Knebby Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 ....agreed, it was the U.K. Press...that is what I meant...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 It was the same situation here in the 1970s, Knebby - I did hear Boogie With Stu on the radio in 1975, and it became memorable! Back then you only had the state-run radio, and then the station run by the U.S. military base, which did play a lot of pop and rock music, but the sound wasn't very good from where I was picking it up, and I preferred to just listen to Icelandic radio. Very little rock music on there though, but it was a couple of times each week, something like that. Almost unbelievable today, and it all changed in the early 1980s, when the FM stations arrived on the scene. Robert got some airplay then, Burning Down One Side. And same thing here, if I listen to radio at all, it will be the old state-run station because the news coverage is better, and the program is a more general one. This is interesting. I can only speak for Vancouver and have to say that outside of when they released a new album, the band had very little airplay in the 70's. TBH, the same could be said for all bands.Great effort was made by our main FM stations not to overkill anyone. Zeppelin were huge in this city because of their fans and the first two albums especially, sold like hotcakes because those fans were a great marketing team all on their own. For that reason, I can't say they were mainstream at that time. In the last 20 or so years, it's hard to argue against them not being so. Some will laugh at this but, it worries me that they get so much airplay now. It's a sign of the times I suppose but I can't help but think that too much is not a good thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longdistancewinner Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 This is interesting. I can only speak for Vancouver and have to say that outside of when they released a new album, the band had very little airplay in the 70's. TBH, the same could be said for all bands.Great effort was made by our main FM stations not to overkill anyone. Zeppelin were huge in this city because of their fans and the first two albums especially, sold like hotcakes because those fans were a great marketing team all on their own. For that reason, I can't say they were mainstream at that time. In the last 20 or so years, it's hard to argue against them not being so. Some will laugh at this but, it worries me that they get so much airplay now. It's a sign of the times I suppose but I can't help but think that too much is not a good thing Completely understand how you feel, ally. In the same way that I don't want to play STH to death, I don't want Zeppelin to be played to death. Zeppelin are so unheard of on non-specific UK radio that I can even remember the last time I heard them - June 2003 (it coincided with exams). And that was only because Jimmy was on Radio 1. In any given time that I've spent in the U.S, I've heard more Zeppelin on the radio in one day than I've heard on our radio in five years. My personal opinion of the UK media regarding them has always been that they simply didn't want to admit that they were wrong. Jimmy had always said that in the beginning the media thought that they were 'hype'. Well, when does 'hype' officially become the real deal? And, when have you ever seen a rag say, 'Ok, we were wrong'? No media source in their right mind wants to come cowering to you with their tail between their legs. They want to be right about everything, and if they started conceeding to every band that they ever slagged off, they'd lose millions of readers for being too fickle. The notoriety that these magazines/newspapers make from being 'ballbreakers' can have more longevity than those that agree with everything you say/do. I mean, we're still wondering why it's this way in the UK, aren't we? This is just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninelives Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Maybe that's what Robert Plant is afraid of, but then maybe not. I guess it would be bad news for him either way, because I don't think he likes what he sees when he sees himself with Led Zeppelin. But anyway if Led Zeppelin toured again, it would be "mainstream city". It wouldn't necessarily change the music, just how some of us feel about it. I don't think that's the case at all - I think it's more about that was then, this is now and he's more focused on moving forward, rather than reliving the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theycallmethehunter Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Zeppelin are pretty mainstream, I cant go a day without seeing someone wearing a zeppelin shirt.. Yesterday I saw 4 ..Why I counted, I have no idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knebby Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 I guess you didn't read any of this thread though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr E Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 It's amazing how big they managed to be with so little media coverage, especially in the UK. Selling out five nights at Earls Court in 1975 is quite an achievement for an 'underground' band or any band for that matter. Bet T Rex couldn't sell out five shows at Earls Court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninelives Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 He should get together with Pete Townshend and start a band called Male Menopause. Why - not wanting to be stuck in the past is a bad thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 It's amazing how big they managed to be with so little media coverage, especially in the UK. Selling out five nights at Earls Court in 1975 is quite an achievement for an 'underground' band or any band for that matter. Bet T Rex couldn't sell out five shows at Earls Court. True, except that the whole period of underground music was over by that time anyway, and actually at one point I bet T. Rex could have done it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I think underground music exists to this day. I tend to think of it as any type of music that is found unacceptable or that has never been accepted by the mainstream. Back in the day I guess some of the artists would have included Frank Zappa, the MC5, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, etc. Then there were the punk rock and new wave movements of the 70s and early 80s. Currently it could be used to describe alt.country or any of the very many different strains of rock n' roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I think underground music exists to this day. I tend to think of it as any type of music that is found unacceptable or that has never been accepted by the mainstream. Back in the day I guess some of the artists would have included Frank Zappa, the MC5, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, etc. Then there were the punk rock and new wave movements of the 70s and early 80s. Currently it could be used to describe alt.country or any of the very many different strains of rock n' roll. OK, what I meant was that in the UK, the bands that at the end of the 60s and very early 70s were called underground had basically eaither disappeared or reached broader success, and the whole scene had morphed into "progressive" and even that was on the wane by 1975. Earlier there was a whole underground scene, of which the mouthpieces were publications like IT (International Times) and OZ, and clubs/venues like Middle Earth and the (old) Roundhouse, etc. John Peel's Perfumed Garden show on pirate radio at midnight was the only place you heard it, and then on his show in the early days of Radio 1 (BBC). Early Zep was a part of all this, but it was over by 1975. I think again it's a question of definitions/terminology. Though what with the multiple possiblities of getting their music out these days, I think it's becoming increasingly rare for a bnad to be truly underground in the old sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I think again it's a question of definitions/terminology. Though what with the multiple possiblities of getting their music out these days, I think it's becoming increasingly rare for a bnad to be truly underground in the old sense. Agreed but even as we speak there's some artist out there spending their very last dime to have a 7" single pressed up. Those are the ones that I think of as truly "underground" though they still have the potential to be the "next big thing", whatever that may be in 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glicine Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Then why keep doing Led Zeppelin songs. There's a better way of not being stuck in the past than to get a band of dorks and do dork-ass versions of old Led Zeppelin songs, which is what his Soundstage DVD amounts to. Like him or not, show some respect at least please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninelives Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Then why keep doing Led Zeppelin songs. There's a better way of not being stuck in the past than to get a band of dorks and do dork-ass versions of old Led Zeppelin songs, which is what his Soundstage DVD amounts to. Zep is part of his history the same way he does "In the Mood" from his solo career. His rearranging the songs is to me a great way to embrace the past but bring it to whatever he's working on at the moment! If he just rehashed them the way they were, people would complain he misses Zep or why not bring Jimmy back blah blah blah. I'd hardly call any of his bands dorks or the versions dorky. It's fine if you don't care for them but I see no reason to be so nasty about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Then why keep doing Led Zeppelin songs. There's a better way of not being stuck in the past than to get a band of dorks and do dork-ass versions of old Led Zeppelin songs, which is what his Soundstage DVD amounts to. For years Plant didn't do any Led Zeppelin songs so he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. Not to mention, the Soundstage show is also made up of songs from his newest album at the time, The Mighty Rearranger. With Unledded Plant and Page also did rearrangements of Led Zeppelin songs rather than falling back on the tried and true, would you also refer to those as "dork-ass versions" performed by a "band of dorks"? It's not as though Plant is resting on his laurels. He has forged ahead doing things that are musically challenging both to him and his audience, same for John Paul Jones. If there's any member of Led Zeppelin that's chosen to be "stuck in the past" it's Jimmy Page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanetPage Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 For years Plant didn't do any Led Zeppelin songs so he's damned if he If there's any member of Led Zeppelin that's chosen to be "stuck in the past" it's Jimmy Page. ..... ....I hear you Jahfin....it's very hard to take this decision from Jimmy Page, one of the most brilliant, creative musician of our time....I hope to see some new magazine articles/interviews where Jimmy "might" explain the "Unexplainable".......(I thought He was lined up for some interviews after the Hall of Fame Ceremonies).... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Agreed but even as we speak there's some artist out there spending their very last dime to have a 7" single pressed up. Those are the ones that I think of as truly "underground" though they still have the potential to be the "next big thing", whatever that may be in 2009. I think another issue is that the music industry has totally exploded since those old days. There was a time when being a non-top-40 artist, or an imitator of one, automatically put you in the avant garde. Now the avant garde is mainstream--it's almost impossible to do anything that only appeals to a very small niche audience in the way "underground" music did back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theycallmethehunter Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I guess you didn't read any of this thread though. If that was to me(which it most likey was, right?)... yea I didn't.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 I think another issue is that the music industry has totally exploded since those old days. There was a time when being a non-top-40 artist, or an imitator of one, automatically put you in the avant garde. Now the avant garde is mainstream--it's almost impossible to do anything that only appeals to a very small niche audience in the way "underground" music did back then. I think it's entirely possible, if anything the audience for all the genres available has become even more fragmented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangani Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Knebby's right abut how everyone suddenly jumped onboard the Zeppelin express for the 02 show. It wasn't about the music it was about the demand for tickets etc. Hmmmmm I'm not so sure about that. I saw plenty of serious newspaper articles calling Led Zeppelin the greatest rock band of all time or asking the question were they the greatest rock band of all time. It wasn't just about the popularity of hits on the website for tickets. Even Germain Greer did an article waxing lyrical about the musical merits of Led Zeppelin and other serious writers were discussing the impact and legacy of Led Zeppelin's music in plenty of media outlets that I came across......from radio to t.v to newspapers. I even read an article going on about the FASHION sense of Led Zeppelin with tight jeans, long flowing locks, baubles etc and how it influenced today's retro rock chick look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangani Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Zeppelin are so unheard of on non-specific UK radio that I can even remember the last time I heard them - June 2003 (it coincided with exams). And that was only because Jimmy was on Radio 1. In any given time that I've spent in the U.S, I've heard more Zeppelin on the radio in one day than I've heard on our radio in five years. You should listen to Talksport. I've often heard bits and bobs of Zeppelin being blasted out. Recently they were playing snippets of Kashmir to introduce sports news headlines hehe. For a talk radio station I have heard bits of Kashmir, Whole Lotta Love, Stairway, The Song Remains The Same and Good Times Bad Times just this year alone. I don't listen to mainstream music radio in the U.K. It's so restrictive, one dimensional (unless there are specific shows for particular types of music) and there seems to be a set list of particular songs they play over and over again. The last time I had to endure Radio 1 (when I was helping my brother in law paint his house) I swear that in an 8 hour working day I heard some of the same songs being played 3 or 4 times. It was tedious. It's like a merry go round of the same crap over and over again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 I think it's entirely possible, if anything the audience for all the genres available has become even more fragmented. Yes, but there's nothing particularly marginal about any of those genres--rock music, and liking rock music, has just become mainstream in itself. I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one! And just a small point to Mangani, Germaine Greer was around way back when--that's her interviewing Bonzo in the Australia clip on the DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonzoLikeDrumer Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 I don't think Led Zeppelin side stepped or joined the mainstream at all. They formed a new sound that became one of the (if not the) top mainstream sound's of the 1970's! It also effected much of the music that came out in the 1980's and 1990's as well. This is nothing new, it's happened before with people like Ike Turner, Bill Haley and Elvis in the 1950's, The Beatles's, The Door's and The Stone's in the 1960's...ect.. It will keep happening as long as new forms of music are being researched and played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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