WOW! Robert Plant Hints at Led Zeppelin Reunion Next Year

[Left Coast2020]

Source: NBC News

After their tantalizing one-off gig in 2007, Robert Plant has hinted that he's open to a Led Zeppelin reunion next year. Speaking to Australia's version of "60 Minutes," the singer deflected the notion that he's the reason for Zeppelin's dormancy.

Note: Video with link



Read more: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/19/17019003-robert-plant-hints-hed-be-open-to-a-led-zeppelin-reunion?lite

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What else can you say if this actually happens. I guess we keep fingers crossed.

[Ed Suspicious]

1. Awesome, really, but that's gonna be a pricey ticket. nt

[WinkyDink]

15. Not pro-rated. :-)

[bamacrat]

2. At the nursing home?

haha sorry couldn't resist.

[robinlynne]

62. That would be one rocking nursing home!

[CarrieLynne]

3. oh please oh please oh please lol

[truthisfreedom]

4. Better do it soon, dudes.

Somebody's gonna break a hip.

[FreeBC]

5. Huge Zeppelin Fan! (and don't care)

I was a huge Wilbert Montgomery fan too, but I don't want to see him on a football field trying to recapture the magic at 60 years old.

[redstatebluegirl]

6. PLEASE ROBERT!!!!!

Bring back the Great and Mighty Led Zep. John Bonham's son did a great job of standing in for his Dad when he has been given the chance. YESSSSSS!!!!!

Sorry, I am a big fan!

[Iggo]

7. Dammit!

That's gonna be one expensive ticket.

Don't get me wrong, I'll totally buy one.

But it's gonna be goddam expensive.

[wilt the stilt]

8. wow the greatest

plagiarizers of them all might come back. stole almost every song they ever played and didn't give the credit to the old black bluesmen so they didn't have to pay royalties. look it up. and I saw their 2nd tour in the U.S.

[LiberalLovinLug]

21. Oh come on

Every artist's work is influenced by those preceding them. And this was back in the pioneer days of rock n roll. Almost every band, especially from Britain at the time, borrowed from blues masters. ie. Rolling Stones. "Almost every song they ever played"? Not even close. more like 5 or 6 that I've heard of, where parts of other blues songs were reconfigured into original sounding pieces.

Also it depends on how different the new creations sound. IMO Led Zeppelin's sound is so original, so far removed from those sparse old blues classics, that they became new again.

And they did actually give credit to one as a song on an album, "Hats off to Roy Harper".
If you look for Plant interviews on YouTube he goes on and on about different blues artists that he has met and respects and gives credit to.

[wilt the stilt]

26. really look at this and the settlements

On Led Zeppelin's album Led Zeppelin II (1969), parts of the song "Bring It On Home" were copied from Sonny Boy Williamson's 1963 recording of "Bring It On Home," written by Willie Dixon. On the same album, "The Lemon Song" included an adaptation of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor." In 1972, Arc Music, the publishing arm of Chess Records, brought a lawsuit against Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement over "Bring It on Home" and "The Lemon Song"; the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Led Zeppelin's song "Whole Lotta Love" contained lyrics that were derivative of Willie Dixon's 1962 song "You Need Love." In 1985, Dixon filed a copyright infringement suit, resulting in an out-of-court settlement. Later pressings of Led Zeppelin II credit Dixon as co-writer.[19]
Led Zeppelin also paid a settlement to the publisher of Ritchie Valens' song "Ooh! My Head" over "Boogie with Stu" (from their album Physical Graffiti) which borrowed heavily from Valens' song.[20]

"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" - A folk song by Anne Bredon, this was originally credited as "traditional, arranged by Jimmy Page," then "words and music by Jimmy Page," and then, following legal action, "Bredon/Page/Plant."
"Black Mountain Side" - uncredited version of a traditional folk tune previously recorded by Bert Jansch.
"Bring It On Home" - the first section is an uncredited cover of the Willie Dixon tune (as performed by the imposter Sonny Boy Williamson).
"Communication Breakdown" - apparently derived from Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."
"Custard Pie" - uncredited cover of Bukka White's "Shake 'Em On Down," with lyrics from Sleepy John Estes's "Drop Down Daddy."
"Dazed And Confused" - uncredited cover of the Jake Holmes song (see The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes).
"Hats Off To (Roy) Harper" - uncredited version of Bukka White's "Shake 'Em On Down."
"How Many More Times" - Part one is an uncredited cover of the Howlin' Wolf song (available on numerous compilations). Part two is an uncredited cover of Albert King's "The Hunter."
"In My Time Of Dying" - uncredited cover of the traditional song (as heard on Bob Dylan's debut).
"The Lemon Song" - uncredited cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" - Wolf's publisher sued Zeppelin in the early 70s and settled out of court.
"Moby Dick" - written and first recorded by Sleepy John Estes under the title "The Girl I Love," and later covered by Bobby Parker.
"Nobody's Fault But Mine" - uncredited cover of the Blind Willie Johnson blues.
"Since I've Been Lovin' You" - lyrics are the same as Moby Grape's "Never," though the music isn't similar.
"Stairway To Heaven" - the main guitar line is apparently from "Taurus" by Spirit.
"White Summer" - uncredited cover of Davey Graham's "She Moved Through The Fair."
"Whole Lotta Love" - lyrics are from the Willie Dixon blues "You Need Love."

[LiberalLovinLug]

32. Wow, you've done your homework.

I'm not going to argue with you on this.

But as an artist myself (visual) I still contend that every artist takes from the previous generation, whether intentionally or not. And that's OK. Its part of the zeitgeist. I guess it would have been nice of them to list the blues artists that they borrowed from on their records, there was enough room on those old albums that's for sure, but that kind of musical PC behaviour wasn't done as much back then was it? Everyone knew where their influences came from, they talked about those artists as did the Beatles, and Stones.

IMO they actually created new songs. They used the framework of those songs to create new sounds. For instance if I want to rock out, substituting "You Need Love" by Willie Dixon for "Whole Lotta Love" by LZ is out of the question.

But you're right, technically, they should have put it in writing on their albums.

[sweetloukillbot]

33. I think Stairway to Heaven was actually lifted from Davy Graham as well

His arrangement of Cry Me A River, I believe.

[Valhallakey]

45. Lyrics vs Music

I will say they were a bit sloppy and arrogant (at the time) and their management was hell on wheels, however they did settle and many of them out of court. Also this whole royalties thing is a bit odd. Agree that the inventor should get credit and maybe even monies depending on how it is used. Throwing a couple of lines from an old song hardly seems a rip off and seems more of a respectful nod to the past, especially when the song itself or so dramatically different. These nods to the past probably intrigued people to buy many of this old blues albums that would have not been bought had that tip of the hat not been there to begin with. The other issue I have is the Lyrics vs the Music. Their sin was lifting lyrics which is what gets you in court. Many others in the day lifted the music, sometimes almost note for note but changed the lyrics and did not end up in court. Also some of these people took it to court when they could have easily been settled on good terms because of incidents like Boogie with Stu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_with_Stu). Finally they have never denied all the influences and have freely said they screwed up not attributing correctly. The world is a better place for having Zeppelin along for the ride!

[brett_jv]

48. Oh this list is such a steaming pile of bullshit ...

Last edited Tue Feb 19, 2013, 08:43 PM - Edit history (1)

Aside from maybe Bring it On Home, every one that says the Zeppelin song is an outright 'uncredited cover' or 'uncredited version' is complete horse-puckey in my book.

They paid homage, they ripped little vocal bits or guitar licks (admittedly, sometimes they were prominent ones) from other, older songs, but they never 'covered' a song w/o credit. The only 'cover' they did (iirc) is Robert Johnson's 'Travelin' Riverside Blues', and they gave him credit for it ... but the only thing that they really took from it was the words ... everything else, even the melody, is totally different.

There's nothing wrong a song being 'apparently derived from' another song.

There is no 'main guitar line' in Stairway to Heaven ... there's like 8 of them. Having ONE of them be reminiscent of some other song, or even ripped wholesale, is not a big deal nor uncommon.

And how in the **** could Custard Pie AND Hats off to Harper BOTH be uncredited versions of the SAME friggin song? There's probably no two songs in their catalog that are MORE DIFFERENT than those two songs. They don't have the same words, chords, sound ... NOTHING is the same except they say the words 'Shake 'em on down' in an incidental fashion once or twice in their lyrics. What a joke to say these two are 'covers' of 'Shake Em On Down' because of that.

With the relatively few exceptions, wherein legal action was succesfully taken against them regarding songs from their first two albums from old bluesmen ... NONE of these claims in this list would even come close to standing up in court.

Their first two albums paid clear homages to their influences, but they took 'ideas' or 'snippets' of songs and made completely different works of art out of them. I don't even entirely agree with the lawsuits that WERE won against them (although the Killing Floor/Lemon Song was case was probably the most 'worthy')... because in every case what they did was take SNIPPETS of older songs, reworked them, and placed them as relatively minor passages in songs that were, as a whole, entirely different. What they were really trying to do was bring exposure to the music they loved ... there's a reason Lemon Song says 'Down on This Killing Floor' right in the song lyrics ... they were saying "Hey, this old song inspired the one one you're listening to ... go check out Howlin Wolf!" I think he was an ass to sue them over that, personally. What Zep did made Wolf nothing but bucks. And Lemon Song was never a single or anything, it never sold a single copy on it's own.

Moby Grape 'Never' does share a very similar opening (four-line) verse with "Since I Been Loving You" and both contain the lines 'the best of fools' and 'cause I love you' and 'can't you hear me'... and it sounds NOTHING like it otherwise. Here's links to the lyrics of both:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ledzeppelin/sinceivebeenlovingyou.html
http://www.60s-classic-rock.com/mo/moby-grape-never-lyrics.html

To say these are the 'same lyrics' is a complete joke.

I will say though that for Zep to take full songwriting credit for 'In my Time of Dying' is a bit of a stretch ... but the song is SOOO different from any earlier version of 'Jesus Make Up my Dying Bed' or 'In My Time of Dying' it's not entirely unjustified ... a 'nod' the 'traditional' nature of it would've been fair, and in keeping with what they USUALLY did, but nobody 'owned' the 'original', and the 'original' versions are SO friggin different that there's is really a new piece, 'inspired by' a traditional tune.

Whoever made this list has a friggin agenda (I'm sure it wasn't you personally), and it's so far from accurate taken as a whole it's ridiculous.

If they come back, I'm so friggin THERE. I'd sell a Kidney to see Zep live. The Celebration Day movie was awesome. In particular Jason Bonham and JPJ as the rhythm section ... they absolutely tore the roof off the place, but Page was still improvising leads on the spot at nearly 70 y.o. and doing a more than passable job at it, and Plant's voice has mellowed nicely with age, even if he can't pull off the banshee wails he could in his 20's.

Looking at their collective body of work, Zeppelin are the greatest (and one of the most original) rock bands of all time (sorry Stones and Who ... you guys are 1 and 2 ... and the Beatles are alone in a category all their own). And the relatively few successful charges of plagiarism against a few songs on one of their albums does not tarnish that legacy in the slightest.

[MrSlayer]

102. Hear hear!

I'm so sick of the bullshit levied at Zeppelin. Hands down the greatest band ever assembled. Anything they "stole" they made their own and gave credit for. No one else could have made those songs the way they did them, not in a million years.

I hope this happens, even if Plant can't go up top anymore. The crowds will be singing for him anyway.

[wilt the stilt]

28. Clapton and Beck

always gave credit and paid the bluesmen and I was a big Yardbirds fan and I grew up with all of these players. Zep were a bunch of real cheaters and didn't pay the old bluesman. That is really shitty.

[NoGOPZone]

50. Speaking of Clapton and Beck,

To people who say Page was the best guitarist ever, I reply that he was only the third best in the Yardbirds.

[brett_jv]

55. Meh ... they're all three great guitarists ...

But their body of work utterly lacks the timeless quality of Zeppelin's first 7 albums (and the eight and ninth ain't bad). And they're all produced by a master in the studio, Mr. Jimmy Page. Cream had one great album, Layla is a pretty solid album, and Beck also put out one great album. As guitarists, they're all great. But as musicians/producers/songwriters ... they got nothing on what Page accomplished in Zeppelin if you ask me.

Over the years I think Clapton has turned into a cheesy hack version of his former self, and Beck was pretty much universally regarded as self-absorbed prick until very recently. Hearing the acoustic version of Layla from Unplugged makes me want to put a shotgun in my mouth ...

[NoGOPZone]

57. To each his own

There isn't a single Led Zeppelin album I can listen to in its entirely without getting bored. I never felt their songwriting was anything special and Plant's the worst excuse for a blues singer to ever front a major band, although he's a talented folk singer. Clapton's well past his expiration date but what he did with The Yardbirds and Mayall more than make up for it. Even Blind Faith had potential if the personal conflicts didn't intervene

[wilt the stilt]

68. I saw Blind Faith also at the garden

Derek and the Dominoes is by far one of the greatest albums ever made. It is just a beautiful album that is so heartfelt. I have seen zep and eric and beck and all of them. I saw Duane and everyone from the era. Janis, Airplane except Hendrix and I had tickets to Band of Gypsy's
I saw the closing weekend at the Fillmore east.

To me the best in concert are The Who, The Allmans and the dead.

I have always thought that Plant was a crappy singer. Zep was not giving credit to the bluesman. I believe they didn't want to pay the royalties. They should have paid straight up early.


All my friends say Beck is the best technical guitarist and Beck is really the guitarist of the Yardbirds.

[BeyondGeography]

81. I still have a lot of respect for them, but they have shelf-life issues with me

Loved them when I was a kid, mostly find them occasionally amusing now. Their music is rather superficial when you get right down to it. Pink Floyd otoh...

[leftyohiolib]

63. i felt that way as well re: clapton. i thought that the original layla compared to the newer

acoustic pretty much summed up clapton and his career - i couldnt believe it got so much air play

[sweetloukillbot]

76. I'm with you on Clapton

Layla, Blind Faith, Cream and the Yardbirds I like. His solo material is kack and has only gotten worse over the past 40 years. Beck seems to have enjoyed a bit of a Renaissance over the past 10-20 years, but the stuff between, say, 1975 and 1990 or so was mostly garbage.

[brett_jv]

54. You got proof of Beck and Clapton paying them from the goodness of their hearts?

I'd been keen to see it.

[wilt the stilt]

69. They paid them

that is all that mattered. When you call something traditional and you steal it then it's a pile of dogshit

[indie9197]

99. In college (1980 or so) I bought a Yardbirds album that had Sonny Boy Williamson playing on it

with him featured prominently on the cover. I bet those old blues guys thought it was funny that all these British kids loved their music! At least they got a few paid vacations to England. It wasn't really that great a recording unfortunately. I wore out several Yardbird albums back then.

[JI7]

39. you know, they should have given credit, but at least they made something amazing out of it

people should be honored that they inspired what came out of them.

[harmonicon]

87. So you'd be ok with money owed to you for your work going to someone else...

so long as they put it to go use? Wow. Please have your employer direct deposit your pay into my account. I promise that I'll put the money to good use.

[awoke_in_2003]

60. I dare you to find a blues man...

who hasn't stolen from another.

[bluesbassman]

75. Problem is none of those guys ever made any money...

Zep did and that's what gets everybody's tape in a knot.

[JI7]

79. wasn't that the fault of Racists in America

for not giving them the chance to be heard ?

[bluesbassman]

82. Get no argument from me on that point. Black musicians were treated abominably.

But the silver lining in the whole scenario is that the 60's and 70's rock bands that were influenced by the Blues brought that music to the awareness of a new generation and a lot of those old time bluesmen went on to see some better times.

[Tom Ripley]

108. "Immature guitarists borrow, mature guitarists steal" - Screamin' T.S Eliot

[Spitfire of ATJ]

9. Never did understand why the band broke up over the drummer dying....

....as if a drummer is irreplaceable.

[KurtNYC]

20. Heresy! Not simply "A drummer" but the greatest. Zepplin died with Bonzo.

The fastest right foot in rock history. One of the main things that separates Zeppelin from every other band that played electric blues is Bonham's sense of the groove and his heavenly syncopation. Huge drum sticks -- "trees" A Ludwig set which duplicated (oddly enough) the set from Vanilla Fudge's drummer Carmine Appice. Bonzo was the most influential drummer in rock, a drummer's drummer as Dave Grohl notes:

John Bonham played the drums like someone who didn't know what was going to happen next—like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff. No one has come close to that since, and I don't think anybody ever will. I think he will forever be the greatest drummer of all time.

Bonham is the reason no one can cover this song with quite the same groove he achieved (same for The Ocean, Moby Dick, Misty Mtn Hop, and Fool in the Rain). This song starts and ends with Bonham, just like Led Zeppelin did:

[LiberalLovinLug]

23. teetering on the edge of a cliff

So true. I would describe it as almost being a split second ahead of the rest of the band. That resulted in him sounding like he was driving the sound.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

31. Heresy!!! If you were going to use an example!!!...

BTW: I knew I'd find a fellow fan with that last post.

[NoGOPZone]

51. The would have split soon anyway

Bonham's death only hastened it and served as an excellent pretext. the lack of cohesion was evident on In Through the Out Door

[Spitfire of ATJ]

58. No, that was evident in "The Crunge"....

[JI7]

65. i like The Crunge

[Spitfire of ATJ]

67. Yer kidding,....right?

I mean,...do you have any IDEA how many stoners sustained serious injuries trying to get up out of their sunk in sofa to skip over that track?

[JI7]

71. not kidding at all, i'm not saying it's one of their best

or anything like that but i find it enjoyable to listen to sometimes. i know a lot of people hate it but i never thought it was bad .

i always wonder if i'm the only one .

[Spitfire of ATJ]

72. "i always wonder if i'm the only one ."

MAYBE this guy...

[Comrade Grumpy]

10. I'd rather watch the videos of their great performances from the early 1970s.

They were incredible then.

[subterranean]

17. I'm with you on that.

It's not like they have a lot of new material or a new album to promote.

I understand the "Led Zeppelin" DVD of concert footage from the '70s is quite good.

There is also this:

Having said that, a reunion concert would obviously be fun for many of their fans.

[awoke_in_2003]

64. If you are talking of the 2 DVD set...

http://www.amazon.com/Led-Zeppelin-Robert-Plant/dp/B00008PX8P/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1361328070&sr=1-1&keywords=led+zeppelin

It is excellent

[Left Coast2020]

11. If the WHO could do it at a Super Bowl halftime show

so can Zepp. I just thought of that since WHO performed for that event. But it was only 15 minutes.

[RevStPatrick]

12. It's taking them so long because...

...it's a LOT of work transposing all those old songs down 3 full steps to compensate for the fact that Robert just can't hit those notes anymore.

[maxsolomon]

14. I saw Band of Joy last year

And Plant's voice was well preserved. As you say, the high notes won't be there, but most everything else will. I'd expect this reunion will be surprisingly good, and I'm not a big Zeppelin fan.

Better at least than the continuing spectacles of Daltrey & Jagger.

[sweetloukillbot]

34. The Celebration Day DVD sounded amazingly good

Much better than I expected from them, considering the last couple reunions. Rock and Roll sounded the most out of place in the lower key.

[Laelth]

13. I'd very much like to see a Led Zep reunion. n/t

-Laelth

[struggle4progress]

16. President Obama's tribute to Led Zeppelin

[struggle4progress]

18. Kennedy Center Honors 2012 - Led Zeppelin

[harmonicon]

19. What a sad, old piece of shit he is.

Sure, i hate Led Zeppelin for being thieving cultural imperialists, but at least they were good at it 45 years ago. Now they're just broken old men cashing in on the inexcusable trade of their youth. Let him go on and make a fool of himself, and let others pay him for it - it's their own loss.

[KurtNYC]

22. Robert Plant rocks harder at 64 years old than most ever have or will.

What is "inexcusable" about Led Zeppelin?

Unlike some, Plant has little to be bitter or broken about.

[harmonicon]

46. We're both on the internet here. You can do the research yourself.

I'm sure you'll find several hits just on youtube for "Led Zeppelin plagiarism."

What is it exactly to "rock hard"? I saw a video recently of the las LZ reunion. It was pathetic. Plant's lost all of his high range, and Page's guitar was a super-modern sounding piece of shit. Oh, and their drummer is dead.

[KurtNYC]

89. If you think Robert Johnson wrote the music he played you are wrong.

No one owns the Blues, no one owns the A - E - F progression or pentatonic scales. If you don't think Led Zeppelin was original and unique on their expression of Blues and Folk music then we just aren't going to agree on much.

I will agree that the Stones and Led Zeppelin are not on my hot concerts of 2013. For $200+ per seat the ticket should include time travel back to 1973 but I saw Plant live as recently as 2006. Saw his benefit concert for Arthur Lee at the Beacon and he Plant kicked ass:

Robert Plant ended his headlining hour at "We're Doing It for Love" — a benefit for Arthur Lee, the ailing singer-songwriter of the pioneering Los Angeles band Love, at New York's Beacon Theater on June 23rd — with "Ramble On" from Led Zeppelin II. It was a perfect finale, a thrilling folk-rock gallop with Plant singing of those "days of old, when magic filled the air" with the same excited, forward motion he heard as a teenager in Love's classic mid- and late-Sixties albums.
...
But Plant — working with a band of New York-based players, on two days' rehearsal — truly came for the love of Lee (who is battling leukemia in a Memphis hospital and has no medical insurance). Plant mixed psychedelicized Zeppelin ("In the Evening," "What Is and What Shall Never Be&quot with a genuine-fans' selection of vintage Love, including the delicate Forever Changes ballad "The Old Man" (Plant acknowledged its writer, Love's late, often overlooked guitarist Bryan MacLean) and a Zeppelin-ized reimagining of "Seven and Seven Is" from 1967's Da Capo (with a surprise tease of Neil Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand&quot . Plant gave extra credit where credit was due by bringing original Love guitarist Johnny Echols out to reprise his leads on "A House Is Not a Motel" and "Bummer in the Summer." But Plant is a catholic classicist. He followed a dynamic march through Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" with a rowdy duet with Mott The Hoople's Ian Hunter, also on the show — the pair of them making like a heavy-glam Everly Brothers on "When Will I Be Loved." Plant also showed off his big love of Elvis Presley with a startling, credible croon through "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You."

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/live-review-robert-plant-ryan-adams-do-it-for-love-at-arthur-lee-benefit-concert-20060626

As for What is it exactly to "rock hard"? I have a two-part answer. 1. to Rock hard (verb) is to effuse emotional energy such as longing, anger, lust or aggression effectively while performing electrified Blues music; the performer gets extra credit for style, originality and making real connection with the audience. But words only go so far in describing what can ultimately only be felt in one's soul, which is why part 2 of my answer begins at the 3:28 mark of this video...

[harmonicon]

91. A-E-F? Now that's a fuckin' progression I'd like to hear a blues player pull off!

No one owns any chord changes. No one owns any beat. Those things can't be copyrighted. What can be copyrighted is lyrics and melody. Led Zeppelin stole both of those things from other musicians on multiple occasions. This isn't like some accusation on my part. It's fact. You can not like that fact, but you can't change it.

[Tom Ripley]

106. I just gave it a try...A-E-F lends itself quite well to the blues (the use of slide gives it...

a distinctly Mick Taylor-ish quality, but I'm not paying him a fucking penny!)

[LanternWaste]

90. It would be as if every-time I made Baked Chicken and Jalapeño Flautas...

"I'm sure you'll find several hits just on youtube for "Led Zeppelin plagiarism..."

It would be as if every-time I made Baked Chicken Jalapeño Flautas, I didn't vocally apologize for, and give credit to the Hispanic rail-yard workers from the late nineteenth century laboring on the Texas-Mexican Railroad Company for stealing their food...

On the other hand, I don't get too worked up about the origins and the acculturation of food or music, and simply enjoy it when I find it enjoyable. I imagine there are enough people who believe themselves clever enough to drown out mere enjoyment with bias masquerading as knowledge to compel me not to add to their righteous choruses.

[harmonicon]

92. No, it would be more like you taking money out of the pockets of current rail yard workers.

Nice try though.

By ripping off other musicians, Page and Plant did two things. The one that gets me most and can't really be made up for is that they were able to build a reputation as songwriters by claiming the work of others. While they paid for it later in some cases, there is no way they can give back their career, and there is little the law can do about them promoting the artists they stole from in a manner that would have happened if they'd originally given them credit.

The other thing is the legal and monetary aspect of it, which I feel less strongly about, but still goads me a lot. I don't think they intended to be racist, because they did steal from people pretty equally, but there is a definite sting of cultural imperialism that comes from ripping of African American music. Black Americans had it so easy in the 60's, right? I mean, I wasn't there, but it was all just smooth sailing for them, wasn't it? Fair wages, equal opportunities, etc. Stealing from African Americans in the 60's is just no big thing, right? It's just like eating fajitas, isn't it?

[JI7]

94. the Fault lies with the Racism in America which did not allow

those musicians to be heard. that's why they did not get paid what they would have .

[harmonicon]

95. Racist Americans forced these English guys to put their names to songs they didn't write?

Huh. I never knew, and I'm also pretty - ok, 100% - sure that's not true.

[JI7]

97. RAcism in American prevented those Musicians from having their music heard

by most other americans who would have bought it .

[harmonicon]

98. That relates to the topic that was being discussed how?

Yes, racism in America made shit suck for black performers as well as blue and white collar workers. Is the argument that it's ok to kick someone while they're already down? I tend to think the opposite, which is why I think it's especially egregious that Led Zeppelin stole from African Americans. That doesn't excuse them stealing from white Brits - that's not at all ok - but it's not the same sort of double insult that those black musicians had to suffer.

[waddirum]

24. so I take it you're not going?

I was going to buy you a ticket.

[callous taoboy]

25. I want his concert Tee.

[JI7]

36. no,Robert is still one of the Hottest guys in the world , if they were cashing in

they would have been doing tours all these decades like the rolling stones, the who etc.

and also Robert does Country music now .

[Trajan]

56. Art haters of the world

Art is imitated, all art

I have no problem with Page's re-interpretations of the riffs of blues masters ...

How many artists painted the Temptation of Saint Anthony?

20,000,000 would love to have your ticket ...

[harmonicon]

73. Oh, please, don't try to sell me on that bullshit.

Re-interpretations, eh? I have no problem with reinterpretations. What I have a problem with is British musicians recording songs composed by African Americans and putting their own name to them and collecting the royalties. To be fair, they stole from other white brits as well. When Jimmy Page gave himself a writing credit for a british folk song, who was going to be around to sue? I don't know if this is made more funny or more sad that this song was a clear rip-off of Burth Jansch's arrangement of the song, but what was Jansch to do about it? He just shrugged it off.

Don't try to school me on art; especially music.

I'm sure you're right that at least 20,000,000 people would happily pay to see some stupid old men attempt to relive their 20s, and they're welcome to.

[Trajan]

74. Your bitterness is unbecoming and unattractive ..

Not my kind of personality ...

[harmonicon]

83. Well, I wasn't trying to get laid by telling you the truth about Led Zeppelin.

Should I have gone with, "Yo, it's all cool, bro! Criminal behaviour is fine if it's sanctioned by local/Clear Channel Classic Rock Radio, dude!"?

[bitchkitty]

88. LOL n/t

[LiberalLovinLug]

85. You are so full of it.

they were not "recording songs composed by African Americans and putting their own name to them".

Borrowing a few licks or words here and there, mostly to pay homage to those blues masters, giving them publicity and sales in the process, and reworking them into completely different songs, both in melody and tempo is not a "rip-off".

I don't have time, I'll refer you to #48 brett_jv's excellent post up above to explain in detail.

And I'd second that you don't sound to me like you have much of an understanding of what art is or how it is created.

[harmonicon]

86. Your Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD are in what? Mine are in music composition.

You can try to apologize for cultural imperialism, but you can't change facts. Sure, they settled a number of these cases out of court, but that doesn't change the facts. You are entitled to your own opinions, and if it's your opinion that cultural imperialism is fine, that's your right. You aren't entitled to change facts however. The fact is, Led Zeppelin claimed writing credits to songs they later had to admit to not having composed. You can try to apologize for this by somehow claiming that this gave publicity to African American musicians, but I think that's a crock of shit. Wouldn't they have been giving those musicians far more publicity if they'd actually credited them in the first place, rather than having to change the record years or decades later after having profited from their lies and deception?

[rachel1]

27. I'd be interested although I don't know if Plant can still sing as decently

as he sung back in 2007.

[exboyfil]

29. I was just telling my daughter

how I admired the integrity of Led Zep to break up after one of their band members died (as opposed to The Who which is my favorite band but went on rolling after Moon died and incredibly continued on with a concert tour after Entwhistle died). It would be unfortunate for Led Zep to reunite now. We have good concert video of them in their prime. Let us remember them that way.

I won't pony out a penny to see a shadow of greatness. I admit that I did see The Who post Moon as a kid, but I kind of wish I had not now.

I won't attend, and I will avoid seeing them play on television. Seeing the shadow of The Who at the Superbowl was enough for me.

Just my opinion.

[sweetloukillbot]

35. I interviewed Pete Townshend about 6 years ago....

He point-blank said that the only reason they called the new album the Who was because it was the only way it would sell. He actually kind of lamented that it was that way. People didn't want to hear Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, they wanted to hear the Who.

[JI7]

37. don't beach boys sell out even without brian wilson ?

as long as they are called "the beach boys" i guess people will buy.

[exboyfil]

40. Yes I heard them describe themselves

as a cover band for The Who. I would think Townsend could rephrase that a little. No one wants to see Daltry/Townsend at The Who prices. Endless Wire was underwhelming at best for me. I still love them and I do not begrudge them making money honestly, but I will hold onto my dollars.

For a time though, like Led Zeppelin, they ruled the world as far as I was concerned. I still have those memories.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Simply magic.

[JI7]

44. so people are willing to pay just because they call themselves "the who"

instead of "daltrey and townsend" even though the entire show would be the same ?

[sweetloukillbot]

47. I almost think they're afraid to try...

Neither can fill arenas solo, maybe they don't want to risk it. 10 years ago, while Entwistle was still alive, they did this package tour thing w/ the Black Crowes and Jimmy Page - two shows on seperate nights but you could buy them as a package. The Who cancelled their show in Phoenix for lack of sales.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were successful not calling themselves Led Zeppelin back in the 90s.

But Roger Waters has been touring and playing almost exclusively Pink Floyd material for 10 years and hasn't had any problems selling out - although when he toured in 87 against Floyd, the show was pretty thin.

[brett_jv]

61. I went and saw Quadrophenia and More show a couple weeks ago ...

It was pretty damned good overall (esp. for I paid, which was 'free'), but Daltrey's voice didn't even hold up for half the show, and Townsend can BARELY sing any more at all. His brother does a way better Pete Townsend then he does. The musicianship though was top notch, they all seemed to be having fun (esp. Pete), and I had a great time.

They had cameos from Moon and Entwistle, the latter of which was mind-blowing ... Zack Starkey played drums along with a video of the Ox doing a bass solo during 5:15, I think it was from an 80's tour, and MAN ... I almost forgot how f***** amazing of a bassist that guy really was.

A few weeks earlier from the stage in Oakland Roger blamed his voice going out on all the pot smoke, so they had a sign up before our show saying 'No Smoking Please ... Roger's allergic to all smoke, and recommends brownies ' or something along those lines.

I was in Phoenix, where people at concerts are pretty boring in general, and tend to 'follow the rules', so this was the most 'smoke-free' concert (esp. for a 60's era rock band) I've ever seen, by far ... in this environment, given how quickly he was struggling to sing, Roger showed that he was pretty much full of shit with what he said in Oakland ... he just can't do 2 hour shows night after night anymore.

But MAN, does that guy look FANTASTIC for his age. I'm 22 years younger and I don't look half as good.

[sweetloukillbot]

78. Watching the Sandy benefit is what convinced me to skip the show...

Daltrey sounded okay on the Endless Wire tour, but still was struggling a bit. He sounded so bad on the Sandy benefit it was painful though. The Keith Moon video for Bell Boy was cool, and that Entwhistle 5:15 bit sounds like it was amazing too though. It's a shame - Quadrophenia is my favorite Who album and I've never seen much of anything from it live.

[Tom Ripley]

109. I also always thought that was a classy move on the part of Led Zeppelin (a band not known for...

class)
Hell, they made vulgarity a strength and an integral part of their aesthetic.

[Third Doctor]

30. Yess!

Zeppelin lives

[JI7]

38. Jimmy Page is supposed to Tour this Year

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

41. Here's footage of Plant in rehearsal:

[JI7]

43. .

[Arugula Latte]

93. Later that day ...

[LiberalLovinLug]

42. Just for fun...if you had to choose....which LZ song is your favorite?

Mine....

When the Levee Breaks

[BeyondGeography]

52. Not fair

That's what I was going to say. Totally cool song.

[brett_jv]

59. How about this ... the 3 Led Zeppelin songs I DON'T like ... that's easier ...

1) Hats off to (Roy) Harper (III)
2) Tea for One (Presence)
3) Sick Again (Physical Graffiti)

All, wisely, the last songs on their respective albums.

Top 20 faves, in no particular order ...

Achilles Last Stand
Kashmir
The Rover
Ten Years Gone
What is and What Should Never Be
Ramble On
The Song Remains The Same
In The Evening
When the Levee Breaks
Going to California
Battle of Evermore
Fool in the Rain
Travellin Riverside Blues
Hey Hey What Can I Do
Bron-yr-Aur Stomp
That's the Way
Heartbreaker
Your Time is Gonna Come
Gallows Pole
In my Time of Dying
Down by the Seaside

[JI7]

66. no quarter ?

i love tea for one. and since i've been loving you is one of my favorites especially the live versions.

[sweetloukillbot]

77. I love those live versions of Sick Again w/ the Rover intro

Never paid attention to the song until I heard recordings from the 75 tour.

[LiberalLovinLug]

84. Its not supposed to be easy!

Precisely because there are so many gems.

If you are stranded on a desert island with only a solar powered stereo system and ONE Led Zep song to play, what would it be?


also, each to his own, but Hats of to (Roy) Harper is one of my favorites, not as a top power song of which admittedly I would place ahead of it, but as one of those lovely rare understated homages to their blues roots.

[TwilightGardener]

49. I dunno. I have mixed feelings about reunion tours.

[kwassa]

53. Saw them in '69.

They weren't so great.

[wilt the stilt]

70. so did I

pretty forgettable. Bonham got sick at the end.

[darkangel218]

80. That would be awesome! nt

[MrSlayer]

96. This gets teased every few years.

But it is getting late in the game. Has to happen soon if it's ever going to.

There isn't much I wouldn't do to see Zeppelin.

[OnionPatch]

100. I had tickets to see them in '77

Then the show was canceled because Robert Plant's son died. I would love another chance to see them.

[Trajan]

101. Saw them five times ....

I'll see them again ..... Celebration Day was awesome .....

How awesome ? ...

(sorry about the inevitable ad) ....

I say a huge MEH to the naysayers .... Like I ever gave a fuck about them ....

Led Zeppelin will be the hottest ticket of the decade ...

[Bennyboy]

103. Stairway to Eskaton!

Please. If one dog was left to die on it's own please let it be this one.

[Trajan]

104. what primarily is your objection ?

I'm curious to hear what drives someone to become an "antI-fan" ...

What makes a person enter a celebration, and start to lob stink bombs around the room ...?

never understood that ...

[Bennyboy]

111. Twas a joke.....

Really, don't be so defensive.

[sigmasix]

105. zep reunion again? ho hum

Now what would be cool is a Pink Floyd reunion; The three surviving members with Water's son on keyboard. The dream would be for them to do an unplugged show at smaller venues.

Sometimes one can only dream...

[Tom Ripley]

107. Without John Bonham, it will be a Led Zeppelin tribute band in which Plant, Page, and Jones...

are participants.

[workinclasszero]

110. I loved Led Zep back in the day

But jeez they are so old.

I hope Plant keeps his shirt on lol