Led Zeppelin

[Robert****]

Well, I think we have a few Led Zeppelin fans around here. For those who don't know much about them, I recommend you go and grab the latest Rolling Stone magazine, which has a lenghty article about this band rise and fall. Very good article, and an interesting read.

Here is bio by Cameron Crowe: http://www.led-zeppelin.com/bio.html

The greatest rock band of the 70s? I would think so. They have influenced so many rock bands of the 80s, 90s, and the 2000s, and their music will always live on.

I am no expert on the band or its members, so if want to share what you know about them, please add more info to this thread!

How about a peek and a listen to their masterpiece, Kashmir?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66kt_jmng3E
Fantastic song!

[Cranium]

I haven't really listened to much of Zeppelin but I heard a few songs, mainly I like the song "Since I've Been Loving You", you should check it out robert, its probably my favorite and Jimies playing is great in that one and Robert Plant is not such a bad singer either.

[tiefnig]

Led Zeppelin is really cool, I got a DVD for my birthday.

[Iago]

I suggest both Zeppelin`s DVDs to everybody. I watched the double one every day for almost 2 years heheeehehehe

[Tone2TheBone]

Hammer of the Gods my friends.

[Katastrophe]

Zep was one of those groups where the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts. Lose one part, and the whole machine falls to pieces.

Jimmy Page is probably one of the most versatile guitarists, ever, and an innovator in the truest sense of the word. Who else do you know that used a violin bow on a guitar before Page?

John Bonham defined heavy drumming. Listen closely, though, to how he plays around with the rhythm, always keeping rock solid time. There's a lot of nuance there that no other drummer has been able to match since. To be sure some have been more technical, but no one has ever had the touch of Bonzo since, IMHO.

John Paul Jones? Fantastic bass player, who always has the right note handy, and knows how important it is for the bass player to lock in with a drummer. He also knows very well how to push or lay back from the beat to create tension and release in a song. Awesome sense of melody on the keyboard parts. "Kashmir," anyone?

Robert Plant helped create the archetype for the modern male rock singer. One cannot hope to aspire to much more than that!

Great post Robert!

[Nelskie]

The greatest rock band of the 70s? I would think so. They have influenced so many rock bands of the 80s, 90s, and the 2000s, and their music will always live on.

The greatest rock band of the 70's? Hmmm. I'd have a very hard time leaving the Rolling Stones out of consideration. As well, it'd be hard to leave KISS, Aerosmith, and Van Halen out of the mix, too. All of these acts established themselves as prominent players during the same decade. But yes, Led Zeppelin were certainly one of the greatest bands of the 70's. Musically speaking, they perhaps were the band most responsible for elevating the hard rock musical genre into art form.

I am no expert on the band or its members, so if want to share what you know about them, please add more info to this thread!

I did a post awhile back on Zeppelin that keyed on the two "other" members of the band - i.e. John Bonham (drums) & John Paul Jones (bass, keyboard). While Page & Plant enjoyed being the "face" of the band, Bonham and Jones preferred to do their thing in the background. One need only to cue up any of Zeppelin's studio releases to realize that they were significant part of the band's sound. Had these two players not have been the prolifically creative & accomplished musicians that they were, there's a pretty good chance that Zeppelin might not have evolved the way that it did. Anyways - that post is here:

http://www.thefret.net/showpost.php?p=1596&postcount=4

Seeing that youtube.com has basically taken over this section of the forum, I feel almost a bit awkward in telling folks to go and get themselves any one of Zeppelin's fantastic CD's (little, shiny round things that play music), put it on your home stereo, and sit down awhile and take it all in. No eye candy. No computer. Just you and the music.

[warren0728]

go and get themselves any one of Zeppelin's fantastic CD's (little, shiny round things that play music), put it on your home stereo, and sit down awhile and take it all in. No eye candy. No computer. Just you and the music.

+1000...and not just with zep

[Spudman***]

Well, I think we have a few Led Zeppelin fans around here. For those who don't know much about them, I recommend you go and grab the latest Rolling Stone magazine, which has a lenghty article about this band rise and fall. Very good article, and an interesting read.

That would be issue 1006. Issue 1007 has a beautiful picture of Christina Aguilara on the cover and 1008 features Bob Dylan on the cover.

[Robert****]

Okay, I must have gotten a slightly old issue...

Yes lads, for sure you have to go buy some of the fantastic albums Led Zeppelin made. I say skip the Best of's and go for the studio albums. They are all very good. I recommend "Physical Graffiti", "Houses of the Holy", "Led Zeppelin I" and "Untitled" (commonly referred to as Led Zeppelin IV).

[SuperSwede]

Seeing that youtube.com has basically taken over this section of the forum, I feel almost a bit awkward in telling folks to go and get themselves any one of Zeppelin's fantastic CD's (little, shiny round things that play music), put it on your home stereo, and sit down awhile and take it all in. No eye candy. No computer. Just you and the music.

CD?? I only have a bit larger black "discs" with Zep. Very nice audio quality on those!
I think that youtube.com is amazing, it really is a fantastic tool when searching for "new" music & artists. And the younger generation may find themselves listening to older artists that they perhaps never would have discovered if it were not for youtube.com

[Nelskie]

I think that youtube.com is amazing, it really is a fantastic tool when searching for "new" music & artists. And the younger generation may find themselves listening to older artists that they perhaps never would have discovered if it were not for youtube.com

I think you may have mis-read the intent of my intent statement. What I was referring to is the experience of listening to an entire album of music. Yes, youtube.com does what it does, and certainly we can all be thankful for its wonderous fare.

But . . . is it the same thing as listening to In Through The Out Door from front to back on a CD? Or better yet . . . on vinyl? Does it allow you to decipher the intricacies of the music, or absorb the mood of the material - in a collective sense? To gain a true understanding of the Zeppelin sound and vibe, I think that this is an important aspect to consider. And again, merely offering the prospective Zeppelin-ite another means of comparison in regards to the presentation, and enjoyment of their music. I think that huge band with a huge sound - like Zeppelin, is most deserving of that.

As for the younger generation "discovering" old music on youtube.com, I think that'd be a toss-up. My guess is that the young folks frequenting the site still gravitate largely towards popular artists like Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Korn and Justin Timberlake, and leave the crusty nuggets to us old warhorses.

[Spudman***]

Nelskie's making a great point. The art of "the album" has been dwindling for some time as record companies look for a quick buck. However, there are still artists that make albums that are masterpieces of continuous theme. Zep did this to some extent although not quite as in depth as material by the Flower Kings, Avantasia, Pink Floyd just to name a few. I personally find great satisfaction in hearing more of each artists concept and thought flow by listening to a whole album.

[tremoloman***]

Led Zeppelin was one of the greatest rock bands of all time. They have been and always will be a major influence on me. My favorite albums are I, III (very underrated IMHO), IV, and Physical Graffiti.

I collected over 30 bootleg CDs from shopping at underground record stores back in the early 90s. I paid over $40 a disc so I could hear how great my favorite band at the time sounded in their glory days. Much to my surprise, they sounded like a garage band most of the time. Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones were on their marks just about every show, but Jimmy Page’s playing was AWFUL most of the time. Perhaps it was due to the alcohol and heroin addiction he had been suffering from at the time, but I'd say 80% of the shows I've heard that are not “official” releases are almost unlistenable. It’s my opinion that if Page knew he was going to be recorded (such as the BBC shows, Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square Garden, etc.), he'd be spot on and sound great. However, if it was just a regular show, he'd play so bad you would swear someone cut his arms off.

Eddie Van Halen best describes my feelings on Page:

"Jimmy Page is an excellent producer. Led Zeppelin 1 and Led Zeppelin 2 are classics. As a player, He's very good in the studio. I never saw him play well live. He's very sloppy. He plays like he's got a broken hand and he's two years old. But if you put out a good album and play like a two-year-old live. What's the purpose?" - Guitar World, January 1981

Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but I have to agree with him 100%. I think the man is one of the greatest songwriters and riff writers in the history of the universe, but his live playing just wasn’t as legendary as everyone seems to believe. Maybe while on drugs it sounded cool, but to my uninfluenced ears, it was appalling.

To be fair, I did see both Page & Plant tours. On the 1st time around, he only played basic songs and wasn't that impressive to me. The solos were basic and the songs weren’t their best or most challenging material. The 2nd time around however, Jimmy blew me away. It was the best I'd ever heard Jimmy play and the concert was easily one of the best I’d ever witnessed.

Eddie later made this statement on Page:

"He's a genius. He's a great player, a songwriter, a producer. Put it this way, he might not be the greatest executor of whatever, but then you hear a Page solo, he speaks. I've always said Clapton was my main influence, but Page was actually more the way I am, in a reckless-abandon kind of way." - Guitar World, February 1990

I know the material on the Led Zeppelin DVD set is great – but that is because they knew they were being recorded as I stated before. Same goes for The Song Remains The Same. An incredible concert! But, other shows reveal how rough Jimmy Page was.

If you think I’m off my rocker, I can provide some sound clips that will make your ears bleed and your body shudder if you have to hear for yourselves. Be forewarned, it’s really disappointing.

[Tone2TheBone]

I dunno man. Jimmy looked and sounded like he was kicking some serious arse at RAH - 1970 AND on the Madison Square Garden gig- 1973.

Drugs can do bad things to good people. And everyone has off nights. I have heard a lot of Jimmy's playing - both good and the not so good - but who cares man......he's JIMMY PAGE! YEAAA!

[SuperSwede]

I think you may have mis-read the intent of my intent statement. What I was referring to is the experience of listening to an entire album of music. Yes, youtube.com does what it does, and certainly we can all be thankful for its wonderous fare.

Yes, you are probably right.. Of course listening to a Vinyl/CD will give you a totally different (and better) experience than watching a youtube video.

I think that the broad range of music available on youtube.com benefits all kinds of viewers/listeners. I know that I for one have found music that I probably not would have checked out if it wasnt for youtube. So I think its a good chance that the younger audience will want to investigate the roots of "their" music. Linking Park > Clash? Metallica > Zeppelin?
Otherwise, I rest my case...

[tremoloman***]

I dunno man. Jimmy looked and sounded like he was kicking some serious arse at RAH - 1970 AND on the Madison Square Garden gig- 1973.

Drugs can do bad things to good people. And everyone has off nights. I have heard a lot of Jimmy's playing - both good and the not so good - but who cares man......he's JIMMY PAGE! YEAAA!

I agree - but those are gigs he KNEW were going to be recorded. I'm talking about the ones that he wasn't aware were being taped.

Hey, I love the guy... I'm just saying his live performances aren't near as good as people make them out to be as a whole. There are some great moments in there though.

[tremoloman***]

If you can find a copy of the bootleg for "Dallas 1975" on Swinging Pig records, get it - it's the best from the Physical Graffiti tour I've ever heard.

The famous Cleveland 1977 show "Destroyer" is pretty good, but that solo he does is... ugh.... listen for yourselves. :P

There isn't a gig I play that we don't cover at least one of their songs. I never get sick of jamming to "How Many More Times"... that song is timeless.

[Riley]

Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin is why I decided to play guitar. Once I heard Page and all his awesome riffs and solos, I knew I just had to try and play like that. I probably know more about that band's history and how to play their songs than any other band. I had the pleasure of seeing Page/Plant in concery in both '95 and '97 in Pittsburgh. Wished I was old enough to see them in their glory days! Or born for that matter!

-Peace
-Nate