What If ?

[mnapa67]

Hello Zep fans,

       Im going to propose a " what If " question that I always wondered about.  What if it was JPJ who passed away in 1980 and not Bonzo, do you think they would of continued or eventually continued ?  Im not trying to downplay Jones contributions to the band and not trying to be insulting towards him.  I only ask this bc it was Bonzo who convince Plant to rejoin  the band after Roberts son passing away .  Bonzo was closest to Plant and had great influence over him. If Bonzo wanted to continue , I think he would of convinced Plant and maybe not immediately but Page would of reunited maybe not immediately like I said but after a couple years I think they would of continued.  Whether another bassist could of replicated JPJ is debatable , Ive also seen over the years where Plant said in 79 , they knew Zeps time was up . New generation of music was being ushered in so who knows. I don't mean to downplay Jones at all . Its just something I always wondered about . Your thought s?

 

[SteveAJones]

Each of the four was irreplaceable and the loss of one, regardless of whom, meant the end. With the benefit of hindsight, Page should not have spent most of the rest of his active days pursuing an approximation of the original. 

[JMH]

Listening to the shows from 1980 tells that the band was on its last legs. Disjointed and tormented by addictions, magick gone. It ran its course. GOAT of Rock and Roll.

[badgeholder]

Just need to find a guy who pays bass, keyboards, mandolin, guitar, bass pedals, and sings backup. No prob, right? 

[John M]

Just for his bass playing alone Jones was irreplaceable, so integral to the Zeppelin sound, especially with only one guitar on stage.  His interaction with Page and Bonham was so unique.  A lot of people are great bass players but not one of them could replace Jones and have it work as Led Zeppelin.  I cannot imagine Page or Bonham wanting to play with anyone else as part of Led Zeppelin.

[Zep Hed]

JPJ's role in arranging Zeppelin's music also greatly underrated.

[mnapa67]

   Well said 

        I still always felt like there were underlying issues between JPJ and Plant.  The worked more towards tail end of Zep bc of the issues Bonzo and Jimmy were having including a lot of writing but still, every interview, Plant doesn't really make eye contact with him or subtle jabs like " JPJ never complimented Plant " . Im 56 and never got to see them live . Being from Boston with older siblings ( sister saw them at Boston Tea Party and brother saw them 71-73 in Boston ) . I am border line obsessed with their music so as I stated , no disrespect meant towards Jones and I'm sure strong case that he never could be replaced much like the others. I Just think if Bonzo wanted to eventually continue , he may of had strong enough influence on Plant that ......

    Hoping to post some questions and thought here to intrigue and also give me some insight into the greatest band ever

 

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[jsj]

I’m not aware of underlying issues between Plant and JPJ during the life of the band. It’s obvious he was closer to Bonham and Page but it seems to me that he had the biggest issue with Page in the end. First described during the Presence sessions in 75, then the very heavy drug use, poor playing and self indulgence of 77, not attending Karac’s funeral,, and absence during the ITTOD sessions etc. 

[mnapa67]

Hello ,

       Yeah I don't think during their run he had issues with JPJ as mentioned those 2 ended up doing a lot of writing the last couple years as Page and Bonzo had their demons.  I would of alluded to the Karac funeral ( Plant did say in regards to Page and JPJ not attending that "maybe we aren't as close as I thought " ) . This starts with not inviting him on Page Plant tour  ( I know they say they didn't want it to come across as Zep reunion ) , naming tour " No quarter " subtle jab at JPJ , and in most interviews over the years with the 3 of them together, just got vibe he didn't have the strong connection with JPJ.  Maybe just my imagination. 

    The obvious answer to my question and general consensus was that non of them could be replaced as they were a unit.  But still doesn't address the " do you think if situation was different , Bonzo would of had the influence on Plant to continue eventually ?  

      Just an interesting thought :

[jsj]

Nah, I can’t see Bonham could have persuaded Plant to carry on without JPJ. I think Plant was about ready to leave and any such reason would have been enough. 

[KnightsofNi]

The more interesting question is what if Bonzo survived, could he and Page somehow overcome the addictions to save the band?

[Paganini]

On 12/5/2023 at 4:04 AM, KnightsofNi said:

The more interesting question is what if Bonzo survived, could he and Page somehow overcome the addictions to save the band?

I think they would have crawled on for another 2/3 years ..maybe an album more. In the end Plant would have had enough of the “rock gods” image and walked away to do whatever it is he does these days.