Led Zeppelin “Houses of the Holy” 1973. Today, January 9th, is Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page’s birthday (b. James Patrick Page 1944). Consistently rated among the top albums of all time (anywhere in the top 100 to 500), Houses of Holy is a sweeping masterpiece with a range of musical influences and styles, from blues to reggae to funk to “epic folk/metal fusion” (on “Over the Hills and Far Away,” one of my favorite tracks and one of the best guitar intros every). I’ll admit to be a late-comer to the whole Zeppelin thing (though in fairness I was only 2 years old when this record came out). In the 80s while in junior high and high school the kids who listened to Zeppelin were the “grits” (heshers, burnouts, headbangers, take your pick): the ones who wore sleeveless jean jackets (which I learned is technically a “kutte” – German for battle jacket) with handmade black Sharpie Zeppelin/Iron Maiden/Metellica logos stenciled on their backs, sporting metal-mullets while hanging out at the smoking doors. Kind of like this one, but made by someone with no budget for store-bought patches. (Image from the internet, NOT MY JACKET!)

I was a punk so while I’d talk to them, I certainly wouldn’t listen to their music. Then came college at UW Madison, mind and music expansion and Houses of the Holy. A good friend’s roommate was a massive Led Zeppelin fan and we’d hang out in some dorm room or other, listening to “The Song Remains the Same,” “Dancing Days” and another one of my favorites, “The Ocean.”