# Led Zeppelin



## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Was there ever a Led Zeppelin thread? Couldn't find out so here we go .

Favourite Led Zeppelin album?

The first 4 are packed with great music, hard to decide which one to go for here. No. 2 is definitely great, listening to it at the moment. 

Any Led Zeppelin fans?


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I like all of their albums a lot apart from In Through The Out Door which, even when allowing for the numerous problems the various band members had (and in some cases still had) in the three year interim since Presence, was hugely disappointing. 

'In The Evening' got the album off to a promising start but after that it kind of just mooched along - throwaway shuffles on the rest of side one and mainly keyboard-dominated drudgery on side two. Jimmy Page and John Bonham were having serious substance issues back then - as a result they were drifting away from the other two and quite often Robert Plant and John Paul Jones found themselves working on their own in the studio while Page and Bonham turned up later to add their parts. 

Because of Page's comparative lack of input John Paul Jones also had to uncharacteristically take up more of the songwriting slack - Jones did his best to paper over the cracks but Page's failure to bring much to the table probably explained why the usual magic was largely missing.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

In sharp contrast, I was delighted by In Through the Out Door, as it marked a return to form for the boys after the disappointing Presence. Mind you, Door was not among their best albums but Fool in the Rain and All My Love were two songs that rang my bell, and are among my favorite Zep.

For sheer quantity of great songs, Zep One reigns supreme, with Zep Three right behind, then the Runes album. My least favorite is easily Physical Graffiti-- only the fabulous Kashmir and one or two other songs redeem it IMHO.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Physical Graffiti is their masterpiece, IMO. 1 through 4 and Houses of the Holy are all really good however.

Presence and In Through the Out Door have their moments (Tea For One, Nobody's Fault But Mine, In the Evening). The latter was a bit too late 70s for my taste. And if I never hear All of My Love again, it will be too soon.

As much as I like Zep, they had a whiff of Spinal Tap about them, plus some 70s bloat.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

+HBtC Have you exhausted Haydn already 

Yup, I was into LZ as a child, around the same time as UH :lol: Oddly, I still have a more favourable impression of them today, even if I have none of their albums currently. The first one was very bluesy and I never got into it as much. My favourites were II, III and IV. Stairway to Heaven still makes me puke. I think it got overplayed so much that after 40 years, I still haven't gotten over it... and it always seemed sort of corny, didn't it?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I agree with Elvis Costello. Led Zeppelin were complete charlatans. That said, I do like some of their stuff, but I've heard it enough for three lifetimes, so I don't listen anymore.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I enjoy individual songs rather than entire albums. I lean toward the longer anthemic or majestic pieces like Kashmir, No Quarter, Dazed and Confused, Battle of Evermore and Immigrant Song. I rarely enjoy their forays into country or acoustic blues, but love the spooky blues of the first album. 

I would count myself a fan but for hard rock from that era I usually prefer ensembles incorporating the mighty Hammond B3, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep or Steppenwolf, etc.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Was there ever a Led Zeppelin thread? Couldn't find out so here we go .
> 
> Favourite Led Zeppelin album?
> 
> ...


Mothership. I can't believe that no one has mentioned Mothership yet! Oh... because it's a compilation album. :lol:


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

The posts so far show again the usual wide variation that exemplifies people's reactions to virtually every piece of art or music--de gustibus is and can be the only response to such diversity, even eccentricity, of tastes. My situation is that I never outgrow any music or art or literature, unlike so many other posters who have "moved on" to more mature objects of their affection. Me, I just add the new stuff to the old in the memory banks--as I once posted before, maybe I never grew up; I only got older. The benefit is that I have a vast store of past and proven things that have delighted me, and they can be counted on to delight me again and again. De gustibus, indeed!


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

I saw them live at Earls Court 1975 and although I loved all their albums, wasn't that impressed. It was good but...and they had an incredible reputation for the concerts at that time. Since then the film came out and they released a live tripple, but it seems to me my reaction was probably correct, at least for me.

Agree with 'Stairway' being of only minor interest and played to death and in truth I don't listen to them much at all these days.

The music of 70's, the time of my teenage years, hasn't aged like fine wine. (Feel free to call me a hpocrite next time I say something about generalising. )


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

One other point.

Prior to Led Zep Jimmy Page was the goto london sesion man. Played on an incredible variety of tunes and showed great versatilty (I think there's a wiki page on this). Afterwards he's done nothing other than remastering his old glories?

Plant and JP Jones (another ex session man) have done intersting things but it leads me to wonder if he ever really recovered from his addiction?


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

I love Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin II was the first rock album I bought (1971) and I still love it.

I agree with Elgar's Ghost that In Through The Out Door had some poor stuff on it.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I think Zep was the ultimate studio band. Having heard the album(s), it was not difficult to be a little disappointed in concert--Page's genius truly was manifested in the studio. That is maybe why Rush is at pains to have their concerts duplicate if not surpass what's on their albums.


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

Ah my misspent youth listening to far too much Zeppelin. I still love all the records up to Physical Graffiti and always will. Yeah, they ripped off music from others and there is a big cheese factor. It was the 70's  But those transgressions don't prevent me from enjoying their original moments. Page was brilliant in the studio and the power of Bonham's drumming at moments still takes me by surprise today. And I'm just one of those guys who likes Plant's voice. Oh well, I'm a fan :lol:


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Strange Magic said:


> The posts so far show again the usual wide variation that exemplifies people's reactions to virtually every piece of art or music--de gustibus is and can be the only response to such diversity, even eccentricity, of tastes. My situation is that I never outgrow any music or art or literature, unlike so many other posters who have "moved on" to more mature objects of their affection. Me, I just add the new stuff to the old in the memory banks--as I once posted before, maybe I never grew up; I only got older. The benefit is that I have a vast store of past and proven things that have delighted me, and they can be counted on to delight me again and again. De gustibus, indeed!


Indeed, I've never understood the "growing out of" people boast about. That would be like never visiting your parents again -- unthinkable. Like you, I just grow outward.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

starthrower said:


> I agree with Elvis Costello. Led Zeppelin were complete charlatans. That said, I do like some of their stuff, but I've heard it enough for three lifetimes, so I don't listen anymore.


I'm curious about what you and Elvis mean by this. Plagiarists, yes, but charlatans?

I liked them as a child but lost interest after the first four, which is not to say that the later stuff isn't good - it's just that I went on to other things. They could play the blues, which was a solid foundation for the rest of their work. And they had range. Each album had a distinct character and there were always huge contrasts of mood and style among the songs.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Weston said:


> Indeed, I've never understood the "growing out of" people boast about. That would be like never visiting your parents again -- unthinkable. Like you, I just grow outward.


I liked Johny Cash when I was seven years old. The feeling passed - thankfully.  I can still appreciate LZ, but it doesn't speak for me anymore. I don't ever sit down to listen to it now because I can play it back in my head or on my guitar. I just know it too well.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I've often wondered how Zep would have fared during the 80s had Bonzo's death not intervened - many of the 60s/70s Old Guard who carried on through the 80s found themselves having to modify (or compromise) their style in an attempt to remain 'relevant'. Twinned with the 80s penchant for over-production as digital technology took hold this policy produced some decidedly dodgy results and I'm not sure how convincingly Zeppelin could have responded to the challenge, especially if ITTOD was some kind of initial signpost. Pure speculation of course, but maybe after 12 years they just didn't have enough left in the locker?


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Judging by what Page did without Plant in the 80s and early 90s they probably quit at the right time.

There are bits of Walking Into Clarksdale that I quite like.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> I've often wondered how Zep would have fared during the 80s had Bonzo's death not intervened - many of the 60s/70s Old Guard who carried on through the 80s found themselves having to modify (or compromise) their style in an attempt to remain 'relevant'. Twinned with the 80s penchant for over-production as digital technology took hold this policy produced some decidedly dodgy results and I'm not sure how convincingly Zeppelin could have responded to the challenge, especially if ITTOD was some kind of initial signpost. Pure speculation of course, but maybe after 12 years they just didn't have enough left in the locker?


They'd have dyed their hair blue, donned skinny ties, and played new wave blues.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Is it possible that in a sense they were influenced by Wagner? I know it's a very weird question, but when I listen what I consider their two best songs (Achilles last stand and Kashmir) I think that their appeal is due a lot of the unresolved tension that is something that I tend to associate to Tristan and Isolde.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Some people know when to get out. The Police made 5 great albums, then turned off the machine. In Led Zep's case, the death of Bonham served the same purpose--to call a halt while everybody still had the juice. Others become parodies of themselves. But a few manage to keep it going, even doing mostly Greatest Hits, because their stuff is that good, and the fans never quit: think Bruce, and Rush.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

EdwardBast said:


> I'm curious about what you and Elvis mean by this. Plagiarists, yes, but charlatans?


I suppose they were sincere in their plagarism? I don't know?


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

starthrower said:


> I suppose they were sincere in their plagarism? I don't know?


I'd say they were. They only plagiarized things they could play the hell out of.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

norman bates said:


> Is it possible that in a sense they were influenced by Wagner? I know it's a very weird question, but when I listen what I consider their two best songs (Achilles last stand and Kashmir) I think that their appeal is due a lot of the unresolved tension that is something that I tend to associate to Tristan and Isolde.


They were heavily influenced by The Lord of the Rings, which has been discussed and compared with Wagner in several TC threads - which makes my comparison even more tenuous than yours I guess


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

EdwardBast said:


> They were heavily influenced by The Lord of the Rings, which has been discussed and compared with Wagner in several TC threads - which makes my comparison even more tenuous than yours I guess


I don't know about that, but I'm not talking about the imaginary but more of the musical aspect. If I'm correct what makes Wagner particularly innovative was the unresolved harmony that gives his music that sense of suspension and... longing (I'm not sure if it's the correct word). And I wonder if that could be seen as something that influenced them.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

EdwardBast said:


> I'd say they were. They only plagiarized things they could play the hell out of.


I was being facetious. Claiming authorship on one tune would be forgiveable, but they did it too many times. And with material written by contemporary artists.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

starthrower said:


> I was being facetious. Claiming authorship on one tune would be forgiveable, but they did it too many times. And with material written by contemporary artists.


Yes they did it many times, and I think that especially Jimmy Page is definitely not an example of correctness (it must be said that they weren't alone in this, musicians like Miles Davis did it too and with the guys of his own bands). But they have also musical merits.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

norman bates said:


> musicians like Miles Davis did it too and with the guys of his own bands).


A bandleader taking credit for a sideman's musical idea is not the same as putting your name on published material.


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

starthrower said:


> A bandleader taking credit for a sideman's musical idea is not the same as putting your name on published material.


I think it is really, it's just much harder to prove.

Just ask Billy Strayhorn, Mick Taylor etc. etc. etc.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

starthrower said:


> A bandleader taking credit for a sideman's musical idea is not the same as putting your name on published material.


to me it seems exactly the same. Maybe it could be even worse because you're damaging someone you know personally.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Now, now, boys—no need to get worked up over a rock band that played blues tunes with sloppy electric guitar.

Not to mention their horribly tacky 'lyrics'.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

starthrower said:


> A bandleader taking credit for a sideman's musical idea is not the same as putting your name on published material.


Yes, but Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter weren't side men. Shorter was as important to Davis as Strayhorn was to Ellington, or perhaps even more so.

But of course, in many cases, you are right in a legal sense. I'm pretty sure Zappa had a contractual arrangement with his players whereby anything written for his bands was a work for hire with the copyright going to Zappa. Does anyone know for sure?


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

EdwardBast said:


> Yes, but Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter weren't side men. Shorter was as important to Davis as Strayhorn was to Ellington, or perhaps even more so.
> 
> But of course, in many cases, you are right in a legal sense. I'm pretty sure Zappa had a contractual arrangement with his players whereby anything written for his bands was a work for hire with the copyright going to Zappa. Does anyone know for sure?


Zappa vs Zeppelin - What say ye?


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Maybe Zep should have subtitled many of their songs "Variations on a Theme by [Insert Name]", like the CM guys did. Dead? Alive? Given the results (end justifying means), Zep gets a pass from me anyway: My Sweet Lord/He's So Fine notwithstanding.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Talking about Zep not giving due credit to original sources on certain tracks reminds me of when I bought LZII back in 1977 - the inside of the gatefold sleeve said track three on side one was called 'The Lemon Song' whereas the label on the disc said it was 'Killing Floor'. Like a lot of kids I came to the original blues only after hearing white boy hard rock first so I didn't smell a rat then.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Morimur said:


> Now, now, boys-no need to get worked up over a rock band that played blues tunes with sloppy electric guitar.
> 
> Not to mention their horribly tacky 'lyrics'.


Page's playing wasn't that sloppy, actually - Santana was more 'sloppy', though his sloppiness does have its charm, and he is a great musician. Led Zep's lyrics aren't much, here I have to agree, but it's not the point - most of their lyrics are heavily blues-influenced, and as such only serve as a canvas.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

brotagonist said:


> +HBtC Have you exhausted Haydn already
> 
> Yup, I was into LZ as a child, around the same time as UH :lol: Oddly, I still have a more favourable impression of them today, even if I have none of their albums currently. The first one was very bluesy and I never got into it as much. My favourites were II, III and IV. Stairway to Heaven still makes me puke. I think it got overplayed so much that after 40 years, I still haven't gotten over it... and it always seemed sort of corny, didn't it?


Haydn can never be exhausted! Was just listening to his amazing Seasons today - BUT, I am coming back to my musical roots, which is rock music, to add some variety to the listening experience .


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> Talking about Zep not giving due credit to original sources on certain tracks reminds me of when I bought LZII back in 1977 - the inside of the gatefold sleeve said track three on side one was called 'The Lemon Song' whereas the label on the disc said it was 'Killing Floor'. Like a lot of kids I came to the original blues only after hearing white boy hard rock first so I didn't smell a rat then.


Are you sure there was a rat to smell? I'm not. The Willie Dixon covers (at least they had the good sense not to claim those) on the first album are not "white boy hard rock." They are real blues, performed with real soul and respect for the sources. And if working class British boys of that era don't have some sort of a claim to the blues, few do.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Zep wasn't the only band to recycle material. Deep Purple's "Child in Time" is almost a carbon copy of It's a Beautiful Day's "Bombay Calling." I like both songs. \

I prefer Zep's terrifying version of "Dazed and Confused" to the original, Jake Holmes.

Plus there were those guys back in the baroque days, Bach, and Avison, maybe Handel too, who all achieved -- inspiration let's say -- from others' works.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I used to think Robert Plant was trying to channel Janis Joplin and was doing a pretty good job of it.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Zeppelin ceased to interest me sometime in my mid twenties. However I've some respect for Plant who managed to forge quite a respectable career as a solo artist—no easy task given what came before it.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

EdwardBast said:


> Are you sure there was a rat to smell? I'm not. The Willie Dixon covers (at least they had the good sense not to claim those) on the first album are not "white boy hard rock." They are real blues, performed with real soul and respect for the sources. And if working class British boys of that era don't have some sort of a claim to the blues, few do.


Hmm...obviously I didn't make myself very clear there - the rat I meant was the discrepancy between the 'Lemon Song'/'Killing Floor' song titles which gave me the impression that LZ were claiming the song as more their own with the former, certainly not the way in which blues was performed by UK rock acts (Zeppelin included). It was thanks to groups like Zeppelin, Canned Heat and the Stones which prompted me to investigate the original versions in due course.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Weston said:


> I used to think Robert Plant was trying to channel Janis Joplin and was doing a pretty good job of it.


Same here, his singing style immediately reminded me of Janis Joplin. I do like Robert Plant's singing though, his style fit the band very well.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Weston said:


> Zep wasn't the only band to recycle material. Deep Purple's "Child in Time" is almost a carbon copy of It's a Beautiful Day's "Bombay Calling." I like both songs. \
> 
> I prefer Zep's terrifying version of "Dazed and Confused" to the original, Jake Holmes.
> 
> Plus there were those guys back in the baroque days, Bach, and Avison, maybe Handel too, who all achieved -- inspiration let's say -- from others' works.


I have to admit here that I like Bach's organ concertos better than Vivaldi's originals.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Until I bought Physical Graffiti on CD I didn't know that about half-an-hour's worth of music was from earlier sessions - just goes to show how creative they were up until then and I'm glad they found an outlet for the surplus material.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

I actually like some of Coda, especially "We're Gonna Groove".


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Morimur said:


> Now, now, boys-no need to get worked up over a rock band that played blues tunes with sloppy electric guitar.
> .


I should be so sloppy!

There is a dvd available called "It might get loud." It is mostly Jack White, U2's The Edge and Jimmy page talking about their music and jamming. There is much pretentious wrangling, from all three to be honest, but there is one really telling moment when page launches into the "Whole lot of Love " Riff. The look on the other two's faces say it all... 
Its a great dvd actually.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^

God knows what the Edge is doing in that kind of company - a guitarist who uses more technology than the Kennedy Space Centre and still sounding little more than a Keith Levine rip-off for the last 35 years.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> ^
> ^
> 
> God knows what the Edge is doing in that kind of company - a guitarist who uses more technology than the Kennedy Space Centre and still sounding little more than a Keith Levine rip-off for the last 35 years.


Yeah, he sounds like an amateur here. Whatever happened to the great guitar playing he's famous for?


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Yeah, he sounds like an amateur here. Whatever happened to the great guitar playing he's famous for?


I don't know - I'm still waiting to hear it. :devil:


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> I don't know - I'm still waiting to hear it. :devil:


Hehe, you can't judge a rock guitarist by 'classical' standards, rock is meant to be somewhat 'rough around the edges' and that constitutes its charm - it's just that the scene of Page playing a bad-sounding version of 'Whole Lotta Love' (a beginner's riff in itself which pretty much 'anyone' can play) and that causing some kind of pretentious 'admiration' from non-rock (in the true sense) musicians is somewhat cheezy.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I think we may be at cross purposes - I was referring to The Edge rather than JP.


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## Beethoven456 (Dec 21, 2015)

im a fan go led zeppelin


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

This Wednesday (30/12/15) there is a 2 hour programme on Radio 2: Johnnie Walker meets Jimmy Page.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I'm a huge fan, I consider their music timeless in the same kind of sense as I consider the great classical music. While I might agree that they should have credited some of their songs differently, I am not really convinced they ripped off more than many other great artists throughout history. At any rate I don't think any other band sounds like Zeppelin, they are quite unique.

I remember Costello claimed Morrissey wrote great song titles, but bad lyrics. Basically, since I read that I don't take his opinions on music very seriously. Reading his comments in this thread on Zeppelin, just re-confirms that for me.

In regards the comments on _It Might Get Loud_, I think the reason The Edge's guitar seems a little out of place in the clip is because his playing style is so different from the other two. Page is very bluesy, and Jack White's style is not really anything that is evolved past '70's bluesy rock. The Edge is a more original and important guitarist than JW, and although I haven't really been too interested in any of U2's music since their mid-90's stuff, in my opinion Jack White is the guitarist that doesn't really belong in the same room as the other two as far as musical contributions go. He does have an interesting personality though so some of the clips from the film he was in were entertaining.

Edit - my favorite Zeppelin album is IV, but I think the first 6 (7 if you count PG as 2) are all close and Achilles Last Stand off Presence should also be mentioned as one of their best songs.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Zeppelin = Relic of the 70s.

Beethoven is timeless. Zeppelin? Meh.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Morimur said:


> Zeppelin = Relic of the 70s.
> 
> Beethoven is timeless. Zeppelin? Meh.


I like a number of pieces by Beethoven, but over all find him harmonically bland, bombastic and over-rated. I listen to more Zeppelin and they are more important to me personally musically, than Beethoven. I do prefer Bach to Zeppelin though.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

elgars ghost said:


> ^
> ^
> 
> God knows what the Edge is doing in that kind of company - a guitarist who uses more technology than the Kennedy Space Centre and still sounding little more than a Keith Levine rip-off for the last 35 years.


The Edge is filthy rich. I am sure his crappy guitar playing is the last thing on his mind-he's too busy buying sh*te.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

tdc said:


> I like a number of pieces by Beethoven, but over all find him harmonically bland, bombastic and over-rated. I listen to more Zeppelin and they are more important to me personally musically, than Beethoven. I do prefer Bach to Zeppelin though.


Lucky for you I am not dictator of the world, otherwise you'd get 20 years hard labor for that comment.

Teehee!


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Hehe, you can't judge a rock guitarist by 'classical' standards, rock is meant to be somewhat 'rough around the edges' and that constitutes its charm - it's just that the scene of Page playing a bad-sounding version of 'Whole Lotta Love' (a beginner's riff in itself which pretty much 'anyone' can play) and that causing some kind of pretentious 'admiration' from non-rock (in the true sense) musicians is somewhat cheezy.


For the most part, rock 'musicians' are inept morons.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Morimur said:


> For the most part, rock 'musicians' are inept morons.


Well some classical musicians are a bit out of their element in anything other than playing music. 8 hours of practicing a day can lead to a little bit of unbalance in one's life.

On the other hand I think it would take a highly intelligent individual to assemble a group of musicians like Zeppelin and to produce those albums in that way. Not just anyone could accomplish something like that in the studio.

Most classical musicians would probably be a little out of their element in that respect.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Morimur said:


> For the most part, rock 'musicians' are inept morons.


The guy on your avatar isn't too smart either.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Morimur said:


> Lucky for you I am not dictator of the world, otherwise you'd get 20 years hard labor for that comment.
> 
> Teehee!


Lucky for all of us. Good old Morimur! TeeHee indeed.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> The guy on your avatar isn't too smart either.


Actually, he's extremely intelligent. Do a little research. But that hardly matters-he _is_ creepy looking, and that's why he makes a great avatar.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Morimur said:


> Actually, he's extremely intelligent. Do a little research. But that hardly matters-he _is_ creepy looking, and that's why he makes a great avatar.


Right ... you do realize your comment was just cheap trolling?


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Morimur said:


> For the most part, rock 'musicians' are inept morons.


Oi! who are you calling "Inept?"


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Badinerie said:


> Oi! who are you calling "Inept?"


The guy obviously doesn't really know much about rock music .


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

I was a total Led Zeppelin fan in my youth. I learned to play several songs and riffs on the guitar. I would listen to their music for hours a day. Now I listen to a few songs a year. I can't remember the last time I listened to an entire album. But every time I listen I can't stop myself from playing air guitar and pretending I'm Jimmy Page. 

Some people aren't so keen on the acoustic guitar on side two of III, but I love it. Achilles Last Stand is fantastic and I still have the brown paper back that In Through the Out Door came in. ITTOD was their first album I bought, the year was 1980 and I was 15. In the '80s I spent more time listening to music from the 70s. I've always thought I was born ten years to late.


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

senza sordino said:


> I In the '80s I spent more time listening to music from the 70s. I've always thought I was born ten years to late.


It seems to me that in the 70's my friends and I spent more time listening to music from the 60's. At the time I wondered if I had been born 10 years to late. Seems like it may be a familiar feeling.


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

Time is merciless...






... but Jimmy is really Power here


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

When i was smokin and trippin and thats all that i did...Zeppelin was then played all the time. use to hang w/ a motorcycle gang and they loved Black dog etc. listen to them so much back then. now just don't care. mayb "over the hills and far away". did you know if one plays "Stairway to heaven" back wards its SATANIC!:devil:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

clara s said:


> Time is merciless...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Still very nice, though.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Still very nice, though.


Those are the hairiest women I've ever seen.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

Such a great band. One of the greatest in rock hystory. I've been listening a lot of Zeppelin in the last days and it's difficult to choose one favorite album.
Nevertheless I'll say that Led Zeppelin II might be my favorite one. I simply love each of that songs really.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Heliogabo said:


> Such a great band. One of the greatest in rock hystory. I've been listening a lot of Zeppelin in the last days and it's difficult to choose one favorite album.
> Nevertheless I'll say that Led Zeppelin II might be my favorite one. I simply love each of that songs really.


Would probably be mine as well had they not turned Moby Dick into a drum solo - Moby Dick is actually a great riff in search of a song. Great as John Bonham was, I have little tolerance for rock drum solos - especially on studio albums.


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## Templeton (Dec 20, 2014)

I'm a little late in joining the party but hey, what's new.

I was a huge fan of Led Zep, when I was younger and attending the first Knebworth concert, in 1979, when I was just fourteen, remains one of the highlights of my youth. In fact, just thinking about it now, makes the hairs on my neck stand up.

I was too young for the Isle of White festival and Woodstock, as well as being in the wrong country for the latter, so Knebworth was my equivalent, along with 120,000-200,000 others, depending upon whom you believe. Almost missed my coach home to Liverpool, as trying to find my way around Stevenage, a town I had never visited before, at 1:30, in the morning, was no easy task. At that age, however, I didn't care, as I had just seen the biggest and best rock band in the world, and well, I was quite happy to hitch-hike home.

If anybody has seen the film 'Almost Famous' and can identify with it, then they will understand how I felt.

Whilst I am not sure that one can truly compare the likes of Zeppelin to Beethoven, Haydn, etc., I do think that appreciating the effort that went into producing their sounds subsequently led me into enjoying and appreciating classical music more. I'm not sure, if I had just listened to lighter, more fluffy music, I would have followed a similar path but who knows.

I don't listen to them much, these days, as my music tastes are almost exclusively classical but every now and then I can appreciate a nostalgic journey down memory lane and the still vivid memories of that sultry August evening, all those years ago.

Here's my favourite Zeppelin track:


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

ldiat said:


> When i was smokin and trippin and thats all that i did...Zeppelin was then played all the time. use to hang w/ a motorcycle gang and they loved Black dog etc. listen to them so much back then. now just don't care. mayb "over the hills and far away". did you know if one plays "Stairway to heaven" back wards its SATANIC!:devil:


As I understand, the seventees were a quite intense decade

everything was lived in full...

so, if you go down the stairway, you go straight to hell huh?


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Still very nice, though.


yes, this is true

you can see in the video, that although almost seventy, 
their soul wants to fly...

they enjoy every minute of the song


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

clara s said:


> As I understand, the seventees were a quite intense decade


Oh yes.....strange crazy times, even in the north east of England. Sordid yet splendid. I loved it. And led zeppelin. 
When I was a gigging guitarist we could always get 'em going with Rock and Roll or Communication Breakdown.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

clara s said:


> yes, this is true
> 
> you can see in the video, that although almost seventy,
> their soul wants to fly...
> ...


I was moved by it regardless of the singer's age. Many times it's better for me to listen to a recording. The visuals can sometimes spoil the mood.

They are all aging: The Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon.

Imagine what The Beatles would look like now if by some magic they could be performing together in 2016.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I share Templeton's ranking of _Kashmir_ as Zeppelin's best of their many fantastic tracks. It goes a long way to being a definition of grandeur in rock. My impression is that _Kashmir_ holds first rank in the Zeppelin oeuvre among almost all Led Zep fans. It's interesting and rewarding that many of the great classics in the rock/pop canon have received many of their finest performances at concerts of their original artists in later years, when there are even more musical resources brought to bear on those performances, and the artists now have a seasoned and mature insight into the workings of the song. For example, the live concert version of Fleetwood Mac's _Go Your Own Way_, captured in The Dance video and CD is an example; also the Shea Stadium concert version of Billy Joel's _Captain Jack_ that I recently posted. YouTube is truly wonderful, and has brought about a Golden Age in captured music performance, in every area of music.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Templeton: _'I was a huge fan of Led Zep, when I was younger and attending the first Knebworth concert, in 1979, when I was just fourteen, remains one of the highlights of my youth. In fact, just thinking about it now, makes the hairs on my neck stand up.'_

Nice post, Templeton. This was my first big festival and, like you, still have many vivid memories. LZ themselves weren't on vintage form - they were especially rusty to begin with after their inactivity over the previous two years but the _significance_ of their appearance transcended any misgivings about the performance. Openers Fairport Convention played a great set - such a shame that the majority of the crowd ignored or, in some cases, barracked them (pretty small-minded thing to do when you consider Zep's own folk leanings).


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

clara s said:


> As I understand, the seventees were a quite intense decade
> 
> everything was lived in full...
> 
> so, if you go down the stairway, you go straight to hell huh?


I only know about the 70's, 80's and 90's from what I read in the history books.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

clara s said:


> so, if you go down the stairway, you go straight to hell huh?


Joni Mitchell told us about going down, down, down the dark ladder....


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Strange Magic said:


> Joni Mitchell told us about going down, down, down the dark ladder....


_"The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."_ - C. S. Lewis


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Morimur said:


> _"The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."_ - C. S. Lewis


Wonder what he meant by "safest" road?


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Strange Magic said:


> Wonder what he meant by "safest" road?


"Surest" road.
************


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## Templeton (Dec 20, 2014)

elgars ghost said:


> LZ themselves weren't on vintage form - they were especially rusty to begin with after their inactivity over the previous two years but the _significance_ of their appearance transcended any misgivings about the performance. Openers Fairport Convention played a great set - such a shame that the majority of the crowd ignored or, in some cases, barracked them (pretty small-minded thing to do when you consider Zep's own folk leanings).


The great thing about being just fourteen, at the time, is that any rustiness, on the part of LZ, was completely overlooked by a kid, who was totally carried along by the magic and excitement of the occasion. Seeing Led Zep in 1979 was, in some ways, the seventies equivalent of seeing The Beatles play on top of the Apple building, in London, in 1969. Both, pretty well farewell concerts for the bands and the first time that either had performed in the UK, for several years.

At that age, so much is new and exciting and the naivety of youth can be so exhilarating. I thought that Cameron Crowe captured both sensationally in the film that I mentioned earlier, 'Almost Famous' and that is exactly how I felt, at the time.

In terms of the other bands, that day, I do recall Fairport Convention but had forgotten about the barracking; I wasn't part of that, I hasten to add. More memorable were Todd Rundgren and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Dukes, who were contemporaries of Bruce Springsteen, as I recall.

I was very close to the front, so as you can imagine, another reason for it to remain long in the memory. Fantastic times and great to hear from somebody else that was there too. Thanks for sharing.


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

Badinerie said:


> Oh yes.....strange crazy times, even in the north east of England. Sordid yet splendid. I loved it. And led zeppelin.
> When I was a gigging guitarist we could always get 'em going with Rock and Roll or Communication Breakdown.


now you said the proper words "rock and roll"

Led Zeppelin WERE the rock and roll in all is glory

Rock and Roll song proves it undoubtly

I wish I could find a time machine somewhere


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

hpowders said:


> I was moved by it regardless of the singer's age. Many times it's better for me to listen to a recording. The visuals can sometimes spoil the mood.
> 
> They are all aging: The Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon.
> 
> Imagine what The Beatles would look like now if by some magic they could be performing together in 2016.


Robert Plant sings still well

I have seen a few videos, nice

the mood might be spoiled when we expect something different from what we actually see

I suppose that every age has got its good and bad sides

reunion of the Beatles in 2016? probably using a stairway to Heaven...


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

hpowders said:


> I only know about the 70's, 80's and 90's from what I read in the history books.


already a teenager or even younger? hahaha


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

Strange Magic said:


> Joni Mitchell told us about going down, down, down the dark ladder....


very good songwriter

the lyrics of this song remind me the poetry of Jim Morrison, which I like very much

have you read his "american prayer"?


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

clara s said:


> now you said the proper words "rock and roll"
> 
> Led Zeppelin WERE the rock and roll in all is glory
> 
> ...


I've posted about this before, but I find myself regarding all music I like as "classical music" in this sense: for me, it exists very largely outside of time. Consider: let's say we like the music of Mozart (put in whatever name you prefer here); let's say we listen to or watch or attend a performance of the Symphonia Concertante and we're sitting there, awash in the music. Are we simultaneously fretting over the fact that Mozart has been dead these several centuries? Are we despondent that we first heard this piece some decades ago? No. Mozart is dead, but lives. Bach is dead, but lives. Baroque music, or Late Romantic music, is dead, but lives. No hand-wringing over lost time, passed youth, no whiff of nostalgia, as I refer to it. I have the same view of all the other musics I like--many of them may be dead, but live today, as CDs, on YouTube. So, for me, Rock lives; Doo-*** lives; traditional cante flamenco lives; Grunge lives. As Kaa said often, "All One."


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

clara s said:


> now you said the proper words "rock and roll"
> 
> Led Zeppelin WERE the rock and roll in all is glory
> 
> ...


Time machine, yes. Don't we all! I'd go back and patch up mistakes.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

clara s said:


> already a teenager or even younger? hahaha


Only with the help of your time machine.


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

Strange Magic said:


> I've posted about this before, but I find myself regarding all music I like as "classical music" in this sense: for me, it exists very largely outside of time. Consider: let's say we like the music of Mozart (put in whatever name you prefer here); let's say we listen to or watch or attend a performance of the Symphonia Concertante and we're sitting there, awash in the music. Are we simultaneously fretting over the fact that Mozart has been dead these several centuries? Are we despondent that we first heard this piece some decades ago? No. Mozart is dead, but lives. Bach is dead, but lives. Baroque music, or Late Romantic music, is dead, but lives. No hand-wringing over lost time, passed youth, no whiff of nostalgia, as I refer to it. I have the same view of all the other musics I like--many of them may be dead, but live today, as CDs, on YouTube. So, for me, Rock lives; Doo-*** lives; traditional cante flamenco lives; Grunge lives. As Kaa said often, "All One."


totally agree with you

the sense of "diachronic" music breaks all time barriers

but there is a small difference in the case when a musician after 40 years, sees somebody else
performing his great success

and what I like, is the psychological side of the fact
a cycle closes, a curtain drops but the music lives for ever

because I would not want to say "When the music is over, turn out the lights"


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Only with the help of your time machine.


still doubting about clara's technological achievements?

which mistakes would you fix?


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

clara s said:


> still doubting about clara's technological achievements?
> 
> which mistakes would you fix?


Ha! Ha! Why a serious relationship gone bad, of course!


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## PenaColada (Jul 30, 2015)

Led Zeppelin are a great band, Led Zeppelin IV and Houses of the Holy are especially rad!


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Currently working my way through the LP's Houses of the Holy. 'Rain Song' on now. When all my mates were murdering 'Stairway' on their cheap guitars in the 70's I was murdering one this Ha!


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Favourite album? Don't know, nos. 1-4 are all so solid, nos. 3/4 probably being my overall favourites, with 2 close behind and 1 close behind 2.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Too much good stuff with Led Zep to choose one album, but funnily enough Rock and Roll is far and away my favourite song by them


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Haydn man said:


> Too much good stuff with Led Zep to choose one album, but funnily enough Rock and Roll is far and away my favourite song by them


A nice, straight-up rocker. Excellent .


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Led Zeppelin are probably my favourite rock and roll band. There are so many great songs, great solos, great moments. I've always loved The Song Remains the Same, Achilles Last Stand, Since I've been loving you.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

senza sordino said:


> I've always loved The Song Remains the Same, Achilles Last Stand, Since I've been loving you.


These are three very distinguished choices. :tiphat:

A true Zep fan is one that can really appreciate The Song Remains the Same, I've always thought.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I didn't 'get' most Zeppelin (apart from the heavier tracks and the 4 Symbols album) until the early 80s so I missed out on them at Knebworth. I find some Zeppelin albums patchy (In Through the Out Door and Presence being the worst two, IMO). Favourite tracks are still Achilles Last Stand (by far the best track on Presence), Kashmir, Dazed and Confused (another 'stolen' song) and No Quarter. IV / 4 Symbols / whatever is still my favourite album but I always skip Stairway to (f*ckin) Heaven' cos I'm sick to death of hearing it.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

This has been interesting. I just purchased my first Zep album, Physical Graffiti, at a thrift store for $1, mostly because someone called it one of the 50 albums you must hear before you die. Personally, I only listen to Custard Pie, Kashmir, and In My Time of Dying. Are there other tracks I need to pay attention to?


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Manxfeeder said:


> This has been interesting. I just purchased my first Zep album, Physical Graffiti, at a thrift store for $1, mostly because someone called it one of the 50 albums you must hear before you die. Personally, I only listen to Custard Pie, Kashmir, and In My Time of Dying. Are there other tracks I need to pay attention to?


Down By The Seaside and In The Light are worth a listen.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Manxfeeder said:


> This has been interesting. I just purchased my first Zep album, Physical Graffiti, at a thrift store for $1, mostly because someone called it one of the 50 albums you must hear before you die. Personally, I only listen to Custard Pie, Kashmir, and In My Time of Dying. Are there other tracks I need to pay attention to?


The Rover and Trampled Under Foot are the highlights for me, but I like pretty much all of it.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I learned to play the Rain Song years ago. I forget the tuning. Sometimes the boys could be a bit embarrassing with all of the sexual bravado and strutting about the stage. I'd rather listen to them than watch them.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Manxfeeder said:


> This has been interesting. I just purchased my first Zep album, Physical Graffiti, at a thrift store for $1, mostly because someone called it one of the 50 albums you must hear before you die. Personally, I only listen to Custard Pie, Kashmir, and In My Time of Dying. Are there other tracks I need to pay attention to?


Physical Graffiti ranks near the bottom of my list of Zep albums, for the paucity of good songs; Kashmir and The Rover being the great exceptions. Led Zeps One and Three have the highest percentage of great songs, with Zep One being one of the most astonishing first albums in rock history. Led Zeppelin: a strong case could be made for the proposition that they represented a summit of the genre , certainly revealed in the richness and variation of textural detail of almost every song, when compared with the vocal-with-rhythm-track-and-obligatory-guitar-splash formula of so much other rock and pop.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Strange Magic said:


> Zep One being one of the most astonishing first albums in rock history.


Love the first notes of that album. The punchy guitar sound, and bonzo's innovative drum work.

I rarely ever listen to Physical Graffiti.


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