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Led Zeppelin bigger in America than UK?


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The version of Whole Lotta Love they used for TOTP was by C.C.S. I hated it, it was only in later years that the BBC used the Zep version......That's if my memory is correct (and I can't be arsed going on web sites to check it out)

I thought they never did use the Zep version? I remember listening to the drum n bass version they used in the last years of the programme. That was.. different.

The (ironic) point being that the band never released singles.Therefore the band never got air time on the radio so was not available to the ears of most record buying public. Unlike the US as has been noted before in this thread

Right, I see. Yes, I think this is a crucial factor.

The British press has seemed funny about bands in the past, for reasons which I think remain largely unclear. Maybe because we're a small nation and we feel proud of our music (or did, ''back then''), so are ''annoyed'' when they break the US and get big elsewhere? Interesting, Charles.

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It took the band 4 more years to play a venue ( Earls Court) that held 15,000 people in England.

I'm sure they would have played arenas up and down the UK had they existed before then. They'd played 2 nights at Wembley Empire Pool, 2 nights at Alexandra Palace, headlined the Bath Festival in 1970 and tentatively set to headline Knebworth in 1974.

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I'm sure they would have played arenas up and down the UK had they existed before then. They'd played 2 nights at Wembley Empire Pool, 2 nights at Alexandra Palace, headlined the Bath Festival in 1970 and tentatively set to headline Knebworth in 1974.

Agreed hot dog, so 4 nights at 2 London venues. What does that tell everyone, including Peter Grant, about what was available in the UK in the 70's? The band only ever played 2 festival dates in the UK in their existence. Bath 69 and 70. I don't count Knebworth being a festival as it was a one day only affair with Zeppelin being the headline act.

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  • 4 weeks later...

During the era of Zeppelin, the USA was economically very strong, and it's youth had a much larger disposable income than their counterparts in the UK. Add to that the sheer size of the US market. The US also had endless concert venues where thousands of fans could pay to see them, as well as a great radio station structure.

As for musical tastes, Zeppelin's music had a far bigger following in the States. Although they had many fans in the UK, the UK by and large was very orientated towards pop music, pop singles, and fashion. UK radio at the time had very little in the way of stations that played anything that appealed to youth culture beyond one or two top-40 pop stations.

Jimmy had seen the demand for blues-based rock bands during his Yardbirds days in the States and knew what he needed to do when he got back home after their last tour.

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During the era of Zeppelin, the USA was economically very strong, and it's youth had a much larger disposable income than their counterparts in the UK. Add to that the sheer size of the US market. The US also had endless concert venues where thousands of fans could pay to see them, as well as a great radio station structure.

As for musical tastes, Zeppelin's music had a far bigger following in the States. Although they had many fans in the UK, the UK by and large was very orientated towards pop music, pop singles, and fashion. UK radio at the time had very little in the way of stations that played anything that appealed to youth culture beyond one or two top-40 pop stations.

Jimmy had seen the demand for blues-based rock bands during his Yardbirds days in the States and knew what he needed to do when he got back home after their last tour.

Excellent observations. Also, in the turmoil of the Vietnam/post-Vietnam War era, many young Americans might have been subconsciously yearning for a rock band that employed a more structured "tangents within a framework" approach to music.

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Plus in America there had to be a counter swing to all of the light poppy music that was popular at the time and Zeppelin filled that void - followed by legions of others after them. That's always the case here, just like the poppy "hair metal" turning to heavy, non-glam, and "grunge" in the late 80's/early 90's.

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Plus in America there had to be a counter swing to all of the light poppy music that was popular at the time and Zeppelin filled that void - followed by legions of others after them. That's always the case here, just like the poppy "hair metal" turning to heavy, non-glam, and "grunge" in the late 80's/early 90's.

Good point, Walter

Also, it's striking to me how many members here on the forum are Americans. Many of our best posters here on the forum hail from the U.K. and elsewhere, but a large number -- I'd guess at least 70 percent of our currently active members -- hail from America.

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Good point, Walter

Also, it's striking to me how many members here on the forum are Americans. Many of our best posters here on the forum hail from the U.K. and elsewhere, but a large number -- I'd guess at least 70 percent of our currently active members -- hail from America.

Me? UK born and raised. Lived through the whole Zeppelin era there. I only managed to see them live once, that being Knebworth. What made the experience better for me was meeting Robert by sheer luck as we passed each other in the street, some 2-3 weeks before the show. He graciously stopped and chatted with me for a good 5-minutes, in which he told me of the band's about-to-be-released new album (ITTOD) and his description of it being "more listenable" that previous albums. He did say that they were a little nervous of the upcoming Knebworth shows and how well they would be received. The UK had got seriously into punk and new wave at the time and he was no doubt concerned at the dinosaur label that they had been given.

Moved to the States in '93. My only Zep-encounter here has been a fleeting hello with JPJ outside Irving Plaza in NYC right before he did his show there in '99. I was in the front row, literally an arm's length from him. Damn, his show was a lesson in just what his artisic component to Zeppelin had been.

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  • 1 year later...

This thread has been dormant for year, but as a new member I am venturing out ploughing through so much fun stuff.

I will definitely say Zeppelin was bigger in the USA. Many factors played on why.

As a toddler in the late 70's I never got to 'experience' Zeppelin the way a teen of the 70's did. I was 4 in 1980,
however they were still a band every kid knew here in the USA when growing up in 80's and 90's and even 2000's.
Like many said the endless amount of classic rock stations and even in pop culture. When you saw a double neck
guitar you thought Stairway, Jimmy Page and Zeppelin. LMAO

i.e. The characters on "That 70's Show" A TV show based on a group of teens in the 70's in the US airing to
youth in the 2000's makes reference to Led Zeppelin Why? Because they knew that a 17 year old in
2002 in the USA would "get" the whole Led Zeppelin thing just do the fact that parents, older siblings, media talking about.
LMAO trust me when I say no teen ever asked what's that Led Zeppelin t-shirt Hyde is wearing.

Lastly for Pete sake President Obama gave them honors at Kennedy Center for their impact on American culture. That is the highest
honor you can give to somebody for their life time achievement in performing arts in the USA. The award was given because
everybody knew Led Zeppelin in USA was such HUGE deal here in their 1968-80 glory.

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I thought some of the points raised are accurate.

* No singles = no airplay on radio.

* Knock on effect no TV appearances on shows like Top of the Pops. Did they ever do a live set for Whistle Test? If not that was highly unusual.

* A hostile music press who at the beginning was sniffy about them not being blues purists then towards the end with all the new musical genres bursting out being seen as what was the problem with the established music scene.

* Getting a hostile response from the musicians coming up. This despite the band being incredibly open to the new musical genres.

However this leads to a truly thought provoking hypothesis.

Led Zeppelin are the only band ever in the UK to first make it and then maintain their career purely through word of mouth. Their shows sold and the LP releases out performed the sales of many of their peers. As social media was not about in those days it is a unique achievement.

And today in the UK their reputation is growing.

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Everyone has heard pretty much the facts from all the posters. Zep was always much bigger in the U.S. Than the U.K, even by the

ITTOD album and Knebworth. Certainly the following grew but you're still talking a significant difference.

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Robert Plant and Peter Grant were interviewed by the Old Grey Whistle Test (BBC music programme) team on a boat sailing down the River Thames in London in 1976. This interview video footage was included on The Song Remains The Same Remastered 2007 DVD.

Robert Plant was interviewed on TOGWT by "Whispering" Bob Harris alone around the time of their UK/European tour to support Physical Graffiti, and this interview video footage was included on the Led Zeppelin DVD.

This interview is also available on these TOGWT DVDs:

The Old Grey Whistle Test -- Two Disc Set [DVD] [1971] - BBCDVD 1071 , VFC 25968. http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Grey-Whistle-Test-Disc/dp/B00005M6ON/ref=pd_sim_sbs_74_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1T49A1N1SXVCBW2S9VGQ

Old Grey Whistle Test - Volumes 1-3 Box Set [DVD] - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Old-Grey-Whistle-Test-Volumes/dp/B000ASALS8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_74_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1T49A1N1SXVCBW2S9VGQ

If you love 1970s and early 1980s music in general these TOGWT DVDs are essential viewing.

The band never performed on TOGWT.

Cheers,

Indi

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In some respects, it's amazing that Led Zep got as huge as they were in states in the 70's. Having grown up in that era, while they received airplay, it wasn't all the time. It was usually the "hits" on most stations. They did get some deeper tracks on FM radio back then, but it was only 1 or 2 stations tops doing that.

I can say that they were THE BAND of that period, making it nearly impossible to get tickets, unless you knew someone. There was no media explosion, like there is now. You had to hear about it on the radio, or magazines, actually stand in lines, & hope you get a shot at buying tickets,

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That is a good observation but I think Zep was scorned in the UK as well. Actually this scorning from both sides of the Atlantic was if you

really investigate exaggerated. I don't recall names but certain critics were aboard right from the start. The whole band was affected but

Jimmy for practically into the 90's had much sour grapes with the press. When Zep came out with the first box sets/ remastered,

stuff the band became universally acclaimed without question.

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I think one other thing never mentioned was that there was a changing of the guard within the UK music press. Writers/broadcasters such as Charles Shaar Murray and Bob Harris also had to contend with the rise of the new bread of punk journalists. Did Paul Morley (punk stalwart) ever review Zeppelin? I do recall Ellen/Hepworth interviewing Plant when they took over Whistle Test (did he play a set) but they both came from a pop journalistic background after Harris left the show.

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Now since Annie you are from the UK you certainly would probably know much more than fans from the states. I do remember

reading about how when punk became prominent there was a tremendous backlash against Zep, from bands and critics alike in

the UK. Ultimately though IMO a new order was needed, but a lot of punk had poor musicians, hence the 15-30 minute flamethrower

sets. The point here is that Zep could play however they wanted, whereas most punks could only play a very limited skill set.

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The only thing is that when you refer to punk in the 1970's here in the UK it really is an umbrella term as what you would think of as the punk cliché (Mohawk pins etc) was not the dominant force. Yes The Sex Pistols caused uproar with one LP to their name but The Clash had quiffs and played dub and reggae inspired music. The Undertones, Buzzcocks , X Ray Specs; non fitted the Punk cliché in the tabloid press and add to that the Ska and Mod revival and UK music took off in a totally different direction.

Zeppelin were ahead of the game and as I mentioned praised the new generation even going to gigs despite getting hammered for doing so. I think The Damned's drummer Rat Scabies and Bonzo were really good mates which got Rat into all sorts of problems at the time.

I think Zeppelin had to live down the hell raising aspects associated with them (maybe they still are in that process) however listening with fresh ears so to speak I am staggered at the range of music they produced and lyrically harmonically and musically the risks they took. One of the greatest "What if's" is if they had all been lets use the phrase "Clear Headed" from say 1978 I honestly think they had the talent and the love of music in all its forms to have transcended into the new era with ease.

A post punk version of Zeppelin might have raised some eyebrows but it would not have been boring.

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