Who's next?

Anyone seen Rodrigo y Gabriella in concert? 500 teens singing (not mouthing) the words to Wish You Were Here... That wasn't a single and doesn't get air-play... Not even the dire Wycliffe Jean version.

 

^ But in this case it's not about firepower but simply power--  few can compare with the pyrotechnics of Zep in their prime, but ain't no one under 30 singing 'The Rain Song' and just a handful who know the words to Stairway.   Zep will always be a monster of rock, one of the undisputed Kings, but their music was largely dressed-up white man's blues.   They didn't really start writing songs until the fifth album; whereas The Who's discipline for very deliberate and universal songcraft seems to be paying off in the long run.

My daughter likes Pinball Wizard when I play Tommy around the house. My sons are too young and impressionable to be subjected to songs like Cousin Kevin and Uncle Ernie, but my daughter is interested in plays and theater , understanding Tommy for it's art form more so than developing some prudish reaction to the bizarre lyrics or feelings of the emotionally disturbed. She understands Sgt. Pepper and The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society with the same logic. She is 13 years old, began listening to the British Invasion period and American Rock n' Roll at age 3, Prog and Classical later blah, blah,...but she knows all about the bands who started out in the British Invasion period and a few years later turned into Psychedelic Rock. Her awareness developed naturally by hearing the music around the house. Both of my sons are currently hooked on Contemporary Insanity by Happy The Man. They act as if they feel the power of that track and have questions for me regarding the music. This interest developed out of their exposure to hearing music and not through their personal interest in playing an instrument.