Redefining rock history... as only Train can.
Redefining rock history... as only Train can.
Once again displaying their unprecedented sense of musical ambition, rock crusaders Train are taking upon themselves the inhuman burden of covering, song for song, Led Zeppelin's 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. Ingeniously titled Does Led Zeppelin II, Train's latest effort will, indeed, include note-for-note versions of such ditties as "Whole Lotta Love," "Moby Dick," and "Ramble On." Those stupid, unpleasant old versions—with their amateurish playing, too-loud guitars, sloppy drums, and shrieking vocals—will be given the prestigious "Train" treatment, elevating the raw material into the type of sonic perfection that only the band responsible for "Drops of Jupiter" can bring forth.

It is indeed a lucky time for all peoples and nations. This project is akin to brilliant novelist Mitch Albom rewriting the aimless, confusing work of gibberish writer James Joyce, or visionary photographer Anne Geddes re-envisioning Michelangelo's dingy Sistine Chapel as a series of pleasant photos of babies and cabbages. God bless you, Train! And with Mother's Day right around the corner, too. Can a band give too much?

According to Train, the labor of polishing and perfecting this obscure, flawed piece of music did NOT come easily:

“Our favorite band is Led Zeppelin, and they made a huge impression on our lives musically,” said lead singer Pat Monahan. “So I thought, why don’t we record one of their albums, just for the fun of it for our fans. The hard part was deciding which one.” Monahan went on to explain the recording process: “They are so hard to record, especially when you are trying to get as close a version as you can to the original. The mixes, the time that they put in, it’s crazy how great they were as a band. They were virtuosos at what they did.” Overall though, Monahan said the band just wants fans to enjoy the album. “I would love it if people get a dose of what’s hiding underneath Train’s songs, our influences, but we basically did this for the fun of it.”
Train's musical achievement surely matches—nay, exceeds—the breadth of scope and ambition of such trifles as Mahler's Symphony 8 or Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. The fact that we are on this crazy blue marble at the same time that work of this magnitude is being undertaken is... well, it's pretty damned exciting.

Train Does Led Zeppelin II shall grace the world's ears on June 3, 2016, which history will no doubt come to describe as a banner day for civilization. That means only four short weeks until all of our lives are changed immeasurably.

Immediately burn all copies of this inferior, old version and clear your shelves for perfection via sound wizards Train.
Immediately burn all copies of this inferior, old version and clear your shelves for perfection via sound wizards TRAIN.