In the Houston Press’ Rocks Off music blog, there’s an entry from a few days ago about “10 semi-obscure Led Zeppelin facts,” presumably run to coincide with Bonham the Younger’s band being in town. Said entry includes this bit:
At the beginning of “Immigrant Song,” the weird series of clipped noises are the sounds of the count in and the tapes beginning to record the tracks for the song. We always thought it was a bad rip when we first heard it online when we were young.
Emphasis added. I submit that the notion that there exists someone writing about music for a living who first encountered Zep not on scratchy vinyl or warped cassettes, but in pirated online rips may well be enough to put 99% of Heathen Nation into a full-blown, “You Kids Get Offa My Lawn” conniption fit.
The quote in question has propelled me into a full Walt Kowalski/Gran Torino rage. I know not when or if I will ever emerge.
What will become of a generation that does not have to cope with the looping runout groove on Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band? (Where is the turntable? I can’t find the turntable. Oh, there it is. I can’t see the tonearm. The tonearm keeps moving. Maybe we should just let it keep playing.)
My yard. Get off of it.