POPOFF'S TOP 20: FOGHAT & LED ZEPPELIN: Developing A Stealth Approach To Unorthodox Rock Critiques

Just two weeks ago, Schlockmania covered the first two installments of Popoff's Top 20, a new series of list-styled essays delivered in eBook form by Martin Popoff that offer a playlist with commentary for a particular band of hard rock or AOR interest. His installments on Budgie and The Babys attracted a bit of controversy for some left-of-center critical points but both offered plentiful food for thought. 

By the end of the week that review was posted, Popoffhad already released his next two installments! This time, the bands coveredare Foghat and Led Zeppelin - and the results show he's developing his formatin a way that allows him to express unusual opinions in ways that appeal toyour love for the band in question.

Foghat was one of those beloved "road warrior"bands of the '70s, delivering an amplified, arena-friendly version of Britishblues boom sounds that became a favorite in concert halls and on car stereosall over America. Popoff delivers a list that respects the depth of theircatalog by mixing obvious favorites with some deep-cut selections that thosefamiliar with their glory era work might not know.

On the classics tip, classic rock favorites like"Fool For The City," "Slow Ride" and "I Just Want ToMake Love With You" are all represented. Popoff teases out the musicalelements that give these standard-bearers such staying power as well as theoccasional nugget of trivia about their creation gleaned from his years ofinterviews. He also digs out tracks from the golden era that show he knowsthese albums well, like "Golden Arrow" and "Fly By Night."He also points out proto-metal nuggets from this era, like the visceral rush of"Honey Hush" and the speedy riffing of "Easy Money."

If you haven't explored the Foghat catalog outside oftheir Bearsville Records era, Popoff does you a solid by devoting some time toreformation-and-beyond era efforts like ReturnOf The Boogie Men and Family Joules.Such albums often get dismissed out of hand by fans but Popoff singles out somesongs that might get you interested in these albums, offering appreciativecommentary on the work of latter-day Foghat guitarist Bryan Bassett.

We all know who Led Zeppelin is so this review willbypass the obligatory description. Popoff has already written an album-by-albumbook on the band so his Top 20 list for reflects a personalized take on theband's catalog. The result manages to express maverick opinions on the bandwithout devolving into the slaying of sacred cattle.

Let's deal with shocks up front: radio favorites like"Stairway To Heaven," "The Ocean" and "Fool In TheRain" are left off the list - it's also worth noting that Popoff ignoresthe band's first two albums entirely- but there's no spiteful commentary about taking such songs out ofconsideration.  He's respectful enough tothe classics to include staples like "Kashmir," "DancingDays" and "Over The Hills And Far Away": such numbers get niceanalysis and cool technical info, like what the particular quirky keyboard toneis that pops up on "Dancing Days" and the Middle Eastern influencerunning through its arrangement.

It seems that Popoff has bypassed the easy FM-playliststaples to go deeper into album track terrain. For example, he includes a fewtracks from the outtakes collection Codaand "Out On The Tiles," a rocker from Led Zeppelin III with a killer groove from drummer John Bonham. Themost controversial inclusion here is the synth-drenched epic"Carouselambra" from InThrough The Out Door: a lot of fans dislike this one but Popoff makes anappreciative case for its complexity and how it barnstorms its way through avariety of late '70s rock stylings.

In short, the Popoff'sTop 20 entries for Foghat and Led Zeppelin show Popoff is figuring out howto take his unorthodox impulses and make a case for them in a way that opensthe mind without ruffling the feathers - and they do this all for 99 centsCanadian per entry! It will be interesting to see if he continues to developthis style in future Top 20 installments. In any event, the reading will beinteresting.

Buy Popoff's Top 20: Foghat here

Buy Popoff's Top 20: Led Zeppelin here