Posted on 12/08/2007 7:59:03 AM PST by LurkedLongEnough
NEXT WEEK'S reunion of Led Zeppelin is among the most anticipated in rock history. And with good reason. In the 1970s, the British band was mesmerizing.
But beyond unforgettable songs and legendary live shows, Led Zeppelin broadcast a powerful message to fans who tuned in to the right frequency. Bring the soul of the West and Islam together, Led Zeppelin told us, and you can produce a musical force powerful enough to break through the barricade dividing the two civilizations. In its way, this message is far more subversive than the Satanic themes the band was accused of "backmasking" into "Stairway to Heaven."
One of us - Salman Ahmed - is a Pakistani who was born in Lahore and spent his adolescence in Upstate New York. Led Zeppelin was a sonic voyage home for Salman. When he first saw the band at Madison Square Garden during its US tour in 1977, it was a spiritual awakening. There was something deeply familiar in the music. Once he returned home for medical school he realized that the band had channeled the Sufi music of South Asia through the blues to create rock 'n' roll.
Soon enough, Salman traded in his stethoscope for an electric guitar. If Led Zeppelin frontmen Jimmy Page and Robert Plant immersed themselves in the blues, Salman studied with the Pakistani musical legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who coming from the opposite trajectory offered a similar message of harmony and brotherhood.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Yeah, they’ve been a real “force for peace” since they came out. They’ve calmed the muslims down a bunch over the last 30 years, huh?
Fellow Muslims! One thing that saddens the zealous Muslim is to see his brothers in faith seeking happiness through means other than Islam, thereby treating their disease with poison instead of medicine and deluding themselves into believing that satiating their lustful desires will cure them of their ailments. An example of this is the obsession of many people today with listening to music and musical instruments; they justify this unenviable habit of theirs with baseless arguments and excuses. This evil deed is only promoted by those who are already afflicted with the blind following of their lustful desires and listening to shameless female singers. Our prophet Muhammad told us about these people when he said, "There will be some people among my nation who will regard fornication, wearing of silk (for men), drinking of intoxicants and stringed instruments as lawful." (Al-Bukhaaree and others)"Brothers in faith! Beware of things that lead to Allah's wrath. Appearance of music and stringed instruments is a cause of Allah's wrath and His chastisement. Aboo Maalik Al-Ash'aree narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, "There will be a group of people among my nation who will drink alcohol calling it by other names and upon their heads stringed instruments will be played and in their presence songstresses will sing, Allah will cause the earth to swallow them and He will turn them into monkeys and pigs."
A like the last line on the page....”A different version of this piece appeared at Aljazeera.net.”
I saw 'em in '77 too (at the L.A. Forum), and all I got was ringing in the ears for the next ....actually, I think they're still ringing. (Loudest show I ever attended by a wide margin).
Yeah, Page brought some eastern elements to Zep's music, especially on "In the Light" and "Kashmir" ....Physical Graffiti in general.
XM Radio has a new channel: Led. All Zeppelin, all the time
“Today’s Muslin [sic] rock and heavy metal artists are powerfully influenced by the ‘70s band.”
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HA HA! Good thing they didn’t hear 90’s speed metal.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GBCos2MlQ1Y
*NOT SAFE FOR KIDS OR THOSE WHO ARE EASLY OFFENDED*
Remember, to a Muslim, peace is the elimination of every religion other than Islam. If that requires violence, so be it.
Led Zeppelin? Never could stand that band. Anything by Jeff Beck is way better!
There is no peace and harmony in any heavy metal, let alone Muslim heavy metal. It's all about aggression.
“An example of this is the obsession of many people today with listening to music and musical instruments; they justify this unenviable habit of theirs with baseless arguments and excuses.”
Their argument is anything but “baseless,” for they had John Paul Jones.
yeah, yeah, but when Muslims start rappin’, I’m not listening. (not that I listen now)
I saw them opening night at the Garden in ‘77....6/6/1977...my favorite band since I was an eight year old in 1971....Plant has as much to do with those “eastern influences” as anything else....
Page brought some eastern elements to Zep’s music, especially on “In the Light” and “Kashmir” ....Physical Graffiti in general.
Plant likes Morocco as a vacation destination. He’s also done some gigs in Mali. That’s about the extent of their Muslim influence.
Zeppelin’s great stength is their variety. Hopefully they bring down the house Monday night in London. Wish I could be there.
Here’s Pagey’s recent sit-down with the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3681938.stm
I saw them in Deetroit at Olympia stadium in 1972. Grand Funk RR was the opening act. They got the audience going to the point that LZ ordered the plugs pulled on their amps. LZ then took the stage after about a 2 hour wait. They are WAYYY overrated as a live act. Their studio stuff is good but live they were only one thing - LOUD.
Try this link for the recent Page interview on the BBC:
When the Muslins establish sharia law, they’ll cut the heads off these apostates.
Although GFR was my favorite band, my one friend was Zepplin fanatic, so I've heard everything they have ever done thousands of times. I'll take the "American Band" any day.
We had Led Zep tickets for a show in the mid 70's outdoors at JFK stadium in Philly, but Robert Plant's son died a few weeks before the show and it was canceled. Very Sad, my friend never returned his ticket and kept it as a memento. Me, I sent it back and used the money for new speakers or something.
Won’t be seeing this in Iran, where Western music is banned.
I never liked Led Zeppelin...I knew there was a reason.
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