Led Zeppelin The "Great Bass Players" thread got me thinking about this. Has there ever been a band as strong as Zeppelin? I mean, Jimmy Page is considered one of the greatest guitarists ever. Robert Plant had the PERFECT voice for that type of music. John Paul Jones was highly thought of as a bass player, and many consider John Bonham to be one of the greatest drummers of all time (and rightfully so). Some might say the Beatles, but I've gotta give a big advantage to Zep because of the Bonham over Ringo match-up. I'm not necessarily thinking of the best group here, I'm thinking of the groups with the strongest individuals in them. Thoughts? Edited: Yes, I know I misspelled "Zeppelin". Ugh. Thinking is overrated.
Not really in the same classification, but Bela Fleck and the Flecktones features 2 of the greatest musicians in their fields: Victor Wooten (bass guitar phenom) and Bela Fleck (greatest banjo player ever?). Futureman (Roy Wooten) really can do some cool stuff with the Synthaxe Drumitar (which he invented -- it's like a big set of those electric drums on a stick . . . but it does a lot more than that), and Jeff Coffin is a good Sax player. But really, Bela and Victor are both at the top of their fields.
i agree, i've always thought the same thing about zeppelin. i believe john paul jones was a very popular session bassist before joining the group. the who come pretty close as far as the individual talent thing. pete townshend and keith moon are high up on the list for their respective instruments. as for the beatles, i think ringo was a great drummer for them as their songs never really call for a huge drum sound. he's nowhere near as talented as bonham but could you see bonham in the beatles? plus ringo sang yellow submarine
Has there ever been a band as strong as Zeppelin? nope lets not forget that Plant played the harmonica, flute, and some percussion. jones is a legendary keyboardist as well as bassist, guitarist, etc.... Page...... Have you ever heard anyone play a guitar with a violin bow so well? BOnzo, BOnzo, BOnzo, we wish you were still with us
So are you saying that Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant are better than Paul McCartney(sp?) and John Lennon? Don't get me wrong, I'm a Zeppelin fan and I'll even agree that Page, and Plant are just as good as McCartney ever was but it's an insult to even mention them in the same breath as John Lennon.
Yeah, as a collection of individual players (they really were a superband--they didn't all come out of the same neighborhood or were unknowns before they formed the band), it is hard to beat Zepplin. I don't think the Beatles compare as a collection of individual musicians (the opinion of a non-musicians), but as songwriters, a band that impacted cultures with their music, or perhaps as a group making music together--the Beatles were greater. You might get some argument from Rush and The Who fans, I don't know. Jimi and his band were awefully awesume and ZZ Top is incredibly tight also. I love the Neville's too, but don't have any way to compare them. I am kicking myself for not seeing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones when I had a chance, I hope I get another.
That's where it's tough. Honestly, I think they might be damn close if not equal, but what gives them the edge is Bonzo over Ringo. And that hurts to say for me because while Ringo isn't technically a great player, he always had a great feel and played what just felt right. Rush was actually one of the first bands I thought of. They're definately up there. Not as sold on The Who. I love Pete Townshend and Keith Moon is one of the greatest characters in rock and roll history (not to mention a player who did help revolutionize drumming), but I'm not ready to put them at the same level as Zep, the Beatles and Rush. Just my humble opinion.
