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Re: Zeppelin and song remains the same



Sroundtable, re

> > Saw a good portion of Zeppelin's movie "The Song Remains the Same" 
> > and call me crazy, but they are almost like a Who tribute band.  

Hi crazy:-)

Unfortunately, the last thing that ever could be said of Zepp is they
are a Who tribute band, or even copyist. The only points of reference
are blindingly brilliant musicians, who happened in the 70's to swap
position in any poll of "best guitarist... etc" with Moon/JAE/PT.

I was lucky - and I do mean lucky enough to see both the Who and Zepp in
their heyday, between 69 and 71, in all kinds of venues, and the two
were diametrically opposite. 

> > Hey, the music of Zep is great 

glad to see that you can appreciate their music - there are too many who
are unprepared or unwilling to accept even that there are bands other
than the Who who are equally as good if not different.

> > and unique- but it is blatantly obvious that the Who was their 
> > inspiration.  

I doubt it. Zepp may well have been the second (Hendrix was the first)
manufactured rock band. Peter Grant, their inspiration, took Jimmy Page
who was a wonderful guitarist (I haven't seen or heard much of his work
for many years, so would not like to comment on his current status) but
not a particularly good composer and added John Paul Jones, a wonderful
composer and bassist but a touch wooden in performance, leavening the
mix with an oddball singer with astounding stage presence, Plant, who
may well have copied the look of Daltrey but who invented the concept of
the cock rock singer, and a drummer who was certainly an equal of
Moon's, if not in wit and style certainly in solidity.

As a band, they were genuinely brilliant live, if they did lack the
sheer dangerousness of the Who. I have many happy memories of concerts
by Zepp in those days, but for me, by 1972 the style and publicity began
to take over, and the last time I saw them in 1972 I was frankly bored. 

> > Also- Zep live isn't even in the Who's league based on what I saw.  

Sorry, see above.

> > Also, what the hell was all that medieval stuff with plant on the 
> > horse going to rescue the fair maiden from the evil-doers at the 
> > castle?  Wasn't gettin into that at all.

That's because by the time The song remains the same was conceived and
released, all four in Zepp believed the hype and were ignoring reality. 
The film was meant to be an expression of the band's individual artistic
talent as well as the concert stuff. Consequently, you got four
"episodes" of sheer twaddle in between some frankly dire concert stuff. 

Remember I said that (ok, IMO) by 1972 Zepp had turned into a
stereotypical stadium rock band and had passed their peak.

They leave some albums of genuine brilliance (probably Zepp 3 for me is
the highlight of their career), some genuinely brilliant individual
tracks, but since their demise none of them have come up with anything
individually to match their best group work.

They also deserve credit for instantly disbanding when John Bonham died.

At least, that's what I think!

John