tdc Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Led Zeppelin has long been a band that has fascinated me. When I first began listening to them I mainly noticed the great guitar riffs and also that most of the songwriting credits went to Page as well as all the production credits, this led to a long interest in Jimmy Page where I considered him the creative genius behind Led Zeppelin. But the longer I've listened to the band the more I've come to the conclusion that Led Zeppelin just happened. It was like a phenomena that just occured as a result of those four members playing together. I think it became its own thing greater than any one member and all four members were equally critical to the bands success. Listen to each of the members in their solo projects, or even their pre-zeppelin projects like the Yardbirds and you hear pretty much normal (albeit very talented) musicians. Within the context of Led Zeppelin though as a unit, all of them had super powers. Bonham's drumming speaks for itself, Page's solos - JPJ's out of this world bass parts on tracks like the Immigrant Song, and most of Zeppelin II etc etc. Listen to Robert Plant's harmonica solo on When the Levee Breaks and You Shook Me, and it seems he was able to tap into that exact same source that JPJ and Page tapped into - his contributions were just as good and magical as the others. All of them seemed to instictively just know what to do when playing together, and in interviews I have read it seems the members felt as though there was an actual telepathic connection they shared when they played together. So in summary I just think those four were really the definition of what good band chemistry is to such an extent where it was basically magic when they played together, and when they are apart the spell is broken. I just wish more bands out there could obtain this kind of chemistry, but I'm beginning to believe Led Zep was just one of those rare occurences that just happens once in a lifetime or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayougal65 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Nice post^^^^ I think JPJ said it best in this 1/91 Guitar World Interview: (from Guitar World 1/91) Steady Rolling Man ================== by Alan di Perna - GW: Here's your change to set the record straight. What _was_ Led Zeppelin all about? JPJ: I've said it before. Led Zeppelin was the common ground between four individual musicians. We all had different, very wide-ranging musical tastes. [bold]And the space between us, the area in the middle, was Led Zeppelin. [/bold] That's kind of obvious in one way, I suppose, but we were _not_ the kind of band where everyone would listen ot the same kind of music and that music would be the basis of the band. It was more a common ground. So no one musician could ever re-create Zeppelin on his own. It would have required the four of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingzoso Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I have said this time and time again. Led Zeppelin was a musical and cultural phenomenon that has and will stand the test of time. 200 years from today, Led Zeppelin's Music will still be listened to and worshipped and revered, as it should be. Led Zeppelin are the Bach's, Beethoven's, Mozart's and Wagner's of "our" time. I will end on a quote that I Love to say: "Long Live the Mighty Led Zeppelin!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas Knebs Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 anyone proficient can play the notes and karaoke Led Zeppelin even in a cover band situation- personal experience since 1981. it is rare air to create the groove (when music comes alive)- the groove is not measurable by beats per minute, amplitude or rigid application to a script. That would be modern, popular (disposable) content being hawked as music and supported by the desperate machinery of a soul-less, dying industry. The common ground that JPJ describes is the groove- as singular and precise as LZ are, the groove is not an automatic destination or achievement- it is illusive and tenuous as all too many bootlegs record. This is what makes the O2 stand out to me is that while it was not "end of a 35 dates tour" polished, it is superb. For a one off? Unheard of. Demand unprecedented for a reason. This reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishhead Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Led Zeppelin has long been a band that has fascinated me. When I first began listening to them I mainly noticed the great guitar riffs and also that most of the songwriting credits went to Page as well as all the production credits, this led to a long interest in Jimmy Page where I considered him the creative genius behind Led Zeppelin. But the longer I've listened to the band the more I've come to the conclusion that Led Zeppelin just happened. It was like a phenomena that just occured as a result of those four members playing together. I think it became its own thing greater than any one member and all four members were equally critical to the bands success. Listen to each of the members in their solo projects, or even their pre-zeppelin projects like the Yardbirds and you hear pretty much normal (albeit very talented) musicians. Within the context of Led Zeppelin though as a unit, all of them had super powers. Bonham's drumming speaks for itself, Page's solos - JPJ's out of this world bass parts on tracks like the Immigrant Song, and most of Zeppelin II etc etc. Listen to Robert Plant's harmonica solo on When the Levee Breaks and You Shook Me, and it seems he was able to tap into that exact same source that JPJ and Page tapped into - his contributions were just as good and magical as the others. All of them seemed to instictively just know what to do when playing together, and in interviews I have read it seems the members felt as though there was an actual telepathic connection they shared when they played together. So in summary I just think those four were really the definition of what good band chemistry is to such an extent where it was basically magic when they played together, and when they are apart the spell is broken. I just wish more bands out there could obtain this kind of chemistry, but I'm beginning to believe Led Zep was just one of those rare occurences that just happens once in a lifetime or so. ....."but I'm beginning to believe Led Zep was just one of those rare occurences that just happens once in a lifetime"- I think you nailed it here tdc!.... "I just wish more bands out there could obtain this kind of chemistry", I don't think it can be "obtained".........It sometimes, under the perfect circumstances just happens..... Maybe that is the magic........ great post overall, cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas Knebs Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 response to a pm about the post above- that beats per minute (bpm) is not the same thing as "groove" //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Yes a list exists of beats per minute for LZ songs on albums. Pasted below. For instance, in live shows Trampled Underfoot would go as high as 146bpm and SIBLY as slow as 53bpm. Groove is the place where the music comes alive, it is not tied down to a defined anchor of a bpm. Page did some weird things with varispeed which is to say some tracks were recorded at a different tempo than final press. 1990 remasters were sped up slightly as well. So if some of the figures below are different than yours, it is either time signature difference or remasters variance. Tangerine... Achilles Last Stand 10:23 145.7 All My Love 5:51 91.1 Babe I'm Gonna Leave You 6:40 134 The Battle of Evermore 5:51 145.7 Black Dog 4:54 82.6 Black Mountain Side - White Summer 8:02 119.4 Bonzo's Montreux - Moby Dick 3:50 92.0 Brony-Aur Stomp 4:17 108.2 Candy Store Rock 4:07 113.6 Celebration Day 3:28 128.2 Communication Breakdown 2:28 88.1 Custard Pie 4:13 91.2 D'Yer Mak'er 4:23 162.6 Dancing Days 3:42 117.4 Dazed And Confused 6:26 86.7 Fool in the Rain 6:13 128.8 For Your Life 6:20 90.2 Friends 3:54 113.1 Gallows Pole 4:58 107.7 The Girl I Love 2:59 91.9 Going to California 3:32 108.0 Heartbreaker 4:14 112.4 1990 Hey Hey What Can I Do 3:55 154.0 Hot Dog 3:16 116.5 Houses of the Holy 4:03 124.3 I Can't Quit You Baby 4:15 142.2 I'm Gonna Crawl 5:31 149.4 Immigrant Song 2:23 112.8 In My Time of Dying 11:05 102.8 In the Evening 6:50 104.1 In the Light 8:45 127.5 Kashmir 8:32 120.7 Misty Mountain Hop 4:39 133.2 No Quarter 7:01 142.3 Nobody's Fault but Mine 6:27 95.9 The Ocean 4:30 88.5 Over the Hills And Far Away 4:46 99.2 Ozone Baby 3:35 141.7 Poor Tom 3:02 105.4 The Rain Song 7:39 105.8 Ramble On 4:23 100.7 Rock And Roll 3:41 85.2 Since I've Been Loving You 7:24 118.8(59.4) The Song Remains the Same 5:28 137.3 Stairway to Heaven 8:01 99.4 Tangerine 2:57 89.3 Ten Years Gone 6:32 152.6 Thank You 4:46 160.6 Trampled Under Foot 5:35 111.7 Travelling Riverside Blues 5:09 91.4 The Wanton Song 4:06 110.7 Wearing And Tearing 5:29 110.8 What Is And What Should Never Be 4:43 119.0 When the Levee Breaks 7:07 141.9 Whole Lotta Love 5:34 92.1 Your Time Is Gonna Come 4:14 149.9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishhead Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 IT DON'T MEAN A THING, iF IT AIN'T GOT THAT SWING!...... John Bonham was the groove master Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DewieCox Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Not discounting any contributions from any of the members, but Page was the driving force behind the band. He assembled the musicians, had a hand in writing almost every song and made sure the performances and sound quality were up to his standards as the producer. Zep was definitely the sum of it's parts, but it was Page's vision that seen it through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas Knebs Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 IT DON'T MEAN A THING, iF IT AIN'T GOT THAT SWING!...... John Bonham was the groove master the groove resides in the rhythm section- rise/fall, push/pull. Timekeeping ya, tempo oh ya. Groove is so much more. Feel, dynamic, ebb & flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lif Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Some good comments here on this topic. I would call it the alchemical mix of the four musicians (everyone has their own preferred lens for talking about music) but it all amounts to the same thing: The sum is something very different than the parts. Not greater - because as tdc said, they're all talented and each has produced awesome music since (well, except for John Bonham, of course). What the four together create is unique and I agree very much with kingzoso that LZ is today's equivalent of the musical geniuses of the past that will endure for as long as humans understand and appreciate music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas Knebs Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 lots of chemistry right here... Stevie looks a little Ann Wilson-ish like a beekeeper with a hole in that black suit getting stung up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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