
Acoustic Guitars and Led Zeppelin Songs
byJames Lee Stanley
& Dan Navarro
In 2003, I was one of three songwriters, with George Merrill and Rod McDonald, invited onto the band stage at a friend's wedding. We realized that we usually only sang our own songs. So what could we do together?
Rod started singing The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" and George and I immediately jumped in with harmonies. The whole wedding party charged the stage, enthralled.
On the way home, I decided to record a collection of classic Rolling Stones songs in an acoustic style. The result was "All Wood And Stones" with John Batdorf in 2004. Later, at lunch with John Densmore of The Doors, he suggested that if I did a set of Doors songs, he would play on it. And 2011's "All Wood And Doors", with Cliff Eberhart, was born.
Hearing these records, Dan Navarro suggested that we do Led Zeppelin in the same way. Life intervened (plus several solo CDs abd "All Wood And Stones II" in 2013), and it took until 2019 for Dan and I to find the time to start "All Wood And Led".
With absolute respect and admiration, we chose not to simply duplicate the originals, but instead imagined "What if Led Zeppelin had lived in Laurel Canyon in 1967 instead of England?"
Dan and I did all the vocals and guitars, with our pal Chad Watson on bass, Washington "Smowdown" Tahr on percussion and the Phantom Airman on cello.
This album is the result of two years and hundreds of studio hours finding just the right approach to reimagine the songs of one of the most successful and influential bands in rock history, Led Zeppelin. We now present to you: All Wood and Led: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin.
James Lee Stanley & Dan Navarro
- Houses of the Holy
- Good Times, Bad Times
- Rock & Roll
- D'Yer Mak'er
- Battle of Evermore
- Stairway To Heaven
- Whole Lotta Love
- Over the Hills and Far Away
- Hey, Hey, What Can I Do
- Dazed and Confused
- Fool In The Rain
- Ramble On
The Players
James Lee Stanley - Guitar & Vocals
Dan Navarro - Guitar & Vocals
Chad Watson - Bass
Washington "Smowdown" Tahr
- Drums & Percussion
cello by Phantom Airman
The Played
Guitars:
2001 Taylor 810 CE
1996 Martin D28H
1995 Collings D2H (Brasilian Rosewood / Adirondack Spruce)
1974 David Russell Young Dreadnaught
1941 Gibson J-50
1999 Martin Backpacker
1964 Guild Classical Mahogany
Ibanez Bass
Fender Jazz Bass
Various percussion thingies and drums
Plug-ins:
Universal Audio
Cockos
Sonic Foundry
Native
TC Electronics
Microphones:
AKG 414 EB ULS (Stephen Paul Mod) Beachwood
AKG 451 condenser
CS15E Cardiod Condenser
Octava MK 219
Espresso Machine:
Solis Crema SL90 / Switzerland
Recorded at Beachwood Recording using Reaper DAW with a Dayner mixing console from D&R of Holland - 48 input, floating subgroups, 8 sends
Track Info
Let me take you to the movies, Can I take you to the show
Let me be yours ever truly. Can I make your garden grow
There's an angel on my shoulder, in my hand a sword of gold
Let me wander in your garden, and the seeds of love I'll sow
From the housed of the holy, we can watch the white doves go
From the door comes Satan's daughter and it only goes to show
So the world is spinning faster, are you dizzy when you're stoned
Let the music be your master, will you heed the master's call
Said there ain't no use in crying, it will only only drive you mad
Does it hurt to hear them lying? Was this the only world you had?
From the houses of the holy, we can watch the white doves go ...
In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man
Now I've reached that age, I've tried to do those things the best I can
No matter how I try, I find my way into the same old jam
Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share
My woman left home for a brown eyed man,
I still don't thing it's fair
Sixteen I fell in love with a girl as sweet as could be
It only took a couple of days til she was rid of me
She swore that she'd be all mine and love me til the end
But when I whispered in her ear, I lost another friend
Good times, bad times...
I know what it means to be alone
I sure do wish that I was home
I don't care what neighbors say
I'm gonna love you each and every day
Good times bad times ...
It's been a long time since I rock and rolled
It's been a long time since I did the stroll
let me get it back, let me get it back, let me get it back now
ooo baby where I come from
It's been a long time, been a long time,
been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time
It's been a long time since the book of love
I think you know what I'm thinking of
Carry me back carry me back carry me back now
Back to where I came from
Been a long time been a long lonely ...
Oh, you don't have to go O
You don't have to go O
You don't have to go
I, all those tears I cried I
All those tears I cried I
O baby, tell me why
When I read the letter you sent, it made me so mad
When I read the words that you wrote, it made me so sad
But I still love you so, I can't let you go
O I still love you so, baby I love you
O every breath I take O
O every move I make O
Don't go
The queen of light she took her bow and then she turned to go
The prince of peace embraced the gloom and walked the night alone
O dance in the dark of night, sing in the morning light
The Dark Lord rides in force tonight and time will tell us all
I hear the horses thunder down in the valley below
Waiting for the Angels of Avalon, waiting for the eastern glow
The apples of the valley hold the seeds of happiness
The groud is rich from tender care, repay, do not forget, o o
Dance in the dark of night, sing in the morning light
The apples turn to brown and black, the tyrants face is red
O well, the night is long, the sands of time pass slow
Tired eyes search for the sunrise, waiting for the eastern glow
The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath
The drums will shake the castle walls, the ringwraiths ride in black
O war is the common cry, pick up your swords and fly
The sky is filled with good and bad that mortals never know
At last the sun is shining clouds of white roll by
Flames from the dragon of darkness but the sunlight blinds his eyes
The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath
The drums will shake the castle walls, the rignwraiths ride in black
O Sing as you raise your bow, Ride On!
No comfort has the fire at night that lights the face so cold
The magic runes are writ in gold to bring the balance background
Bring it back bring it back now
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there, she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Ooo ooo oooAnd she's buying a stairway to heaven
There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgivings
O and it makes me wonder
O and it makes me wonder
Stairway to heaven, stairway to heaven
You need cooling, baby I'm not foolin
I'm gonna send you, yeah send you back for some schoolin
Way down deep inside I think I know what you need
A whole lotta love, a whole lotta love
You been burning, baby I've been learning
All those good times, I've been yearning
Way down deep inside I think I know what yo want
A whole lotta love, a whole lotta love
Every bit of my love, every piece of my heart ...
Way down deep inside every bit of my love
For you baby, I've got a whole lotta love...
Hey baby, walk a while with me, maybe you've got the love I need
O darlin, darlin, darlin, in your heart there's so very much
O much so much, t's more than enough
Many times I've loved and many times been smitten
Many times I've lied and often kept my distance
Wise is the man, who knows what he's missing
A man can get lost out on the open road
Many is a word that only leaves you guessing
Guessing when you really ought to know
Many times I've turned away, hidden from a heavy load
Then I lost that love along the open road
You really ought to know
Many dreams come true, some have silver linings
You are my living dreams, my pocket full of gold
I'll never let you go ...
Wanna tell you bout the girl I love, she looks so fine
She's the only one that I've been dreaming of
Maybe someday she'll be mine all mine
I wanna tell her that I love her so, thrill with her every touch
I need to tell her she's the only one I really love, I really love
I got a woman, wanna stray all day
I got a woman, she won't be true, no
I got a woman, stay drunk all the time
I said, I've got a little woman and she won't be true, no
On sunday morning when we go down to church
Menfolk standing in line
Don't you tell me that they come there to pray
When my little girl looks so fine (in her sunday suit)
And in the evening when the sun is sinking low
Everybody's with the one they love
I walk the town, keep searching all around
Looking for my street corner girl
She's walkin on
I got a woman and she looks so fine
I got a woman and I wanna make her mine
I got a woman, think I'm wasting my time
I got a woman and she looks so fine
Hey hey, what can I do?
I got a woman and she won't be true
Hey hey, what can I say
Still wanna be with her night and day
Been dazed and confused for so long, could it be true
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you
Lotsa people talking, few of them know
The soul of a woman created below
You hurt and abuse, tell all those lies
Flash those baby blues, how they hypnotize
Been dazed and confused, don't know where you've been
How you hurt me baby, here come those tears again
I work every day, bring home all my pay
Try to love you darlin but you push me away
Don't know where you're going, don't know where you've been
I don't know why I'd ever want to see you again
O baby, there's a light in your eye that keeps shining
Like a star that can't wait for the night
Hate to think that I might have been blinded
Why can't I see you tonight?
The warmth of your smile starts me burning
And the thrill of your touch in the night
Yeah I'm shaking so much really yearning
Why don't you make it all right
You swore that you never would leave me
And you said you would always be true
You promised you'd love me completely
Whatever happened to you? Whatever happened to you?
And you thought it was only in movies
As you wish all your dreams would come true
It isn't the first time believe me
I'm standing here feeling so blue, without you
The clock on the wall's moving slower
And my heart, it just sinks to the ground
And the storm that I thought would blow over
Clouds the light of the love that I've found
The light of the love that I've found keeps on shining
Leaves are falling all around, it's time I was on my way
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay
But now it's time for me to go, the autumn moon lights my way
For now I smell the rain and it's heading my way
Sometimes I grow so tired missing her, just one thing takes the pain away
(I've got to) Ramble on, now's the time, the time is now to sing my song
I'm going round the world, I got to find my girl, on my way
I've been like this, ten years to the day
Ramble on, got to find the queen of all my dreams
Got to find the queen of all my dreams
Got not time for spreading roots, the time has come to be gone
And to our health we drank a thousand times
Ramble on, now's the time, the time is now to sing my song
I'm going round the world, I got to find my girl, on my way
I've been like this, ten years to the day
Ramble on, got to find the queen of all my dreams
Let her slip away from me, let her slip away
Ramble on ...
Reviews

Jazz Weekly
George W. Harris
www.jazzweekly.com
"They didn't rip of Spirit for this one! Essential for Zep fans looking for something fresh, and for acoustic fans seeking inspiration."

Elmore Magazine
Suzanne Cadgene
www.emoremagazine.com
"... Stanley and Navarro have delved deep into a deep catalogue and essentially changed the genre of one of rock's biggest and more successful groups."

San Diego Troubadour
Paul Homicz
www.sandiegotroubadour.com
"The recording and engineering for this disk are exceptional. If you buy All Wood and Led for your grandma, she'll probably enjoy it and say, "I never knew those were the words!""
