Customer Reviews

5,000,000

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

They have taken songs that have been played by thousands of bar bands and gave them a new fresh sound. It's best not to give too much thought to the concept of a Elvis impersonator fronted band doing Led Zeppelin songs in a reggae style. Just listen to it. The originals they have scattered through the albmum are really good also. Who hasn't wondered about Elvis in his Vegas years and that "Big Ol Gold Belt".

Robert Plant isn't one of them. He's a Dreadzep fan.

When listening to this CD, I remember seeing them on tour for this CD and how damn entertaining they were. All good comedy has to be rooted in truth or talent, and Dread Zeppelin shows both. There are some levels that are just above some people's heads (and they remark about the supposed sacrilegious nature of it all on this page). 5,000,000 is clever from the very beginning, and though is not a strong album throughout, has some brilliant moments and some great guitar playing.

The cover shows Charlie Haj-the man who gives Tortelvis his towels and water on stage-in a parody of Led Zeppelin IV's cover, except Charlie has pool sticks, a swimming pool net, and a paint roller on his back. And towels. The opening song samples the announcer from the original Hindenburg crash ("Oh the humanity"), which of course is on the cover of Led Zeppelin I. But you have to pay attention in school to know about it.

Close listens will reveal at the end of Stairway to Heaven, that Tortelvis has promised Fresh Cheese a solo performance, which he performs...on the xylophone. Their cover of Bob Marley's Stir It Up, perhaps the best song on the CD, features a hilarious drivethru order ("Spicy bean burgers. Do you make those here? Spicy bean burgers?") and ends with more Zeppelin inside humor. Because Stir It Up is really an Elvis take on food, the Zeppelin riff is from The Lemon Song. You have to know the Lemon Song riff to get the joke at the end ("While you're at it why don't you squeeze me some of those lemons and make me some lemonade. Ha, look, you got it all over your leg, Charlie").

So back to the show. I had a friend who was really uptight Zeppelin fan, and he sat at the back of the club while we were up front having a blast. He finally came up for the end of the show, where Dread Zeppelin did Stairway to Heaven. As Tortelvis makes his way up to the microphone in a pretentious way to start the song, Ed Zeppelin jumps in and starts singing the first verse. And the crowd went wild.

And then Carl Jah comes out for the amazing solo. It's much the same on the CD, some very fluid and fulfilling guitar playing, and my friend's skepticism washed away when Jah stopped the fun and foolery and just nailed Page's guitar solo, perhaps the most famous in the history of rock and roll. Surely people's humor is different. But the gist might be whether you really love Zeppelin for yourself, and not just what other people think of you, and whether you can really let go and have some fun.

Dread's second album is not quite as good as their first, but it's still damn funny. While their first album consisted almost entirely of Led Zeppelin songs (a couple of songs were Zep/Elvis medleys), this time around only about half the songs are Zeppelin songs. They do some original songs that are quite funny (although "Forgetting About Business Parts 1 & 2" aren't really songs, with Part 1 being an intro of the band and part 2 being a "dub" collage of various sounds from the album). The band also does it's first Bob Marley song, "Stir It Up", which is one of the highlights. "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" is an old Johnny Burnette song that Led Zeppelin often performed in concert, and it's another highlight here. Oh, the Zeppelin songs are good, too. If you are a fan of Led Zeppelin who doesn't take Zeppelin too seriously, you will probably enjoy this album.

Tort Elvis is the lead singer for Dread he is stunning as an Elvis Impersonator. The Band is a scream with Charlie Haj as Torts assistant. The Reggae influence adds a nice twist to old renditions of Elvis songs and Zeppelin tunes. GET THEM ALL!!!

Amazing, simply amazing. When I first heard this 12 years ago I was instantly hooked. Big ol' gold belt, Do the claw, and especially Stir it up are downright hilarious. Even after all these years and playing this time after time, it's still funny. But even more amazing is the fact that this was ONE TIGHT BAND. Brilliant guitars, loud drums, and incredible production tells you these guys are a serious band. I may not win a lot of popularity contests for saying this, but, with the exception of "Nobody's Fault" I like their versions of the Zep songs better. Yeah, you read right. And their "Train kept a rollin" blows Aerosmith away. Just remember that everybody is entitled to their own opinion. LONG LIVE TORTELVIS

It sounds like Elvis Presley singing Led Zeppelin songs. It's really a good album though! Buy it!!!!

The idea of a band playing Led Zeppelin songs in a reggae style fronted by an Elvis impersonator is apparently just a bit more than a one album idea. Just look at the song list and you will notice that barely half the songs are actually from Led Zep. They are, however, the best songs on the album with "When The Levee Breaks" being the best of the bunch. Their first album was much better and while they cut down on the humor to branch out into other types of songs, it really pales in comparison. When they are good these guys are worth listening to, but with each album the number of decent cuts decreases. If I remember correctly, "5,000,000" was the number of albums they sold for that first disc (or at least that was the rumor). Good thing they did not try to do a variation on the Chicago bit because it could get a bit depressing. If you are interested in variations on a Led Zep theme check out that first desk, "Un-Led-Ed" or the "Stairways to Heaven" album from down under.

song remains the same, stir it up, doin the claw, misty mountain hop..great renditions in their unique style and funny as hell. tortelvis and company deliver a 2nd gem!

The version of "Stairway" on this one is classic, and the DZ sound is more streamlined than on the first album. "Do the Claw" is one of their best tunes ever. I saw this band live several times and they ruled every time. This is the kind of thing that outlives the length of time that it's humourous, because the players are so good and the versions of the songs are so interesting and catchy. DZ's finest hour, however, had yet to be achieved until "Hot and Spicy Beanburger", which occurred after Tortelvis left (during the DZ "disco era") and then came back. In my opinion, "Un-Led-Ed" was good, "5,000,000" was better, "It's Not Unusual" was an interesting hiccup, and DZ achieved their peak at "Hot and Spicy Beanburger". Everything since then is still entertaining, but not as good to listen to from beginning to end.

The world doesn't have enough bands like Dread Zeppelin, or albums like `5,000,000*', and it is a travesty that the album hasn't sold the number of copies the title hoped for.

Dread Zeppelin's covers annoy the hell out of some humourless Classic Rock purists, but y'know, they're exactly the people who need to be needled. Sure, Led Zeppelin might have been the biggest Rock band in the world in their day, and some of their material is considered some of the best of the era, but at the end of the day, they are songs to be enjoyed, not sacred cows to be mindlessly worshipped. And let's face it, many of these songs have been done to death through overexposure. Dread Zeppelin don't mess them up so much as revitalise them.

A quick backgrounder might be helpful at this point. Frontman Tortelvis claims to be the reincarnated Elvis Presley, despite the fact that he'd already been born when Elvis died. He has the looks, he has the moves, he has the voice, he just doesn't have the money. The rest of the band, Jah Paul Jo, Butt-Mon, Carl Jah, Ed Zeppelin, and Fresh Cheese And Cheese, are all Rastafarian Reggae masters reinterpreting Rock classics, especially Led Zep, for Tortelvis to ply his Las Vegas lounge act over.

On paper, this band looks like it should be a terrible mess, but somehow it all works. Their songs are funny, not laugh out loud funny, but enough to bring a smile to your face. Tortelvis' over the top crooning makes a welcome change from Robert Plant's over the top wailing. The band take a few liberties, like messing with the tempo, and Jimmy Page would probably cringe at the way some of his guitar work is twisted and tortured. The Reggae basslines bounce along quite happily, while steel drums have been added to the percussion in places. It all works itself out in the end, like the rockier version of Bob Marley's laid back "Stir It Up", which sees Tortelvis ordering hamburgers in the middle of it, and then an electric sitar passage.

The basic elements of all the songs are kept, so it's quite possible to compare them to the originals. A good song is a good song, no matter what style it is done in. The only real problem is the laid back, mellow Reggae style renders the songs background music, where the intention of the originals was to jump up and grab your attention. Dread Zeppelin attempts a couple of originals, but they add little to the album, and the covers are far better.

Of course, the yardstick for any Led Zep covers band is how well they perform "Stairway To Heaven". Tortelvis and Ed Zeppelin trade line for line of the vocals, Ed speaking his lines rather than singing. There is also a Reggae backing chorus, and lead and skank guitars trade off throughout the song. All the while, the Jamaican backbeat bounds along, as if it had always been there. Purists will hate it, but anyone who finds the song overblown pretentious rubbish (like me!) will find it quite refreshing.

Dread Zeppelin were a novelty band who managed to string the joke out over several albums. `5,000,000*' is not a stunning album by any stretch of the imagination. It is nothing more than good lighthearted fun, which would certainly brighten up a miserable winter's day.