I have in the past admitted to being a non-fan of Led Zeppelin. (Or bragged about it. Whatever.) But I want to understand the phenomenon that surrounds them, why so many people think they are the peak of rock'n'roll. So please help me understand.
OK, so. I watched the footage of "The Song Remains The Same/Rain Song" that was recently posted on another thread, and it helped a little. I've heard a limited amount of their live material in the past. This wasn't bad, though it didn't make me sing. I'd never heard TSRTS before, but "Rain Song" is notably superior to the studio version.
(As footage, it was bad. Very bad. They never once focused the camera on Jones or Bonham, who are to my mind the best thing about LZ; and about half the clip is taken up with some bullshit medieval fantasy footage of Plant running around on horseback and fighting with a sword. But let that pass.)
I still found Plant's vocals rather annoying, but they were significantly less screechy than they are on the studio records. (Is this a deliberate choice? Did they speed up his vocals or something in the studio?) He's pretty commanding as a stage presence.
Page is clearly a very skilled guitarist, but for most of the song, I didn't hear a lot of heart in the playing, more see-how-fast-I-play bluesy noodling without real melodic content.
Bonham is a heck of a drummer. He makes me think of a slightly less energetic but way more disciplined Keith Moon.
And John Paul Jones is just fucking fantastic.
So ... just what is it about this band that makes people think of them so highly? They seem like a pretty good blues-rock band.
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