Re: Mark, this Zep thing....

[mleaman@sccoast.net (Mark Leaman)]

>.... I must admit, and with all due respect to both of you, that that 
>"discussion" was causing me to <yawn> quite a bit.  It could go on forever, 
>because influences, etc.  is not an exact science, and who can "prove" who  
>stole/borrowed/etc, what from whom?  As for me (like JW, and a few others who
>have posted), I LOVE both the Who AND Zeppelin....both have been an important
>part of my adolescence and I still crank 'em both.  And, like Gary M,  every
>once in a while, I can use a dose of Muddy Waters (still gotta get Johnny
>Watson's "3 Hours Past Midnight"!).

the lower-case gary m: 

Well, I can at least attempt to justify the debate...which naturally I see
as a healthy thing. These are some of the not-too-bad things that arise from
such a discussion:
1) It gets people to re-examine the music.
2) It brings up information that some newer fans may not be aware of.
3) It widens the range of topics beyond just what's happening right now with
reissues and the Entwistle tour.
4) It brings some all but forgotten (to the general listener) names to the
forefront...like Muddy Waters, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, Howling Wolf.
This can only broaden those who chose to explore the debate. No Rock band
stands alone, and there's nothing bad about dicussing influences.

I would guess that those who were somewhat disenchanted with the debate are
those who are already aware of this information. To them, I would say "Skip
the thread and focus on what interests you. But allow less informed fans the
advantage of finding out more about the bands in question. And, if you
really want to do something great...add some more info!"
You can call that a rationalization if you wish...but I see this Digest as a
resource where people can learn more about The Who and those who relate in
any way to The Who. Which is the reason I sometimes get drawn into a debate
here (and elsewhere). If my input is less than welcome, I'm sorry. But I
would like to add what little I can to other fans' knowledge of Rock music.
For whatever twisted reason, that's rather important to me.

 Cheers                                ML

NP: Wishbone Ash, "Blind Eye"