Performer: Led Zeppelin
Songwriters: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Original Release: Presence
Year: 1976
Definitive Version: Destroyer, 1977
As you might know, Destroyer was a bootleg from Cleveland (Richfield) during Led Zeppelin’s ill-fated 1977 tour. If you’re a Zeppelin fan, you owe it to yourself to get a copy. For just about every song that’s represented on this tape that made my list, the definitive version of the song is on this album. You can find it fairly easily on the Web.
I got a taped copy from a friend of Scott’s who seemed to have lots of music resources in January 1987 shortly after I went back to Northwestern. So I can’t help but to think about the winter quarter; I listened to it practically nonstop—in my room, on my Walkman while riding the L downtown, in my car while driving over town for various assignments.
Naturally, I’ll have a lot more to say about that very up-and-down time in the months ahead, and I’ll leave you with this story today, which seems appropriate given the song title.
I’ve never told anyone this embarrassing story for reasons that will be abundantly clear, but I was taken for $20 in a shell game (find the ball and win) on the L one day, back when they let this activity take place on the trains. I was listening to this tape while heading downtown for a class in March, I think, just before my breakup with Beth. I was sure I couldn’t miss. Like they say in The Sting; the only thing that matters is the greed of the mark. My greed wasn’t so much financially, although an extra $20 is always useful. It was in being right, in showing everyone how I was smarter than anyone else. I’ll show ‘em.
I sure did. I showed them I’m an idiot.
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