Happy Music Monday! Today, in 1937, the world was first exposed to that lovely book which forms a gateway into hardcore nerdery, The Hobbit. From this little manuscript was born Lord Of The Rings, Dungeons & Dragons, and possibly even Star Wars and Babylon 5. All of modern nerdcore owes this Tolkien fellow a debt... and guess what? So does music.
Yep, if you're a Led Zep fan, you've been listening to Hobbit music for years, even if you didn't notice. This isn't the only Zeppelin song about Tolkien's work, but it is the easiest to notice. Hear that Gollum shout out? Maybe Robert Plant and Vin Diesel have a monthly gaming night!
More to come, after the jump. Don't touch our precious.
While not as popular as Zep, Bo Hansson made a pretty cool album that still holds up today, especially if you're looking for mood music for your gaming night. But then, isn't that all prog rock records?
Wait, RUSH has a song about Lord Of The Rings? Who would have thought? Bonus points because there's a spoken word intro.
A lot of people make fun of Enya's new age celtic sound, but she was into Tolkien back in 1991, before anyone was even talking about a big budget movie! And she has KEYBOARDS!
Chris Thile - Riddles In The Dark
There's a special love for Tolkien among people who still love traditional folk music. Maybe it's the feel of a simpler time or maybe it's because The Hobbit borrowed from older traditional myth, making it very easy to connect with. Regardless. This 2001 song is impressively complex, while still so easy to nod your head with. What better tribute could there be to a book that changed the world?
Let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.