The Who vs. Led Zeppelin? No Contest.
First, a few ground rules and an explanation:
There will be no mention of child pornography or swordfish, drug and alcohol abuse or both bands’ recent penchant for whoring themselves to the highest bidder.
Kenny Jones is off limits as well, so too Roger Daltrey’s flowing locks and buckskin fetish.
The term “Moon the Loon” will not be making its usual appearance.
There will be no references to Robert Plant as “that blonde tranny from Zep.”
Finally, The Song Remains the Same shall be stricken from the critical record, as well as any and all of Led Zeppelin’s hyperindulgent pseudomystical bullshit.
Ok.
As much as Beatles and Stones fans, Who and Led Zep devotees love to lock horns and trade insults over who was the best, blah blah blah. I usually don’t bother entering into the fray because, to me, there’s no point. No contest. The ‘Oooooo are in an entirely different league than Zep.
My decision has been reached primarily through comparison of the period between 1969 and 1972, though not necessarily referenced in specific, whereby both bands reached their pinnacle of creative expression coupled with a fierce live act — arguably, in Led Zeppelin’s case, but a simple fact for the Who.
My decision has been reached objectively, if not scientifically.
Although it bears mention that I am a Who fan. The only Led Zeppelin album I truly enjoy is Led Zeppelin I and even then it’s only “Good Times, Bad Times” and “Communication Breakdown” — coincidentally the only Led Zeppelin songs I’ve bothered to learn how to play on guitar as sloppily and half-assed as good ole Led Zep were often capable themselves.
It’s not that Jimmy Page was/is a lousy guitar player. Quite the opposite — no one can deny the man had chops. Of course he swiped all his best riffs from old blues records, but that’s beside the point. By 1969, Pete Townshend was a master of harnessed chaos, capable of seamlessly interspersing feedback squall with interludes of shimmering beauty, thus channeling the warring facets of his personality directly through an SG and a Hi-Watt stack. This instrumental mastery also happened to coincide with the flowering of Townshend’s compositional skills, regardless of one’s opinion on the Rock Opera phenomenon that followed (with apologies to the Pretty Things) Led Zeppelin could have never made something as audacious as Tommy — it was simply above and beyond their aesthetic cache of leaden blues based rawk.
John Bonham was a pretty good drummer, though. He was no Keith Moon, but he was alright.
John Paul Jones vs. John Entwistle? That other guy in Led Zeppelin against the best bass player in rock and roll history? Please.
Which leaves the vocalists. Singers, if you will. Both had a tendency to prance and preen about in frilly little numbers, but really, Roger Daltrey could have kicked Robert Plant’s ass with one arm tied behind his back, whilst hopping about on one leg. But I suppose this isn’t a ‘most testosterone wins’ sort of affair; vocally, I much prefer Daltrey’s singing to Plant’s histrionics. I won’t even bring up the latter’s penchant for middle-school D&D lyrical content. Oops, I guess I just did.
Further, Nickelback and Wolfmother are the musical heirs to Led Zeppelin — and they both suck; Most of the people you hated in high school? Led Zeppelin fans.
Ask the average member of the average shitty suburban whiteboy pseudofunk jam band which band they prefer: Led Zeppelin nine times out of ten.
My decision is final.
Filed under: Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon, Led Zeppelin, music, Pete Townshend, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, The Who | 224 Comments
Tags: Led Zeppelin, music, The Who
FRIG. RIGHT. OFF! 
Who you think you are dissing the best band ever? I am not in some so-called “average white boy pseudofunk jam band” or whatever as you say, and support Zeppelin with my life. I do occasionally listen to the ‘orrible ‘oo sometimes, but i highly doubt they have what it takes to match Plant and the boys. If there was a Celebrity Deathmatch episode between these two bands the outcome would be such: Keith and Bonzo kill eachother, the Ox and John- Paul would be killed by Townsend and Page, Jimmy kills Pete, Daltrey kills Plant by strangling him with a mic cord, and Page kills Daltrey by shoving a guitar through his body. Either way Zeppelin wins. So up yours!
Ash,
Intriguing, but purely hypothetical. In my version, Keith and Bonzo would immediately drink themselves to death and Jones would off Entwistle with a blow to the head by a kilo of blow only to be cut completely in half (along with a screaming Robert Plant doing his best Celine Dion impression) by a Daltrey-thrown piece of sheet metal. Roger would then turn to Pete, lock arms and charge a by now completely shitfaced Jimmy Page, delivering a decapitating flying clothesline — allowing Roger and Pete to walk off into the sunset. Cue Won’t Get Fooled Again.
By the way, calling Led Zeppelin the best band ever is probably the most boring thing anyone could ever say.
I would say touche, but you just like the fact that you are totally oblivious to the fact that the Who are soooooooooooooooooo overrated. If you would like to see a fine example of this, go to Youtube and search for “Roger Daltrey on Tiswas (a popular British kids show)” At least when Plant was on he got pied in the face by a little girl, unlike Roger and (breaking a rule) Kenney Jones when they appeared.
Overrated? OVERRATED?!? Everyone from this ****ing generation knows Led Zep, Beatles, Stones. The only songs most people have hear nowadays are the CSI themes, and most people don’t even know who did them. That isn’t ****ing overrated! I WON’T REST UNTIL THE REST OF THE WORLD KNOWS THE GLORY OF QUADROPHENIA (best album ever written).
RIGHT ON!!!!
You are the only person making any f***ing sense around here!
Ash,
You know the rules! The Kenney Jones reference thus nullifies your comment.
Really though, Daltrey is probably my least favorite Who member.
I will, however, grant you that the Who are bit overrated at the moment (thanks to their stature as the CSI house band), but when How the West Was Won came out a couple of years ago you couldn’t escape friggin Zep.
Overrated, despite their superior kids show programming.
*rolling eyes* Oh please, a “bit overrated”? The Who are so overrated, they make Kiss look like a garage band.
ok and zeppelin isnt over rated, actually the who got to were they are with only negative hype from the media in the 60’s and 70’s were as zeppelin had positive hype, if you ask most random people theylle say zeppelin is the best and most influential band ever wich is bs
Led Zeppelin only ever had negative hype from the media. They refused to release any singles, so the record companies never gave em good reviews.
The Who only seem overrated because you underrate them!!!!
And another thing, why do you assume that Led Zeppelin was nothing but a drugged out blues-rock band? Have you ever listened to any of their other albums? Sure, their lyrics are blues laced with magic, but it’s the way the music is played is what counts. For example: Led Zeppelin had Stairway, Kashmir, Achilles Last Stand as powerful pieces that really ripped the heart right out of you, and what did the Who have???? Love Reign O’er Me. Come on, all four members of Zeppelin can write better songs than Pete Townshend because he was a selfish drama queen who wanted everything his way, and Roger, Keith, and John were nothing but his bitches he chained to the end of his bed every night before he went to sleep.
You don’t even have the taste to appreciate Pete’s songwriting. His songs connected with millions and millions of people and he is still one of rock’s best spokesman of all time. I’d like to see Jimmy Page achieve that title. Without the Who, Led Zeppelin wouldn’t even exist. The Who set the stage for almost any kind of hard rock to follow. They were the first real hard rockers. Robert Plant totally copied Roger Daltrey’s singing style, with the long hair and wearing fringes and all that crap. I do like Led Zeppelin, but I would say that the Who were much more influential because without them, we wouldn’t have any Led Zep. If you’re still not convinced, read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_who#Influence
Look again… Maybe The Who wouldn’t be the same with Led Zeppelin, hell wikipedia, FULL OF BULLSHIT!
What Bill said
this is a 3 year old post but fuck it i need to say this how the fuck can you say something as ridiculous as “Without the Who, Led Zeppelin wouldn’t even exist.” the who were a totally different genre to zep, zep were the ultimate pioneer to hardrock stemmed from blues rock just like sabbath were the ultimate pioneers of metal stemmed from hard rock the who’ punk era stemmed from fuck all but sloppy hardrock/fasle punk
there is no comparison between led zeppelin and the who as bands go you wont find a more complete band then zeppelin their only falter in my opinion is some cheap jrr tolkien lyrics and some of their best riffs are recycled and refurbished in other hits example how many more time and black dog (i think black dog i am fairly wasted right now to remember)
as well as the lemon song into and good times bad times (again brains fuzzed to shit)
also the article written above is clearly from the point of view of a biased who fan with some kind of misdirected anger towards led zeppelin
seriously “the average member of the average shitty suburban whiteboy pseudofunk jam band” wtf is that!? i guess the people you refer to are the people who rate zeppelin based on one song not gonna name it not gonna name stairway to heaven yeah bitch i named it
anyways let me finish this up with zepellin floyd sabbath thats all i need!
@TRiCkiSh ShAM
Sorry mate, the riff and lyrics of Lemon Song were pretty much nicked from Killing Floor.
The Who’s songs had deeper meaning than Zep’s and they could blow Zeppelin off the stage so there is not much else to it.
By the way, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon were the ones who gave Jimmy Paige the idea of the name Led Zeppelin.
Ash,
I think you’re confusing drugged-out proggy overindulgence with actual songwriting skills. What I’m talking about has less to do with eight minute epics and much more to do with concise three to four minute songs with discernible verses, choruses, and maybe a bridge here and there.
Stuff like Kashmir, Stairway and Achilles all put me to sleep — which is why I much prefer something like Communication Breakdown. I don’t care about their later albums. If I want atmospheric proggy fare I’ll take Hawkwind over Zep any day of the week.
Love Reign O’er Me? Come on man, fight fair. I’ve never even listened to Quadrophenia in its entirety. I was mainly talking about ’69 – ’72 era Who — Sell Out, Tommy (which I’m not even a big fan of, save for the live renderings), Live at Leeds and Who’s Next. This is explained in the disclaimer as I think it’s easiest to compare the two during this period whereby they both reached their respective “pop” zenith.
And don’t even mention Kiss in the same breath as the Who. I’ll get to Kiss in good time — my axe isn’t quite sharp enough yet.
Man! Whoa! Stop the hating?
Why hate? Why diss? Why argue?
I mean live performances? (before 1975)… Led Zeppelin were better musically than the Who… Led Zeppelin knew how to improvise, jam and have fun. They knew how to go to somewhere they never been before with improvisation. The Who never done that! I love both bands… But still you sound like you are calling Led Zeppelin talentless. I’m shock to find out Achilles Last Stand makes you fall asleep lol! Maybe it is because your taste of music, it is short not wide enough to appreciate other things. Led Zeppelin were more various with their music, but they were rock. The Who were just ROCK all the time, which is good! The Who liked to jam too… Man, you can’t just go arguing like that! John paul Jones and John Entlewistle are both good… I mean have you heard the bass of The Lemon Song? WOW! But it would probably bored with your short taste of appreciation and talent. Both bands are talented… No point of arguing…
If you like Communication Breakdown, you would probably like Whole Lotta Love… I mean you have to really listen to the music… Instead of just trying to rock out… Try to rock out on Jazz, no it’ll bored you… I would be shocked if you would say that Pete Townshend had more skill than Pat Metheny. Now you’re probably thinking, who the fuck is Pat Metheny… So if he’s not known, he is less skilled and less talented… BULLSHIT! He is one of the most known Jazz artists out there… But you wouldn’t probably know that, because probably Jazz bores you… So saying something that bores you, doesn’t mean it is talentless and less skilled than others. It just means your taste of music is small.
Billy-boy: you right. Me no like talented and skilled makers of music. And who the fuck IS Pat Metheny? Probably some goatee’d, beret sporting jazzy flute player. Or maybe he’s some supercool 80’s fusion guy with acid-washed jeans and a frizzy Weird Al mullet. Or maybe he’s a spoken-word artist with a speech impediment. Now THAT would be interesting.
See, that really makes you look like you have no knowledge of music at all… The Who were about ROCKING, ROCKING and having fun! They were more into rock music, and loved to rock out, so when they wrote a song it was about ROCK! Led Zeppelin were more various than the Who in music… Don’t get me wrong, both bands are GREAT! But still this is saying on what you prefer… I’m just pointing out that Led Zeppelin doesn’t suck… And that the Who is not “more” talented. Both bands are talented for god’s sake! It only matters on the taste! And you, my friend, have a small taste. You arguing about music… Look, when I was younger about 2 years ago, I argued against someone on Youtube, he kept saying that AC/DC, The Ramones and Kiss were more influential and more talented than The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles… It’s a joke? Right? And we kept and kept on arguing, and he kept saying how stupid I was… And that The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles were all boring and didn’t had any skills in writing music… And after time, people came and started agreeing with me, arguing back at me… And IT WAS COMPLETE BULLSHIT! Kiss is not more influential and more talented than Led Zeppelin!….. And then I realized that they were just arguing on what they prefer, on what they thought, on what happened to them… AC/DC, Kiss and The Ramones might have influence them, but still The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles were way more influential, so I tried explaining that to them. But still, they were just thinking good of themselves, and thought that they knew that they were right and that I was wrong… There is no bad music… There is only what you like, let’s all just stop arguing about what you think, and just listen to the music and enjoy the music, because seriously… We can argue all day, but you have to understand. You might not like Led Zeppelin (the songs you don’t like), but hey still do you really think that they are talentless… Less talented than The Who for that reason, because people say talent as if it was something that you can push at. People call me talented on many instruments I play, am I more talented than The Who or etc… No I’m not, but does that mean they are more talented than me, well I take them as influences, amazing talents (and I know they are more talented than me), but still I can be talented in another way that they were… Because all talents are different, you can say a band sucks, but that’s only because you don’t like it, because of your taste… Most people in the world have small taste, and diss everything that’s not in their taste, and that’s wrong… I and many other people have a wide taste and can understand music more… Can see music! how beautiful it is from classical to punk, from reggae to funk… I can like it all, and I can understand it all… (but still there are some things I don’t like, my taste isn’t that wide, but it is wide)… I’m just saying please understand music, posting stuff like this makes you look like you have small knowledge in music. I hope you get this and not in the wrong way… And don’t say shit, like, “you’re stupid” or “this is bullshit” or “this is boring, and I don’t care”… Because I hope you do understand and take it in the right way and not as a complete jerk…
PS: If you do play guitar, you should check out Pat Metheny, he will guaranteed, influence your playing, and how to play. If you find it boring, well… hmm. Just learn how he plays, and it will influence you… Like Jimi Hendrix influences guitarists of playing, like Pat Metheny influence guitarists of playing. Yep, he’s that influential for playing the guitar…
You used to argue on Youtube? Dude, really.
What the fuck that’s what you responded outta all I said… And well it was a long time ago, it was probably more than 2 years, but who cares! Do you understand what I mean! Or are you still, no The Who is better… Because saying what is better is your opinion… But seriously Led Zeppelin is a talented band and you can’t diss that! Both bands are talented! And a term “more talented” wtf? That term is bullshit and doesn’t even make sense, when you are talented, you are talented… You can’t be more of it from someone else! Because seriously both bands are great and both talented, I hope you can see that…
How old are you Bill? I’m not trying to infer anything here, I’m just curious.
I’m just 18… But age doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter if you are 20 or over… because no bands sucks, no band is actually talentless… Except some are, but still Led Zeppelin isn’t, you’re allowed to hate what you want and like what you want, but you can’t go dissing like that.
So how old are you? I’m curious too now! But seriously, age doesn’t matter unless if you are 12 or younger…
How many friends do you have? I’m not trying to infer anything here, I’m just curious.
I have seven friends, but I only really like three of them. Thanks for asking!
OMG SEVEN friends?! Jesus that’s so enormous… I only have 2… 😦 My right hand and my mum.
You might not consider them peers but I consider them your superior.
My superior? No. Potential source of venereal disease? Perhaps. Oh, wait a minute… you weren’t talking about your hand and your mum. My bad!
The Who never improvised? Hmmmm….well please listen to these two great live albums:
The Who Live at Leeds
The Who Live at Isle of Wight
Both albums are full of improv. that i have always enjoyed.
first of all they are both amazing bands and im sure the who has influenced zep but they have completely different sounds, one is ROCK, the other is rock, blues and misc. i do agree with bill and i dont know why you get into age, for one you can tell if someone is an infant based on what they say and and age doesnt determine intellect nor does it determine knowledge on the subject so stop with the pissing contest. And seriously arsebundren, here you are insulting this nice peaceful guy and asking him how old he is when its already quite obvious that he does know what he is talking about and yet all you are doing is act childish, seriously grow up and try to be in rational state of thought 🙂 now i grew up on all the rock of the 60’s & 70’s but i never truely made up my mind on whos better than who until i got a little older and started debating it with my dad, and i personally came to the conclusion that i prefer zep, for one they definetly have more material/ more hits. if i through together a top 25 song list where it was based off of a popular critic review the who would fizzle out and i know many who fans will disagree but its exactly as bill said its all a matter of preference and taste, but regardless majority rule and majority rule agrees. the who doesnt have the quantity that zeppelin has, plus zeppelin has a broader range of music. so overall dont get me wrong i love them both but zeppelin takes my vote.
“What I’m talking about has less to do with eight minute epics and much more to do with concise three to four minute songs with discernible verses, choruses, and maybe a bridge here and there.”
You’re saying this to support the band that wrote “Won’t Get Fooled Again”?
Although I do agree, comparing The Who to Kiss is a sin.
Sorry to say but to me The Who (especially Roger Daltrey ) sucks big time!
Could never stand them.
Zep could seriously kick their ass anyday!
WHAT!!! no way in hell does the who suck, first of all john entwislte was voted best bassist of the millenium(with the exeption of the lemon song most john paul jones stuff is basic), kieth moon is one of the greatest drummers ever, he was also the most energetic, pete townshend pioneered the power chord, where would music be with out that, hes also written some of the best songs ever and he is both extremly influential and just as good as page, roger daltrey is a legendary singer, plants singing style does some times get boring and daltrey was also able to adapt to all the stuff pete threw at him. they are both my faverout bands but i prefer the who. bands like pearl jam, the ramones, black sabbath, kiss, and van halen have all said the who were one of the best bands ever and that they were a huge influence to them oh so did ZEPPELIN. john entwhistle and keith moon were the origanal members of zeppelin. and i play bass, jones comes NO were near john entwistle the only people even close to him are geezer butler, flea, and james jamerson. and i recomend for every one they check out the john entwistle bass solo from 5:15 live at royal albert hall it will blow your mind.
ps live at leed went down in history as the best live album ever
LONG LIVE ROCK!!
Boy, have you ever heard of Stanley Clark………………………geeeeshhhhh, you gotta lot to learn.
Explain “Ramble On”, “The Crunge”, “Celebration Day”, “The Song Remains The Same”, and etc. Those are just a few epic basslines from the underrated, and very talented John Paul Jones. He also wrote the riff to “Black Dog”. That may be the most recognizable riff in Rock history.
False
I hope I’m not out of line, and I’m not sure if this is boring and not acceptable, but I really like both bands. Zep are hot right now but these things go in cycles.
I am a serious fan of both The Who and Led Zeppelin. The Who are obviously one of rock’s great bands, Led Zeppelin however, are clearly the greatest rock and roll band that ever stepped on a stage. I’ve seen virtually all of the greats over the years, and no band in the world, before or since, not even the magnificent Who, at their absolute peak, could compete with a fully focused and firing on all cylinders Led Zeppelin. Nobody could. Just because Zeppelin remain untouchable rock gods, I am not compelled to criticize The Who. I will always be a fan of The Who. I notice that in their 40+ years of existence The Who have sold a respectable 21 million albums in the U.S. alone. I knew Led Zeppelin were enormously successful, but I didn’t realize that they had sold a staggering 109.5 million albums in the U.S. alone. No wonder that the website for reunion tickets received over a BILLION hits in less than a week, with over 25 million people attempting to register.
Bobby, you had me up until the point you started quoting sales figures.
Let’s just round up all of the surviving members of both bands and put them in a room with an infinite amount of booze, Mandrax tablets cocaine and heroin and watch them go absolutely ape shit as they point fingers at each other and then slap each other on the back. Then, chances are they will all have gay sex together after some silly yoga chant with their hands all clasped together. Please! Led Zeppelin vs. The Who, what is this? A Universal horror movie made about 1940? Go back and finish your corn flakes, read your damn sports page, change your underwear AND SHUT THE F**K UP!!!!!!!
Well said, my friend!!!!!!
Gregg,
You started out promisingly, but ended up a twat. And what’s with the extra ‘g’? Who do you think you are?
You’re firsts words I agree with dude. “They are in totally different leagues.” The rest I do not. Yes they were in different leagues. Zeppelin, who, beatles, floyd, all were in different leagues. The Who were the greatest story tellers in rock history. Zep were the greatest concert masters. Beatles were the greatest innovators, and floyd were psychedelic gods. This argument is pointless since Daltrey has on numerous occasions praised the works of Zeppelin and Page and plant do the same with the Who! These bands are of different leagues but have similar fan bases. Why fight amongst each other? We can all agree though that both Who and Zepp could fucking murder any of these new teenage angst bands we see. Moon, Bonzo, and Enwhistle would come out of there graves to kick ass anyday. The fact is, these bands are more like brothers than anything else. I am a Zep fanatic, but I tend to play Who songs a whole lot more. It doesn’t matter! They are amazing bands. If anything, i’d say they were about equal. I’m not writing any of this flaming posts or spamming by going “Zep rocks so fuck u!” I’m saying that arguing on a case with two of the Four Rock Gods is pointless.
You’re right on track there. Never forget YES though. They are all different in their own special ways……thank God for the wonderment of music. However, when I get to the pearly gates, and St Peter asks me who was the greatest band of my short, insignificant life, I’m gonna have to tell him it was Zep.
nice song reference!
How was zep the greatest concert masters??? In my opinion the Who were. Live at Leeds is the greatest live performance by popular vote.
Jaffer,
Best comment I have seen as of yet. You’re on the money. In my defense, and while my Who worship is sincere, I wrote this “comparison” as more of a joke than anything. Well, mainly to wind Zep fans up, but that’s no great accomplishment as you can see. The two bands are markedly different in sound, aesthetic, influences, yet constantly held up against each other. I spent a few years kicking around alt.music.who and there were constant flame wars erupting between Who and Zep fans (generally meatheads on both sides, mind you), much to my bemusement. So I figured I’d poke the hornets nest then sit back and see what happened. All in good fun.
Haha yes unfortunately the general population of fans really do count as “fanatics” neo-zeppelin fans, neo-who fans, etc. I mean some have gone as far as to say that such bands as Skid Row, Guns N’ Roses, hell even QUIET RIOT were the greatest bands alive. Their only defense, “you can kiss my ass if u think differently”. The times of healthy sensible debate have gone. They don’t seem to realize that when the arguments end, the music is still there lol. To me, arguing is like being in the special olympics. Whether you win or lose, you’re still retarded. I know kind of harsh but it gets the message across. I leave you with that. (Listening to Won’t Get Fooled Again as we speak!)
Ash,
Beautifully done. I think you’ve nailed it as well as any LZ basher I’ve ever read. Not sure how a band who exhibited a practice of plagiarism throughout their entire career can command such a following. I’m a bit confused why it doesn’t seem matter to the scores of the “Led Astray”. If you’re going to make outrageous claims as to who was the greatest band of all time, doesn’t it stand to reason said band should be the slightest bit original? The mud shark incident was about as innovative as they ever got. True, they have a vast following but then again McDonalds sells a lot of hamburgers.
For all you nay sayer’s about Zeppelin’s plagaristic ways: Yes it was wrong to misrepresent…but I’ll tell you, Zep’s versions of all those songs were wayyyyyy better!!! and I’ll have millions agree with me. As far the rythm sections goes it’s a wash. Bonham idolized Moon, Moon was more frenetic, but Bonzo was/is possibly the best groove drummer ever. JPJ and JE both brilliant, JE better technically, but JPJ could do it all (play mandolin, guitar, keys etc, which gave Zep a different dimension), the Who needed the rabbit for that. Both singers are a wash…both so great and differently dynamic. So it all comes down to the leaders.. Jimmy and Pete. We all know Jimmy’s story before Zep so their no need to go there. Pete was a heavy chord man, and wrote great songs. Jimmy was and way better guitar orchestrator, and producer. Bottom line it’s subjective…but let me leave you with this……Which band had their own plane???
Instead of talking about the members of Zeppelin lets talk about Zeppelin’s member. Robert Plant’s trouser snake was the real star of that show. I mean who needs to see the Taj Majahal when for the price of a ticket you can see the ninth wonder of the natural world in Robert’s pants. When I first saw it I thought he has a squirrel living down there. With that big thing out there nobody was looking Page or the other wankers Bonzo and Jones.
I have a theory that all of Zeppelin’s songs were written about Plant’s weiner. Most people don’t know that the working title of Dazed and Confused was Dazed and Misused (about self abuse). When your as hot a Roger Daltrey you don’t have to put a sock down your drawers.
You “WHO” fans are dumb asses that know nothing of music, with a pedafile for a guitar hero.
My decision is final!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m sorry Ron, but you’re an immature and uninformed person.
The Who were musical geniuses that left (and still do) a major imprint on the history of rock music.
Also, Pete Townsend is not a pedophile, the sites he went on were for a book he was writing, and after further investigation, they found the whole accusation was BS
so please, if you have nothing better to say than immature crap then don’t post
“John Bonham was a pretty good drummer, though. He was no Keith Moon, but he was alright.”
WTF. Did Keith Moon do a 20 minute drum solo? No. Did Bonham? YES. So who’s better? FUCKING JOHN BONHAM. What the hell did Keith Moon do besides be a shit head and break his drumset? Listen to Moby Dick, you dick
So if Keith moon did a 21 minute drum solo he would be better than Bonham?
comeon, that is a ridiculous statement.
Keith moon is probably one of the greatest drummers of all time, and yes, he was a bit crazy but just because he didn’t have a 20 minute solo doesn’t mean he’s worse.
listen to any who song you dick head
con really, what drummer hasn’t done a 20 minute drum solo
20 minute drums solos are for people with too much time on their hands.
I really dont give a flying fuck who thinks who is better here, but calling John Paul Jones crap is kinda mind numbing, have you heard his virtuoso work in no quarter?, he is probably one of the most skilled rock musicians ever, and you’re right, 20 minute drum solos were not John Bonham’s strong point, if you want that just listen to him in any recording that ever exists.
…never called him “crap”, don’t give a flying fuck about No Quarter.
their both good but the who is better. daltreys voice was like none other. plants voice was so unorigianal its hard to tell his voice from say acdc(who suck) or guns n roses(who suck) also kieth moon is the greatest drummer of all time
Only thing is Guns N’ Roses and AC/DC were imitating his style. Plant’s voice was very unique for its time.
umm, plant was attempting to imitate daltrey
Post-Who, Pete kept/keeps turning out music of value. In contrast, Plant has only a song or two since Zep. Zep was known for some great songs (Battle or Evermore is my fave Zep song), but Who’s Next stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the great Floyd albums of the 1970’s. I can see why some like or love Plant’s singing voice, but that ultra-high pitch he overused so often can be a turn-off. The Who were unusual in that they had truly world class talents at bass and drums. Entwhistle was such a unique talent that even today nobody else (no other band) does what The Who did with the bass as a quasi-lead instrument. Both Who and Zep were highly original bands. There is no need to give any thumbs down to either of these two bands. Save the thumbs down for Kiss.
Rush does great bass with Geddy Lee, perhaps way more than Entwistle, and so is just about everything, bass, drums, guitar, and lyrics. I listen to them and Zep a lot. I think you guys are all arguing opinions, which have absolutely no base in fact. My opininion is: the best bassists are Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, John Paul Jones, John Entwistle, Paul Mccartney Jaco Pastorius, Victor Wooten. Listen to rock, metal, and jazz, and you’d understand.
WhoElse — great points, and yes, Kiss sucks and shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as the Who and LZ… for me, they’re just the makeup-clad forerunners of shit like Nickelback, only with a much more aggressive marketing campaign.
Okay, you numbmuts. Stop getting pissed over nothing! Next, I’m going to go with The Who. Sure, Led Zeppelin is great and John Bonham is an amazing drummer, but next to Keith Moon he is unoriginal, so what if he did 20 min drum solos? sure that’s TALENT, but it is easier to imitate Bonzo, Keith Moon? NEVER. Robert Plant VS. Roger Daltrey, I’m gonna go with Daltrey, he has so much more range in his voice, so much power and his voice isn’t wimpy and very straight forward, Roberts voice is more mystical and doesn’t even sound as good in Live shows. (by the way, The Who is better live), Pete T. Vs. Jimmy P., ok Pagey def. wins this one as a guitarist, but Pete Townshend wrote every good Who song and was pretty much a musical genius. JPJ Vs. John Entwhistle, no contest…. John Entwhistle takes the whole damn cake.
Seriously though, they ARE different bands, like someone said, The Who are sory tellers, and Led Zeppelin is more mystical…
Please, enjoy the music!
I will say that LZ is technically more proficient than The Who, and they have sold many more records(something LZ fans always point out, but ABBA has sold more records than LZ).
However, overall The Who blow them away. The Who created several genres of rock. My Generation was the first rock song to be it’s own genre, not based on any blues riffs. In other words, it was completely its own. LZ was a blues cover band, nothing more.
When The Who were introducing electronics into rock and roll (1971), LZ was still playing blues riffs. Baba O’Riley was years ahead of its time. The synth patterns that Townshend wrote were written note by note, on machines that were impossible to use. Listen to the guitar on Townshend’s solo, and you’ll hear that the Edge from U2 completely copped that sound in his own style. Bottom line, The Who are way better because they are way more creative. One Pete Townshend cord has more feel that 5 Page cords.
Btw, look at the bands that each inspired. The Who- Pink Floyd(not that that’s entirely good), Jimi Hendrix, (yes) Led Zeppelin, Bowie, The Sex Pistols, Clash, Jam, The NY punk scene, Husker Du, The Replacements, etc. Pretty much, everything that’s authentic and interesting about rock and roll. LZ inspired hair metal and crappy 70’s radio rock.
Matt – you make a far more persuasive argument than I — while agreeing with me, I might add, and for this you earn ‘best comment of the thread’ honours. Bravo.
The who is a fucking amzaing brilliant band. could they match Led Zeppelin? FUCK YES. Townsend was a much better songwriter than plant or page. The Who were more original the Led Zeppelin. Daltrey was more solid than Plant live. Entwhistle was possibly the best bass player of all time. True Zeppelin did inspire thousands of shitty bands. Drum wise its like comparing apples to Oranges. Moon and Bonham are both beasts. I’ve seen videos of both performing.The Who were ALWAYS solid. Led Zeppelin could be amazing live or ENORMOUSLY shitty live. But when they were amazing they blew the who out of the fucking water along with every other band of the era. Zeppelin is one of those most loved or most hated bands and for me its a whole lotta love. They were so talented and diverse and have fallen to stupid fucking unfair stereotypes where posers where either AC/DC or Zeppelin t shirts to seem cool. AC/DC is a generic repetitive Rock N’ Roll band. After people hear stuff like Black Dog and Rock and Roll I can see why they would say Zep sucks. But until you’ve heard the complete catalogue from Zep you should abstain from judging them. Always remember music started without lyrics and that instrumental emotions expressed can sometimes leave a far more profound feeling. Zeppelin mastered this. The Who are fucking amazing legends but honestly
Led Zeppelin vs. The Who?
the former, by far
well, in many forums i saw :
Lz vs Beatles
Lz vs Deep Purple
Lz vs Pink FLoyd
Lz vs Queen
so i think Lz is always a constant in the world.. Pure Genius .. So i have to say
Led zeppelin is the best band ever .. period
Fuck you. The musical heirs to Led Zeppelin are:
– Queen
– Van Halen
– Aerosmith
etc etc.
Go read some rock history.
I personally love both bands. Lets do a comparison:
Keith = Bonham
Plant > Roger
Jones > John
Page > Pete (yes! honestly…)
No come one John Entlewistle was better than John Paul Jones! Trust Me! Or hell you could have put an “=”…
are you fucking high
townshendjones
moon>bonham
daltrey>plant
and even then page is only a better soloist with out pete the power chord would hardly be used and every one has to respect the wind mill and smashing shit
ZEPPELIN MAY BE SLIGHTLY MORE POPULAR, BUT THE WAY I WOULD DECIDE THIS ONE IS ASK MYSELF IF I COULD ONLY GO TO ONE CONCERT WHO WOULD I SEE. THE ANSWER WAS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT-THE WHO-BY A MILE. THEY KICK EVERYONES ASS LIVE NOW AND FOREVER. ITS HARD TO DISAGREE EVEN FOR THE MOST LOYAL ZEP FANS.
The Who for sure!
I think the Who songs will stand the test of time. I can get my fix of Whole lotta love by listening to it once a year…. but Baba Oriely I NEED to listen to at least once a fortnight (or once a day sometimes)!
The Who, The Who, The Who!
I love them both as one loves their mother and their father, fully but for different reasons.
If you know both of these bands well enough, you’ll learn that each is the inverted version of the other. Robert sings high and prettily. Roger sings down and dirtily. Jimmy plays great solos with good songs. Pete plays great songs with good solos (if he takes a solo). John Paul Jones plays great backbone bass. Entwistle plays great lead bass. Bonham plays controlled, almost minimalimally. Keith… well, we all know what Keith does.
This dichotomy carries over into each band’s image as well. The Zeppelin chaps were elite, mystical, sort of untouchable, writing songs about whatever random adventures they went on or whatever they were reading about at the time. The Who were populists, trying to figure out their audiences and write for them and about them.
For me, they both are equally the best rock and roll bands, ever.
Pete townshend might have been more creative when it came to song writing, but page’s live solos were uncanny! Bonzo was a much more talented drummer than keith, only thing keith was good for was breaking his drum set. However, roger daltrey owns robert plant and john entwhistle is better than john paul jones. But the who have much more originality, which means the who are better. I’m a led zeppelin fan, but when i face the facts, i realize that the who are a better band. 🙂
leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed Zeppeliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!!!!
Jesus the ‘orrible ‘oo with there shit samey samey riffs!! never a contest, page all the way, plant all the way. perhaps moon but nothing more who.
Thats all you get.
The Who riffs were definately not shitty at all! Everbody says one thing when it comes to Pete vs Jimmy: His soloing is amazing! (And) His riffs are definately the best!….please do listen to Who’s Next! Some of the greatest riffs ever are contained within the album…..and btw, Duane Allman is the greatest guitar player 🙂
I gotta go with The Who on this one. Helium must have been used in the studio ’cause Plant could never hit those high notes live. If you A/B the bands live in their prime ’70-73…The Who just blow Zep away. Page has written more brilliantly simple guitar hooks than anyone… Bonham was a brilliant drummer…Jones & Entwistle are equally brilliant…and the Zep are total rocque godz…but when it comes to songwriting and really capturing the human condition in a song…and delivering it live…The Who totally rules. And The Who were/are more pissed-off…and isn’t that really what rock is all about?
I think who is better , even better than the beatles , as musicians
1: Let me start off this argument with an immature comment: Led Zeppelin fans are a lot lamer then Who fans (like hardcore fans, I’m a fan of both). Every comment from a Zep fan has given the Who no recognition whatsoever and have called Sir Townshend a pedo… grow up, really.
2: Okay, The Who are superior, in my humblest opinion, to LZ. Sure, Led Zeppelin were great, but way flashier then the Who. The Who didn’t need some 20 minute drum solo, or some drawn on guitar solo and crappy lyrics about the Hobbit to become arguably the best band ever. Pete Townshend’s lyrics are amazing, if anyone thinks that you can compare Plant’s lyrics to Pete’s then you’re an idiot (Ash…), how the hell was Pete Townshend selfish and a drama queen? He wrote about events that any one can relate to, yet feel like he knows what he’s writing about in ways others cant. Plus, if you haven’t heard Quadrophenia or Tommy then you really should, because the musicianship in those rock operas are just… out of this world I suppose.
To make this short:
Fans of LZ < Fans of the Who
Pete Robert Plant
John > Jones
Moon > Bonham
musical heirs to the Who:
Pink Floyd
Replacements
Pearl Jam
Led Zeppelin (yup…)
and any other amazing band out there.
Heirs to Zep
Nickelback
80s Hair Metal
Poison
etc.
yeah.
Uhm!
Pink Floyd were influenced by The Who and Led Zeppelin!
Pearl Jam, shit man, influenced by both bands and plus Jimi Hendrix and etc…
Led Zeppelin influenced The Who!
The Who influenced Led Zeppelin!
Both bands were good friends!!!
Led Zeppelin also influenced Van Halen, AC/DC, and Kiss… But I wouldn’t exactly call Kiss a well talented band…
yeah but dude zeppelin would never of formed if it werent for the who, infact entwistle and moon were the origanel members of zeppelin before plant bonham and jones, they asked page asked if they wanted to form a band and they said sure because this is when the who were getting all negative hype from the media and were bank-rupt but then they wrote tommy and decided to stay with the who when they realised they wrote one of hte best albums ever
Jimmy Page vs Pete Townsend. Jimmy wins.
John Paul Jones vs John Entwistle. John wins.
Roger Daltrey vs Robert Plant. Roger wins.
Keith Moon vs John Bonham. VERY TOUGH. BOTH GREAT DRUMMERS. FACT. I say Keith takes the victory. John was great, bit overated because of his death.
Anyway, they are both great bands. But different times and different genres. Led Zep were more hard rock, with bits of arabic. While the Who were just simple rock.
Remember, youre opinion dosent mean they are the best.
your right the who is a better band, and i think that stairway to heaven is not that good of a song
WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT ALBUMS SOLD. FACT: LED ZEPPELIN RIPPED OFF WILLIE DIXON. FACT: THE WHO ELEVATED ROCK BEYOND THE ROCK SINGLE. FACT: THE WHO WOULD BLOW ZEP OFF A LIVE STAGE EVEN ON AN OFF NIGHT. JUST ASK BILL CURBISHLY MANAGER OF BOTH BANDS.
THE WHO ARE THE FINEST QUARTET OF MUSICIANS EVER ASSEMBLED. ENTWHISTLE AND MOON ARE IN A CATEGORY BY THEMSELVES. DALTREY CAN NOT ONLY OUTSING PLANT BUT COULD KICK THE SHIT OUT OF THAT EGOMANIAC. TOWNSHEND IS THE CREATIVE FORCE BEHIND THE BAND AND HAPPENS TO BE THE GREATEST LIVE PERFORMER OF OUR GGGG-GENERATION.
CASE CLOSED.
I’ve heard that if you play “Baba O’Riley” and “Stairway to Heaven” simultaneously, you begin to hear the sound of Jesus H. Christ telling everybody to shut the f**k up and listen to whichever band they prefer.
Led Zeppelin are a bunch of faggots (Just kidding, I enjoy SOME of their music) who are overly praised. Honestly, I’d rather listen to Mick Jagger (Who did in fact killed Brian Jones) sing Hillary Duff songs. The Who are THE greatest band/entertainment act alive. Keith Moon is the reincatnation of christ.
Oh, and you fuckers can thank Elvis for rock and roll.
Bill — just drop it dude. I was having a go at you due to your, shall we say, youthful exuberance and I figured, correctly, that you were a child o’ the nineties. Sorry for being patronizing, but one day you may look back on your internet postings and be a bit embarrassed. But it’s all good.
Why would I be embarrassed from the music that I like? You should NEVER be embarrassed by that! I’m just saying that music is big, bigger than you ever think… Like I go see the music teacher (I’m not in music… yet) and he was completely shocked that I knew Pat Metheny, you should listen to him, his playing is extremely difficult! Jazz, classical and spanish playing is way more difficult than rock, metal playing and etc… Anyways, it doesn’t matter, the only thing that matters is the music, the music that comes out of your instrument, and it doesn’t matter what instrument you have, because no instruments suck, no instrument is better than the other… Playing could be more difficult in some cases but it doesn’t matter, skill just increases your ability of playing something complex, but it doesn’t matter! It’s all about the music! Let’s just listen to the music! And feel the power, the energy, the rush, the magic, the emotion! Now you’re thinking I’m going a little overboard, but still I am not! That is how much music is to me! I mean I tell you songs that will bore you, that you will hate, or that you might like… Like Tubular Bells, just try to listen to the purity of the music! I mean! Each day, each year we all learn something new from music! You are basically arguing about which band you prefer, your favorite band the Who! You’re only arguing just by trying to change the other person’s mind! But that’s stupid! You are arguing on the music you prefer… I’m just trying to make you understand, that there is no best or better, only your favorites!!! Age doesn’t matter, like I said earlier… Now I can see that I understand music more than you, now this might anger you, because you’re older, but age doesn’t give authority… I’m 18, so what? Well I mean I just turned 18, the first reply I gave you was when I was 17… But it doesn’t matter! I’m not a young kid who goes running around thinking that I’m right all the time, you might have grown more and learned music than me, but differently, but still… You still haven’t learned from music, you just grown over your opinions and not on music, and just music as a whole… Now you might look at your post of “The Who vs Led Zeppelin” and be embarrassed, there you are saying which bands you prefer, and there isn’t actual facts there proving your points, it is all opinion based, because there is no facts explaining why The Who is better/more talented than Led Zeppelin… You shouldn’t be ashamed of which band you like and prefer, but you should be ashamed on how you expressed it… Music is my life, your life might be different, but still right now my life music, friends and fucking school! LOL! But still I have to do it… But at the end we all go back and listen to our music and enjoy it, there is no point of going online and saying which bands are better! You can say which one you prefer, but better? There is no better… That is what you think, thinking is wrong, you should ‘know’ that there is no better, just what you prefer. That’s what I know, not think… So are you arrogant of thinking you are better? Thinking you know it all in music… But still you can’t know it all, I know more, but I also learn something new, and I hope you learn this! And accept it!
Calm down, son. Take a deep breath. There, now don’t you feel better? I wasn’t saying your musical tastes — which seem to be roughly as well-rounded and eclectic as the average early-80’s K-Tel comp — might someday bring you embarrassment, rather your breathless, incoherent, ritalin-addled, naively presumptuous internet postings. I’ve been easy on you up until this point because I generally disapprove of beating up on children — even arrogant, annoying little shits like yourself — but Tubular Bells? Mike fucking Oldfield!? You know more than me? I’ve killed more braincells than you’ll ever have while enduring the shite you’ve recommended as good music for the past thirty-odd years. My recommendation to you? Get a girlfriend or boyfriend — depending on your preference — and stop listening to pretentious, crap music.
Kids these days. Sheesh.
Yes, there is, read this, you fucking idiot!!!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_who#Influence
Without the Who, we wouldn’t have Led Zeppelin, not to mention Robert Plant was like a second Roger Daltrey and tried to copy him in every possible way he could!!!!!!
You arrogance in music is wide, you have a small taste, you are the kid in Neverland refusing to grow up and accept that there is no bad music… Go listen to some real music… One minute… Isn’t all music, real? And I only listen to only 80s music? Lol! You are insulting me without even knowing me! Lol! That’s pathetic, sorry pal, but that is pathetic! Go get a girlfriend, what says I don’t already have one? Lol! Ok, I’ll answer that, I don’t have a gf for the moment, but I have some friends who are girls, and used to have gf, lol! And I don’t even know you, as you don’t know me… But still I tell the truth, I’m 18… Yes I’m young, but still my taste in music is wide, so calling my taste in music “pretentious, crap music”, is like saying the same thing about The Who… Insulting my taste is like insulting all of yours… Look, I don’t know if you’re retarded, lying about your age, just joking, a girl, a boy, someone who plays an instrument, knows music, and know how write music, lonely, fat, weak, strong, etc… As the same you know about me, but I know from reading you’re comments, you don’t know much about music… You may know music, but still not the meaning… READ THIS: No music is bad, there is no better or best, just your favorite and your favorite is the best for you… See, now a kid likes rap, who cares, he enjoys his music, let it be, but if he disses every other type of music, well he doesn’t understand music, and you’re like him but with a different taste of music, so understand this, at the end, we’ll all go back, listen and enjoy our music we are listening to. I bet you didn’t even carefully read my comment, you just spread through it, like a selfish person not accepting anything, I have a major point, and shockingly you don’t understand… My taste is wide, goes to Jazz (ex: Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass) to Classical (ex: Chopin, Bach) to Old Pop (ex: Michael Jackson, David Bowie) to Rock (ex: Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience)… And none of these artists suck or are talentless, you have to understand this or LOL! You suck in music, I didn’t went through all of this understanding music and different types of music for NOTHING!! You are just arrogant… That’s the end of it… You NEVER get embarrassed from what you like in music, it’s like someone is saying to you, “you will get embarrassed later on for liking The Who, because they suck and blah blah blah…” Because you know that’s not happening and that guy is wrong, the SAME thing with you pal! Go back to your knowledge of music, you have to admit it, more people will agree with me than yours… But still opinions are opinions, no one can change someone else’s opinions, only the person him or herself… Come on try to beat a kid down, punch on your computer screen, it’s retarded, because at the end, is it possible to change my opinion? You are shock from me saying that I know more music than you which is true, and saying music that you don’t like, that’s an extra for me, but not for you, I’m telling you are missing something… I’m not angry, you are misinterpreting my emotion, in my mind I am talking clam and also talking like I am trying to teach you… Tell me one thing that will be new for me in music? NOW TRY TO READ THIS CALM YOURSELF without getting angry and replying shit comments…
Bill — I’m going to be a sarcastic, mean-spirited asshole to you for the first part of this post because that’s what you deserve, but please, read on. I get nicer at the end. Smug, but nicer.
But first…
If you were half as smart as you think you are, we might have something to talk about. I mean, you’re quite unintentionally hilarious, which makes this banter almost worthwhile, but it’s probably just because I’m still recovering from a spell of food poisoning and find myself feeling even surlier than usual. Otherwise I wouldn’t even bother toying with you, little boy that you are from a generation weened on pharmaceuticals and video games who has nothing better to do with his time, in between practicing note for note Jimmy Page solos, than post 2500 word responses to someone (i.e. me) who doesn’t really give a shit about what he thinks. I don’t know what part of your vapid ‘all music is good, maan’ philosophy you think I’m missing. There’s nothing to miss — there’s nothing there! The only thing I see when I skim your posts — because honestly, anything that poorly written cannot be parsed any other way — is a talent for contradiction and illogic and an utter disregard for sentence structure. No music is bad? What planet are you on? One that has yet to develop dialectical reasoning, apparently. Any logical, right-thinking person has to realize that there are always good and bad examples of anything. In fact, lots of music is bad. In fact, most music is utter garbage and you apparently just lack the critical faculty to tell the difference. You insult me by calling my musical taste small (which is a bizarre statement in and of itself), then get all huffy when I return fire? Tell you something new in music? Well, considering the lengths you must have gone to unearth such obscure nuggets as Hendrix, Cream, Michael Jackson and Wes Montgomery — probably spending hours flipping through bin after bin of dusty vinyl at the local Target or Wal-Mart — I really wouldn’t have anything worthwhile to add to such a boldly original playlist. You know more about music than me? Oh son, you are talking some serious CLAM now. But I should stop with the sarcasm — your bullshit detector is obviously on the fritz; you’ve missed the point of every single thing I’ve said, including the sheer inanity of my initial post. Really, do you think anyone with half a clue would bother mounting a serious argument as to which irrelevant band is better than another irrelevant band thirty years past their prime? I don’t write for Mojo. It’s all a laugh! Ha! Get it?
Probably not.
So I’ll be serious now.
I love music. I’d be willing to bet I probably love it as much as you do. I listen to everything from free jazz to grindcore to country to punk to hip-hop to noise to ambient to soul. I can find merit in everything from Sun Ra to The Minutemen to Curtis Mayfield to Screeching Weasel to the Wu-Tang Clan to Donna Summer to Hank Williams to John Martyn. Now, I wasn’t always so broad-minded, but it comes with age and experience. If you think you know everything at eighteen (like most eighteen year-olds do) then you’re in for a big surprise and it’s not a bad one by any means. So stop being a dickhead for two seconds and stop assuming you know everything there is to know about music because it’s comically apparent that you haven’t even scratched the surface.
And another thing: it’s true, I don’t care about Led Zeppelin and I truly believe that there is so much more interesting and worthwhile music out there that I have no need to hear Stairway to Heaven for the 101st time, but it doesn’t mean I think they’re talentless. At no point have I seriously made this inference, but their histrionic, double-digit IQ fans — yourself included — get all up in arms and engage in a pissing and moaning session, the likes of which heretofore unseen among reasonable folk, if someone dares refuse to kiss the blarney-ass of prevailing mainstream rock-crit mythology. Hell, I don’t really care about the Who aside from Live at Leeds and Who’s Next. They’re both fairly overrated bands that, imho, take up too much room in the classic rock headspace. But so be it. It doesn’t mean they suck, it doesn’t mean they don’t RRAWWK.
Furthermore, if you want to wank off over a poster of Robert Plant every night, be my guest.
Just don’t do it in my house.
And if you do anyways, which I have a feeling you will, can you keep the noise down to a minimum? Some of us have to work in the morning, pay bills, worry about the future, worry about a quickly approaching death.
You know, real life things extraneous to school, friends and music.
But I’m sure I’m just wasting my breath and I’ll just log in tomorrow to find another rambling exercise in my dad is bigger than your dad. So can you kindly put a preemptive sock in it? If you want to eat at the big kids table and post something intelligent, go right ahead. Otherwise, piss off.
Thanks for your time.
you got a point there, but I wouldn’t wank over Robert Plant… And whoops, what I meant to say is there is no bad music (except talentless music), I thought I added that, but I’m young… And I know that I don’t know everything… But still why did you wasted your life on The Who vs Led Zeppelin post? It’s just saying what you prefer, not what is true… And is the reason why you don’t care of Led Zeppelin, because of the Screeching Weasels? Lol, you know, one of their songs, I don’t think so…
and I didn’t play video games for like 3 years, I play music… Why do you insist that I do all those stuff, or you were just being sarcastic? Let’s say I know a lot about music at my age, and I will grow learning more… I thought you were just a rock person, a crazy The Who fanatic… I guessed wrong. Probably you guessed wrong about me too…
Good enough Bill — no hard feelings. You’re probably a decent kid and yes, I was just being a sarcastic jerk — it’s something I excel at, which is why I made a LZ vs. Who post in the first place. Shall we call a truce then?
Yeah okay, but don’t post any more postings like this lol!
lol @ Bill vs. Arsebundren (prior to the truce).
Anyway, I’m a huge fan of Zeppelin. I like the diversity of their music. And for some reason, I’ve never been able to enjoy any other bands (including The Who and Pink Floyd). I’m sure I’ll get into them slowly, though.
Classic rock rocks!
You’re all a bunch of morans.
Both bands are epic and obliterate anything made in the last 15 years. Instead of trashing legendary bands like the who and zep, why not trash modern bands that deserve it? U2, Green Day, etc… etc…
PS. It’s a close battle but I’d take Zep over the Who.
Zep > Floyd > Who > World
Fuck You.
Well, its a nice subjective post.
Stuff like :
“The only Led Zeppelin album I truly enjoy is Led Zeppelin I and even then it’s only “Good Times, Bad Times” and “Communication Breakdown””
Arsebundren way to go!!
I could say ” Beatles are shit”, “Pink FLoyd is shit “, but my words are a natural and overwhelming law??
did any great band of 70’s need ur opinion to be as great as they are.
I dont think so
There is no parameters u can say led zeppelin is better than the who or the who is way better than zeppelin.
Both are great bands, they dont need ur fuckin opinion to be gods of rock.
I think u cant accept that zeppelin is a bit more popular, but its not BEST , and u know it.
Did u buy some of Disney Crap???
Take a breath.
Cheers!!
Uum, I’m sorry but I find this article completely ridiculous. I mean, sure, you’re allowed to prefer the Who to Led Zeppelin, I mean, to each their own, right? But you just cannot go on dissing one of the best bands in rock&roll history like that. You wanna argue that Led Zep’s got no talent? You may as well say that the Beatles or the Stones never existed. I mean, come ON. Jimmy Page aged 15 was ten times the guitarist Pete Townshend ever became. After ’bout two years on guitar he was jamming with the Kinks. He revolutionized the guitar, dammit! The bow, tapping, etc. If you’ve got ANY musical taste and talent, you’d have noticed that. Even experts agree – in the Rolling Stone top 100 guitarists list, Jimmy Page is NINTH whether Townshend is FIFTIETH. The 100 best guitar solos, by Guitar World? Stairway To Heaven is number ONE.
Okay, so now we know that the Led Zep guitarist’s better than the Who’s.
Singers? Well – WHAT THE HELL did Roger Daltrey EVER bring to singing?! Sure, he’s got a nice voice, he sings on key. SO? I can do that too. There is nothing, NOTHING special bout his singing. Robert Plant brought a new dimension to that art, HIS voice had something special to it.
Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest drummers: yep, Keith Moon’s 4th. Good for him. Bonzo’s second. Drumming isn’t only about managing to make as much noise, as fast as possible. John Bonham managed to make his drums CRY on Since I’ve Been Loving You, HE knew how to put emotion into his stuff. Unlike others.
Which leaves us with the bassists. Well, here I think I must admit Entwhistle was surely a better bassist than Jones. Ok – so 1 out of 4.
And by the way, I’m not an “average member of the average shitty suburban whiteboy pseudofunk jam band”. What the hell was that supposed to mean, anyway? Do you think you are in somy way SUPERIOR to others because you listen to the unsophisticated MUZAK which the Who have produced? It’s easy to like Led Zeppelin – easy to like superficially, very, very hard to actually understand the depth of the music. Maybe you just don’t have enough musical talent for that. So you hide yourself in music which you’ve been able to reach. But maybe you should just shut up about it, cause it’s not something to be proud of.
Morgane — the most illuminating part of your whinefest is the revelation that someone out there still reads Rolling Stone.
No, I don’t actually read Rolling Stone, in fact I don’t particularily like Rolling Stone, however I do have a bit of a musical culture and did come across some interesting rankings on the Internet. The whole point of my “whinefest”, in case you didn’t get it, was to say that you’re a jerk, know nothing about music, and should just shut up : )
Arsebundren, is that all you’ve got to answer? It’s hilarious when people’ve got nothing to say, they try to be mean to feel less stupid. Now put your ego aside and stop thinking your point of view is the only one to be considered.
“shitty suburban whiteboy pseudofunk jam band”? I mean come on: how childish and contemptuous is that? Every opinion ought to be taken in account.
Have you some kind of superiority complex?
+ “my point is done objectively, if not scientifically”,
I totally have to agree with that: I quote “Nickelback and Wolfmother are the musical heirs to Led Zeppelin — and they both suck” this is indeed very subtle and so not subjective, at all. (besides how can you judge a band’s music on their so-called ‘musical heirs’?)
“scientifically” then; how can you judge music scientifically? If you start to relate music to science, it’s that you didn’t understand anything about it.
Maybe, as Morgane said, you don’t have enough talent or depth in your way of thinking to get the meaning of some music.
Celia –you’re breaking my heart and yes, that is all I have to say and I find it hilarious too! If you want a better response, scan around for my extended exchange with Bill, replace his name with yours or Morgane’s, make the necessary gender-specific adjustments and have at it! I’ve already said all I will ever have to say with regards to your attacks on my intellect and taste and I don’t wish to go through the motions again. It gets boring and I have better things to do, like listen to crap non-Led Zeppelin music.
Hahahaahah.
@Arsebunden, will you please remove the tree trunk of arrogance you have stuffed up your tight arse… I don’t like pompous wankers so please, in stead of polluting this forum(especially relating to the awesomer than awesome) with your noxious words… You have your musical opinion, we have ours. I am insulting you very meanly because of the bloody asshole you make yourself out to be, NOT because of your tatse in music. So I repeat so as to be clear, no one here likes you, get off the sodding forum.
MattyMatt — I would prefer you leave my tight arse out of this, but hey, to each his own. As well, I will not get off this so-called sodding forum because it’s not actually a forum but the comments section on a post which I(!) wrote which appears on MY(!) blog. So kindly remove that tree trunk of a head which you seemingly have stuffed up your own arse and engage in some basic observation before spouting off like the rest of the double digit IQ Led Zep fans around here. Actually, please continue spouting off like you know something about something… I find it endlessly amusing when I’m bored at work and tire of scanning Wikipedia.
Okay so I have to admit, my bad…
But my admitted stupidity does not excuse your total assholish-ness… I mean Billy(for example) was totally nice and cool and you go about being all “oooh I’m super cool with my amazing knowledge and wisdom” and that’s just total bullshit.
Wtf? I don’t give a crap about your Wikipedia surfing… Do I tell you about my latest facebook status I mean.. ?? Anyway… I also find you quite amusing. Just as I do Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Britney Spears(who’s music I find fabulous, yet her awful, kinda like you!).
Glen Beck, Sarah Palin, Britney Spears… and me? I’ve never considered them peers before now, but the parallels are shocking when you really think about it: we all have comment sections populated with halfwits!
ARSEBUNDREN OR ARSEBUTURN OR WHATAVER DA FUK YOUR NAM ISSSSSS!!
YOU KEEEEEP SAY SHITTT MODAFAKAKAKAAAA COKCSAUKA LOSEY LOSER!! +DDD
HAHAHA LED ZEP IS HIGHER THAN YO LITTLE SQUIRREL MIND CAN COMPREHEND
YES
SQUIRREL!!!
HAHAH LOLILOLILOL YOU’RE LIKE A DONUT IQ PERSON, OR MAYBE HALF A DONUT!!
LOL SUCK A PEANUT MAN!!! XD
Sorry ANDREW_ALLCAPS, but I can’t understand a word you’re saying. Try writing in a language other than Moron and maybe we’ll get somewhere.
LOL HE CAN’T ADMIT HE’S A MORON SO HE SHOUTS IT AT ME.
HOW THICK IS THAT?
SQUIRREL THICK
IN FACT. RAPED SQUIRREL THICK! LOLILALILOLLLL
EAT THE DONUT THAT YOU USE AS A BRAIN SO THAT U KAN SHADAFACKAAAPPPPPP!!!
IF YOU TYPE PENIS BRAIN NOOB ON GOOGLE, GUESS WHO YOU FIND?
FATARSEBUNDREN OF COURSE!!! =D
ISN’T THERE A SONG BY THE HOO CALLED “I CAN’T EXPLAIN”? CUZ I CAN’T EXPLAIN TO MYSELF HOW DA GOATYFUK YOU CAN HUMANLY BE SUCH A EPIC BRAINLESS MORON…
WHY DO YOU EXIST? TO SCREW DA WHOLE WORLD AP???
I THINK A TEAPOT HAS MORE MATURITY THAN YOU TO THE POWER OF 10!!
GO CHOKE ON A TABLESPOON.
YOURS TO INSULT,
ANDREW.
ANDREW_ALLCAPS — like I said before ‘mate’, we obviously don’t speak the same language. So, what we have here is a communication breakdown… it’s always the same with you lot.
ARMY OF NAZI TINTINS:
\ò\ò\ò\ò
lolz²
I THINK WE’RE HAVING SUCH A WONDERFUL DEBATE HERE, AREN’T WE? 😀
I’M ENJOYING IT ANYWAY.
ARSEBUNDREN IS A SMART ALECK WHO ACTUALY BELIEVES IN THE BULL CRAP HE SAYS!! LOL
Wow making an article like this is like suicide. Led zeppelin fans are a cult. Even if you say they’re less than perfect a few hundred of them are ready to pounce on you. Honestly, this initially turned me off from zep. However their music is so good I can ignore it generally. Even then I still prefer the Who because at the end of the day songwriting matters more than musical skill and Pete Townshend was a genius. I doubt Led Zeppelin could make a double lp psycho drama rock opera with no fillers. Still zep did what they were best at which was making hard rockin fun music which I have nothing against. I just prefer the who because I find their music more mature and meaningful.
First of all, I’m going to jump head first into this cliche with Led Zeppelin and The Who being two of rock’s greatest bands and they both were respected idols and a lot of other bs that I and many other people are probably getting tired of hearing.
If we are trying to define who is the better band according to sound, then there is no possible way to do so objectively because we only are aware of what sounds we like and even why we like it. If you do claim to be able to define the quality of any art, particlularly music where the deminsions of quality are more restricted because of the intertwining of the influences and expressions of each artist in the band, then you are arrogant and there is nothing that I or anyone else can say to make you change. I do know that the main reason why we enjoy these two bands is because they have a certain element that can’t be given restriction and still be enjoyed. They are (if nothing else can define them) the true sence of freedom. However, there are some people like many leaving replies on this webpage, that would like to change that, arguing music (and thus art) as though its enjoyability can be graded according to the scale in a textbook.
This being said, the only way to ‘objectively’ argue this case is to ask ourselves who the world liked better. (Which still would not give a satisfying answer because art can only be enjoyed by the individual, and the likes of dislikes of that said individual) We know that all eight of Zeppelin’s albums went to both the UK and US billboard charts and all but two hit #1 on both billboards. Then in 1971, they produce Led Zeppelin IV (which is actually untitled) which contains the most requested song in the history of commercial radio, (even to this day) “Stairway To Heaven”. The who, (this makes me almost want to vomit as I repeat this) was a great band, and I still and always will listen to their music. But as for me, and to all that is apparant, Led Zeppelin would be the better band if one could be bested.
PS. -Both bands had archeotypes so the ‘golden-haired god’ phraises and the refrences to repeated stage acts (think Page’s violin bow and Townsend’s windmill strumming) are irrelevant, unless, again, you are claiming that either Page’s stunts or Townsend’s stunts were the better. When things like this are brought up, we sound like highschoolers that might just be overqualifying ourselves in the argument. Also, in case no one else is getting my hints, then arsebundren, you seriously need to look at yourself and consider changing a few things. If you continue to be this much of an ‘arse’ then I fear for your ability to function with human beings. If you seriously cannot (or choose not) to try and get along with people you may disagree with, then you’re going to end up alone. Unless you just have some immature enmity for Zeppelin and their fans, then leave your bitterness to yourself and let the world suffer a life with one less douchebag to worry about.
You can certainly make objective arguments about the music itself. You can say that in the ‘Sparks’ instrumental (at least as played live), Townshend displays an exceptional songwriting sense by using a rising chord pattern over a throbbing single-note bass to create heat and tension via selective dissonances, greatly heightening the inherent sense of release of the eventual resolution. You can say that the collection of riffs that are woven together in Tommy represent at LEAST a far more ambitious attempt at high-concept songwriting than anything Led Zeppelin ever tried. You can say that Page’s lead guitar styling was wider-ranging and more fluid than Townshend’s. Etc.
The BIGGEST difference between The Who and Led Zeppelin was that The Who often acted as vehicle for a very ambitious, talented and innovative songwriter (Townshend), while Led Zeppelin was a collection of musicians whose raison d’etre was to PLAY, not to create. I’m a great fan of great songwriting, and so I dig The Who.
Wow, arsebundred, you really seem to have trouble getting along with people. I pity your arrogance.
Weep for me, child. Weep for me…
The Who won because they did a better live show and recorded “Won’t Get Fooled Again” Led Zeppelin didn’t just spawn Wolfmother and Nickelback, they heavily influenced every guitarist and musician after eleven years together. Including me. I love both of them, but The Who will always remain my second favorite. Just my $0.02
I think that these are two of the greatest bands ever, but if i was to choose one over the other, I would have to go with The Who. John Entwistle was the greatest bass guitarist ever, easily better than John Paul Jones (I’m not saying he didn’t fucking rock). I also think that Roger has a better voice than Plant, whose voice does tend to get annoying. Between Pete and Page, I think that Page was a better guitarist, but Pete was a better song writer. Bonzo and Moon were both great drummers (the two best). A comparison between the two is tough but i would choose Moon, but that is just the biased opinion of a Who fan. Although the author is a fan of The Who, I must say that he has a shitty taste in music if the only Zep songs he likes are Good Times Bad Times and Communication Breakdown. Before LZ was formed, Jimmy Page wanted to create a Super Group consisting of him, Jeff Beck, John Entwistle, and Kieth Moon. That would have been the shit!
You are a fucking retard. Very one sided and close minded. You know nothing about music so you should keep your little pussy mouth shut.
‘You are a fucking retard.
Very one sided and close minded.’
That is one hell of a couplet right there.
Remember this is just one mans opinion chaps…
Led Zeppelin was/is more popular. But David Beckham is by far and away the most popular football/soccer player in the world… However does this necessarily make him the best player in the world? Many people digged the “mysterious” aspect of Led Zeppelin. I am going to judge purely based upon the music…
If I was asked to choose my 5 favourite Who tracks and my 5 favourite Zeppelin tracks, I would give the nod to Zeppelin probably. But I personally feel that The Who were more consistent. LZ tracks like “Hat’s off to Roy Harper” and “The Crunge” are never, ever played on my iPod…
The Who were also on top of their game for longer in my view. LZ released their first album in 1969… Seven years later in 1976, LZ release Presence. It was awful in my opinion. Zeppelin was clearly past their prime by this stage. They were running out of ideas (Achilles was unnecessarily long for example) and Plants voice had deteriorated noticeably. They then release a shit film and a mediocre live album which was not a tenth as good as “Live at Leeds”.
In contrast, 8 years after The Who’s debut album, they release Quadrophenia…
Don’t get me wrong, Zeppelin are great. They are the 2nd greatest band of all time in my opinion. But for me, The Who are the top dogs.
Led Zeppelin vs The Who. No fucking contest. Stairway takes Reign O’er Me, fucks it in the ass and throws it out on the streets like the dirty hooker it is in front of Stairway. Led Zeppelin’s not only sold way more records than The Who, they also has the best singer, drummer, guitarist, pianist and bassist in history. Plus Zeppelin has been chosen as the best band in the world. BECAUSE IT IS!!!
ok first of all enwistle is the best bassists EVER, moon next to neil peart is the best drummer, roger is the best singer and well page is better at solos then townshend but townshend was a better writter, and also john bundrick is way more beast then the zeppelin pianist
Aww c’mon now chil’ren, how can you possibly have a qualified opinion on this matter unless you’ve seen a live performance of Sparks?
You WHO fans are brain-dead in what universe is Nickleback an offshoot of Zeppelin …ZEP is Blues-Rock and Nickleback are post-grunge meaning an offshoot of Pearl Jam they sound nothing like ZEP ……Most Zep songs have SOUL they were inspired heavily by southern Blues artists ….
FUCK “adam”. HE’S A FUCKING ASSHOLE WHO DOESN’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT MUSIC. ZEPPELIN BEATS WHO IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY!
the who takes a giant 4 pound shit on zeppelin, and by the way how many books and documentaries have u read/seen bout the two bands, iv read like 12 books and like 5 documentrys, plus Plant is shit
You actually are a complete space cadet adam and you wouldn’t know shit from shoe-polish. ZERO musical taste and have no ear for talent if you think Plant is shit. I’m guessing that Lady Gaga and Beiber are some of your favourite current musicians?
Just because you’ve read books about the 2 bands doesn’t mean your opinion is right…just like reading a few history books doesn’t make you a historian you muppet.
When it comes to musical talent…’Led Zep’ are all over ‘The Who’ like a tropical disease…LZ FOR THE WIN!
Bloody oath mate well said. ZEP ARE THE GREATEST!!!
I cant believe I wasted my time reading this your fucking slow lz shits all over the who its ridiculous… Smoke a blunt and throw on the rover you fucking lame
oh man i just come across this post and cant believe what im reading i love the who always have and they were the first of their kind but they never have or never will have the effect on music the zeppelin did and i think the fact that their music can put you to sleep just shows you have no attention span zeppelin had more genius in one song than townsend could put into one album
In response to Frank who is pretty effective at dropping the F bomb every sentence but is way off.
The Who had the greatest bass player of all time. As great as John Paul was he can’t touch Thunderfingers. Entwhistle was the greatest bass player bar none. He influenced everybody including John Paul Jones. Also, don’t forget without bands like The Who, Hendrix Experience, Cactus and Cream there would be no Led Zep, Deep Purple, Sabbath or Aerosmith. The Who set the fucking foundation for Metal, Grunge, Punk and Power Pop. All I got to say is My Generation, Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, Live at Leeds, and Who are You to name a few. Only one fucking band could have created these classic albums and tunes, and that’s The Who.
Greatest songwriter = Pete Townshend, Greatest Rhythm Section = Moon/Entwhiste, Greatest Bassist = Entwhistle, Greatest/Most Unique Rock Drummer: Keith Moon, One of the greatest rock frontmans of all time: Daltrey, greatest live band: The Who, First Conceptual mini/and full length concept rock album(s) A Quick One (Happy Jack) and Tommy by The Who. In a nutshell The Who conquers Zeppelin and fucking rules, The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks, Cream etc.
Robert Plant was a much more talented vocalist than Roger Daltrey. Even if you think Roger Daltrey has a better sounding voice, which is completely defendable, the range and constant vocal slides Robert Plant did are much more difficult to emulate than the somewhat smaller (but still undoubtedly impressive) range of Roger Daltrey and his very straightforward approach to singing.
Jimmy Page also seemed to show more technical prowess on the guitar, but, even though he could improvise heavily on music, Pete Townshend was much better at writing songs that were totally original while practically inventing new forms of showmanship that guitarists have been emulating for ages – the same can not be said about Page, who simply stood there making duck faces.
Hey Daniel,
Watch what your saying about genius when you are talking about a genius. Townshend is a fucking genius and a living legend and inventor in the worlds of rock and pop music.
Townshend created the first mini rock opera and was the forerunner when it came to creating conceptual pieces long before Yes, Pink Floyd, and Queensryche to name a few created concept pieces.
Townshend singlehandedly wrote some of the greatest classic rock songs of all time. The list of which is to endless to write here.
Townshend’s music was so sonically sophisticated and diverse that it could be interpreted by a rouch and in your face hard rock band like The Who in the sixties and seventies as well as the version of The Who that surfaced in the late eighties with the backing horns and rhythm section as well as broadway productions. No way in hell were any member of Led Zeppeling on par with the sheer genius of Pete Townshend. The Who dessimated other phenomenal bands like Hendrix, Jethro Tull, and ELP at Isle of Wight while giving the Stones a big run for their money during the filming of the Rolling Stones Rock N’ Roll Circus to the point that the film was delayed several times before its theatrical release since the Stones wanted to re – record their live segment so as to not be up staged by The Who.
“Most of the people you hated in high school? Led Zeppelin fans.”
Subjective appraisal of the music could go on forever, but that one point struck so much a chord in me that it was pure gold.
Bill – You’re exactly right in every arguement you’ve made…you actually have musical taste 🙂
Arsebundren – you are a complete moon-unit if you think Led Zep are not talented musicians. Don’t get me wrong…i love The Who but they aren;t in the league of Led. LZ prove how ridiculously talented they are during their live sessions like “Earls Court”…where their improvisation is matched by no other. The telepathic-like synchrony between each band member is mesmerizing…watch LZ’s earls court (1975) performances of “That’s the way” and “Going to California” if you want some evidence…
The Who are great and nail the genre of ROCK but Led Zep have such a broad range of musical prowess that they can nail anything from ROCK (i.e Whole lotta love) to PSYCHADELIC (i.e No QUARTER) to COUNTRY BLUES (i.e When the Levee Breaks) to BLUES (i.e Since i’ve been loving you) to ACOUSTIC’s (i.e Ramble On) to REGGAE (i.e ‘D’yer Mak’er)…….not to even mention about 40 other amazing pieces of music
Robert Plant –> Greatest vocals of all time (his range is unbelieveable and has a voice perfectly suited for ROCK)
Jimmy Page –> Arguably most talented guitarist of all time…(watch his performance of “black-mountainside/white summer” to see near-perfect jamming and improv skills)
John Paul Jones –> Has created some of the most amazing bass/mandolin/piano riffs of all time…SO talented and UNDERRATED
Bonzo –> Pieces like Moby Dick prove that he was head and shoulder above the rest in drumming skills and power
4 best musicians in their respective fields = BEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL BAND OF OUR TIME
However when all is said and done both The Who and LZ are super-talented in their own rights 😀
God i love the 60’s and 70’s….music will never be so pure…
Love for Zed Leppelin seems to be a mainly American thing in my opinion. You have to remember that Townshend was writing for his fellow Brits while Page-Plant were basically plagiarising black American blues music that most white American kids knew nothing about. Lyrically Zep are a hodge podge of Tolkienesque cliches and measningless non sequiturs . Page was a brilliant arranger and studio whiz but as a live player he sucked. As many have already said here Plant on stage was embarrassing and his look was pinched off Daltrey . My Generation and Wont Get Fooled Again are touchstones of British rock and roll music . Nobody here has mentioned Pete Townshend’s pioneering work with synthesisers either. The Who had heart , Zeppelin had none.
‘D’ Yer Maker is probably the most execrable piece of ” cod reggae” that I’ve ever had the misfortune be aurally assaulted by. Truly embarrassing.
Zeppelin were extremely talented musicians but were incapable of originality and were embarrassing lyrically. Plagirism ( Page-iarism) ???? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiiY4ciKFQA YES!!!
wow, every listen to anything past zep 2???
“According to the writing credits on Led Zep I, II, III, & IV, all songs are said to be written by Page/Plant; even traditional songs. After many legal battles from original artists, their name credits have been restored. If you buy an LZ album today and compare it to the first pressing, you will see very different writing credits. ”
I wonder if they are paying back royalties ? I’d imagine not . It wasnt only the lyrics that Plant-Page nicked but often the chord sequences and melodies as well. Game Set and Match ” The Who” . Rant Over 😉
Looks like Randy California( a highly underrated player) wrote the intro to “Hairway to Steven as well .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyvLsutfI5M&feature=related More evidence of Page-Plants pilfering ways .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zThdTAWQFAQ&feature=related yet more Zep rip offs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5uMQDlKn8g&feature=fvwrel I’ve come to the conclusion that Zeppelin are the most successful cover band in history.
“Trampled underfoot” is a feeble rip off from Stevie Wonders “Superstition”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-RKGrmcess Bert Jansch doing ” The Waggoners Lad” LMAO Bron Y Aur Stomp anyone?
Now by popular demand! A list of some of the songs Zep stole from other artists:
“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.”
Wow. JC, I do hope you realize how pathetic you’re being. Flooding the forum is already pretty sad. Do you have a life? + it’s a bit ridiculous how little respect you have for other people’s opinions…there are bands I love, among which Led Zeppelin, and there are bands I hate, among which the Who, but at least I still have the maturity to understand why some people may love the Who and to not rant about how horrible they are cuz, guess what, PEOPLE DISAGREE IN LIFE!! And if you don’t learn to respect what others think well, you’re not gonna get very far. Actually, considering the number of messages you posted, you probably haven’t gotten very far already.
Anyway, to get back to the music –
It’s nothing new that Led Zep have been accused of plagiarism. By the way though, in Led Zep I they give credits to other artists for, like, 90% of the songs…get your facts right. Oh and basing your whole argument on what some people say on youtube sucks, and is proof of absolutely nothing. Just saying. There’s lots of videos claiming that there’s a satanic message at the end of Stairway if you play it backwards, and seriously, you have to be retarded to believe that. Actually, you probably do believe it, don’t you ?
Now, I’m not going to insult the Who because as I’ve already made clear, I don’t have to sink that low to make an insignificant point that no one really cares about anyway…do you really think your post is going to make people change their mind? If you do, that’s also a bit sad. Sorry to break it to you, but no, you don’t have that much power.
And guess what, whether you like it or not, Led Zeppelin WAS a talented band; yes, they were sometimes accused of plagiarism…but you’re being completely ridiculous with that number of songs. They had some amazing ones which were incredible, no matter which way you look at it.
Oh and Page not good live? Joke? have you even seen ANY live footage? I’ve talked to people who’ve been to LZ concerts and that’s not really what they’ve said, nor is it what I’ve seen after watching the live DVDs. And btw, Plant didn’t look ridiculous, he attracted girls to the concerts, which is actually kind of smart, but that’s probably a notion you can’t really understand.
Oh I’d just like to add, that this is a completely ridiculous topic, because The Who and Led Zeppelin cannot actually be compared, simply because they don’t play the same music. I just needed to answer to this idiot. Cheers!
Its only rock n roll you know ” someone” . I was there kid, I saw Zeppelin at least 6 times and The Who at least 20 times. Why not try rebutting my points instead of lapsing into juvenile insults and cheerleading. Page and Plant stole the tunes off their first two albums. Their most famous song’s intro was stolen from Randy California. The lyrics that they didnt steal but actually wrote are laughable and Page owes Bert Jansch bigtime. Kid, its ok to pinch off other musicians as long as you acknowledge the fact . Page is a thief. Plants whole stage persona style has dated badly and lastly the Zep are far more revered in the USA than they are here in Britain because we know they ripped artists like Howling Wolf , Bert Jansch and many other poor black musicians off.
Huh, that’s funny because I somehow remember actually acknoweldging that yes, Led Zep were accused of plagiarism. Weeeeeird.
Oh and please, don’t talk about laughable lyrics when comparing to The Who. By the way, that point is so subjective I’m not even going to bother answering it, because my answer probably couldn’t get through your head anyway; I thought it was taught in grade school that you can’t use subjectivity in debates.
“Their most famous song’s intro was stolen from Randy California” – oh, didn’t you say just before that it was basically ‘thought’ by some people on youtube that it’s the case? Great point you’re making.
And by the way, there aren’t an infinite number of combinations in music you know. The other day I realized two Guns’n Roses guitar lines sound pretty similar to Lynyrd Skynyrd ones, but you see, oh, THAT DOESNT MEAN IT WAS PLAGIARISM, believe it or not!! Do you play music? If so, you should know it’s pretty easy to make similar-sounding music without doing so on purpose…
“Plants whole stage persona style has dated badly” – um, no? If you’re old enough to have seen them in person I doubt you really know that.. I know a good number of teenagers or young adults who love Plant’s stage performances. Please, don’t talk about what you don’t really know.
I do agree that Led Zep were way more popular in the US than The Who were, if you wanna criticize that fine, although I wouldn’t consider it a very relevant point cuz actually all it shows is that the former were appealing to a wider range of audience…
And I actually know more British fans of LZ than American ones, and way more British people seem to know the band…and i’m saying this as a person from neither country, and therefore more objective than you 🙂
Oh and you know, they said themselves they were greatly inspired by Howlin’ Wolf, so, huh, you’re not making a point.
By the way, if you’re expecting me to criticize The Who so that you can try to bring down what I’m saying, it’s not going to happen because, as I’ve already said, I, at least, still have respect for bands I dislike.
(oh and do you REALLY have to write more than one post each time? it’s annoying)
You’re whats known as a whinger and a bully . I have my opinion , you have yours . Deal with it . Instead of sinking into typically american abuse disguised as debate. Page was an unprincipled thief. Stick that in yer pipe and smoke it 😉
Bron Y Aur Stomp is a disgrace .
Townshend was a pioneer , Page was a follower .
I hate how reading these articles makes it seem like page and plant were the only musicians in led zeppelin. People are always skeptical about it but damn it, John Paul Jones produced fantastic sounds, and contributed to creating the atmosphere of 70’s epic rock music, later followed on by G’n’R. I won’t try to refute the plagiarism accusations, cause FUCK knows that would be a waste of time here, but listening to the sound ambience created by Jones and the boys on songs like Stairway, Dazed and Confused, No Quarter, Achilles Last Stand or Kashmir.. it’s transcendent. Try looking at things through more than just one perspective mates, especially JC. PLAGIARISM PLAGIARISM PLAGIARISM. Come the fuck ON man, there’s more to it.
Agreed mate . J P Jones was an incredibly influential bassist with his pre Zep studio work and has been a top producer. Always my fave member of the band. Bonzo had his chops but I prefer Charlie Watts drumming to either his or Moons. Moon’s playing on drumming on “Who’s Next “was pretty exciting. As a kid I loved Zep but theres no way they were as inventive as The Who. I haven’t seen any Zep fans deny the fact that many of the bands lyrics were puerile and or laughable. I’d rather listen to Hendrix palying Machine Gun than 50 Zep ” epics” Cheers Reseda 😉 . Funkadelics first 5 records destroy anything Zep did ;-)( I know , I know its all opinion and opinions are like arseholes. We have one and most are full of shit” )
The Groundhogs piss on the Zep in my humble opinion. Check them out kiddies and space cadets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POGsy9Ru9sE Rawer than the Zep , bluesier and spacier than The Who . Great underrated band.
How ’bout I deal with it and you stop being so disrespectful maybe? I’m not really sure who’s being the greater bully here, considering what an ass you’re being about my favorite band.
And by the way, I’m not American, so don’t try to somehow find an argument in that (even though, just saying, it’s pretty inappropriate to insult other people as a whole, and you were kinda saying “americans are stupid” so…you should work on that)
“Disrespectful”? We are talking about a rock band not Jesus , Mohammed or Gautama . Grow up kid.
And “someone” dont use semantics to put words in my mouth. If you know the history of blues and rock music you will realise that British acts like The Animals , The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin introduced their white American fans to black American music , especially the blues. There was no inference regarding stupidity , kid. Its the facts . A tiny group of working and middle class British blues ” trainspotters” started up what were basically blues clubs in the early 1960s. Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies started the movement Musicians as like Steve Winwood , Eric Clapton , the Animals , The Stones , Rod Stewart , Steve Marriot, Van Morrison , Dick Taylor( the Pretty Things) etc were teenage blues buffs who introduced blues and soul music to an audience of young teenage white American kids who had never heard of the blues.
Someone is a typically over emotional teenaged fascist 😉 You must obey und you MUST love Led Zeppelin . LMAO
You’re acting like an absolute PELICAN JC….clean it up mate.
If you cannot understand how epic, influential and diverse musical peices such as Kashmir; 10 years gone; Achilles last stand; Stairway to heaven; Whole lotta love; Dazed and confused; Since i’ve been loving you; Black dog and When the levee breaks…..just to name a few….then i, dear sir…..feel extremely sorry for you because you can not truly appreciate “pure” music, which is exactly what Plant, Page, JPJ and Bonzo created.
Both bands are amazing and influential in there own way so stop comparing them and stop dissing Led Zep….Get your head outta the sand you moon unit and stop acting like a muppet.
My view on the subject is that the cunt who wrote this article needs stabbing. Don’t you fucking dare make the two best bands in history go down to this; pointless internet debate. The Who are all about teenage riot, throw your fists up, they were brilliant at that. Led Zep are all about sprituality and fantasy, interwoven with Tolkien references. You muddying their names. You try and sing like Daltrey or Plant, or have the skill of Moon and Bonham. You are a disgrace to the name of rock ‘n’ roll, go listen to Bieber.
Bill is exactly right about what he said in his really long post. Even if he sounded like a total douche near the end of it. I can admit that I dont enjoy a wide variety of music. But I like Zeppelin AND The Who. I prefer Zeppelin, but there are times where I don’t listen to them for months on end because I’m listening to the Who. I’m saying this right now, Jimmy Page was a better guitarist than Pete Townshend. He may not be anymore, but in the time period we are talking about, he was. I’m torn on drummers, I mean Kieth Moon THOUGHT in rolls, while Bonham was solid as solid could be. Roger Daughtry was a better singer live. As for bassist, yes John Entwhistle WAS playing the instrument, but he was playing it like a guitar. He was all over the place and it sounded AMAZING. John Paul Jones could have easily done that in every Zeppelin song, but he didn’t because he was playing BASS. He did exactly what he was supposed to. Also, John Paul jones can play every fucking thing. So all in all, I prefer Led Zeppelin. Doesnt mean their better.
The Who invented the Rock Opera genre, not to mention Punk Rock. Led Zeppelin invented nothing, if anything they just perfected the style that the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group, and the Who invented. Zeppelin’s excursions into more musically interesting realms, for instance on Physical Graffitti and to a lesser extent Presence, were most obviously inspired by the Who.
Once could make the case that Zeppelin was overshadowed in influence by bands like Deep Purple/Rainbow and Black Sabbath as well. Turn on the radio today, when you hear heavy music you don’t hear much Zeppelin (whose influence was mostly worn out in the 80s). Power metal owes a ton to Deep Purple/Rainbow, and in general the crashing chords of radio rock most certainly are indebted to both Sabbath and the Who.
Between bonham and moon, it doesn’t matter who was the superior drummer it’s: who would you rather party with? I think moon would be more fun but he would take all of your drugs before anybody else even touched them whereas bonham would probably ask if he could take all of your drugs beforehand.
The Who’s Live at Leeds is better than anything Zep have come up with. I like Zep a lot but I think the Who were a band that more people could get.
The sonic scream and powerslide in the live performance of won’t get fooled again is enough to beat anything!
Wow… i wish i saw this earlier… all I can say is this is an amazingly frivolous argument… Both bands are beyond accomplished and beyond repproach and contained a littany of amazing musicians … for me it would like arguing with my wife which of our kids we love more… but I will add this… By 1969 the Who were a major force in the industry and that was way before Led was even known to anyone … (So much so Jimmy Page tried to steal Keith Moon from the Who)… Also … The mutual respect the musicians in each band had for each other speaks volumes about who they thought were better… I think Led had more fun on the road… and you are right about the people in high school who liked Led… DB’s all of them… but that doesn’t make the band suck. … does it… ???
You have to understand the members of led zepplin,were better muscians than the who,anyone who knows music understands that,Better guitar player,better drumms,better base player,singer is negotiable,anyone who does’nt understand this,does’nt know music.
Wait, J.P.J is a better bass player than the ox? Tell that to Rolling Stone and most other people.
How can you compare???? Yes, I listen to Zep more than the Who, but to diss either band is absolute nonsense. Both are unique and pivotal to the evolution and contribution to Rock and Roll. So while some will waste their time to down playing and insulting one or the other I’ll use my time to listen and appreciate music that can not be equaled by groups today. Thank you both Zep and The Who.
Is that you Pete Townshend writing this blog. But good question. Lets break it down like you did between two of the arguably best rock bands of all time.
The Guitar – People claim that Page is the greatest or one of the greatest guitar players of all time. I think that sentiment is a tad over rated. He at times seems like he’s strugglingly to get his point across finish what he wants to play like in the recorded version of Heartbreaker. Its not crisp and its a bit sloppy. He created some of the great riffs of all time but overrated. Townshend was never regarded as one of the greatest Guitar Players of all time. (Tie)
The Drums. – Listening to Moon is thrilling. Its wild, its sloppy and the drums almost take a front seat to the Who music. Bonham drums however are otherworldly. Its crisp sharp and sounds as though someone not human is hitting them. There are drummers technically more proficient and faster but the sounds created from Bonham come from the clouds. (Zep)
The Bass – Its hard to compare. Both are amazing. Take Jone’s part on the Lemon Song (first of many that come to mind). (Tie)
The Vocal – I hate to say it but Plants voice is inhuman. Daltrey is still man. There is more soul, musical proficiency, range, variations and most of all a unique texture. No one sounds like Zep or can. People can definitely compare to Daltrey. Daltrey frequently sounds out of tune, not that powerful ( Zep)
Live – The Who really come together on live albums. They are explosive yet tight. Everything you want when you here it live. They rock the shit out of you. Zep seems to lack on how the West was WOn, it gets overblown, lacking tightness the vocals and guitar break down despite the rhythm section remaining unbelievable. Plus the Who have still been touring a bit (The Who)
Overall – To claim you can relate more to Pinball Wizards, Deaf, Dumb Blind boys, Who are you, and won’t get fooled (after listening to it for 100s of times I still don’t know what the lyrics are about) is nonsense. These lyrics are hyper/psuedo intellectual. Zep is the blues the agonies and ecstasies of love, the pain of love lost played with unbridled passion. They hit the core and the heart of what its all about. And the reason is is that they copied the blues and are closer to the blues. Because they did that and made it their own way and amped up those blues with intense passion, soul and amazing musicianship makes them the best and the winner. However if I were to listen to something I’d put on a WHO album like Quadraphenia because it hasn’t been over played by me or just in general.
Are you fucking retarded first of all Bonham was the Hendrix of drumming greatest of all time . Moon better than bonham are u fucking crazy? And furthermore daltrey better than plant. No contest Plant he had better vocals and a higher range . And I’m sure the lame ass bassist from the who can’t compare to the multi instrumentalist John Paul jones. Overall the better band Zeppelin hands down why dont you look up best selling bands of all time zeppelin 2nd to the Beatles. Zeppelin kicks the who’s ass. Better songs better guitar playing everything. Hell the only song the who had was Baba o Reilly and that can’t even hold a candle to stairway.
I like Deep Purple 🙂
Hey, to each their own. I actually like both bands, but find myself listening to Zep more often than The Who. Mostly because they have a broader range of sounds so have a better chance to match my mood at any given point.
Lets get one thing straight though:
“My decision has been reached objectively, if not scientifically.
Although it bears mention that I am a Who fan. The only Led Zeppelin album I truly enjoy is Led Zeppelin I and even then it’s only “Good Times, Bad Times” and “Communication Breakdown” — coincidentally the only Led Zeppelin songs I’ve bothered to learn how to play on guitar as sloppily and half-assed as good ole Led Zep were often capable themselves.”
You came to this conclusion subjectively, not objectively.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever figure out how this debate got started, why, or by what means I got sucked into it, because as far as I can recall, I searched for this comparison of my own accord.
I like The Who better. First, their music mattered to me more because it addressed the feelings I. or we had, coming up. I also like Led Zeppelin as well. Yeah they took liberties but they were a top rate band, no question.
The Who were ferocious on stage, raw, almost upsetting in a way, and I think they liked having that effect….we did. There were always moments at a Who performance that you thought the whole thing was going to go over the edge, like take off or something. They worked so obviously hard, whatever they had that night, you got all of it. It was very impressive, something I won’t forget. I vote for The Who.
I like Zep, a lot, and appreciate individual members’ skills and their longevity. BUT, I just saw The Who live for the first time two mights ago playing their 2012 Quadrophenia tour. They ARE fantastic live, no past tense needed. I have a new appreciation for Townshend’s creativity because experiencing a rock opera LIVE is much more intense than listening to a standard rock concert with a series of individual songs. Experiencing Quadrophenia live, w/o breaks between songs with clapping and frontman comments, was a mind blowing experience (w/o mind altering drugs.) The performers, of course, have to be able to perform w/o much in the way of breaks, which they did to much acclaim by reviewers despite Daltry and Townshend being in their late 60’s now. The Who gets my vote for the live rock opera concept and still being able and willing to perform it. Time to be comparing them to The Rolling Stones for #1.
This is a tough one but The Who has the edge here for a number of reasons. In actuality The Who were more than a mod/classic hard rock juggernaut. deep inside there was a hidden heavy metal monster ready to explode which was evident on the 1970 live tour de force, Live at Leeds. The Who never really accentuated this hidden metallic force on their studio albums but as straight ahead classic rock LPs they remain some of the greatest pieces of popular music ever recorded. Without groups like The Who, and Cream there probably would not be a Zeppelin. Let’s see who invented the first concept album; The Who; who created the first power pop tune, The Who; who had the greatest rock bassist of all time, The Who; who had one of the greatest pop/rock songwriters/composers of all time in Pete Townshend, The Who. Who had a more ballsy voice Roger or Robert the edge goes to Daltrey. In the area of drums and percussion it is about a tie between Mooney and Bonzo and in relation to rhythm guitar playing Pete gets the edge over Jimmy with Jimmy being the more competent/effective lead guitar player in relation to Townshend.Considering all of this The Who takes it!
Obviously the best band ever is Entwistle on bass, Jones on keyboards, Page on guitar (while being taught how to put on a rock show and not just stand around by Townshend), Roger Daltrey on vocals (after exercising his voice for hours daily to match Plant’s range), and Townshend writing the instrumentals and lyrics. Oh, and a drunk viking on drums.
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First off, its obvious you have no musical experience whatsoever, because dissing led zeppelin is like saying mj wasn’t the greatest basketball player ever. The Who and Led Zeppelin are completly different babds, and talent wise, Jimmy Page was 300x better than Pete Townshed. Also, Robert Plant could kick Daltreys ass with just his angelic voice. Now, Bonham was no Keith Moon, but he still was one hell of a drummer. And for John Paul Jones, he could play any instriment somebody put in his hands, compared to Entwisle who was higher than a kite and couldn’t stay awake for half the set. I like the Who and I like Led Zeppelin, but come on, theres a reason why Led Zeppelin dominated the 70s and the Who fadded away. Led Zeppelin is and always will be the greatest band of all time
False
While i agree with most of what you said, and Moon was highly gifted and entertaining, he was NOT better than Bonham. Bonham is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential rock drummers by other musicians and commentators in the industry, he continues to receive the greatest acclaim from fans, and several opinion polls and critic lists continue to list him in first place before any other drummer in rock history. In 2007, Stylus magazine rated Bonham number 1 on its list of the 50 greatest rock drummers,as did the online music magazine Gigwise.com in 2008,and a Rolling Stone reader’s poll where he “led the list by a significant margin” in 2011. Bonham was ranked at no. 1 on Classic Rock’s 2005 list of “50 Greatest Drummers in Rock”,andModern Drummer magazine describes him as “the greatest rock ‘n’ roll drummer in history.”In September 2008, Bonham topped theBlabbermouth.net’s list of “Rockers fans want brought back to life”, ahead of Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury. Rhythm magazine voted him the greatest drummer ever, topping their reader’s poll to determine the “50 greatest drummers of all time” for its October 2009 issue.At the end of the BBC Two series I’m in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Band! on 5 June 2010, John Bonham was named the best drummer of all time.
John Bonham has been described by Allmusic as one of the most important, well-known and influential drummers in rock.Adam Budofsky, managing editor of Modern Drummer magazine, writes “If the king of rock ‘n’ roll was Elvis Presley, then the king of rock drumming was certainly John Bonham.”
Here’s the thing people love zeppelin cause of their studio tracks and because it sounds intricate and deep. Truth is most of it is lyrical garbage. Hardly of anything in stairway makes sense as well as the arrangement being horrific. Townshend on the other hand was an OCD perfectionist. He probably was an asshole to work with, but he produced quality and meaningful works. He also revolutionized rock by incorporating extremely overdriven amps with high volume as well as the band giving a wonderful stage act. Led zeppelin is a shit live band. Paige stands around stoned playing some stock guitar solo and Robert prances around. The who had a set list but each show has its own unique character. Just listen to Woodstock vs live at Leeds. That and won’t get fooled again and a quick one totally outdo any zeppelin song.
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3 words: Live. at. Leeds.
Long Live The Who.
And also Woodstock.
Long Live The Who
And the twin performance of Live at Leeds, Live at Hull!
Long Live The Who!
No contest:
Fact: Zeppelin album sales exceed the Who’s 5-1. Yes, that is five times more. No one sold out more venues than Zeppelin in the 70’s….no one.
Not that it has to do with which is the better band, as they both plagiarized. But to enlighten, Zeppelin did the version by Baez, who did a version by Janet Smith. Baez initially did not give credit to Smith or Bredon. As to the infamous Whole Lotta Love; Willie Dixon wrote You Need Love, but Muddy Waters recorded it. Dixon songs (You Shook Me, I Can’t Quit You) were credited to Dixon. Dixon was not credited for WLL cause Waters’ publishing refused to release the rights in spite of Dixon’s legal ownership. One should do ones homework before casting aspersions, and stop believing everything in Wikipedia. In 2012, when Bob Dylan was questioned over his alleged plagiarism he responded, “It’s an old thing — it’s part of the tradition. It goes way back”. In 1998, B.B. King stated, “I don’t think anybody steals anything; all of us borrow.” Though not “virtuous,” many have plagerized and many, many of the old blues rifts (and expressions) have been bantered around for over a hundred years. Lastly, if that’s all it takes to make it “big” then rip off LZ or Willie Dixon and make a few million of your own.
Although I’d love to cynically dismiss this post and subsequent comments as worthless, I have to say thanks because I got exactly what I was looking for – an explanation of why people are so crazy about The Who. I’m 37 and have flirted with the band but they’ve never stuck for me. A few obvious towering great songs, but overall I get the feeling that you either “had to be there” or you have to have Zep backlash. I can respect The Who’s innovation, but I still only like Daltry or the harmonies about 1/3 of the time. I’ll keep trying to find the hidden gems, because I agree that on average Who fans are more mature music fans (and if there’s a direct lineage to Wire I’ll promise to become a real Who fan). At the end of the day, the reason Zep has younger, more annoying fans, and the reason they’re more popular overall, is that if you were born in a later generation and you were exploring music for the first time, Zeppelin was more formative sonically to your newbie ears/tastes. That doesn’t mean they’re better, more talented or more original. It doesn’t mean they didn’t plagiarize/borrow. It doesn’t mean they spawned more elements of modern music. It just means that to post-Boomer ears, Zep did more to shape their appreciation of rock sound. They may grow to prefer The Who over time, perhaps for laudible artistic reasons. But if they proclaim The Who is better just because they’re trying to be cooler or above it all, they should get some real self-confidence and not be ashamed to like rock gods who stuffed their trousers and never strove to “make a difference”. They still blew your mind. And hopefully we all stopped having to compete with kids from high school long ago…
Yes,there most definately is a lineage from The Who to Wire…..and also to The Clash,Sex Pistols,Joy Division,David Bowie,Gang Of Four,Marc Bolan,Genesis,Roxy Music………….
Possibly the Who had more impact in the UK as all the bands quoted as being influenced by LZ appear to be US bands. Which would make sense due to the record sales issue.
I don’t believe sales figures are relevant when judging how good music is as Susan Boyle outsold most of the above.
(by the same token,as a Who fan,i’d defend Led Zep over Miley Sirus if the figures warranted it).
In the big world of music,for people that actually love music that is,The Who v Led Zep is too close to call to base it all on numbers.
You biased little prick, you just made this blog to slander the greatest rock band in history.
You’ve taken gods of rock and made them look like the who. I love both bands and I’m not biased, the only thing the who really did was name led zeppelin, while led zeppelin created a whole other genre of music and all the sub genres with it. The who didn’t make that big of an impact on music as led zeppelin. Without led zep you wouldn’t have ac/dc, gun n roses, aerosmith, nirvana, rush and loads more. Your to biased to make a proper choice.
Led Zeppelin was a much superior band to the Who, a fact which most thinking people recognize. The Who were indeed a great band, but Zeppelin was operating at an entirely higher level–a level which the Who could only dream about.
I realize that sales figures don’t mean everything, but during their 50 years of existence the Who has sold about 100-110 million albums. Zeppelin was together for 12 years and has sold somewhere between 175-300 million albums. Contemporary music journalists and critics widely agree that the three greatest rock bands of all-time were the Beatles, Zeppelin, and the Stones. The Who is usually ranked in the 6th-8th position.
I love both bands, and don’t see how to really rate one as better than the other. Led Zeppelin didn’t have the manic energy in their live performance that the Who had, but they were still a good live band. Musically, they stack up pretty well against each other. Two of my favorite bassists, and two of my favorite drummers. I think Page and Townshend are both excellent guitarists in their own way. Page is sloppy, but what fantastic riffs and progressions, and his solos were always electrifying, even if just on this side of Neil Young sloppy. Pete is a master rhythm player, with cool rhythmic breaks that most rock guitarists would never think of doing.
So in closing, when picking who I prefer between the Who and Led zeppelin, the answer is simple,…..Black Sabbath.
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As this thread is still going I put my vote for Led Zep….case in point….play each right now on your record player (if you know what that is). The Who….about as thick sounding as any other band of that era. Led Zep….has a thickness that makes even today’s far more advanced recording techniques seem thin….and they did this before every home sound system came with a sub-woofer. Lep production value it top of class. But the best rock band of all time….neither….that goes to King Crimson….music created for musicians rather than teeny bopper fans.
PS…when it comes to historic rock antics….no one will ever top Moon.
Right exactly Led Zeppelin, the Who is a niche band and always has been some of their songs just don’t make sense. Never liked the lead singer neve liked Moon. Just didn’t like their music and some songs were just corny like the rock opera. I just prefer Zeppelin, the Stones, the Beatles. I’m an old guy too. They reminded me of the Doors outside of a song or two I never got peoples love affair with these bands let alone the reverence
Hey ya twit. Doors based themselves off The Who. Try to grow a brain between your fat ears. Everyone knows this. Well everyone with a working brain such a shame yours doesn’t.
My Dad & my Uncle have seen both Bands two or three times in the late 60s and early 70s on stage. Both claim that the Who as a live act were more intense, energetic and compelling than Led Zep. Lep Zep had good individual musicians but often failed to play as a creative and dynamic unit which the Who were in their heydays.
They have also seen The Allman Brothers Band with Duane in 1970 – much much better on stage than Led Zep, they say. The Allman Brothers really improvised creatively in a way Led Zep was never able to , not even at their absolute peak.
Listen to The Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East, buy Live at Leeds from the Who, get ‘Colosseum Live’ (‘Rope Ladder to the Moon & Lost Angeles!) , ‘Live Dead’ (1969) from Gratefuld Dead- than you might understand that Lep was really poor in improvisation by comparison….
And in the Studio? Well, I still have the 1st Led Zep album from early 1969, all other albums of the Band I have sold long ago. As a collector of classic Chicago Blues from the 50s I have heard many great voices on the turntable; sorry to say that Robert Plant’s voice never reached the authenticity and intensity of his black paragons….
That’s about as objective as a piece of shit.
Wow you are clueless. Wait to you musically mature and then come back.
“”John Bonham was a pretty good drummer, though. He was no Keith Moon, but he was alright.”” Alright?? LOL. Absurd. Both were great drummers but Bonham clearly had the edge over Moon. However Neil Peart was a more technically proficient drummer than either one of them. Of course it helps having an additional 35+ years of drumming experience in Peart’s case so it’s probably not a fair comparison.
Led Zep and also the Beatles plus Pink Floyd are the three most overrated British Bands in Rock History.
By contrast the Kinks, Rolling Stones, and Who where in their heydays truly great and much better. Not only superior in their studio work but live on stage, too….
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