Led Zeppelin vs The Who

[Stairway is NOT stolen]

If we are talking about the depth of lyrics, it's a good thing we aren't mentioning Pink Floyd

[Sabbath]

you kind of lost me... I agree with you. It doesn't affect the music.. It affects how I would feel about the music..No other implications were made.

I hear you brother , God Bless.

[JTM]

If we are talking about the depth of lyrics, it's a good thing we aren't mentioning Pink Floyd

Do you know this one?....By the way, it's not about Dogs that go woof.

Dogs (Waters, Gilmour) 17:06

You gotta be crazy, you gotta have a real need.

You gotta sleep on your toes, and when you're on the street,

You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed.

And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight,

You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking.

And after a while, you can work on points for style.

Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,

A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.

You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,

So that when they turn their backs on you,

You'll get the chance to put the knife in.

You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder.

You know it's going to get harder, and harder, and harder as you

get older.

And in the end you'll pack up and fly down south,

Hide your head in the sand,

Just another sad old man,

All alone and dying of cancer.

And when you loose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown.

And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone.

And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw

around.

So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone,

Dragged down by the stone.

I gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused.

Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used.

Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise.

If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this

maze?

Deaf, dumb, and blind, you just keep on pretending

That everyone's expendable and no-one has a real friend.

And it seems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner

And everything's done under the sun,

And you believe at heart, everyone's a killer.

Who was born in a house full of pain.

Who was trained not to spit in the fan.

Who was told what to do by the man.

Who was broken by trained personnel.

Who was fitted with collar and chain.

Who was given a pat on the back.

Who was breaking away from the pack.

Who was only a stranger at home.

Who was ground down in the end.

Who was found dead on the phone.

Who was dragged down by the stone.

[Sathington Willoughby]

jk used to listen to a ton of Floyd, now I find them too bleak and depressing. Makes me want to curl up and die lol.

[Stairway is NOT stolen]

Do you know this one?....By the way, it's not about Dogs that go woof.

Dogs (Waters, Gilmour) 17:06

You gotta be crazy, you gotta have a real need.

You gotta sleep on your toes, and when you're on the street,

You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed.

And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight,

You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking.

And after a while, you can work on points for style.

Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,

A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.

You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,

So that when they turn their backs on you,

You'll get the chance to put the knife in.

You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder.

You know it's going to get harder, and harder, and harder as you

get older.

And in the end you'll pack up and fly down south,

Hide your head in the sand,

Just another sad old man,

All alone and dying of cancer.

And when you loose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown.

And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone.

And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw

around.

So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone,

Dragged down by the stone.

I gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused.

Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used.

Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise.

If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this

maze?

Deaf, dumb, and blind, you just keep on pretending

That everyone's expendable and no-one has a real friend.

And it seems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner

And everything's done under the sun,

And you believe at heart, everyone's a killer.

Who was born in a house full of pain.

Who was trained not to spit in the fan.

Who was told what to do by the man.

Who was broken by trained personnel.

Who was fitted with collar and chain.

Who was given a pat on the back.

Who was breaking away from the pack.

Who was only a stranger at home.

Who was ground down in the end.

Who was found dead on the phone.

Who was dragged down by the stone.

Oh that's a good one. It's about the nasty Politicians of the 1970s

[Etheral]

You all like a self indulgent and bloated rock band and I think they are criminally over rated but certainly not talentless.

This is why I like Led Zeppelin, its not the quality of lyrics. Its not the windmill style rock guitar look, or beating up guitars for show. Its the connection and grove the band had. I have the most respect for this band because, when Bonham died, the connection was gone and Led Zeppelin stopped making music. History has proved there worth as far as I'm concerned. The whole idea of plagiarism is bullsh**t, the evolution of music is expanding on other peoples work.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Etheral

[Sathington Willoughby]

This is why I like Led Zeppelin, its not the quality of lyrics. Its not the windmill style rock guitar look, or beating up guitars for show. Its the connection and grove the band had. I have the most respect for this band because, when Bonham died, the connection was gone and Led Zeppelin stopped making music. History has proved there worth as far as I'm concerned. The whole idea of plagiarism is bullsh**t, the evolution of music is expanding on other peoples work.

Welcome to the forum Etheral! Too bad you weren't here a couple weeks ago when this debate was going on, I think that John McNally guy crawled back into his hole.

[cosmic_juice]

Pete Townshend is a horrible singer!!!

[Disco Duck]

Pete Townshend is a horrible singer!!!

He's fine when he's harmonizing with Roger Daltrey. Of course, Townshend's greatest talent is as a songwriter, imo.

[Sathington Willoughby]

kinda feel the same way...and I know Floyd quite well

watched "the Wall' one too many time methinks...

if I ever play any Floyd on these new modern jukeboxes it's usually either a live "run like hell' or maybe an old fave "fearless"

other than that they bum me out a bit....though I love the band and was lucky enough to see them without waters

I still love the Syd Barrett era and listen to that stuff pretty regularly. Think I will now as a matter of fact...

[zdr]

I had to register on this site because Led Zepplin fans always provide me with a laugh. This non-stop comparing between the stodgy Led Zepplin and The Who is unbelievable. Why do Led Zep fans feel in so much competition with The Who?

(...long winding post you can find on page 2...)

This is precious: a Who fan registering to the Led Zeppelin site in order to troll complaine about the behaviour of the pesky Zep heads ?

Seriously? Because my perception is different: on every music forum I visit, there is not one "Vs" thread involving Beatles, Stones, Zepppelin, Floyd, Purple that is not having the mandatory Who fan shouting "The Who is better than both" (if you don't believe me, show me some examples of Zep fans infesting debates about Who Vs .., and I will show you the same amount+1, the other way around).

I know, the inferiority complex might be immense for a band that in the 60's was put by someone (the Rolling Stone Magazine? I can't quite remember) alongside Beatles and Stones as the great triumvirate of rock, but got left behind in the stardom by the two .

Even a bitter Townshend said once that they (Zep) "became so much bigger than The Who in so many ways".

If you look in the review mirror, the Who have some golden past (in the 70's the music magazines loved them, they were revered by the media as innovators; they were loved by the punks while the other rock acts of the time were despised) but they kind of lost the momentum, while Zep just got bigger and greater, seizing more and more awards and accolades and being recognized by more and more music artists and journalists as one of the most influential band of the century.

Actually, now Zep are ahead in the awards departament, having The Polar Prize (called also the "Nobel Prize for music")

Zep didn't have to play the Super Bowl or lease songs for TV shows and computer games in order to avoid sinking into oblivion: every movement they do generate enough buzz and cashflow to keep them visible.

Cultural impact is not just having your song played on CSI: is having your name in the public conscience. IMO there is more cultural impact in being mentioned by Al Jazeera, or by the president of Russia in an informal meeting, or by the president of Venezuela, than in having your song heard by millions that not necessarily know your name.

I'd say that the "No Stairway" sign in a popular movie proves a huge cultural impact - Zep is generating memes!

Comparing individual musician's skills can go either way (but as greatness go IMO Page>>>Pete, Entwhistle >JPJ, Plant >> Daltrey and Bonham<>Moon)

(and I'm not counting my dislike for Daltry's voice -that nasal tone, like he have polyps, annoys me at maximum level- cause many people seems to enjoy it)

But what sells the deal for me is the music:

In Zep's music I like the sound: complex, layered but with a firm structure at the same time. And that's normal for a band with such a tight rhythmic section.

With Who's music I have the impression of chaos: a simple melodic line ("most songs are singable", as a poster noticed above) on top of which Moon and Entwhistle are showing off their skills. And that's only normal for a band with such a flamboyant drummer and bass player.

And it's a matter of personal taste which kind of music you like better. I can't go past the "manufactured" vibe emited by Who's music (like, after they (Pete) come out with the basic song, they start to ornate it with musical flourishes); Zep's music seem to be born synergic.

But to say that "this" ot "that" Who song is "more complex than anything Led Zeppelin did" (and I saw this written many times) is outrageous: how can anyone say that, when they uses different time signatures, microtones, polyrhythms, polymeters (and I'm sure our musician fans could add more)

And don't start with the "original songwriting": I see more resemblance between Louie Louie and I Can'e Explain than between Stairway and Taurus

In the end, Zep remains the most proeminent rock figure of the 70's, driving the Who fans crazy because they think their band is better.

Simply as that.

Edited November 22, 2014 by zdr

[Pagefan55]

^^^

Great post!! You've hit the nail on the head!! It's been my experience that many of the WHO's fans are extraordinarily envious and jealous of Led Zeppelin -- almost to the point where they have a massive inferiority complex.

Edited November 22, 2014 by Pagefan55

[ClashWho]

My favourite band is The Who and most of us know that the last great thing they did was Quadrophenia. Anything after that is almost cringe worthy to say the least.

They should also have called it quits when Keith Moon died and at least Led Zep had the good grace to call it a day, instead of limping on like The Who did to such embarrassing effect in the 1980s and beyond.

The Who did lots of great work post-Quadrophenia, including one of their greatest live performances: The Concert for New York City in 2001. That performance alone will always validate them continuing on after Moon.

[Disco Duck]

Two legendary rock bands. Both are very "British" in a way that is hard for me to define. The Who were a more consistent live band and had better lyrics, imo. Led Zeppelin had the superior lead singer and guitarist, imo. I like both bands and see no reason to choose one over the other. Having said this, The Who's songs appealed to me right away. Even as a little girl, I liked I Can See For Miles and Tommy. Led Zeppelin were more of an acquired taste for me. I didn't start appreciating them until I was a teenager. Part of the problem was the I often couldn't understand what Robert Plant was singing about. I don't think his accent alone was the problem. I could usually understand the other British rock singers well enough.

[LeonidasCLG]

I've always loved this debate, though I do think it's comparing apples to oranges. My two favorite bands of all time are Led Zeppelin and The Who, in that order and have loved both since I was a young teen. I readily admit that Led Zeppelin is the better band, but it is a lot closer than most Led Zeppelin syncophants admit too. Led Zepplein easily wins over The Who with it's non-live recorded material. Jimmy Page was an amazing producer and every Led Zeppelin album sounds phenomonal, even towards the end of the carrer when Plant's voice wasn't as good and their songs were substandard compared the their brilliant first four albums. The Who were plagued with shoddy production of their albums from the get go and only really figured out how to record well towards the end of their original career when Pete had already written their best songs and wanted out, Keith Moon was badly out of shape or dead, and the band was just grinding on past their prime.

However, as a live band there really is no comparison: The Who was better when they were both in their prime. The difference is even more obvious when they are viewed visually. To be fair to Led Zeppelin, there isn't as much good footage of them playing as The Who back in the day. The Who made their career of playing live, and people in the know who saw them in the hayday circa '68-'76 almost always say the were killing it all times. Sadly I'm too young to have seen either band in their prime, and feel pity for the pathetic sham of "The Who" that is just too tired and too old destroying their reputation as a live band. Led Zeppelin had the good grace to admit is was over and not tarnish their legacy like Pete and Roger are doing.

Even when they felt they had played poorly, hated the gig and venue, and were stoned out of their minds on LSD from having their drinks spiked, The Who played like this at Woodstock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdaHT6cGv2U

Edited December 17, 2014 by LeonidasCLG

[Sathington Willoughby]

I've always loved this debate, though I do think it's comparing apples to oranges. My two favorite bands of all time are Led Zeppelin and The Who, in that order and have loved both since I was a young teen. I readily admit that Led Zeppelin is the better band, but it is a lot closer than most Led Zeppelin syncophants admit too. Led Zepplein easily wins over The Who with it's non-live recorded material. Jimmy Page was an amazing producer and every Led Zeppelin album sounds phenomonal, even towards the end of the carrer when Plant's voice wasn't as good and their songs were substandard compared the their brilliant first four albums. The Who were plagued with shoddy production of their albums from the get go and only really figured out how to record well towards the end of their original career when Pete had already written their best songs and wanted out, Keith Moon was badly out of shape or dead, and the band was just grinding on past their prime.

However, as a live band there really is no comparison: The Who was better when they were both in their prime. The difference is even more obvious when they are viewed visually. To be fair to Led Zeppelin, there isn't as much good footage of them playing as The Who back in the day. The Who made their career of playing live, and people in the know who saw them in the hayday circa '68-'76 almost always say the were killing it all times. Sadly I'm too young to have seen either band in their prime, and feel pity for the pathetic sham of "The Who" that is just too tired and too old destroying their reputation as a live band. Led Zeppelin had the good grace to admit is was over and not tarnish their legacy like Pete and Roger are doing.

Even when they felt they had played poorly, hated the gig and venue, and were stoned out of their minds on LSD from having their drinks spiked, The Who played like this at Woodstock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdaHT6cGv2U

This forum is becoming a comedy club! Ever seen Led Zeppelin DVD? The Song Remains the Same? Ever hear Listen to this Eddie? Texas Pop Festival? How the West Was Won? I could go on but I'll let these vids do the talking.

[Sathington Willoughby]

[Sathington Willoughby]

[LeonidasCLG]

Of course I've seen those, I've been a LZ fan for over 30 years. There is no reason to get hostile or insultatory. I belive Led Zeppelin is the better overall band, but I still think The Who was better live. Sorry our difference on this annoys you.

Edited December 18, 2014 by LeonidasCLG

[rdg1]

Led Zeppelin is automatically disqualified as a great band because they have no backing vocals. Even freaking Van Halen had that much.

Joe Satriani is great technical guitarist. Do I care? No.

Its now obvious that Kurt Cobain was a more significant guitarist than Jimmy Page.

Jimmy Page is not even in the same league as Pete Townshend. Nor Lindsey Buckingham.

Jimmy Page = Don Felder

[Sathington Willoughby]

Led Zeppelin is automatically disqualified as a great band because they have no backing vocals. Even freaking Van Halen had that much.

Joe Satriani is great technical guitarist. Do I care? No.

Its now obvious that Kurt Cobain was a more significant guitarist than Jimmy Page.

Jimmy Page is not even in the same league as Pete Townshend. Nor Lindsey Buckingham.

Jimmy Page = Don Felder

[Stairway is NOT stolen]

The Who are quite good from what I've heard, but seeing them live, personally, I find their explosive persona onstage uninteresting.

I'd rather see Page dance onstage (which is funny and awesome )

[rdg1]

The Who was a joke. Sure, Townshend is a prolific song writer and tremendous guitarist but the songs are juvenile in nature. Fleetwood Macs album 'Rumours' is better than the Who's greatest hits.

[LeonidasCLG]

The Who's Greatest Hits, in its myriad of various releases, are all travesties. The Who released singles in the 60's which greatly differed from the album concept they took in the 70's. Their best stuff, like many other artists, is deep cuts. Songs like Sea and Sand about being thrown out of your home by drunken parents and fearing you'll become like them is certainly not a joke.

Anyway, I feel I'm being trapped into a corner of being an apologist for The Who versus Led Zeppelin, when I freely admit Led Zeppelin was better. In studio it's embarrasing how much better Led Zeppelin is. My only contention is that The Who have many times been called the greatest live band in the world and there was a reason for it. I just don't understand why both can't be appreciated and respected instead of Led Zeppelin fans constantly slag The Who? Don't bother comparing and judging them against each other just enjoy the music of both.

[cosmic_juice]

Ummmm Zeppelin as a live band vs. The Who... Go listen to Zeppelin live LA Forum 1971 bootleg... not the greatest quality but crank it up listen intently and then tell me about a live band....