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The possible Led Zeppelin... could they have been better?


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No. The magic that happened in Zep was only possible with the four guys who were in it.

How can we know if that statement is true since Zeppelin as always lived with the 4 guys we know...

Maybe with Winwood on vocals and organ and The Ox on the bass they would still be around with 30 albums on their back and would've been as important or even bigger than Zeppelin is already...

Who knows, since it never been experienced?!...

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I'd say that Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham worked out just fine. Led Zeppelin was a machine with no interchangable parts.

This site would not even exist if Zep's lineup was any different than it was.

Chemistry.

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I think this question should be, "The Who: could they have been better?"

For me, they could have. But most Who fans love Townshend, his lyrics, and don't seem to mind the odd guitar style. I think the instrument bashing was ridiculous - I can't even listen to the live tracks that end this way...

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Maybe with Winwood on vocals and organ and The Ox on the bass they would still be around with 30 albums on their back and would've been as important or even bigger than Zeppelin is already...

I think Steve Winwood has the best voice in rock, but he is not a virtuouso (sp) on organ. I think either way, he would have desired the solo career - at some point. Entwistle could improve any group, on bass, assuming the style fits. Is the assumption that he would still be alive, if not for the Who? But you still need JPJ on organ and mandolin. And he could always be kept busy warming up the limo, during the other songs, while the Ox plays?

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I think Jeff Beck would've been'a horrible addition... besides... who wants Page's soloing time split between two :duel: players? Not me.

Page has talked in a few interviews regarding Beck's hit-and-miss consistency from way back in the Yardbirds days.., granted Beck was still young, but that doesn't make for very good live action and sucks in the studio for wasted time doing numerous takes. I forgot what interview it was, but I know its from 1977 and the nervous interviewer was riding on the Starship with the band.. if I can scrounge it up, I'll post it.

Whoever said this topic should have been titled "The Who: could they have been better?" was right on target.

Edited to add: Cool sword-fighting emoticon to drive home the point. B)

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I think Steve Winwood has the best voice in rock, but he is not a virtuouso (sp) on organ. I think either way, he would have desired the solo career - at some point. Entwistle could improve any group, on bass, assuming the style fits. Is the assumption that he would still be alive, if not for the Who? But you still need JPJ on organ and mandolin. And he could always be kept busy warming up the limo, during the other songs, while the Ox plays?

as anybody who has seen stevie winwood, he is also an excellent guitar player.....VERY underrated.

ask clapton....

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How can we know if that statement is true since Zeppelin as always lived with the 4 guys we know...

Maybe with Winwood on vocals and organ and The Ox on the bass they would still be around with 30 albums on their back and would've been as important or even bigger than Zeppelin is already...

Who knows, since it never been experienced?!...

All things happens for a reason...

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No they couldn't have been better. Led Zeppelin is the quintessential 70's band. That lineup would have been fairly popular, but we are talkin about Zeppelin here. After the Beatles and pretty well throughout the decade Zep were on top of the world.

Moon can't hang with Bonzo, Page didn't need another guitarist to stifle his creativity, Robert Plant is one of the top 3 front men of all time, and JPJ is the most tasteful, yet virtuosic bass players ever. Entwistle needs to learn how to support the music, instead of showing how good of a bass player he is.

Awesome musicians, sans Moon, imo, but that doesn't always make a great, or even good band. If musicianship ruled the music world, music would suck.

It would have been a 1 or 2 album thing. Page had too big a plans for all those egos to listen to him.

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Vocalists Donovan, Steve Winwood and Steve Marriott were also considered for the project.

Wow, with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, John Entwistle?? What a lineup! I would have loved to see that band record something. That said, I don't think you can even make the comparison "would they have been better." That lineup would have sounded completely different than anything Zeppelin recorded. Either way, Led Zeppelin turned out pretty good, in my opinion! :lol:

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I think Steve Winwood has the best voice in rock, but he is not a virtuouso (sp) on organ. I think either way, he would have desired the solo career - at some point. Entwistle could improve any group, on bass, assuming the style fits. Is the assumption that he would still be alive, if not for the Who? But you still need JPJ on organ and mandolin. And he could always be kept busy warming up the limo, during the other songs, while the Ox plays?

Love Winwood but if Plant was not there, i would have gone with Steve Marriot. I believe his voice to be a better fit.

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If Jeff Beck and Jimmy got the dueling solos worked out consistently it would have been very cool, but there isn't any way that band would have stayed together very long.

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Beck - not a plus

Moon - no way better than Bonzo

Entwistle - Most bands would be better with him, but Jonsey is pretty good in his own right.. so no.

I believe that when you really consider the magic of Led Zeppelin you have to give EQUAL reconition to the Jones/Bonham end of what they were, as much as the Page/Plant aspect.

To say that Led Zeppelin could have substituted a different base player and drummer is to deny the GODZ OF THUNDER the thunder.

Basically it's a silly question.

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Wow, with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, John Entwistle?? What a lineup! I would have loved to see that band record something.

Check the lineup playing on Beck's Bolero, not quite the same four, but almost there.

For my money, Led Zeppelin's chemistry was crucial to their sound, and no accident. Robert may not have been Jimmy's first choice but as soon as he heard him sing, he knew he had found the right man. JPJ was well known to Jimmy through the session connection. After Jimmy head Bonzo play, he was hell-bent on getting him into the band and had to bombard him with about 30 telegrams before he agreed. I can't imagine Jimmy would have gone to all that trouble if he hadn't spotted how well Bonham's drum style fitted his idea as to the Yardbirds new direction.

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