I owe a special thanks to Roger for these. I had never considered the possiblity of non-lyrical allusions in Zeppelin's music (except for No Quarter), but after reading his message on the old bulletin board I was fascinated. Once again, I can't prove ther validity and all allusions are open to doubt, but here are a few (very) interesting points to ponder:
 
 

Of course lyrical connections are fairly easy to identify. But i think at least as significant is the musical

connecton. By that i mean how the "mood" of the music was drawn from the mood of certain themes

or scenes Tolkien's stories. I know there are many. I Believe one of the most compelling (and I can't

prove it) is the mood of "Four Sticks". In this music, I imagine Frodo and Sam in the dreary

desolation of the depths of the land of Mordor. The musical mood alternation contrasts their hope of

success/escape with the reality of the dreadful place they are in. Listen and see if you agree.

Posted on Jan 15 1999, 08:51 AM

I might add that the songs with the most overt lyrical connections are very popular with Tolkein

readers even more because of their musical interpretation of mood or theme from the stories than for

their lyrics. The lyrics simply help us make a conscious connection to the writing so we can then

experience the full breadth of emotion embodied in the music. For example, its the music, even more

than the words of "The Battle For Evermore" and "No Quarter" that capture the distinct emotional

weight of two of the most powerful segments of Tolkein's Trilogy. My point is that the emotion of

Tolkein infiltrated this era of Page and Plant music beyond merely those songs which included overt

lyrical ties. And, those of us who are fans of both can see glimpses of the Tolkein emotion appearing

here and there, even though we cannot prove a connection via the lyrics.

Tolkein himself, in the Tolkein Reader alludes to this phenomenon in his own writing when pressed to

account for his writings as allegorical statements about the "War in Europe" (W.W.II) or religious

themes (Tolkein was a devout Christian theologian who by the way, heavily influenced his fellow

author and close friend C.S. Lewis). Tolkein basically stated that what was in his

heart showed up in his writing as "shadows" or "reflections" (allusions or partial metaphors) and that

overt allegorical connections were incidental. His friend, C.S. Lewis, of course, is best known for his

strongly allegorical children's stories.

Tolkein on the other hand in the "Origins" discussion in "The Tolkein Reader" (page 49), calls man a

"sub-creator", taking in the world before him and, in the image of his maker, is likewise creative;

Only, his own unique rendition of creation is a reflection of all the many things from the "soup" of his

own experience.

So Page and Plant, like Tolkein, sub-create from the soup of their various experience and influences,

which clearly includes themes and emotions from Tolkein's writings. So we have experienced a triple

reflection of creativity with Tolkein in the middle. Like all great art, the ideas and emotion of both

Tolkein and Zeppelin continue to ripple out in endless

successive sub-creations - including this web site.

Posted on Jan 16 1999, 09:10 PM