Thursday, October 16, 2014

Rocktober Deep Cut L: "Out On The Tiles" by Led Zeppelin

When I conceived the idea for a "deep cut" Rocktober, the first song that came to my mind was "Out On The Tiles" by Led Zeppelin.  This is such a great song, and I really have no idea why it isn't played more often (or at all) on classic rock radio.  The song is ballsy and aggressive, with a great riff.  "Out on the tiles" is a British phrased often used by John Bonham, meaning a night out on the town getting sauced.  So musically and lyrically, the song is everything I would want from a great rock and roll song. 

It was the last song on side one of Led Zeppelin III (the "heavy" side of the album), which is an underappreciated album, in my opinion.  My first thought about the lack of airplay when it was released was that it might have been too heavy for radio back in the day, but "Immigrant Song" was on the same album, and it was a Top 20 song on the Billboard charts.  

As for nowadays, despite the fact that you can hear 75% of the Led Zeppelin catalog on classic rock or hard rock stations, somehow this isn't one of those songs.  You even hear some of the other more obscure songs from Led Zeppelin III on the radio now and then, like "Friends," "Since I've Been Loving You," and "Gallows Pole."  You might even hear "Tangerine" or "Celebration Day" once in a blue moon.  Hell, you even hear the non-album b-side to "Immigrant Song" -- "Hey Hey, What Can I Do?" -- on the radio (which you should because it's an awesome song about a whore).  Yet somehow, you never hear "Out On The Tiles."  Oh well, I guess it makes it more special -- kind of like I know about this secretly awesome song that only several million others (as opposed to several hundred million others) know about.  Listen to it and see what I mean.

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