Led Zeppelin detested by music press? (1 Viewer)

[tommyboy]

Listening to Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

I don't care what music this is derived from. It's not even close to "stealing" because I STILL haven't heard a song as melodic, as powerful, as subtle and in your face at the same time.

Seriously, if you are going to say that Led Zep is in any way stolen or derivative, I dare you to show me not the music, but the work of any art, that is not in some way an evolution of the art before.

When that evolutionary process culminates in something as powerfully beautiful as LZ, it's art. It's new. It's better (or at least, different) than whatever preceded in that space.

And from it, others shall evolve.

Rock. On.

It's a cover song. It's not evolution, it's the epitome of 'stolen'

Just like "with a little help from my friends" joe cocker version. Stolen!

 

[dickey moe]

Listening to Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

I don't care what music this is derived from. It's not even close to "stealing" because I STILL haven't heard a song as melodic, as powerful, as subtle and in your face at the same time.

Seriously, if you are going to say that Led Zep is in any way stolen or derivative, I dare you to show me not the music, but the work of any art, that is not in some way an evolution of the art before.

When that evolutionary process culminates in something as powerfully beautiful as LZ, it's art. It's new. It's better (or at least, different) than whatever preceded in that space.

And from it, others shall evolve.

Rock. On.

I love Zeppelin, but this is so pretentious.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

The original Rolling Stone review of LZ1

Oh, Mr. John Mendelsohn, you will go down in infamy.

The popular formula in England in this, the aftermath era of such successful British bluesmen as Cream and John Mayall, seems to be: add, to an excellent guitarist who, since leaving the Yardbirds and/or Mayall, has become a minor musical deity, a competent rhythm section and pretty soul-belter who can do a good spade imitation. The latest of the British blues groups so conceived offers little that its twin, the Jeff Beck Group, didn't say as well or better three months ago, and the excesses of the Beck group's Truth album (most notably its self-indulgence and restrictedness), are fully in evidence on Led Zeppelin's debut album.

...
In their willingness to waste their considerable talent on unworthy material the Zeppelin has produced an album which is sadly reminiscent of Truth. Like the Beck group they are also perfectly willing to make themselves a two- (or, more accurately, one-a-half) man show. It would seem that, if they're to help fill the void created by the demise of Cream, they will have to find a producer (and editor) and some material worthy of their collective attention.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

The original Rolling Stone review of LZ1

Really poor review with 45 years of hindsight. Two things stood out to me as being particularly egregious:

1. The negative comments about Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, one of my favorites.

2. He recognizes Page's talent, but he missed Bonham's talent completely.

I think it's a fair review. On their first album, Led Zeppelin sounded more like their English blues rock predecessors than what they would develop into a few short years later. In some respects, the band didn't really become Led Zeppelin until LZII. We have the benefit of historical context that the contemporary reviewer didn't.

Good point, but the good reviewer is not stuck in what is contemporary. Whether it's art or music or writing the goal is to identify who is great ahead of time and to inform the readers with insight they may not themselves possess. Being stuck in the present or the just passed yesterday is pretty much the definition of failure. Somewhere there are/were record label execs who passed on the Beatles and Nirvana, let's see a review on their careers and also on the reviewers who panned them early.

 

[drfeelgood]

Robert Plant turns down a ridiculous amount of money to tour with LZ.

Plant said in September that they were a four piece band, and their music is four piece music, and that they aren't LZ without Bonham. He said he had played with Bonzo since he was 16, and when Bonham died in 1980, the band dissolving was the right thing to do, and he still feels that way today.

 

[Hot Diggity Dog]

Robert Plant turns down a ridiculous amount of money to tour with LZ.

Plant said in September that they were a four piece band, and their music is four piece music, and that they aren't LZ without Bonham. He said he had played with Bonzo since he was 16, and when Bonham died in 1980, the band dissolving was the right thing to do, and he still feels that way today.

perhaps he's a brilliant negotiator holding out for more money?

 

[drfeelgood]

Robert Plant turns down a ridiculous amount of money to tour with LZ.

Plant said in September that they were a four piece band, and their music is four piece music, and that they aren't LZ without Bonham. He said he had played with Bonzo since he was 16, and when Bonham died in 1980, the band dissolving was the right thing to do, and he still feels that way today.

perhaps he's a brilliant negotiator holding out for more money?

He said Bonham dying left a big hole in his life. He was his best friend, and he was the one there for him during the darkest time of his life, which was losing his son. He said he misses him every day, and they can't catch that magic within the band again without Bonzo.

 

[Apple Jack]

Listening to Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

I don't care what music this is derived from. It's not even close to "stealing" because I STILL haven't heard a song as melodic, as powerful, as subtle and in your face at the same time.

Seriously, if you are going to say that Led Zep is in any way stolen or derivative, I dare you to show me not the music, but the work of any art, that is not in some way an evolution of the art before.

When that evolutionary process culminates in something as powerfully beautiful as LZ, it's art. It's new. It's better (or at least, different) than whatever preceded in that space.

And from it, others shall evolve.

Rock. On.

I love Zeppelin, but this is so pretentious.

The discussion is not about playing blues covers. Everybody in rock and roll at the time was playing blues covers. It's about taking wholesale somebody else's creation then recording and selling it without citing and paying them. He's missing the point.

Plant has been on fire lately. He's got all the money he and his family could ever want and gets off on making new vibrant and relevant music. Also, a lot of those Zep songs are hell on the voice and his is not that of a 20 year old anymore.

 

[Jayrod]

I always wondered about Green Day's "Brain Stew" and "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" being so similar, but apparently that same progression is used by Chicago on "25 or 6 to 4".

This mashup is actually a pretty cool listen

 

[Joe Summer]

Listening to Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

I don't care what music this is derived from. It's not even close to "stealing" because I STILL haven't heard a song as melodic, as powerful, as subtle and in your face at the same time.

Seriously, if you are going to say that Led Zep is in any way stolen or derivative, I dare you to show me not the music, but the work of any art, that is not in some way an evolution of the art before.

When that evolutionary process culminates in something as powerfully beautiful as LZ, it's art. It's new. It's better (or at least, different) than whatever preceded in that space.

And from it, others shall evolve.

Rock. On.

It's a cover song. It's not evolution, it's the epitome of 'stolen'

It's really not accurate to say that "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" was 'stolen'. First off, only a handful of people knew in 1969 that it wasn't a traditional folk song (Joan Baez had credited it as a traditional song on her album, and the song's writer did not register it with a publisher).

Secondly, when the original writer came forward in the '80s, Led Zeppelin gave her a very generous royalty payment and also added her name to the writing credits.

You can criticize Zep for stealing other songs ("Dazed And Confused" and "Whole Lotta Love", for example), but in this case there was no intent to defraud.

 

[Reginald Cornsilks]

Listening to Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

I don't care what music this is derived from. It's not even close to "stealing" because I STILL haven't heard a song as melodic, as powerful, as subtle and in your face at the same time.

Seriously, if you are going to say that Led Zep is in any way stolen or derivative, I dare you to show me not the music, but the work of any art, that is not in some way an evolution of the art before.

When that evolutionary process culminates in something as powerfully beautiful as LZ, it's art. It's new. It's better (or at least, different) than whatever preceded in that space.

And from it, others shall evolve.

Rock. On.

No truer words have been spoken here. I don't care if they stole every song from Justin Bieber, they are the greatest band to ever walk the earth IMO, and the above is why.

 

[Koya]

Listening to Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

I don't care what music this is derived from. It's not even close to "stealing" because I STILL haven't heard a song as melodic, as powerful, as subtle and in your face at the same time.

Seriously, if you are going to say that Led Zep is in any way stolen or derivative, I dare you to show me not the music, but the work of any art, that is not in some way an evolution of the art before.

When that evolutionary process culminates in something as powerfully beautiful as LZ, it's art. It's new. It's better (or at least, different) than whatever preceded in that space.

And from it, others shall evolve.

Rock. On.

I love Zeppelin, but this is so pretentious.

Wife got me a sweet tubed headphone amp... thats probably also pretentious, but let me tell you, truer words have not been spoken.

Seriously, all shtick aside, is there ANY artist that has done what Led Zep has? There is no better hard blues rock, period. And if there is, for gods sake, show me the path.

Fwiw, I havent really listened to LZ much the last 20 years and recently have rekindled the love... nothing matches it, covers or not

 

[Reginald Cornsilks]

Listening to Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

I don't care what music this is derived from. It's not even close to "stealing" because I STILL haven't heard a song as melodic, as powerful, as subtle and in your face at the same time.

Seriously, if you are going to say that Led Zep is in any way stolen or derivative, I dare you to show me not the music, but the work of any art, that is not in some way an evolution of the art before.

When that evolutionary process culminates in something as powerfully beautiful as LZ, it's art. It's new. It's better (or at least, different) than whatever preceded in that space.

And from it, others shall evolve.

Rock. On.

I love Zeppelin, but this is so pretentious.

Wife got me a sweet tubed headphone amp... thats probably also pretentious, but let me tell you, truer words have not been spoken.

Seriously, all shtick aside, is there ANY artist that has done what Led Zep has? There is no better hard blues rock, period. And if there is, for gods sake, show me the path.

Fwiw, I havent really listened to LZ much the last 20 years and recently have rekindled the love... nothing matches it, covers or not

I agree with you on nothing, pretty much. But you are spot on 100% with anything re: LZ.

The best.

 

[Raider Nation]

Still hilarious. The balls on these guys.

 

[Reginald Cornsilks]

LZ made it sound much better

 

[Raider Nation]

No argument there.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

It's just 3 notes.

 

[Koya]

Post deleted because: huffing. And incoherence.

(wtf is the rocking mullet smiley?)

 

[Green and Gold]

They're OK.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I don't blame plant for turning it down

Me either. He's got more money than God already. And he's been doing some really interesting stuff lately. I don't like all of it, but I love that he's still searching for new sounds. Plant's most recent album is pretty damned good.

 

[Tom Servo]

Post deleted because: huffing. And incoherence.

(wtf is the rocking mullet smiley?)

ETA: headbang between colons