OT: 50 years ago today, Led Zeppelin I

Submitted by Larry Appleton on January 12th, 2019 at 3:52 PM

C228EF19-E379-47F5-8022-69C0AEE7979C.gifAnd thus began the career of the greatest hard rock band there ever was or ever will be.

I’d put I as their third-best album, after 4 and Houses of the Holy and right ahead of II and Physical Grafitti. 

B-Nut-GoBlue

January 12th, 2019 at 4:39 PM ^

Lulz at stairway to heaven or whatever other fucking songs people think they 'ripped off'....classically trained musicians used some chords/chord progressions other bands had used...and Stairway is a compete ripoff as if the rest of the song doesn't slay and is quiiiite original.  Dudes could rock and clearly had influences but the new fun/hipster thing is to say is Zeppelin were copycats.

Kick Out The Jams

January 12th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^

The people saying Zeppelin were copycats aren't talking about similar chord progressions.  They're talking about Page taking songs like "Dazed and Confused", written and performed by Jake Holmes on his 1967 album "The Above Ground Sound", giving it an electric arrangement and claiming that he (Page) wrote it.

Page took Davy Graham's arrangement (damn near note for note) of the traditional song "She Moved Through The Fair", played it on a Danelectro electric, renamed it "White Summer", and claimed he wrote it.

There are other examples (listen to the beginning of The Small Faces version of Willie Dixon's "You Need Love").  I'm pointing this out as a fan, by the way.  I own most of Zeppelin's albums, and have for decades.  Saw them in the 70's, one of the best shows I've ever seen.  Page is and was an incredible musician, I don't understand to this day why he felt the need to steal songs.

Dogtownblue2010

January 12th, 2019 at 8:20 PM ^

Yup. Its not about whether they made the songs they copied better, its about crediting the original creators of the music. 10 out of 11 of the songs on LZ 1 are confirmed covers (and its NOT simple chord progressions, its words aligned with musical composition and melody) whose creators were never even credited with.  I've included a link to Howard Stern talking about it and doing a side-by-side comparison. Its part 1, you'll have to find part 2 yourself...

http://youtu.be/Cdr8PtUPIPo

Chaco

January 12th, 2019 at 9:40 PM ^

Some other notable albums from 1969:

- debuts by Chicago, YES, Crosby Stills & Nash, & King Crimson

- Tommy by The Who

- Velvet Underground’s “Velvet Ubderground”

- Aoxomoxoa by the Gratefeul Dead

- My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder

- Space Oddity by David Bowie

- Let it Bleed by The Rolling Stones 

- Led Zeppelin II

NFG

January 12th, 2019 at 4:02 PM ^

Greta Van Fleet is from my hometown. There’s a lot of discussion out there how that group is copying Led Zeppelin’s musical approach and style.  Either way you look at it both groups are highly successful from it.

ColoradoBlue

January 12th, 2019 at 5:53 PM ^

I'm really digging Greta Van Fleet.  They look like a bunch of weenies, but I think the songwriting is terrific and the albums are well produced but not over-produced like 99.9% of music today.  Plus, they seem to be very good musicians (especially the bass player - really dig his lines).  

That type of songwriting/playing/production seems like a lost art.  I certainly wouldn't want to be a studio musician these days.

Bando Calrissian

January 12th, 2019 at 4:06 PM ^

Seems like we're going to be doing a 50th anniversary thread just about every day or three with all the ridiculously great albums that came out in 1969. This is where that wild ride begins.

stopthewnba

January 12th, 2019 at 5:06 PM ^

1969 and forward.  A while ago I remember  reading this on 1973...

Consider 1973 ... all of these albums were recorded/released that year ALONE.


Aerosmith (debut album)
Dark Side of the Moon (Floyd)
Houses of the Holy (Zeppelin)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
Desperado (Eagles)

Catch a Fire (Bob Marley / Wailers)



 http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-classic-rock-isnt-what-it-used-to-be/