Soapbox

tune!

Most bands can't produce something simple yet of substance, bass drum, cymbal and a hand clap.

Oh and some heavy production on the vocals at some points

Led Zepp were awesome. I grew up having listened to my older brother blasting them out full belt, and it made a lasting impression (not hearing issues before you start )

if we are talking about over-rated bands, can we start with the Beatles !

Neil1 wrote (see)

This is an interesting thread. I think it all depends on the era at which you saw great bands at their best. For me; The Stone Roses are my favourite band. I saw them play many times at their best and like to look back on that era with great fondness. If I'd seen Led Zeppelin in similar circumstances and been around at their height; then I'd probably say the same about them.

Amen to that!!! I appreciate all good music, but the Roses sum up 3 or 4 decades of good music in one divine album... to folk who were there at the time of course!

There are so many good bands over the years, that all mean something to someone.

Michael Eavis's favorite band (who has lived through a lot of good bands) is Primal Scream. They are playing their 20th aniversary of Screamadelica this year at Glastonbury, can't make it but I hope the TV does it justice!

Agree with people favouring the bands around when they were developing their musical tastes will always be considered by them to be the greatest.

Me? I have to admit that at that musical development age I got into Rolling Stones (1962 to 1969 with the likes of Satisfaction, Brown sugar, 19th nervous breakdown, gimmie shelter, paint it black and so one. I also used to read NME religiously from cover to cover. They once had a special issue for The Clash. I read that and then went straight out to get London Calling album (it was the one that about 95% of the people quoted in that issue rated as the best album. They were the likes of the coolest band members of their day saying that was the best album). I also got into blues. I once worked out that with my Chess records blues collections I had tracks from every decade in that century (1900 to 2000). The likes of Robert Johnson and Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and blindman willie or whatever the blind man was called.

Anyway I guess that meant I learnt to appreciate music for what it is. if its good I like it if its Lady GaGa I don't!!

Led Zep are undoubtedly highly talented musicians that is beyond doubt but are they as good as some make out? I say they are not but they are among the best of their era i'll give you that. However they were kind of living off the white bluesman traditions eminating from the 60s if you know what I mean. You have to look to the likes of Rolling Stones and Beatles and nirvana to see bands that totally changed their musical landscape. There is an argument for Sex Pistols too as having done that. Take nirvana for example. The music was pretty bland in the years immediately before they hit the world stage. They basically came out there and instilled in a generation the idea that music can be made by anyone and anywhere. You don't need fancy studio fadcilities just a good and clear idea. They changed the musical landscape in a big way. Sex Pistols did that to some degree as the figurehead of the punk movement that was all about taking the band and the music back to the people. The idea that you can make the music in yorr garage one a simple flat tape recorder. I think after the Beatles that had kind of been forgotten.

Anyway I'm probably talking crap above but I think it is kinda got some truths there.

BTW I only have the animal something album from Primal Scream and that is not that good so I kind of don't rate them that much. I do admit to liking some of Stone Roses suff. Never had those flares they wore back then during the Madchester scene but the music kinda born out of the rave culture up there was good.

I'd say that's far too much praise for Nirvana, that landscape you talk about had already been painted by Green River - just look at which bands had members from them. Soundgarden and Pearl Jam for a start. Kurt Cobain just became a figurehead for the grunge movement in the popular press.

Never liked Led Zep myself but can see why people do, I much prefer Deep Purple, Black Sabbath of that ilk, certainly pre 76 Bowie amongst others from the early seventies.

FWIW Gaga puts on a proper good show and aint a bad musician and songwriter...

Ozric Tentacles  

Right up there with Robyn Hitchcock for... confusing... things to listen to whilst experimenting with illicit substances.  

Rocky was at Glasto in 1991 when Primal Scream performed tracks for their upcoming album 'Screamadelica'

The best gig i've ever seen, and i have seen everybody apart from The Rolling Stones (tickets far too expensive.)

I'm not a Scream fan, but they where awesome, but then again i was on a nice proper Dove. (so even the grumbleweeds would have rocked.)

Always loved The Stone Roses Album, my all time favorite inspite my Mod background, but unlike Primal Scream the Roses weren't so hot live.

As for Led Zep, overrated and a lot of top 60's groups said that 'Percy Plant' and Page ripped off a lot of their stuff at the time. 

Not into Pink Floyd although like the early stuff, but like with Led Zep people who bang on about these two bands tend to be Jeremy Clarkson Types who are always poorly dressed and clueless.

Nick the ex Mod wrote (see)

 Led Zep people who bang on about these two bands tend to be Jeremy Clarkson Types who are always poorly dressed and clueless.

The Animals brilliant!

Pedro was that a club in Gateshead by any chance?

As for Zeppein ripping off a lot of other stuff I don't think they have ever denied heavy blues influences.

Saw Plant by himself in 198? and he said he was going to do a song released a long time ago that Zeppelin liked. Said we might recognise it. It was then obvious where Heartbreaker came from.

The imprtant thing for me is that they develped ideas and also came up with many original things themselves.

A topic I always find good for a late night drinking argument er I mean conversation is  - best Zeppelin song. Because they have a lot of variation in their catalogue the discussions go on for hours.

JB - check out some live recordings as well - some things work better live for me eg Houses of the Holy tracks.

> Having seen Roger Waters perform 'the Wall' last week I wish I was old enough to have caught Pink Floyd at their height. Wow it was good.

My mates went on Wednesday, and said it was pretty good.

I went to one of the original shows, (gulp) 32 years ago.  Whilst the music was brilliantly performed, I found the show rather sterile, having been used to seeing live bands* rather than a 'performance'.

* UFO, Iron Maiden, Saxon, etc.

Best show ever?  Genesis, Earl's Court, 1982.  A mate of mine later worked as a lighting roadie for them on their 'Invisible Touch' tour.  Git.

Zepp?  Great band; always a treat when MediaMonkey picks one to play.  Stairway their greatest?  Maybe not for me, preferring Kashmir, or the Battle of Evermore.

I used to listen to Nicky Horne's "Your Mother Wouldn't Like It" show on Capital Radio when I was a kid.  I seem to remember that Stairway won the annual listener's poll every year...  That says something for the appeal of the song, that it's still voted top, about 35 years later...

I think Stairway suffers from overexposure the same way other great songs do eg Freebird and Smoke on the Water. They get played and talked about so much you need a break from them.

JB - meant to mention - for another side of Zep listen to LZIII. great variation on that album.