The band Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson called “unbelievable”
Despite having their differences from a musical perspective, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson took inspiration from Led Zeppelin, especially Robert Plant. The rock titans, who formed in 1969, pushed the boundaries within contemporary rock, creating an environment that eventually allowed bands such as Iron Maiden to thrive.
When Zeppelin started to gain mainstream attention, Dickinson was too young to fully appreciate their magnificence. However, as he grew older, the Iron Maiden singer took it upon himself to explore their back catalogue, and it was their earliest recordings that he gravitated towards most. The tenacious appeal of their sound resonated with Dickinson and set a benchmark in his head about what a lead singer should be.
According to Dickinson, vocally, Plant, along with Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan and Free’s Paul Rodgers, contained all of the ingredients that matter in the arena of metal. “There are basically three bases for the metal style of singing, and if you join aspect of these three singers, you have everything,” he once remarked.
With Plant, it was mainly his live performances that dazzled Dickinson. Although Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham played their roles in making Led Zeppelin the most must-see band on the planet, Dickinson couldn’t look past their frontman.
During an interview with Loudwire in 2015, Dickinson explained: “The early Robert Plant stuff. Really early Zeppelin and Robert Plant stuff was unbelievable. My favourite stuff from that era is they did like Danish TV shows, and they did Led Zeppelin live on Danish TV. Wow, it is completely unedited and raw, as was, and it’s just astonishing. It’s primal, it really is.”
Despite Dickinson’s background in metal and his adoration for Zeppelin as a live band, surprisingly, their blending of folk appealed to him most. While this was the group’s most unique attribute, it’s from a different universe sonically to Iron Maiden.
The rock frontman admitted: “Zeppelin were adopted by American radio big-style. But I’ve got to confess that the thing I loved most about Zeppelin was their English folk roots. Not their copies of American blues tracks.”
Furthermore, during an appearance on BBC’s Masters Of Rock series, Dickinson revealed a selection of his all-time favourite albums, including Led Zeppelin IV. The tracklist for the record reads like a greatest hits compilation, featuring beloved songs such as ‘Black Dog’, ‘Rock and Roll’, ‘Stairway To Heaven’ and ‘When The Levee Breaks‘.
While Plant wasn’t the only vocalist to inspire Dickinson to greatness, he certainly played his part along with other figures such as Gillan and Rodgers. These three singers all had different areas of specialisation, and Dickinson knew he would be onto something good if he managed to become an amalgamation of his heroes, which he duly did.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.