Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava
Its actually pretty well documented. Make no mistake I would definitely do what I could to get tickets to a show and love the music! Unfortunately though a lot of their stuff was rather blatantly stolen (I say stolen because no credit was given to the original artist).
When I heard the "original" Babe I'm Gonna Leave You and then the LZ version immediately after it was both eye-opening and disappointing to me. There are a lot of the big songs in the list to...dazed and confused is another that springs to mind.
Like I say, I still love the music and still listen...I just wish that they gave credit where its due.
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The controversy over Led Zeppelin's lyrical 'inspirations' is well documented. I don't think this is an issue of contention. However, to pass the group off as a mere cover band I feel is completely unwarranted.
The power of Led Zeppelin, more than anything (in my opinion), comes from the musical arrangements of four of the most talented musicians in modern music. Jimmy Page is a virtuoso guitarist who cut his chops as a highly sought after studio guitarist and member of a little band known as The Yardbirds. John Bonham is still regarded as THE drummer in many musical circles. John Paul Jones, a man who was, and still is to this day the premier studio musician. Finally, I shouldn't discredit the vocal abilities of Robert Plant, perhaps the iconic rock voice, the perfect sound at the perfect time. This band was literally it, a super group before super groups.
Yes, many Led Zeppelin songs may share a lyrical heritage with other blues/folk songs, but that's not what made this band great. For example, let us consult youtube on the song 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You'. This is a song originally written by American folk artist Anne Bredon, and covered by Joan Baez.
Joan's Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eCNLY7ezJo
Led Zeppelin's Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umBYTR1-PZY
Alright. Same lyrics. Big difference. You have a band taking a song (mediocre at best) and transforming it into an incredible piece of music. Led Zeppelin was able to harness the power of this particular piece of music and squeeze every last inch of emotion and meaning out of it.
The same can be said for 'Dazed and Confused'.
Jake Holmes Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTsvs-pAGDc
Led Zeppelin Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGa3LXyuIXI
Again, generally mundane piece of music (though I kind of like it), that Led Zep was able to completely transform into something new and creative. Though the lyrics do differ between the two versions.
So when we're saying 'stolen', what are we really talking about? If we're saying that the band took lyrics from other bands, then yes, the did steal. But at the same time, this was a group that was able to hear something in generally unknown songs and put it to incredible compositions. Transforming lyrics that would have otherwise been lost forever in mediocrity into something iconic that we still refer to today. So were they stealing others songs, or enhancing others songs? Creating masterpieces out of of finger paintings.
Besides that, if you go back in blues and folk history, you consistently see the recycling of lyrics. When somebody says, 'oh Led Zeppelin stole that lyric from Muddy Waters, or Robert Johnson' it's highly probable that Muddy Waters or Robert Johnson stole those same lyrics from somebody before them, and that person probably stole them from somebody else. Which brings us to the evolution of music. Music constantly builds on itself, using old techniques with new conventions to create something fresh. Which is essentially what Led Zeppelin was doing with many of these 'stolen songs'.
Which is why I feel that we can not play Led Zeppelin off as an oportunistic cover band, but rather a group of musical genius' who took music to a place it had never been before.
And for the record, Led Zeppelin did admit to biting the lyrics of Willie Dixon and other blues artists and did reach agreements with them to credit their contributions to the songs in question.
Finally, I would like to close with one final strong piece of evidence that shows without a doubt that Led Zeppelin, on their own, were one of the most capable, complex, and original bands in music history.
Kashmir:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTaOvzZKRxA