Charles and jimjam, I agree with both of you. I fully recognize that the Who were a great band: They had a LOT of great songs and put on a great stage show, but for whatever reason they (and their music) never really "clicked" with me. Their instrument smashing habits also bothered me a bit -- it seemed gratuitous and unnecessary.

Too many to name. If I had to choose, maybe Over the Hills.

Agree with all of the above -- the Rain Song is amazing.

Scylla, These photos are awesome. Particularly the top one of the band standing together and the one of Plant standing alone in front of the blackboard.

....if you can find a pretty one...

Hi John, Congrats for discovering Zep. Here on the forum we have a "best books about Zep" thread which you might consider perusing. And you're right, Zep was so much more than just a heavy metal/rock band.

ebk, thanks for that information. It was kind of you to respond so promptly. I'd previously heard the "winter in San Francisco" quote but I didn't know Twain had said it. I seem to remember you mentioning in another thread that a niece of yours lived in Oz. (Sydney?) Anyway, I hope she has a wonderful time here in the States.

Lol. How true.

ebk, is it a good walk "spoiled" or "ruined?" Lol.

I'm not a big fan of G n R, but I am a fan of two of their songs: November Rain and Sweet Child of Mine.

It's true. It's also interesting how many lines we use (often without realizing it) from "serious" figures such as Shakespeare and Pope.

In the movie "Dukes of Hazzard," one of the "Duke boys" wears a Zep shirt during much of the film. I'm curious what the back story for this was: Presumably one of the principals involved in the production was a big Zep fan.

One summer years ago I worked for a boss who continually played Alice n Chains first album, Facelift, non-stop. They're not exactly my cup of tea, but by the end of the summer I had come to like/appreciate some of their music.

Well stated

I've noticed that no one on this thread has yet to make the ludicrous claim that Zep made a "pact with the Devil" to achieve their instant success -- in America. Lol.

It's true, Charles, we do tend to forget. The first English settlement in North America was founded here in Virginia at Jamestown in 1607. It's a popular tourist site today. The Colonial city of Williamsburg and the Yorktown battlefield are located nearby. All are well worth a visit.

But it did go down "quite so well quite so quickly," in America -- for whatever reason.

Hi jimjam, It's an interesting topic. Zep was an almost immediate hit in the U.S., and started becoming huge here almost as soon as they began touring. One writer said something along the lines of "Zep took to America like Islam in the desert." Or, perhaps, as a few of my relative's old high school buddies used to joke, it was really more about, "Mom, Apple Pie, and Led Zeppelin."

Excellent post (quote name="Cofa" post="762593" timestamp="1402696445"] I concur completely with your observations on the differences between the perception of class in the US and UK. For sure I think there are many reasons why Zeppelin's popularity flourished in the US. Strider makes some excellent points above. One thing is for sure. For all of us who have lived with this band's music for the majority of our lives no matter what side of the Atlantic we come from they were and always will be the biggest and best band ever !

Thanks for replying, Cofa. I have spent some time in the U.K.; a fair amount of time in London and traveling around England, Scotland and Wales. My perception (rightly or wrongly) was that the class system in the U.K. is more...what's the word...entrenched? That people are more aware of it's existence? That perhaps there is less upward social mobility in the U.K.? Your absolutely correct, though, America does have a prevalent and entrenched class system, although many Americans either don't acknowledge it or pretend not to be aware of it's existence. (or believe social class is solely based on money, etc.) What I wonder is this: Did Zep's massive popularity in the U.S. have something to do with the fact that America had a large upwardly mobile middle class, fewer (or fewer perceived) social/class divides, no monarchy or official aristocracy, and an adventurous "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" frontier mentality? I'm not sure it did, but I wonder. Allow me to share an anecdote to illustrate just how big Zep were in the U.S. at their peak. A relative of mine was a suburban high school student at an American high school in the late 70's. He has told me that some of his friends would occasionally make the joking (half joking?) remark that something (whatever subject they happened to be discussing) was as great or as big as "Mom, Apple Pie, and Led Zeppelin." For me, the fact that American students of that era were making such remarks -- as a joke or not -- speaks volumes.

I just hope Mickleson finally wins one

Me too. We've wondered where you were, clw. You've started some of the most fun (and funniest) threads here on the forum.

True. Zep obviously toured a lot more in the States than they did in Britain, and the U.S. undoubtedly had a proportionately larger and more prosperous record buying public, but I still suspect there was more to it.

I'm glad you made it through too, redrum -- your posts are fascinating My impression has always been that there were times when the purest, most noble, and totally uncorrupted ideals of "flower power" really were being lived out and experienced by people in the real world; not just in the Haight, but on communes, etc. It wasn't just a beautiful dream, it was a real phenomenon, a social experiment that briefly worked. Of course, it usually didn't last long: Communes would succumb to internal power struggles, leadership battles, personal rivalries, jealousy issues, etc.

This thread has long been dormant, but I've decided to post here nevertheless. I don't think there is any doubt that Zep was bigger in America, on a per-capita basis, than in Britain. The band clearly appealed to and "clicked" with Americans in a unique and powerful way. I can't offer any definitive explanations for why this occurred -- any number of complex social and psychological factors may have been involved -- but I suspect that Zep's U.S. popularity had a lot to do with America's less hierarchal and rigid class system, and its frontier mentality and ethos.