re:MG/Who vs Zep/Pagey

[mleaman@sccoast.net (Mark Leaman)]

>There are many blues forms besides the Chuck Berry type.  I agree that Berry
>was a major influence on bands of this period, but so was Muddy Waters and
>Howlin' Wolf.  Muddy's blues had many variations.  I agree that MG is not a
>carbon-copy of any of them, and does contain some innovative differences, but
>it is nonetheless very closely related to the blues.

Scott:

You forgot Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Billie Holliday,
etc. etc. Yeah yeah, I know. I have all of these and more in my collection.
I still stand by my statement...MG is very different. It's easy enough to
hear that. There isn't a Blues song that predicts it...none that I've heard,
and I'd be very surprised to hear one. None of the artists you mention even
come close.
I love Howling Wolf's voice, don't you?

><< Blues came from Gospel and Country And Western>>
>
>Gotta disagree with this one.  Blues and gospel both came from similar roots,
>i.e. the "negro spiritual" from the 1800's.  The first commercial usage of
>the term "blues" dates back to 1902, but it's private usage may date back to
>well before that.  Country and Western had nothing to do with it.  Actually,
>C&W borrowed from the blues.

Sorry Charlie. Blues came directly from Gospel (Spirituals, that's what I
meant) and C&W. In fact, when Robert Johnson started it was called Country
Blues. And Robert Johnson started it, you know. The holy man of Blues.
Remember, they thought Elvis was black when he started out, not because of
his voice (obviously) but because of the kind of music he was
singing...which came to be called Rockabilly. Later.

>And by the way, you do know who played guitar on Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man",
>right?

You mean the sitar?

>Lastly, I regret that my request for further clarification on this point from
>you reopened an old argument (which I think I must have missed).

No problem. Ian and I thrive on this stuff.



                   Cheers                   ML

"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."  L. Long