YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 142 (All Those Who Wander)
(Originally finalized on June 1, 2025)
Preface: We're going to tie up another loose end this week, with a theme I've been sitting on for a good, long while. Part of my hesitation has been due to potential overlap with other road-related themes. But this week we'll focus on songs with the particular connotation of being lost, or otherwise in search of something you can't seem to find.
Monday: Led Zeppelin - The Rover [Physical Graffiti, 1975]
Comments: Ramble On would have been another good choice for this theme - if a bit gentler, and more folky. I prefer the harder rocking edge of The Rover. In fact, it's one of my favorite of the less overplayed tracks in Led Zeppelin's thoroughly picked over catalog. "I've been to London, seen seven wonders. I know to trip is just to fall."
Tuesday: The Who - The Seeker [released as a single, 1970]
Comments: A straightforward rocker, this song is a bit of a nomad itself, recorded in the period after The Who made history with their rock opera Tommy, and before they'd come up with a suitable followup (even as a jumble of outtakes, the failed Lifehouse project was strong enough to make for one of The Who's greatest albums of all time - Who's Next). "They call me the seeker. I've been searching low and high."
Wednesday: The J. Geils Band - Must Of Got Lost (Live) [Blow Your Face Out, 1976]
Comments: J. Geils is one of those bands that was better than their popular hits. Although Love Stinks puts the fun in dysfunctional, Centerfold is just pop fluff, and Freeze-Frame is utterly forgettable. But back in the '70s, and especially live on stage, they were a force to be reckoned with. "I must of got lost somewhere down the line."
Thursday: The Doors - You're Lost Little Girl [Strange Days, 1967]
Comments: With a couple of exceptions, The Doors' sophomore album is less driven by hits than their debut, but it's still one of their stronger offerings, maintaining a thematic cohesion almost to the level of a concept album. And that theme, ably demonstrated by this melancholy track, is entirely on brand for this week. "You're lost. Tell me, who are you?"
Friday: The Moody Blues - Lost In A Lost World [Seventh Sojourn, 1972]
Comments: I feel like I've about exhausted my comments on The Moody Blues by now, and I don't want to start repeating myself. So I'll just say, here's a track from their last album before taking a six year hiatus, about searching a world filled with war and political unrest, for answers that are not forthcoming. "Everywhere you go, you'll see them searching."
Saturday: U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For [The Joshua Tree, 1987]
Comments: Although not one of my favorite bands, I have something of a detached respect for U2. Their music is more subdued than the high energy rock and soulful blues that I enjoy, but I can appreciate the restrained passion that comes through in Bono's singing. Topping the charts, this is one of their most recognizable hits, from 1987's Grammy Award-winning Album of the Year. "I have climbed highest mountains. I have run through the fields."
Sunday: Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home [Blind Faith, 1969]
Comments: One ought to expect great things from a supergroup (however short-lived) featuring Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, formed as an amalgam of their respective bands Cream and Traffic. Perhaps it's the religious allusions (notwithstanding the controversial album cover, your response to which acts as a purity test for your soul), but the first time I listened to this album in full, I was surprised by how good it was. "I'm wasted, and I can't find my way home."
Honorable Mention: Whitesnake - Here I Go Again [Whitesnake, 1987]
Comments: At this point, I'm wondering if I should just rename this section "Encore". Sitting in limbo between this theme and On The Road (the title of this song reminds me of a line from Bob Seger's Turn The Page), here's Whitesnake's biggest hit. It was originally recorded for the 1982 album Saints & Sinners, but re-recorded with a little more polish for their 1987 album that was released under various names. "Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone."