The one rock band of the 1970s Jimmy Page thought was unique: “Without ripping off other bands”
Let’s face it. Led Zeppelin were the band of the 1970s.
Of course, there were other bands flourishing in this new diverse musical era. But realistically, Led Zeppelin were the band on everyone’s lips and the band everyone needed to see in that decade. From the very outset of the decade, they made it clear that they would be the band to fill The Beatles void.
Ultimately, the success of the band’s sound was rooted in the coalescence of the members playing together. John Bonham’s drumming and John Paul Jones’ bass playing provided a powerful platform, while Robert Plant’s vocals soared into stratospheric rock realms. But Jimmy Page was the lynchpin, the man who brought them all together and whose guitar playing defined the era.
After spending the previous decade toiling away at the grindstone, working as a session musician under the shadows of The Beatles greatness. In the dingy corners of London’s blues clubs, he was crafting melodies that other musicians would use while simultaneously laying down chord progressions other, less innovative musicians were writing. He was a leading man, acting the part of a support.
But then at the turn of the decade, he had his chance to bask in the limelight with Zeppelin. He pushed at the edge, leading rock forward into a new space and with Robert Plant’s voice at the helm, they ignited a flood of copycats in their wake.
Of all of them, just two earned the respect of the band. “The Mission are getting it right to me, The Sisters of Mercy too,” he said. “They’re trying it, and they mean it. It’s not just a parody of a pastiche of a parody. If they nick a few chord shapes, that’s okay. But at least they’re doing it in the spirit of it. I prefer that to the pretty-boy-wailing department.”
The pretty boy wailing department was in full force during the decade, churning out Zeppelin replicas. But aside from that, the decade was one that fostered diversity. Soul, disco and classic rock all shared the chart space, as opposed to one homogenized sound and while the former genres were the ones that offered the most difference from Zeppelin, it was a band in the rock space who caught Page’s eye.
“I really like Aerosmith” he explained. “Because I think, you know, out of all the bands that come from early on, say in the 70s’, I think they’ve come through with their really strong identity. They are just Aerosmith without ripping off other bands.”
Aerosmith weren’t achieving this by doing anything groundbreaking in terms of structure. They weren’t redefining blues rock or drenching their guitar sounds in overly expansive pedals, no instead they were proving innovation can exist in expression. What many bands fundamentally misunderstood was that pastiche in glimpses is fine. After all, every great band took influence from someone before. But what they always did was ensured their own individual style of expression was at the heart of whatever sound and style they adopted.
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.