What would you tell an alien visitor asking who Led Zeppelin was if they arrived on Earth right now? The short answer is that they are a band, but that undervalues their influence and doesn’t give the band the credit they deserve. However, it also doesn’t draw attention to the controversy surrounding Led Zeppelin. Now, let’s talk about both.
First, the advantages. When asked about favorite musicians, Led Zeppelin members often ranked high in people’s preferences. This was due to Led Zeppelin’s exceptional musical ability.
Due in part to his extensive session work in his early career, Jimmy Page’s guitar work is among the most intricate and extensive that exists. Robert Plant was a vocal acrobat who could quickly transition from serious to ecstatic to downright chaotic. John Bonham broke free from the drumming manual and experimented with a variety of sounds and styles. John Paul Jones, in the meantime, kept everything under control by offering a tight rhythm section. This prevented what could otherwise become disorganized and unmanageable.
Due to their exceptional musical ability, many people rank Led Zeppelin as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Their songs are still as relevant now as they were when they were first released. But not everyone feels the same way. A lot of fans and musicians have a special dislike for Led Zeppelin. They claim the band has stolen songs from other musicians.
When asked about Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix said he didn’t “think much” of them. “Jimi Hendrix personally told me that he didn’t like Zeppelin because they were like excess baggage and they stole from everybody,” Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice said. He expanded on that remark.
Many people shared this opinion. When discussing the Led Zeppelin song “Black Mountain Side,” for example, Jansch remarked in an interview, “Whenever we meet, I’ve noticed that Jimmy [Page] can’t look me in the eye…he ripped me off, didn’t he? Alternatively, we could say that he picked up knowledge from me. I would prefer not to come across as rude.
While Led Zeppelin occasionally acknowledges their inspiration, more often than not, artists are infuriated. They believe the band stole from them and never said so. For example, Robert Plant was transparent about stealing the lyrics to Small Faces’ cover of Muddy Waters’ song “You Need Love.” He discussed this when talking about the song “Whole Lotta Love.”
“Page’s theme was Page’s theme.” It existed before all other things. I simply asked myself, “Well, what am I going to sing?” Regarding the song, Plant remarked, “That was it, a nick.” gladly paid for now. Many opinions flew about regarding the appropriate course of action. It was determined that, well, you only get caught when you’re successful because it was so remote in terms of time and influence. The game is that.
Whether they want to admit it or not, Led Zeppelin’s success has been marred by the notion of music theft. This has persisted for the duration of their career. Some would argue that they borrowed a little too much from a variety of artists when creating their muted version of the blues.
