Tracks
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To be clear about what you are getting here: Dread Zeppelin is a reggae-style Led Zeppelin tribute band that has an Elvis impersonator as their lead singer. Got all that? A bizarre concept to be sure, but as a novelty act, they really do pull it off, and this album in particular is where they put their best for forward.
The thing about the band is they are good. The concept is very tongue-in-cheek, but the band can play. They have morphed the reggae beat with the blues-rock style that Led Zeppelin mastered in the 70's, and thrown in a touch of the southern style bless rock that Elvis defined before that. The lead singer, Tortelvis, sings with an unabashed faux Elvis accent, using the most popular intonations of the King's voice, so the listener is always aware that he is in on the joke. Tortelvis is going for the early 70's, rotund exaggeration of Elvis, and more often than not, that is what you will hear on this album.
The clearest example of what Tortelvis is going for is the song "Big Ol' Gol Belt". They very title exaggerates Elvis' speech patterns, the song itself, one of the originals on the album, is a reference to the flamboyant way that Elvis dressed during his jumpsuit period.
The key to this album is "Stairway to Heaven". They avoided putting the track on their first album, a surprise success, and they knew that they needed to raise the stakes for the follow-up. This is possibly the most interesting cover of Stairway ever. The band stays in reggae mode throughout, and includes Elvis-favorite echoes, but clearly much love was put into the song. It is not a mockery, it is a tribute.
5,000,000*, a title which references an Elvis album, is not for everyone. But, if you come in aware of what you are getting into, and with an open mind, you will have an enjoyable experience. This is Dread Zeppelin at their best; in later years they tried a straighter version of Stairway, I just think this version is far more interesting, definitely worth your time.
The thing about the band is they are good. The concept is very tongue-in-cheek, but the band can play. They have morphed the reggae beat with the blues-rock style that Led Zeppelin mastered in the 70's, and thrown in a touch of the southern style bless rock that Elvis defined before that. The lead singer, Tortelvis, sings with an unabashed faux Elvis accent, using the most popular intonations of the King's voice, so the listener is always aware that he is in on the joke. Tortelvis is going for the early 70's, rotund exaggeration of Elvis, and more often than not, that is what you will hear on this album.
The clearest example of what Tortelvis is going for is the song "Big Ol' Gol Belt". They very title exaggerates Elvis' speech patterns, the song itself, one of the originals on the album, is a reference to the flamboyant way that Elvis dressed during his jumpsuit period.
The key to this album is "Stairway to Heaven". They avoided putting the track on their first album, a surprise success, and they knew that they needed to raise the stakes for the follow-up. This is possibly the most interesting cover of Stairway ever. The band stays in reggae mode throughout, and includes Elvis-favorite echoes, but clearly much love was put into the song. It is not a mockery, it is a tribute.
5,000,000*, a title which references an Elvis album, is not for everyone. But, if you come in aware of what you are getting into, and with an open mind, you will have an enjoyable experience. This is Dread Zeppelin at their best; in later years they tried a straighter version of Stairway, I just think this version is far more interesting, definitely worth your time.