PLANT DENIES ZEP REUNION

jambase, bringing you the news about not-news. I deny everythign anyways

Who cares? Zeppelin are the biggest bunch of rip off artists of all time. Half of their breakthrough music was stolen from other artists. This band was better in the studio anyways, why would you wanna see 'em now????

Remember about 5 years ago when no one wanted wanted to see that page and plant tour??? Deja Vu

don't get me wrong, i like to listen to their albums here and there, but they really are kind of a sham for all the music they stole...

choking on your own vomit sounds like a terrible way to die, why was this info in the story anyway?
don't get together for another 'disasterous' performance

if ya do it make it right

Damn i was hopin for a full on zep reunion tour, but i guess not.

leadbelly zeppelin

I say Page&Plant in '98. It was SAAAAAAD! and i bet they haven't got any better in the last 10 yrs.

saw

What you mean they stole the music?

It's funny if you look back at original pressings of their albums and compare them to the cd's, you will see songwriting credit changed on a lot of songs.

I saw Page & Plant in '95 and '98...the '95 show was a lot better. But to call one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands of all time a "bunch of ripoff artists" is pretty ignorant.

To be influenced by a bunch of bluesmen is different than stealing. Zep were all extremely talented musicians when they were at the top of their game. Even now I would rather seea rusty Zep show than some of the garbage being promoted on this site like Bondo Do Role.

roberto- if they didn't steal the songs, then why did they change the liner notes to credit the actual artists with the re-release of all of their albums on CD?

What is the fascination with rock stars choking on vomit? I'm not really sure how that related to this article.

There was a guy on Howard Stern last week that played all of the original songs that Zep stole for Led Zeppelin I. I was pretty shocked. I am a longtime Zep fan.

At first I thought that the guy was just trying to provoke controversy but after hearing the original songs, I was sold. He has a website that explains some of his findings. This guy claims to be the worlds foremost classic rock expert and is in the process of trying to get someone to produce a television show explaining his research. So, he doesn't post everything on his website.

http://www.classicrockcentral.com/classic_rock_photo_gallery.cfm?fid=9&orderID=2

rejunkulous,

Can you give me some examples of songs that they changed the liner notes on? I don't know that what you are supposing is even true.

i'm a little surprised by the comments on here. jimmy page is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. sure they played a lot of other people's songs when they were first starting out, but lots of bands have done that. they never miscredited songs, i don't know where someone got that idea. they opened music up into a whole new realm in my opinion. i used to collect a lot of the download imports during high school and their tours from 73 to 78 are flat out amazing. dazed and confused went on for over an hour at one show. this is one of the best bands of all time, i'm surprised people are saying some of this shit about them. i do think a reunion would be an awful idea though.

im shocked at all the haters...what songs did they rip off?? someone tell me?

oh i just find the greatest website, www.grayvee.com, lots of good of info crunchy grooves. peace.

Led Zepplin was great. The live disc from LA "How the West Was Won" is a disc everyone should have.

plagiarism is acceptable in architecture as it is in music. consider what happened first, the music or the cover? music credits from this band are a generous claim to fame. nothing wrong with that.

Do you guys understand how the blues work? Seriously if any style has been dependent on the work of their predecessors it's blues. And the most innovative, creative bluesmen since Robert Johnson have been these four amazingly talented, cohesive musicians working together. The defined dirty hard electric blues.

Just when you never thought you could ever hear a stupider less informed idiot comment on jambase there it is Steve T. Led Zeppelin a Sham-" absolutley the most profoundly arrogant and bullshit statement ever posted on the internet. Led Zepplin wrote more original groundbreaking music than anybody with the exception of the Beatles, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. Check out the Song remains the Same Steve T. 30 min Dazed and Confuzed, 20 min No Quater. Zep and the Grateful Dead are the original jambands. Get a clue. Sometimes I really hate this site and fuckers like Steve.

I also saw Page and Plant and though the orchestra was lame. It was still better than most shows performed by anyone on this website. It was not Zeppelin however, and it was not intended to be.

I saw Page & Plant in San Diego (Sports Arena)in May of '95. Mui Bien! A week or so later I saw the Dead in Vegas ( 3 nights at Sam Boyd). When leaving the floor after an epic Dead show (5/20) most of the people around me were talking about the SD P&P show. So I guess I wasn't the only who liked it. SCI Red Rocks YEAH!

G n'R's Chinese Democracy WILL come out before a Zep reunion.....sadly.

John Paul Jones is still kickin it at least...

hey, remember that one Jimi Hendrix song, 'All Along the Watchtower'?

Dylan song.

People are allowed to like music and express it in their own way. Somewhat related is the "Dark Star Orchestra" show i saw just tonight. KICK ASS.

Music is free.
and any story about the zep gets 5 stars.

I was at that same SD show Framey...my first concert as a matter of fact. I thought it kicked ass too.

See www.classicrockcentral.com for the info on Led Zeppelins ripped off music, and who really wrote what.

I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, you can't prove anything. :P

Who fucking cares if they stole it? The music is absolutely fantastic and fuck man you could do the same thing with hendrix and cream. Get off it.

I think you guys should all smoke another bowl. And eat another barrel.

HAIL TO THE THIEF!!!

the T stands for tea bag steve cuz you love balls in your mouth you ignorant FOOL lay off Zep if you know what's good for you WOOK

thats how bonzo died you dumbass....and the reason they broke up, and the reason from that day in 1980 that there never would be a "led zeppelin" again

Who is Steve T's favorite band? The spice girls are doing a reunion!

blower you are showing your true biases when you say, "Led Zepplin wrote more original groundbreaking music than anybody with the exception of the Beatles, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd." I think you are enhancing the original point that music was stolen from African American musicians. When you point to the most "original groundbreaking music" you point to all white rock bands. What about Miles Davis? Sun Ra? Duke Ellington? Charlie Parker? Thelonius Monk? James Brown? and the list goes on forever......

ripping on zep! ive seen it all on here now. the only explanation is lonely people come on here to bitch about everything and anything they can, in the hopes of starting what they have come to learn is a conversation, a argument. sad so sad.

I am absolutely certain the world is a better place for having zeppelin in it. think of how classic rock radio would severely suck, with-out zeppelin. I do not care where they got their damn tunes, with out zeppelin, the world would be much less fun to be in. :P

The official explanation was he choked on vomit.

It was actually someone else's vomit.

Well they can't prove whose vomit it was.

You can't really dust for vomit.

No plant? well, thats not a problem ~ Get Marco!

More fascenating than all of this hubub is Derric Trucks doing an interview with Nick Forester on E-Town talking about how Guitaur Player magazine needs to take his name off of the top 100 guitaur players of all time. he said to take his name down and put Elmore James on the top 100. the deep assed musicoligist he is and all, he honestly seemed pissed that a bunch of old brothers who he thinks of as the the masters would be overlooked like that. What do youall think of that?

Alot of people say Elvis was just marketing all of the soul moves too....we all know he copyrighted them so its a total lie, right?

Doubt Zep? when i do i just listen to No Quarter a few times in the dark...i love when the grand piano comes in.

A lot of musicians "stole" music from blues artists; let's not forget the Stones in all of this. But, they added to what already existed to make it unique for the time. Regardless, Jimmy Page is one, if not the best, soloist of all time. As far as a reunion, I don't foresee that happening, but the closest thing would have to be the Black Crowes W/ Jimmy Page. That tour rocked! Chris' vocals were perfect, and the band was on fire each night.

Ever hear the Vida Blue cover of No Quarter?

Zep was a great band. one of the best ever in fact, and it's not so much that they stole songs it's just that they failed to give credit to the original artists. A quick google search turned up this list...

"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."

^^^ good info, I didnt know that ^^^

regardless ZEP , will always be one of the best rock bands ever. nobody and I mean NOBODY is ever gonna top BONZO as a rock drummer.
I think a reunion show would be a waste of time, there's no zeppelin without Bonham.

wow, shawn...i knew they did a few old blues tunes but i didnt know about all of this stuff....wow!

The Small Faces, specifically Ronnie Lane & Steve Marriott, wrote "You Need Loving" which was the template for "Whole Lotta Love." I hate to use the word "stole" as it appears that everything was more about influencing others through music and ideas happened to make their way into other's song. Most British rock bands from this time (Zeppelin, Stones, Who, Small Faces, Free, Sabbath)embraced American blues and added their own take to it.

Some of these are a bit of a stretch...I don't hear any resemblence to Moby Dick in "The Girl I Love." None whatsoever. The Spirit Song has a similar guitar line to Stairway, but it's definitely not identical.

while i truely believe you gotta give credit where it's due, lets not forget to consider the time periods in which these songs were originally recorded and when they were covered/reinterprited by zep. resources for copyright research, let alone records of who wrote/originally recorded what simply were not readily available. as time went on, the original artists realized they deserved their fair share, and sued, and got credit/royalty cuts. thats business baby. but that by no means diminishes zep's immense musical and lyrical talent and their overall influence and impact on rock and roll. hands down one of the greatest and most important bands ever.

you know, the grateful dead were one of the biggest cover bands that i've ever heard. they have a lot of traditional songs and covers that they never wrote. i don't know why they are bashing a group that brought new life to old blues music, with one of the best lead guitarists of our time. i saw page/plant at the War Memorial Aud. in Buffalo in 96' and it was sick. between GD & Family and Phish, i've seen about 100 shows, plus many other shows as well. i put this show up there as a great show. page was playing his double necked guitar with a smoke hanging out of his mouth, tearing it up. they opened with immigrant song, had an incredible visual show (reminded me of the GD's old screens that you don't see too much anymore), two full sets, and they played about a 30 minute encore with the Buffalo Philharmonic setting in doing a Kashmire into a Black Dog. I thought it was great, especially since these guys are getting up there in age. Plants voice sounded like he does on CD to me and i've heard all there albums numerous times. they may have had some bad shows, but not when i saw them. i do get bored listening to them, since i've played them out along with many classic rock stations, but they still rock and i'd go see them live. they had a full band, not just the two of them. that's my $.02, peace.

oh, yeah, they did cover a few robert johnson's. "Travelin' Riverside Blues" and "The Lemon Song" are two examples off the top of my head. Then again, Eric Clapton covered, "Crossroads". The Grateful Dead and many more covered "Walkin' Blues". The Allman Brother's covered, "Come into my kitchen". Zeppelin aren't the only blues cover band.

The Lemon Song may rip Howlin Wolf's killing floor as well, i'd have to refresh my memory of that. If you listen to Robert Johnson's, "Lemon Song", it does have the lyrics, "squeeze my lemon until the juice runs down my leg"

i bet steve t. probably listens to the disco buscuits. talk about a sham. nothing about them is original. he's probably also too young to remember a guy named Jerry, and none of this would exist without him. he got his influences from all over the place and covered many many different artists into his own style. Led Zeppelin was a little heavier and bluesy. jimmy page could kick their preppy asses to the curb, biaatch..
Phish have a nice little ditty, "letter to jimmy page". giving respect. I think if you want to seriously talk about classic rock artists that made money off other people's music and were not original, i think of two people, Joe Cocker and George Thoroughgood. They both got rich off others music.

there is a few more robert johnson covers i forgot, "me and the devil blues" and "stop breakin' down" are both covered by widespread panic. "Drunkin' Hearted Man" covered and changed by the Allman Brother's to "Drunkin' Hearted Boy". I've heard Ben Harper do a "sweet home chicago" all of Robert Johnson's songs were originally done in the 1930's. most people wouldn't know half these songs if it weren't for these artists. other blues men copied, covered, and were influenced by robert johnson. i don't know much music today that is original.

don't get me wrong - love led zep -- but this really isn't led zep, is it now? -- not hating -- just not buying a ticket!

Zep a sham band?!?!? wow, I really have heard it all on this site!! So I guess ever symphony orhcestra is really a sham. After all, they're just stealing Beethoven's music!! But when a modern orchestra begins Beethoven's fifth, it is literally a moving experience for everyone in attendence, and that's what matters.

What people like Steve don't realize is that what matters is not who wrote the music, its how a particular band interprets is. Led Zep took the very standardized form and songs of the blues, plugged it in, distorted it, and gave it an edge and power that none of the original composers even considered.

Morning Dew is just a cover, but when the Dead played it, it shook a venue to the floor and brought chills down the spines of all who had the pleasure of taking it in. Also Sprach Zarathustra is one of the most recognizable songs of all time in its original form. But when Phish came around, they funked it up, gave it a kick in the ass, and turned it into something groundbreaking, original, and once again, "stolen"!

shawnsmith's list is crap, most of those references have one verse or in some cases one line similar to the original song. i've read this story before, the most insane one is saying the lemon song is ripped howling wolf's killing floor. the stairway to heaven reference is beyond laughable. give me a fucking break, i really hope jimmy page somehow gets these comments and laughs his ass off. even if some of it is not their's, who cares, it sounds fucking awesome.

Right... Jimi did do All Along The Watchtower, but he didn't write "The Lemon Song" (Killing Floor), nor did Zep. Jimi did acknowledge Killing Floor was by Hubert Sumlin... Plant and Page just renamed the song.

Hubert Sumlin wrote it.

Alone with the other penniless, black, blues musicians...

Funny, look how many lawsuits they're involved in.

There is a difference between borrowing and plagiarism. It's sad that most people don't know the difference and let them get away with so much money that belonged to people most Zep fans never really even heard from/of because they were drowned out.

It's also different when you play the music live. I don't care if you're Liberace or Robert Johnson. If it's on a studio album and you accept the royalties without acknowledging the original artist, I would call that plagiaristic.

Unfortunately, Mississippi John Hurt, Fred McDowell, Leadbelly, influenced just as many as Robert Johnson. It's just that it's people like RJ and LZ that you always hear about and it depends on the availability of the records.

It's really annoying when people put performers on a Beatlemania-esque/Jimmy HendricksOMFG!1!!/Bob Dylan, pedestal without throwing a tomato at them every now and then and knowing when to be a critic.

Especially when I was standing next to a chick at Roo, wearing a Zep shirt, who had no clue who John Paul Jones was.

Sometimes I feel annoyed...

Besides that, I need to quit posting so many of these dang things.

I don't like to compare artists here, but I would rather go an see an Allman Brothers concert and get comp tickets, or see a concert with Gibb Droll, than I would to pay and see a Zep reunion. I know members in both bands and to be honest, I really don't care for Zep's arrogance.

As much as I have respect for their musicianship, there will never be another Duane Allman...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pV8RoNePzfI <<< Favorite Liz Reed ever.

"Who is Steve T's favorite band? The spice girls are doing a reunion!"

At least they'd admit they don't write their songs. Sorry, that I think Zeppelin is a bit of a sham for stealing all their music, I knew a buncha you morons would react like this. Dont you get that half the music you love by them is ripped off? Willie dixon, howlin wolf, joan beaz, spirit, the list of artists they stole from is endless.

listen to "killing floor" by Howlin Wolf, then listen to "lemon song" by led zeppelin.

don't get me wrong, zeppelin's actual original material is sweet, and i still listen to them from time to time, but they stole most of the music blatantly.

they didn't "forget" to credit artists, they stole them and said they wrote them. wake up.

"Zep a sham band?!?!? wow, I really have heard it all on this site!! So I guess ever symphony orhcestra is really a sham. After all, they're just stealing Beethoven's music!! But when a modern orchestra begins Beethoven's fifth, it is literally a moving experience for everyone in attendence, and that's what matters."

Yeah, but the orchestra doesn't claim to have written the symphony, that is the one big difference. Led Zeppelin claimed Plant and Page wrote all these.

Also, CALM DOWN!

Just because I feel this way about Zep doesn't mean you have to! I'm just a person on the internet, you people need to not get so fired up when you come on here, i was merely stating my opinion.

hey, PHD...spare me the 'orchestra' BS... orchestras play music that makes them big money. for orchestras, its a locked game ~ there is more money in playing music written by dead people or other people you DONT HAVE TO PAY. people like poor black artists... you see.

Condemm Zep? with all that we are learning about our history these days i can understand that reaction. we know african-american artists have contributed endlessly and been $$$tiffed even more than they have contributed creatively (thats alot)....but, these ideas we have now about looking out for other groups of people and the hardships they deal with in society were not common knowledge or understanding in the '60 and '70s...people in general were not up to speed on this kind of stuff yet....we still have things to learn about this now for christs sake...to four rock musicians partying thier asses off in a the whirlwind we know as Led Zepplin...and a manager who was known for pulling guns on people when he didnt get his way...i can see how alot of things like this could have spun out of controll...add nausia? why there was also a record label invilved (the devil) im not saying its right to fuck up the copyright details in this situation at all. im not making excuses, im saying that alot of wrong has happen in our society around things like this and we have BARELY begun to right it. we have barely even begun how to LEARN to right theese things....this will take time, understanding and respect. i think its less than reasonable to harsh on these 4 dudes from Zep because of social situations outside of common understanding and control at the time.

Led Zepplin forged a sick new sound out of blues music that changed rock and roll, hip hop and bout every end of contemporarry music as i know it for ever. it appears they they may not have been the best writers all of the time but alot of blues and jazz groups perform 'STANDARDS'to fill out thier songlists WITHOUT the origional and amazing treatments Zep gave these tunes. I think the cooler groups seek old tunes that are lesser known (DTB) ~ thats hip to me. were Zep tunes standards before Zep? they are now >> were Zep a bit ahead of thier time? (yes)...

so i say for Zep 1- thumbs down for screwing up the copyright (was listing the copyright details in the band members hands when this happened?) but ill give them 5+ thumbs up for turning us on to some old blues ideas in a scorching hot and fresh way.

Mabey Page and Jones could start a new band? they could focus on new and interesting arrangments of old blues tunes and or new stuff if they like. they could bring on people with good writing playing (Joe Russo) and singing skills . they could create the next Led Zepplin.

prediction: John Paul Jones interview on Jambase.com (if he is wise enough to hit the jam kettle while the 'roo hype is still hot and buzzing)

it's postmodernism people. attempting to deconstruct a song is pointless; at some point one will always say "this was taken from so and so" or "wow, this sounds oddly familiar." so led zeppelin, for that matter, is a great band who used more than their fair share of other people's material. "houses of the holy" is one hell of an album though.

Anybody ever heard Tool's version of "No quarter" toally amazing.

Remember that Coverdale/Page project that Page put out back in the 80's with the dude from Whitesnake? That was total crap. I'll still bet Jimmy regrets that and cringes like I do when I hear:

An' here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
An' I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
An' here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go again

An' I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time

An' here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone

Cos I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

An' here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
An' I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
Here I go again

my favorite version of no quarter was always Fat Mamas. id be down to hear Tool or Vida blue do it, though.

Anyone hear Brad Bar from the Slip sing some Zepplin lately? he sang the fuck out of one of thier songs at a show i saw recently. after years of listening to his music i never knew he had that shit in him.

so, folks>> forget you have ever heard whitesnakes version of that song and imagine it as an old country or bluegrass song. you would have to change the lyric "street" to mabey "road" or somthing but it really has a tumbleweed quality to it, dont you think?

a new jamgrass standard?

sure led zep borrowed plenty of lyrics / verses from old blues standards , that happened alot back then even between the original old scool guys back when money wasn't being made over it.
all that ASIDE , I am curios as to how many of you posting negative remarks have paid for every track , cd , mp3 of music that you listen to? think about that then tell me who is stealing!!!

Yes, I am old enough to have seen Led Zeppelin back in '77 at the Forum in L.A. and let me tell you...it is probably the biggest and MOST mind blowing experience that I have ever had. I have seen many, many Dead shows (with Jerry , of course) and although GD is my all-time favorite, NOTHING compared to that one beautiful, amazing show way back when. So if they "borrowed" some of their licks or some of their lyrics - so fucking what. They were the shit live and they were the shit in the studio. Music WOULD NOT be the same without them. PERIOD!

It's one thing to cover a song that's already a hit and make it a hit again (thanks, diddy, for all your hard work), but we're talking about a band that brought obscure (at the time) delta and chicago blues to a brand new audience. Additionally, the definitive version of a song is not necessarily the original version. Examples:

Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower is the definitive version
Cream's Crossroads is the definitive version
Santana's Black Magic Woman is the definitive version
Led Zeppelin's Traveling Riverside Blues is the definitive version
The Rolling Stones' Love in Vain is the definitive version
The Animals' House of the Rising Sun...well you get the picture.

If these artists hadn't come around and remade these songs, the vast majority of you would never have heard them. Now that's a crime!!!

Right dbang, and the GD did the definitive version of Morning Dew...what if it had been a bigger hit than Touch Of Grey and the woman who wrote the song was totally dissed on pay day? (the auther was an obscure, probably not verry wealthy, folk artist...what was her name again?)

I think the debate has less to do with Zep covering these songs as as it does with them not cerditing and paying people who needed to be credited and payed for thier work composing these songs and bringing them to Zep's ears...after all Zeplin made ALOT of money from these songs. I dont think Zepplin intended to screw anyone but you can expect that when they or any artist uses any songwriters work and makes zillions they should cut them in fair and square!

so, now that we are informed and we have good intentions....who the fuck really wrote those old blues songs FIRST, anyway? who ever paired the words 'sad' and 'lonley' for the first time must be owed some big dough.

The blues are all basically the same, all blues songs sound very similar, get over it. same general chord progressions, sometimes in different keys, no shit it sounds similar

Hendrix lists Bob Dylan as the writer. Page lists himself as writer. There's the difference.

its just real f-up that zep never gave any credit to any of the artists they ripped off. now if you buy their albums many song writing credits have changed because they have gotten sued mulitple times. obviously zeppelin was great. the difference between the dead and zep is that the dead would write "traditional" or they would credit the artist they were covering. the majority of led zeppelin I, their debut album is taken from other artists with the exception of good times band times. if they had just been honest people would respect them more now. they wrote more great songs then they stole but this tampers with their legacy in my eyes as well as others who are aware.

Look all that matters is that Zep was one the most prolific bands of all time and the music they made will forever be timeless...coming from the south I know all about the blues and the fact of the matter is that if you asked Robert Plant who his biggest influences were he would say the blues...without the blues we wouldn't have had some of the greatest music of our time!

I actually got sick of reading about 1/2 way down, but most of you aren't getting the point. Zepplin didn't cover songs. they stole them. Whenever the dead covered a song on an album or in concert the song credits are still going to the original inspiration for playing that song. Not just taking it for their own. Covering cool music isn't schwag, but not giving credit where credit is due is.

It's undeniable that the original artists deserve a degree of credit, but if you listen to Zep's version of these classic blues songs, they are structured around heavy riffs and soaring vocals that were most often not present in the original versions. Zep didn't write Travelin' Riverside Blues (thanks Robert Johnson for another great one), but at the same time, Robert Johnson didn't write that killer slide guitar riff followed by arpeggios. Indeed, I believe that Johnson should recieve some credit, along with Page and Plant, but don't fool yourself into believing that just anyone could've covered Johnson's skeletal arrangement and come up with something of comparable quality.

Additionally, how many of us can credit at least a portion of our interest in the blues to Led Zeppelin? I know I can. When I was 18, back in the early nineties, I didn't have the patience to sit down and analyze finger pickin' delta bluesmen like Mississippi John Hurt or Blind Willie McTell, but Zep got me into the blues enough to check out Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters and eventually, I mellowed out enough to explore more deeply. In the end, I'd say that I spent more on old blues albums than I did purchasing the entire Zep catalogue. I'm not saying that this should let them off the hook, but these guys deserve more respect than they are getting from a group of music fans that owe them more than a small debt of gratitude for being some of the first "jammers" on a scene that didn't even exist yet.

hate to say it but that ass stevie is right...

just because jason has the same last name as john does not mean hes anywhere near worthy to fill in on the kit...

Lando! You have some nerve coming on this website! Its your fault Han Solo was frozen in carbonite. He could have died in the freezing process.Darth Vader wanted to use him as a guinea pig because he intended to freeze Luke for the emperor.
Anyone who is mad at Zeppelin is a total jackass. They are THE BEST, THE HEAVIEST, MOST AWESOME, MOST POWERFUL, ROCK AND ROLL FORCE THAT EVER WAS AND WILL EVER BE. Without Zep, The Stones, and Eric Clapton, the blues would have been dead on the vine in the early 60s. Read B.B. King's autobiography. When R&B, Stax, and Motown hit, his music got pushed out and away from his original audience. He adamantly insists that the British Invasion brought his music to a whole new realm of listeners. I'm not condoning Zep for not crediting their sources, but everything they touched they made their own. Plus when you add in the rest of their catalog it becomes a staggering body of work.

Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids...I thought the news release was about a reunion show?

I see a lot of people on this thread citing that Zeppelin is one of the best rock bands ever...That's a nice compliment, but I'd have to say they ARE THE BEST ROCK BAND EVER! There's no close second...maybe some people prefer Sabbath, the Stones, Deep Purple, or the Who, but I'd bet anyone that no rock band will stand the test of time like Zeppelin...and I salute them for paying tribute to their heros by playing songs from the legends...that's a part of music...as all of you know, they also happened to write a TON of amazing originals, and I'd take the quality of songs on their studio albums over any other band. 100 years from now, people will still be cranking up Zeppelin! Page rules!

seems like there would be plenty of doctors to support a reunion

Led Zeppelin is one of the most creative , innovative, and original rock band in history.

the fact that anyone would refer to them as "rip off artists" is appalling.