"In my opinion, next to the Beatles they're the most influential band in history. They influence the way music is on records, AOR radio, concerts. They set the standards for the AOR-radio format with 'Stairway to Heaven,' having AOR hits without necessarily having Top Forty hits. They're the ones who did the first real big arena concert shows, consistently selling out and playing stadiums without support. People can do as well as them, but nobody surpasses them." John David Kalodner, A&R executive Geffen Records
"Other than the Beatles, for album radio they're the most important band. Nobody seems to get tired of them, and a lot of the new bands in that genre obviously owe a debt to them." Legendary Radio Producer Lee Abrams
"Believe it or not, we are actually very, very big fans of Led Zeppelin. They're probably one of the strongest influences that we have in common as members of the group. We do 'Whole Lotta Love' jokingly, tongue in cheek, but that's not to say that we're not big fans of the band. And I think the main reason one could find it amusing in 1988 is that there are so many bands that have supposedly been influenced by Led Zeppelin that don't really seem to understand the soul of what Led Zeppelin were about. They just seem to have taken on the cosmetic appeal of the legacy that Led Zeppelin left around. And that's unfortunate, because they're taking advantage of a generation of kids that weren't around for the original thing." Nick Seymour of Crowded House
"So many bands have taken from Led Zeppelin it's been quite incredible to watch. The whole 'Hall of the Mountain King' vibe was one thing for glam rockers to get into, you know? So all of a sudden you get fifteen American bands singing songs about climbin' up mountains and slayin' dragons and stuff, which is one of the things that Plant was into, that Old English and Celtic imagery. And then a lot of bands are into the black magic and the sorcery, which was Page's kind of thing. And then you get other people trying to base a band around what Bonham did. It's incredible that even as individuals they influenced different kinds of music. I think they're probably the greatest British live rock band. The one that had a real mystique, a real aura and presence about the band. It wasn't like a band; it was like some kind of moving spiritual roadshow. Led Zeppelin were a major influence on the Cult — I mean, we feel like the new generation, ourselves and the Mission and other new bands. I guess we feel like the new, shall we say, golden gods (Laughs). If anybody reads that, they're gonna go, 'Oh, what an asshole.' But it kinda feels that way, and it's great. I'll tell you one thing. If Zeppelin ever did a reunion tour, that'd be the biggest challenge for any of our lot. Led Zeppelin, you can't compete with them." Ian Astbury of the Cult
"I think, essentially, they were a band, and everything they did came across as a band. They got self-indulgent at times, but they wrote great songs, and when they performed them as a band, the power of it really came across." Wayne Hussey of the Mission U.K
"We started this sorta crusade when Let's Active first toured, playing 'Black Dog' and stuff when we'd go to do interviews at college radio stations. It was really outrageous to do that back then, but it was good fun, and there was no denying that those records were powerful and cool. And we also did 'The Rover' and 'Dancing Days' in concert for a while. Every few shows we'd get a New Wave-diehard type who just didn't get it, who'd say, 'What are you doing, man?' like it's a sacrilege. But most people really dig it, you know." Mitch Easter of Let's Active