The Greatest Band Ever?
Posted at 9:30 PM on December 10, 2007
by Mark Wheat
(32 Comments)
With all the media coverage of the Led Zeppelin reunion there has been several mentions of them being the greatest band ever. Mojo magazine referred to them that way, Rolling Stone put them on the cover and called it "the most sort after reunion in rock'n'roll history." The BBC reported that people from over 70 countries were at the show earlier today and had interviews with many of them saying in many different accents..."they are the greatest band ever!"
Several callers tonight said the same thing to me, Kevin from Mpls said "they should be a requirement for everyone". A very eloquent anon listener explained how they had "imparted the mystery". The fact that they can come back after so long and cause so much commotion surely speaks to their importance.
While they were 'away' a few have made a grab for the title, most commonly perhaps the Stones, who have a claim simply through longevity, but who wins? Most bands might want to write songs like the Beatles, but every hiphop producer cherishs the Bonham drum beats and the connection to the universal conciousness and how they talk about the spirit within music itself, gives them the edge for me. I would love to hear your thoughts and I'll feature some of the discussion on Thursday's show.
Let's answer this once and for all, which side are you on and explain why;
The A-Side of the argument is ..."Led Zep are the best band ever"
B-Side...if not them then who?
Thursday night results;
Well? With my casting vote, Led Zep might have pulled out a very short neck of a victory!
Thay are very hard to cover, therefore unique, which I think should be a prerequisit for this title, but I have to agree with several of the comments, in the end do we really need ONE victor?
If you treat music as your spiritual guide, it certainly doesn't preach the idea of there only being one 'god-like' figure. Bravo to all of you!! Thanks for not just listening, but contributing and caring!
Comments (32)
Ahhh this discussion i don't think has a definitive answer..cause in the end does there have to be a number one band..the quest to catorigize everything into neat numbers or packages doesn't work for me..sure its a bit of fun and debate..but if anyone deserves the number one spot it would have to be the Beatles..u shouldn't have to ask why if u love music..and yes Led Zep are one of the greatest bands in the world..up there with the Stones..The Who..Pink Floyd...etc etc i just don't think u have to give a crown to just one band..it's not fair..all the great bands deserve credit for bringing us their music..U2..REM..The Cure..Springsteen..Neil Young..so i say to hell with deciding whos number one..it shouldn't matter..it's a non issue..my opinion..=) Thanks and by the way i love the station..Greg
Even though i'm a big fan of more recent bands, i'm going to have to go with the generic answer: The Beatles. What percentage of people would answer "no, i'm not a fan at all" or "who?" to the question "Do you like the Beatles?". Not many. For innovative musical simplicity that has influenced the music world for decades and will continue to influence for years to come, I will have to say that the Beatles are the greates band ever.
No offense to Led Zeppelin of course.
I'm loving the Zep tribute, but when it comes to the greatest band ever, three other UK bands must be considered and among them, one truly reigns supreme (I really wanted to sneak in Talking Heads, but, I had to be somewhat realistic). Sure the Beatles made and then changed rock n roll and sure the Stones are the Stones and their performance energy/sound has endured until recently, but U2 is the giant among giants and as a result are and will further be the greatest band ever. They've been cranking out fantastic albums (with one POP dip in the middle) for over 25 years and seem to be getting better in some ways. Their music is beautiful and powerful, their performances
(live, video and movie) amazing and of course, Bono is literally changing the world through the band and his accumulated influence. They may be the last of the greatest bands ever and as a result, will be known as the greatest band ever.
In my opinion, Led Zeppelin is the greatest band ever. The are a true original and their music has a breadth and depth that's unmatched to this day. Sure there's the "classic rock" songs like Rock & Roll, Black Dog, and so on, and there's the blues tracks like Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, I Can't Quit You Babe... But then there's what I'd call music of epic proportions: Dazed and Confused, No Quarter, Achilles Last Stand, Kashmir, Stairway to Heaven... How do you top those?
I listen to a lot of different music, and there's a ton of other really great bands out there, but some how I'm always drawn back to Zeppelin. Of course this is obviously a subjective question and I'll admit I have a special place in my heart for them because of when and how their music was introduced to me.
The Beatles - most definitely. the Beatles established the templates from which all modern pop/rock works. they wrote, or re-wrote, the rules. i do not think it is over-reaching to say that a substantial and substantive majority of what we know & cherish in rock music, in modern music, comes from the Beatles.
that alone may be enough, but there are 3 further points that i think completely puts this argument over the top:
1) they weren't just the writers of the rules, they didn't just set the ball rolling in regards to multiple sub-genres of rock - they were the best at it, as well. and their body of work still holds up to this day. put simply, they were damn good song writers, writing in many different genres, and they could still rock.
2) they are one of the few examples in any medium of art where they were the best, most popular, and most inventive artist of their time. that is hard to find anywhere. you can say Radiohead is maybe the most inventive - but most popular? jeez - you'd have to go back to Beethoven or Mozart (& remember, Mozart died a pauper, so i'm not sure what that means for his popularity at the time of his death). that combination is really just unprecedented in odern music, and will never again be matched.
3) they were, without any argument, more than the sum of their parts. while i like John & George's solo stuff, while "Band on the Run" is a great song and a very good album, the Beatles were the heighth of their artistry. everyone knows that Jimmy Page is a guitar god, with or without Zep - part of being a god is that you stand alone - but Harrison? no - these guys together made themselves exponentially greater. and i think that says something as well.
sorry to ramble - but while i love alot of Zep, there is no way it or anything campares to the Beatles. in reference to an earlier comment - i do know people who say they do not like the Beatles - usually the same people who say they do not like Elvis Costello. but, they all admit that while they may not care for it, the Beatles are genius.
Ahh...ye old "best band" question. Well, Led Zeppelin is up there and trumps the Stones for SURE. Something about the fact that they never made it out of the 70's makes you appreciate their music that much more.
But the Beatles trump Zeppelin by far and anyone else for that matter including U2, just for being "the first" and in that, the inventors of "the band" and for such great songwriting.
BUT, if you were to rephrase this question and ask who is the best singer of any band, by far Robert Plant would win. He is the best singer of any of these bands and remains so to this day. I like that question better!
Honestly, I'm gonna have to say that Led Zepplin is not the greatest rock band ever. That is not a slight on them at all because I do believe they are one of the greatest. I think they fall behind other bands, especially the Beatles. The Beatles are the best there is, best there was and the best there ever will be. They were so revolutionary, nobody did what they did. I would say Zepplin is better than the Rolling Stones, but honestly I would put them behind Creedence Clearwater Revival too, and, if you can call them a band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. I love Zepplin, but they are by no means the greatest.
Thanks to this post, you guys inspired me to create one of my own on whether I think Led Zeppelin is the greatest or not. It's kind of long so I will just post the link ..
Is Led Zeppelin the Greatest Band Ever?
Yep. Zeppelin are the greatest band ever. I didn't get the sense of intensity, mystery and wonder from the Beatles, even in the more druggy stuff.
I'm a sucker for hippie mysticism, love the blues, and also the world music influences in Zep's music--I'm a fan of Arabic rhythms and sounds, and trad music. All that, blended with Zeppelin's killer riffs and alternately hypnotic and raw sound, just does it for me. I saw them live on their last tour and...wow. Just...wow.
If your talking great rock and roll bands I have to say the Rolling Stones. There are a lot of great rock bands and great pop rock bands but the Stones are truly both rock and roll. To paraphrase Keef a lot of bands rock but not a lot can roll.
It really is an impossible question, isn't it? Is it the complete body of work? Are the Stones penalized in some way for a plethora of fair (and sometimes bad) albums - 20+ over 40 years? Does Zeppelin get the benefit of having a much more compressed career inclusive of only eight albums over a decade? I've long believed that the first five to seven years of a bands career are the best simply because they've worked, struggled, and written material that's much more personal than we comes from sessions ten years into a career when marketing, the masses, and the media demand genius. I don't know that Zeppelin would have maintained the high-level of material beyond that first decade and anything is purely anecdotal. So, if you look at the first decade for both bands I think you'd call it pretty even. I think the first decade for U2 and the Beatles would also put them together into that top group of UK-raised bands. As for the U.S.? The first five albums by Springsteen and the E St. Band, during his opening eight years, certainly stand the test of time. What about the Rush lovers out there representing Canada? Aren't they generally bandied about as the best band (players) around? Hmm.
Since I feel that it's far more personal than just the "best band" than my answer to the question "Is Led Zeppelin the best rock n' roll band ever?" the answer is a definitive no. It is a yes / no question, right?
Best band to me is Neil Young with Crazy Horse, always has been, always will. However, of all times, The Beatles of course. I saw them when I was 10 and they changed the music we were listening too in an instant. Music was not the same after that Ed Sullivan appearance. Other bands that changed my music outlook were Talking Heads, The Clash, Springsteen & the E street Band, Nirvana.
The Best Band question is always a great conversation generator.
While Led Zeppelin is my favorite band of all time, I do have to throw the "greatest" torch to the Beatles as well. On the premise that, while Zeppelin covered much ground and expanded in many ways, the Beatles expanded in an almost burnt earth capacity. The Beatles changed from the modern sonic equal of the Backstreet Boys into Ween and then Radiohead. And all in the span of more or less 7 years.
Is it even close?
The Fab Four hands down!
Historically what other band has had such influence over pop music?
Not a band per se, but let's give some props to Mr. Dylan. "Like a Rolling Stone" changed everything. With it, he transformed rock-n-roll into an art, and his influence can be heard in virtually every band to come after him.
I think zeplin is freakin' awsome!! And one of the reasons I think they are that awsome is that they were able to pull of thier reunion show, I don't think I have ever seen any other band get that much pudlicity. Zeplin ROCKS!!!
Of course Zeppelin is a great band and should be up there with the all time greats, but it's too subjective to pick one band. When I go to pick an album from that era I tend to go for The Who. Then you've got The Clash from the late 70s, U2, Cure, Smiths on to Tragically Hip, Nirvana, Radiohead,Foo Fighters, etc. It's going to be very hard for any new band to ever crack the best ever with the deterioration of the album. Bands don't have to work as hard as they used to. Just put out a solid single and you could be the next big thing.
I already posted, but forgot to mention The Jam
Yes they are the best band ever Period. (is that redundant) Everything that is COOL about "rock n roll" is Led Zep inspired. Sure the beatles and stones are every bit as important but that's not what it's about it's about being above important to god like and that's what these fellas were proving it by not whoring themselves out throught decades of shitty albums. And indie/hipster/hippies in different clothes stop trying to say your good/i'm trying to be different bands are the best ever. Talking heads!?! OK OK you win, you never got laid in high school.
come on! are you serious?
the beatles changed the way we see the
world and continue to do so today...
no other band even comes close.
the music is brilliant genius.
the legend and historical legacy is
iconic.
the beatles are 1 2 3 4 and 5
then maybe
U2, stones,
Whenever I find myself in an argument about the greatest rock bands of all time, I always place Zeppelin third, behind the Beatles and the Stones. This sentiment is incredibly common; if we polled everyone in North America who likes rock music, those three bands would almost certainly be the consensus selections (and in that order). But Zeppelin is far and away the most popular rock band of all time, and they’re popular in a way the Beatles and Stones cannot possibly compete with; this is because every straight man born after the year 1958 has at least one transitory period in his life when he believes Led Zeppelin is the only good band that ever existed. And there is no other rock group that generates that experience.
Give me Jethro Tull over Led Zeppelin any day. Thick as a Brick is better than anything they ever did. Led Zeppelin was just another super group, no more than Cream on speed. Some say they Zeppelin gave us metal...I say take it back and take Coda with you.
It's hard for me to argue against the greatness of a band who inspired not only a huge musical movement ( 80's mainstream metal), but the musical movement that hipchecked it off the cultural radar (90's grunge), but no mention of Pink Floyd? Forget all the stigmas attached to their music (Leave it to some of the least drug-addled musicians of their era to be labeled 'stoner music' by cynics), and forget the messy run of hodgepodge albums between their brilliant debut (Piper at the Gates of Dawn) and their concept-album coming of age (Dark Side of The Moon), the Floyd introduced a new level of maturity and sincerity to rock with their thematically lofty sonic landscapes. They may not of built the foundation from which their ideas took flight, but once in midair (Wish You Were Here, Animal), they had perfected the vision set forth by Sgt. Peppers beyond any flower child's darkest dreams.
One can certainly argue that good rock & roll is timeless, but I think the whole beauty of rock is the way it's so "in the moment." And that moment is when the band is live! I don't think anyone is in any position to claim the greatest band of all time if they've never witnessed the live act.
I'm a former Radio K voice myself, and I've heard a LOT of music, and seen a LOT of shows in my time. But one performance I witnessed sparked me to write this in the first place - The Living End, live at Roy Wilkens Auditorium in 2001. Mark, if you've never heard these guys, you should! These guys are absolutely genius, and I wish the Current would play more of them. They're like East Bay punk meets The Clash meets '50s rockabilly meets AC/DC, but they're completely original, and completely ass-kicking!
Few of you have probably heard of The Living End, and that's why this whole argument about the greatest band is so ridiculous - everyone has their own favorite band because everyone has experienced the beauty of music in their own special way, and that's all that matters.
But, I pick Australia's THE LIVING END.
There is nothing that compares to Zeplin with regards to rock music. I am also a big stones fan, but not even close. The Beatles are a pop band. I think they did ok for themselves. Led Zeplin without a dought. Thank you.
Come guys you're drivin me crazy, Let's just face it...would America even be America without Music from around the world especially from Great Britain and the other English speaking counties. Yet alone can you imagine where American rock would be without thier influence from say the 60's on.
Although I hate to keep swinging towards English bands... I'd have to go with Spinal Tap. For their raw energy & their punctuality.
An empirical question for everyone touting the Beatles: how often do you listen to them? How excited are you when a Beatles song comes on the radio?
I grew up in Madison in the '80s, where the local classic rock station played 3 or 4 Led Zeppelin songs every weeknight at 9. And every week night at nine, my friends and I would drop what we were doing to get near a radio. Twenty years later, my adrenaline still kicks in a little when I hear the opening chords from "The Immigrant Song". The Beatles were a great pop band, but Beatles orthodoxy is so ingrained in music culture that people never stop to ask themselves how well they've aged. Fine, the Beatles changed pop music; but there's a reason stations like the Current can still work Led Zeppelin songs into their playlists.
Led Zeppelin is unarguably ONE of the greatest bands. But how can you choose one to reign supreme above all others when they are all so different? It's impossible to fairly judge, since every band deemed "great" is obviously very unique, to have earned that title. There are, however, some bands that clearly stand out from the rest. U2 is definitely one of the best. From the very beginning in the early '80's to today, they've consistently put out amazing, beautiful music. They're also quite unbelievable live. Of course the Beatles, also....but you can't forget bands such as the Talking Heads, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Cure, the Who, etc., etc....all of these changed the face of music in their day, and continue to influence and inspire the up-and-coming bands of today.
Led Zepplin is the greatest!!! The Beatles have not ever inspired me personally to buy one single record. I could live without ever hearing another beatles song but Led Zepplin I will listen to for the rest of my life.
Thanks
U2 are from the Republic of Ireland, so they are NOT a UK band, as Michael stated on 12/10/07. They ARE a great band. My faves are the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, CCR, and the Clash.
Sorry, Zeppelin and Beatle Dudes, Your band maybe one of the top 4 Greatest, but I'm sad to sad they aren't #1. I know for a lot of You that may be hard to swallow, again my apologies. But the#1 Band all-time has to be timeless and none other than the psychadelic, Pink Floyd!!! The 'Dark Side Of The Moon', was on the Billboard charts for, like, forever until it finally got knocked out of the Top 200 in 88' and that my friend is quite the accomplishment if You ask me. Again, timeless. Here's who I believe are the top 5 Rockbands; 1. Pink Floyd, 2. Black Sabbath, 3. Led Zeppelin, 4. The Doors. 5. The Beach Boys('Pet Sounds'). The Sgt. Pepper Album would have never of come out if Beatle's Star, Paul Mcartney, wasn't so inspired by 'Pet Sounds' album. I'm positive that Mcartney and the Millions of Floyd and Sabbath fans would agree with me. :) -kyle, Flagstaff, AZ.
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