January 12th, 2019 at 3:56 PM ^
Greatest hard rock band there ever was or ever will be?
Them's fightin' words.
January 12th, 2019 at 3:57 PM ^
If you say Rush, so help me God …
January 12th, 2019 at 4:01 PM ^
I'll say Rush lol. My favorite group growing up
January 12th, 2019 at 4:31 PM ^
I like their singer, she's pretty good.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:04 PM ^
I was thinking groups more like the Stones, who covered classic blues tunes instead of just cribbing from them. And I say that as someone who doesn't mind Zeppelin.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:07 PM ^
cribbing is one way of putting it...
January 12th, 2019 at 4:08 PM ^
I'm trying to be generous, but, yeah.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:39 PM ^
Lulz at stairway to heaven or whatever other fucking songs people think they 'ripped off'....classically trained musicians used some chords/chord progressions other bands had used...and Stairway is a compete ripoff as if the rest of the song doesn't slay and is quiiiite original. Dudes could rock and clearly had influences but the new fun/hipster thing is to say is Zeppelin were copycats.
January 12th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^
The people saying Zeppelin were copycats aren't talking about similar chord progressions. They're talking about Page taking songs like "Dazed and Confused", written and performed by Jake Holmes on his 1967 album "The Above Ground Sound", giving it an electric arrangement and claiming that he (Page) wrote it.
Page took Davy Graham's arrangement (damn near note for note) of the traditional song "She Moved Through The Fair", played it on a Danelectro electric, renamed it "White Summer", and claimed he wrote it.
There are other examples (listen to the beginning of The Small Faces version of Willie Dixon's "You Need Love"). I'm pointing this out as a fan, by the way. I own most of Zeppelin's albums, and have for decades. Saw them in the 70's, one of the best shows I've ever seen. Page is and was an incredible musician, I don't understand to this day why he felt the need to steal songs.
January 12th, 2019 at 8:20 PM ^
Yup. Its not about whether they made the songs they copied better, its about crediting the original creators of the music. 10 out of 11 of the songs on LZ 1 are confirmed covers (and its NOT simple chord progressions, its words aligned with musical composition and melody) whose creators were never even credited with. I've included a link to Howard Stern talking about it and doing a side-by-side comparison. Its part 1, you'll have to find part 2 yourself...
January 12th, 2019 at 9:48 PM ^
Today in hip hop it's called brilliance
January 12th, 2019 at 5:01 PM ^
Rush & Zeppelin, the 2 greatest hard rock bands of all-time.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
But they're not wrong
January 12th, 2019 at 8:49 PM ^
Metallica!
January 12th, 2019 at 3:56 PM ^
I was just reading online about this, it's hard to believe these guys are in their mid-70s. Time stops for No One
January 12th, 2019 at 9:40 PM ^
Some other notable albums from 1969:
- debuts by Chicago, YES, Crosby Stills & Nash, & King Crimson
- Tommy by The Who
- Velvet Underground’s “Velvet Ubderground”
- Aoxomoxoa by the Gratefeul Dead
- My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder
- Space Oddity by David Bowie
- Let it Bleed by The Rolling Stones
- Led Zeppelin II
January 12th, 2019 at 4:02 PM ^
Greta Van Fleet is from my hometown. There’s a lot of discussion out there how that group is copying Led Zeppelin’s musical approach and style. Either way you look at it both groups are highly successful from it.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:05 PM ^
I … wouldn’t compare their respective levels of success. It’s not comparable.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:05 PM ^
I wasn’t. But they’re both successful in their own way.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:07 PM ^
And Zeppelin I would surely have gotten a lot higher than 1.6 from Pitchfork, too.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:11 PM ^
Not necessarily. LZ was royally trashed in the music press when they first came out.
January 12th, 2019 at 6:06 PM ^
You know what they say... nothing is a musical career-killer like being panned by Pitchfork.com. Next you'll tell me that Spin didn't like them either.
January 12th, 2019 at 10:57 PM ^
Seeing as though the average agree is probably 21 and they're already involved in a European tour, I'd say they're doing something right. Wait 5 years and see where they are. Considering Rock is not main stream anymore.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:08 PM ^
No denying that. They get a lot of air time on the east coast. I don't know how they are perceived plus rock n roll is generally not very popular.
January 12th, 2019 at 5:03 PM ^
Greta Van Fleet is a fricking joke. One of the worst bands of all-time.
January 12th, 2019 at 9:23 PM ^
Did you audition and lose out or something?
January 12th, 2019 at 5:53 PM ^
I'm really digging Greta Van Fleet. They look like a bunch of weenies, but I think the songwriting is terrific and the albums are well produced but not over-produced like 99.9% of music today. Plus, they seem to be very good musicians (especially the bass player - really dig his lines).
That type of songwriting/playing/production seems like a lost art. I certainly wouldn't want to be a studio musician these days.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:06 PM ^
Seems like we're going to be doing a 50th anniversary thread just about every day or three with all the ridiculously great albums that came out in 1969. This is where that wild ride begins.
January 12th, 2019 at 5:06 PM ^
1969 and forward. A while ago I remember reading this on 1973...
Consider 1973 ... all of these albums were recorded/released that year ALONE.
Aerosmith (debut album)
Dark Side of the Moon (Floyd)
Houses of the Holy (Zeppelin)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
Desperado (Eagles)
Catch a Fire (Bob Marley / Wailers)
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-classic-rock-isnt-what-it-used-to-be/
January 12th, 2019 at 5:12 PM ^
Examining the releases in the seven years of 1967-1973 makes me weep for how far we have fallen.
January 12th, 2019 at 5:17 PM ^
Years ago, I was listening to some Zeppelin concert bootlegs from 1973 in the car, and my buddy in the passenger seat pointed out that the people at the show were probably saying "aw man, they're playing the new stuff!"
January 12th, 2019 at 6:07 PM ^
1973 also saw The Who's greatest album: Quadrophenia.
If there's a best "side" to an album, it's the third side of that double album: "5:15," "Drowned," "Sea and the Sand," and "Bell Boy."
January 12th, 2019 at 11:08 PM ^
Side 4 is no slouch, either: "Dr. Jimmy", "The Rock", and "Love, Reign O'er Me".
"The Rock" is just a fantastic instrumental piece that ties the four main themes of the album together to perfection. Musically about as flawless as it gets!
January 12th, 2019 at 5:33 PM ^
Really, there was about a 5 or 6 year span right around 1969 that was the absolute golden age of Rock and Roll. An unbelievable amount of innovative, classic songs and groups had their origin around then.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:08 PM ^
Seconded
January 12th, 2019 at 4:18 PM ^
A huge milestone in rock history - 1st album for the greatest rock band ever!
Thank you OP for the reminder. No communication breakdown here!
January 12th, 2019 at 4:18 PM ^
Top hard rock band of all time? Agreed.
Physical Graffiti their 5th best album? Strongly disagree. Best double album ever made.
January 12th, 2019 at 4:51 PM ^
Lots of great doubles, No one so clearly out front, here’s just a few:
London Calling
The River
Blonde on Blonde
Mellon Collie And Infinite
Electric Ladyland
January 12th, 2019 at 5:19 PM ^
White Album
January 12th, 2019 at 5:35 PM ^
Mellon Collie is just tremendous...so underrated.
January 12th, 2019 at 6:09 PM ^
Quadrophenia
January 12th, 2019 at 6:43 PM ^
The Clash are the only band that matters.
January 12th, 2019 at 9:40 PM ^
Love you. Agreed
January 12th, 2019 at 9:54 PM ^
They saved the late-70's music.
Saw them in concert in '82. Awesome.
January 13th, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^
You forgot the best of them all... exile on main Street
January 12th, 2019 at 4:51 PM ^
(Double deleted)