Choose Between : 'How Soon is Now' & ' Achilles Last Stand'

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Inc cover versions.

― Justin Block, Sunday, 23 February 2003 06:04 (twenty-three years ago)

You know, I love the Smiths and "How Soon is now", but it ain't fuckin' with "Achilles Last Stand". IMHO.

― Brenya, Sunday, 23 February 2003 06:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Haha!! I thought these threads were v. annoying but i kinda like this one cuz it's tough!

Both songs feature obsessive attention paid to guitar tone; multi-layered, overdubbed gtrs. Both songs describe a kind of longing. For the Smiths it's inward; for Zep it's outward.

For this song The Smiths tried to sound like Bo Diddley, whereas Zep tried to sound like Muddy Waters on every song except 'Achilles'. Here they tried to sound like Paco de Lucia or some shit.

'HSIN' got revived and made the charts in 'Hippychick', whereas I don't think anybody ever did anything with 'Achilles' despite the untold hours Pagey put into it. Maybe Iron Maiden copped some moves from it. Interestingly Zep ditched everything remotely Presence-like for their next one. The Smiths never really matched their track but gained the confidence to create their best ever album in Queen is Dead/

But since Presence is probably my favorite Zep album (dark, no acoustic guitars, Plant's kid dies, etc.), and since John Bonham is such a fave of mine - and of course 'Achilles Last Stand' is his finest hour - I'll go w/ the Zep tune.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Sunday, 23 February 2003 07:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Achilles Last Stand is probably the only song i know where you imagine to be the drummer instead of the guitar players when both the guitar solo and drums kick in after 4 mins.
Imagine Tatu covered this?

― Justin Block, Sunday, 23 February 2003 07:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Achilles Last Stand by such a wide margin it isn't even funny.

― mei (mei), Sunday, 23 February 2003 12:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Eh, I'll dive in and say HSIN, b/c I think it would be much less recoverable, music-wise, whereas the Zeppelin path has and will be trod ad nauseam until the Apocalypse.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Sunday, 23 February 2003 13:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Achilles! Used to cover this in an old band and it was loads of fun. How Soon Is Now ain't bad but Achilles is probably my fave Zep tune and there are loads of Smiths songs I like better. (on that album, even)

― original bgm, Sunday, 23 February 2003 18:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think anybody ever did anything with 'Achilles' despite the untold hours Pagey put into it. Maybe Iron Maiden copped some moves from it.

B-b-but "Barracuda"! (ALS wins, FWIW. Maybe my favourite Page performance.)

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Sunday, 23 February 2003 18:45 (twenty-three years ago)

achilles last stand, pretty close but well no it's not that close really at all...

― simon 803 (simon 803), Monday, 24 February 2003 15:53 (twenty-three years ago)

I actually meant it's possibly my favourite Plant performance.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 00:40 (twenty-three years ago)

My favourite Plant performance happens when I'm in a car passing a field of sunflowers early in the day and then pass by the same field later and they're all facing another direction.

― tom (other one), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 00:43 (twenty-three years ago)

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