The most important member of Led Zeppelin?

The most important member of Led Zeppelin?

  • Robert Plant

    Votes: 8 7.8%
  • Jimmy Page

    Votes: 50 48.5%
  • John Bonham

    Votes: 4 3.9%
  • John Paul Jones

    Votes: 6 5.8%
  • FAIL! I can't decide and think they're all about equal, woe is me...

    Votes: 35 34.0%

  • Total voters
    103

Big Ears

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Did Bonham hold it together? I thought it was loyalty from Plant, because he felt the group was all four members, ie. no Bonham = no Zeppelin. Plant was probably jaded anyway. Admittedly, the loyalty was stretched when Plant and Page began working together again without Jones (the best musician).

I don't understand Page, when he had good bands with David Coverdale, John Miles, Chris Farlowe and Chris Robinson(!), even if the Paul Rodgers projects didn't work. He should've persisted with them. Robert Plant has only really made one good album without Zeppelin, Fate of Nations. At least reforming with Jason would have put an end to all the solo dross they put out, including Jones's material (Them Crooked Vultures?)

:peek
 

LG

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^^Plant loved John Bonham, as his big brother. Without his presence Plant had no intention of working with Jimmy Page, he was genuinely afraid of Jimmy back then, because of his obsession with the occult. I believe Jimmy has one of the largest collections of occult literature in the world, or at least he used to.

Bonham was Plant's security blanket without him the end of Zeppelin was inevitable because without Plant there is no Zeppelin period. You could get another drummer to play the notes, but nobody would ever take John's place in Robert's heart.
 

Big Ears

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Quite a few seventies musicians seemed to be interested in satanism (mainly linked to Alistair Crowley, who was a nutter), but it was a bit like One Direction wearing leather jackets. These included Blackmore, Gillan, Osbourne and others.
 

LG

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^^I'm not surprised Martin, musicians have nothing but time on their hands and get bored easily, delving into the occult gave them inspiration for songs if nothing else.

I have met a real practicing Satanist once in my life, and will never forget it either.
 

Big Ears

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I think BOC dabbled in that sort of thing, but they seem like pussycats really. When I was young I was interested in the bands that were into black magic. The satanism did not interest me at all, I just assumed the mysticism and heavy rock went together (Purple, Sabbath, etc). The music press and record companies exploited the link for good reason. I really do not like the imagery that came later.
 

Johnny-Too-Good

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Led Zeppelin was one of those moments when four hugely talented people came together, and were able to work with each other. But I always thought the one who didn't get the recognition he deserved was John Paul Jones. Page was the guitar hero, Plant the charismatic front man, and Bonham got lots of publicity as the 'Wild man of Rock'. JPJ was the guy who would be playing around with ideas at home on keyboards or guitar, and bring them into the studio the next morning. And that is how many of the Led Zep classics progressed.
 

gcczep

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Four on the floor...

Did Bonham hold it together? I thought it was loyalty from Plant, because he felt the group was all four members, ie. no Bonham = no Zeppelin. Plant was probably jaded anyway. Admittedly, the loyalty was stretched when Plant and Page began working together again without Jones (the best musician).

I don't understand Page, when he had good bands with David Coverdale, John Miles, Chris Farlowe and Chris Robinson(!), even if the Paul Rodgers projects didn't work. He should've persisted with them. Robert Plant has only really made one good album without Zeppelin, Fate of Nations. At least reforming with Jason would have put an end to all the solo dross they put out, including Jones's material (Them Crooked Vultures?)

:peek
What I meant was that Bonham held the band together live. He and Jones locked in as a rhytmn section with whom Page and Plant played off of. When he died, they knew there was no other drummer who give them that spark and spontainety they were accustomed to. In a way offstage, Bonham also kept Plant's ego in check bringing him back whenever he got a bit full of himself. Once Bonham told him [jokingly of course] that he couldn't really sing and that all he had to do was look pretty up front.

I agree with JTG that Jones was the most diverse musician of the four. All of them had different interests that they were able to draw inspiration from. Page was rooted in the blues, '50's rock and roll along with Eastern music. Plant also but he delved into the San Francisco psychedelic scene. Jones leaned on jazz and classical influences. With Bonham it was soul and swing records.
 

Metal Health

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Page

No doubt.

Robert Plant is the one with the GOOD songs. PLANT HAS THE BEST VOICE IN CLASSIC ROCK/METAL! Page is the criminal. A good guitarist but a criminal. I will say that Spirit's " Taurus ", does not sound anything like the chords ( even without the fingerpicking ) to Stairway To Heaven. But, I would say that as a songwriter, Stairway was Page's ( One Hit Wonder ). What about all the other songs that Jimmy Page stole?
 

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