Whole Lotta Love

Rockers sharing the love of the classics

Classic Albums Live — which brought The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” to the Walton Arts Center just last year — returns this year with “Led Zeppelin II.”
Classic Albums Live — which brought The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” to the Walton Arts Center just last year — returns this year with “Led Zeppelin II.”

"Many people don't realize that during the '70s -- no other band or artist came close to selling as many albums as Led Zeppelin. At the time, the critics were panning them and making fun of them. But the people spoke. They bought the albums and went to the concerts ... No Grammys. No number one singles. No singles! Led Zeppelin were the people's band. And Led Zeppelin II was their call to arms."

Craig Martin's reverence for the enduring greats from the era of classic rock can be felt in this excerpt from the album notes for Led Zeppelin II. The rockers' second studio album, released in 1969, is one of the shows in Martin's series "Classic Albums Live," returning next week to the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. "Note for note, cut for cut," the shows bring together top-level musicians to recreate the albums that have stood the test of time.

FAQ

Classic Albums Live:

Led Zeppelin’s ‘Led Zeppelin II’

WHEN — 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27

WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville

COST — $25-$35

INFO — classicalbumslive.c…, waltonartscenter.org

"It's a modern symphony of the greatest artists of the 20th century," says Nick Walsh, the singer performing in Led Zeppelin II. Walsh wants audiences to know CAL isn't a trendy, Vegas-style show. "It's more about the music. What we're doing is recreating the sound that comes out of your stereo as opposed to [recreating] the live show. [We play] all the parts on the record that made it so lush. We're recreating the album."

For instance, when Walsh plays the Physical Graffiti show -- for Led Zeppelin's sixth album, released in 1975 -- the music requires five guitar players to create the layered sounds true to the recording.

"We want the experience to be [like] putting the needle on the vinyl," Walsh says. "For anybody who joins Classic Albums Live for the first time, the format is a little daunting. We don't address the audiences. But we've done our homework as musicians. I kind of put the actor's hat on. I'm not trying to be Robert Plant, but I am emulating his voice. I model and shape my voice to be as close to his as possible."

The musicians present the first half of the show in this fashion in the hopes of bringing audiences back to the first time they listened to the record -- at a time when one would sit and listen to an entire album all the way through. The first set of the show Jan. 27 will include side one and side two of the Led Zeppelin II album. The performers are able to loosen up a bit after intermission, interacting with the audience while maintaining the same calibre of excellence for other Led Zeppelin greatest hits -- as well as some deep tracks for the real fanatics.

"As a kid listening to [these songs], it felt like [they went on] forever. Now when I'm singing, they just fly by," Walsh says. Ask if he has a favorite to perform? Of course it's difficult to chose just one, but "I love singing 'Whole Lotta Love.' The moment you hear -- it's such an iconic song -- the moment you hear the first opening chords, the crowd just melts. And I do too."

NAN What's Up on 01/20/2017

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