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Led Zeppelin Report
Led Zeppelin is the true father of of modern rock and
roll music. They have directly and indirectly influenced the
metal music scene in a multitude of ways. The music of Led
Zeppelin has been a "crowning achievement in the genre of
hard rock/heavy metal and the band must be considered one of
the most important of all time."(1) The issue of whether or
not the Led Zep influence exists is one of the most contro-
versial issues of the rock world today.
The materials for this report come from a wide variety
of accurate sources. Most of the material comes from GUITAR
FOR THE PRACTICING MUSICIAN a monthly publication dealing
with the guitar scene. It provides information on music and
the bands that create it as well as accurate descriptions of
how it is played. The other major source is the book HAMMER
OF THE GODS, a biography of Led Zeppelin by Stephen Davis.
These two sources will most often be referred to. Other
sources in include THE HARMONY ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
ROCK and a multitude of sheet music.
The basis of this report is whether or not Led Zeppelin
is the creator of modern rock music. It is a massive under
statement to say that Led Zeppelin was a major influence in
the evolution of heavy metal music. It would be more accu-
rate to say without Led Zeppelin there would be no metal
music. In the eruption of the rock music scene of the 60's
and 70's many standards were set and many innovations were
made. Among these musical pioneers were: Jeff Beck, Eric
Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix and, of course, Jimmy
Page. Today these pioneer's musical cliches, witticisms and
techniques are widely used for they are the basis of the
music in which they are used. Many of these "inventions" and
"metal pyrotechnics" are blatantly used and turned in to
"plagiarism for profit". However subtle these influences are
they will always exist .(2)
The consolidated elements that created the well defined
Led Zeppelin sound were the result of a "singular chemistry
within the band"(3). The members came from different back-
grounds created a musical sound that harnessed elements of
the blues and rock and roll. All of the members were veter-
ans of the British rock scene and had been involved with
music most of their lives.
The man responsible for forming the band was James
Patrick Page. Born to an industrial worker, James Page, and
his wife, Patricia Elizibeth Gaffkin in Heston, Middlesex on
January 9, 1944, Jimmy lived a quiet life in Epsom, Surry.
He spent most of his childhood alone. As he grew up the
guitar became his best friend and he quickly became involved
with the music scene as time passed he became the "English
guitar ace" and had all the up to date equipment.(4) Jimmy
played with many bands including The Crusaders and The
Yardbids and worked as a studio session artist.
The charismatic singer who was the perfect "lyrical
foil" for this bands concept was Robert Plant.(5) Robert
Anthony Plant was born on August 20, 1948, at West Bromwich,
Strat-fordshire. He lived in a well off family and attended a
private school. He became interested in rock music early and
soon turned to the blues. He played in many bands in his
area and became a popular singer. He had the perfect mixture
of rock influences including Elvis Presley and blues influ-
ences in-cluding Muddy Waters.
The rhythm backbone of the band was John Henry Bonham.
Born on May 31, 1948, at Redditch, Worcestershire, he grew up
near Robert as the son of a carpenter. He got his first drum
kit when he was ten and he got into it very fast. Bonham was
in and out of many bands since he learned to play. He had
soon developed the reputation of the loudest, hardest drummer
around Birmingham.
The harmonic/rythmic "counterpart" of the group was John
Paul Jones. He was born on January 3, 1946, at Sidcup, Kent.
He grew up in a musical family and was on the road by the
time he was two. He started out on the piano but soon moved
to the bass guitar. He was a very popular session artist and
a brilliant composer and arranger. He was influenced mainly
by jazz bassists and followed the idea that the bass could be
a solo instrument.
When the members of the newly forming "New Yard Birds",
soon to become Led Zeppelin (6) first played together there
was a sort of "magic" that happened. They Knew what they had
when they played in the studio and soon they were on their
way to a long, strange journey into the world rock legends.
(7).
Their first album, a self titled one became a major hit
and soon they were holding concerts all over. More albums
came out and soon they became a musical/media sensation. At
the height of their career they were a legend and produced
eight albums. They were touring all over the world and
living a wild, hedonistic life style of sex, drugs and
parties around the clock. The band ended abruptly after the
death of the drummer, Bonham. The remaining members went
their separate ways.
Robert began a long solo career; Jones virtually "dis-
appeared" and Page found a new band. In recent years, Zep
has had a few reunions and Robert and Jimmy are at new high
points in their solo careers.
Today, in the wake of the legend, rock music flourishes
more than ever and many new bands are trying to fill the gap
that Led Zeppelin left. Most of the bands of today are
influ-enced by the legend in some way and however subtle the
influ-ence is, it exists. Led Zeppelin created many innova-
tions and these are widely used. They include styles,
recording techniques and rhythms.
It is, of cource, argued that Led Zeppelin was not a
major influence. "They could have luckily stumbled upon
things unknown to them at the time" or "shame-lessly ripped
off other performers".(9) To some, Led Zeppelin had just
been using stuff they had already heard, they just "spiced
it up". This is probably true in some respects because if
the earlier blues men of the past or the rock heroes of
yesterday had not come along there would certainly be no Led
Zeppelin.
As Led Zeppelin may have quietly stolen bits of materi-
al, they are truly innovators. The have brought many
tech-niques and cliches into being. The irony is that when
they were first becoming known, the name "heavy metal" was
created to classify the type of music Led Zeppelin was
playing. Although many artists claim not to have any Zeppe-
lin in them, faint echoes and some times large amounts of the
Led Zeppelin influ-ence can be seen and heard. Without the
music of Led Zeppelin, bands like Whitesnake and Kingdom Come
would not exist.
One of their most widely known achievements is their
approach of rock orchestration, "the guitar army" effect. It
is the use of multi track recording that creates the illusion
of a large army of guitars, it is also called over dubbing.
This style gave Page the room he needed to use his riffing
style and composition. It is this that sets the standards for
recording in the present day.
In dealing further with the subject of influencing,
there are two types of influence, indirect and direct. The
indirect is the type that is deeply in musicians, that is, a
guitarist grows up listening to a band. As he learns to play
the instrument, he begins to think of what his favorite
guitarist would be doing.
In most case the subconscious mind is remembering what
the other musician was doing and it begins to translate it
into the new guitarist's playing. With the case of direct
influence the guitarist may be purposely emulating the other
and calling it his own. This can turn into plagiarism. The
most common form is the indirect influ-ence.
Today, however, the other form is becoming more and more
popular. It is personified in such bands as Kingdom Come and
Cinderella. The bluesy, harder rock sound is becoming more
popular in the wake of the technical L.A. sound of such bands
as Van Halen and Dokken.
Most bands of today are influenced indirectly by Led
Zeppelin. Of the more technically obvious is a piece of
music by Steve Via called "The Attitude Song". It contains a
three note riff sequence that is derived from the Led Zeppe-
lin song, "The Ocean" (see fig 1). This riff makes use of the
polyrhyth-mic interplay between drums and guitar. John
Bonham's time keeping "lent cohesion to Page's esoteric and
free form musical approach".(11)
Of the question of direct influence, some bands take a
riff whether they are aware of it or not and base a song
around it . Some times they steal entire choruses or bridg-
es, part leading up to the chorus, and "write around it " in
attempt to come up with a different song. In most cases this
fails and the band has what could be considered a shameless
rip off(12). In Whitesnakes's song "Still of the Night", the
chorus is a riff derived and almost copied from the Led
Zeppelin song, "The Immigrant Song". In the same song, the
bridge resembles the riff form "Black Dog", another Led
Zeppelin song. The same band has written a song called
"Crying in the Rain" that is in the same time as the Led
Zeppelin song, "Dazed and Confused". In the Whitesnake song,
the bridge has a striking if not exact resemblance to the
bridge in the Led Zeppelin song. (SEE EX 2). It is ironic to
say this fact when Led Zeppelin had copied the song "Dazed
and Confused from another artist. Another major concept that
is being used that Led Zeppelin brought into use is the
extended middle of a song.
In some songs they would change what they were doing and
go into something, sometimes, completely different, ie.
"Whole Lotta Love", "Dazed and Confused". Some new bands are
making use of this cliche widely and even going so far as to
copy one of Zep's songs in doing so.
In the Cult's song "Peace Dog", the middle part bears a
striking resemblance to a part in "Stairway to Heaven" Just
as in Whitesnakes "Still of the Night" resembles the part in
Whole Lotta Love". Another group that is responsible for
plagiarism is Kingdom Come. They wrote a song, "Get It On",
which has stolen an entire chord progression from the Led
Zeppelin classic, "Kashmir", the chord progression being: A5,
A+, A6, G, A is identically both songs. They also wrote a
song called "What Love Can Be" which copies from "Since I've
been loving You" and "The Rain Song".
Another issue concerns the new bands "borrowing or
steal-ing" from the entire Led Zeppelin image. Most of the
newer singers are influenced by Plant's braggadocio and
"Falsetto Blues Melisma"(13).
They are also obsessed with the idea of "living on the
edge" with constant parties and excessive sex and substance
abuse. More influences include album cover design and the
occult related obsession witch groups like the PTL seem to
associate with everything. One thing which Jimmy Page
proba-bly considers an embarrassment is the use of a violin
bow on the guitar. It produces almost unearthly sound
effects. this is now being used by many bands.
As with any case were something great has happened.
Those who follow in its wake will try to learn from it and
take small pieces of its work. The influence is there and
there is no getting around that. Led Zeppelin was the
influencing power in a world of developing musicians. As the
individuals grew up with Led Zeppelin on the radio and on
their record players, they began learning from them and
creating their own style which included the zeppelinesque
style that already existed.
In some cases the influence is innocent and "only na-
tural".(13) In other cases the Led Zeppelin style has been
exploited and copied shamelessly. The majority of listeners
will probably not notice this but the musically alert and
wise will, and have spotted this fakery. When Led Zeppelin
was around they had a sort of magic, a style that, when it no
longer was around, left a void. Many have tried to fill this
void. Everyone is trying to walk in a giants shoes when they
themselves are too small. What makes them small is the fact
that they stoop to low levels of fakery to try and create the
Perfect band that they are not ".(14) When the bands of
today are long since deceased, they will too be looked upon
as the influences and trend setters. for now at least...
"In a world of imitators there is only one original, Led
Zeppelin."
Bibliography
1. Davis, Steven Hammer of the Gods, New York
2. Guthery and Alaster The Guitar Handbook Alfred A Knopf,
New York
3. The Harmony Encyclopedia of Rock
Salamander Press LTD
4. Jasper, Tony The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hard Rock
and Heavy Metal Fact On Files Inc, New York
5. Nite, Norm Rock On: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock
and Roll Volume I Harper and Row, New York
6. Guitar For The Practicing Musician article: "The Zep
Influence"
7. Guitar For The Practicing Musician article: "The
LIstening Room With George Lynch"
8. Rolling Stone article: "Led Zeppelin"
9. People article: Robert Plant
10. Guitar Player article: "Vernon Reid"
11. Guitar Player article: "Rock and Roll Plagiarism"
12. Spin article: "Rock n' Roll Influence"
13. Guitar For The Practicing Musician article: " Jimmy
Page"
14. Rolling Stone article: "Heavy Metal"
15. Guitar Foe The Practicing Musician sheet music:
"Dazed and Confused", "Crying in the Rain",
"Black Dog", "Still of the Night", "The attitude
Song", "The Ocean", "Stairway to Heaven",
"Whole Lotta Love"
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