associate Elton with soft, lovey music but they are so far off. Elton has become one of my favorite artists as well. To run through some of his best songs Rocket Man, Your Song, I’m Still Standing, Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters, Tiny Dancer, Madman Across the Water, Levon, Daniel, Indian Sunset, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie and the Jets. My faves are Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding (wonderful 2 part song) and Grey Seal (such a different sound). Elton has so much music that I haven’t possibly listened to most of it. His charisma, flamboyance, and magical singing talent should be landing him high up on all time lists.

1. The Beatles

This is no surprise. If you don’t agree, you haven’t listened to them enough. They are transcendent. I don’t know if I used that right but I know it means supreme or lying above the range of perception. In 8th grade I used to listen to Sgt Pepper while I did my homework. How on Earth does an 8th grader like a band from the 60’s? Because they are the greatest band ever created and there has been nothing like them since. A group of guys has never come together to surpass the Beatles. It’s not even close. Instead of just saying how good they are let me back this up with some facts and history.

From 1962, the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). They have sold somewhere between 600 million to 1 billion albums. Only Elvis comes close to those numbers. Former Rolling Stone associate editor Robert Greenfield said, “People are still looking at Picasso … at artists who broke through the constraints of their time period to come up with something that was unique and original. In the form that they worked in, in the form of popular music, no one will ever be more revolutionary, more creative and more distinctive.” In 7 years they produced 12 albums. Do you understand how short that time period is to produce 12 albums? You put these guys together and all they did was create outstanding pieces of work. I almost feel bad listing some of their great songs because I don’t have the time to list everyone – Something, Here Comes the Sun, Yesterday, Across the Universe, Let It Be, In My Life, Come Together, Golden Slumbers, Get Back, Eleanor Rigby, All You Need is Love… Their albums Revolver, Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper… and all the others for that matter are great. They didn’t make bad music. What the Beatles did as a group is something that none of us will ever see again in our lifetimes. I wasn’t even a part of it, yet I can tell it’s was a completely amazing, glorious and distinguished period of time. I have never heard anything else that sounds like the Beatles. Probably never will and for that, they will hold the #1 spot for the next century.

Thanks to everyone who reads this and thought it was a worthwhile effort from someone who is just an average Joe who listens to music. I got all my facts from Wikipedia and if there are any copyright issues, I’ll reference everything to them (who then reference it to someone else.) The pics obviously swiped too. I tried to put as much knowledge in the small space without getting too lengthy. I also think it’s important to add that Gusto created this list in 2 tries. He didn’t go back and start shifting spots for the most complete list and I know there are bands he missed. Some artists that come to mind – The Who, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder and the Doors are 5 that have to be ahead of Green Day, KOL and Alice in Chains, Jim Croce. However, I think it was a good idea to leave his list in tact without mangling it because this is what first came to his mind. My particular list wouldn’t have as many singers (Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Van Morrison) and I would be substituting some bands I like that I know don’t get recognition as being “great” by the critics. I think his top 5 though is a marquee round out. Thanks for reading.

By Tom Stortz|2011-05-24T23:09:24-04:00May 24th, 2011|Top 25 Best Bands|0 Comments