Thursday, May 22, 2008

The Holy Trinity of Rock

One click of the picture to the left will tell you the whole story. If you don't already know, the Holy Trinity of Rock (as officially anointed by Allmusic.com) consists of (in order of release) Black Sabbath Paranoid, Led Zeppelin 4 and Deep Purple Machine Head. Why are these three albums so important? Released over the course of approximately a year between 1971 and 1972, they formed the stylistic basis of most heavy metal music that was yet to come. They were all three different, but elements of all them were the seeds from which subsequent metal sprung. Props must immediately be given to Black Sabbath for changing their course slightly and creating the completely original Paranoid. Zep came next, forging new ground on 4 with songs like Black Dog and the unforgettable, all-purpose request Stairway to Heaven. Purple came last, creating what would be remembered as their best album, and my personal favorite, Machine Head. Can you ever get over the careening Highway Star, the never to be duplicated back beat of Maybe I'm a Leo and the Most Famous Guitar Riff In The History Of Rock on Smoke on the Water? These three albums, when heard some thirty something years later, still sound amazingly potent. I know that I would not be the same person I am today without the Holy Trinity of Rock. How about you?

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