Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

apples and oranges

I loved Clive Bunker, great drummer, ever hear his solo in Cat's Squirrel? I agree "All of My Love" was terrible, also sent me running to change the station, I like Zep's first three or four albums the best. Anyone here Listen to the bass in "What is and Should Never be" lately? Great stuff, very syncopated and also very hard to play. I'm a bass player first and a guitar player a distant second, I know who I like on guitar but as far as judging who is technically better I leave to other good guitar players.
I think that Moon overplayed way more than any other drummer on record which is another way of saying he was over the top, if someone doesn't see that, how can he judge drummers? Bonzo played them like the monster he was and was always in control which is probably why 99% of rock drummers try to imitate him. Incidently if it hasn't become obvious yet I try to keep politics and music separate which is why I can (I believe anyway) appreciate a person's talent no matter what I personally think of the band, the person, or the music.
Incidently Jones and Page were studio musicians at very early ages, those guys are always top echelon players, no slouches getting consistent studio work, Jone was doing it while he was a teenager, takes a lot of discipline and musical maturity to become a studio cat.

Mickey Dolenz. Now there's a drummer. He sang at the same time! Dave Clark would be proud.

"Always in control"-- that phrase by Bob above is why, in a nutshell, I think the Zeppelin rhythm section is leaps and bounds tighter and more disciplined (and versatile) than the Who's. If it's 'better' is completely subjective, but even Townshend at one point expressed his frustration with Moon's drumming as a limitation to the Who in the later days, musically (certainly Moon was essential personality-wise, though). Entwistle used to claim he could make any band sound like the Who, and to me it seems he and Moon sort of "rode" over each other with sheer chutzpah and energy rather than locking in super-tight like Bonham/JPJ-- YMMV, or course.
RE: tasteless comments on Bonham's demise: it's worth noting that both Entwistle and Moon also met their ends by overindulgence when their band also happened to be past their prime. Hendrix and Bonham both choked on vomit, something that can happen to anyone unconscious, be it drunk/stoned or not. At any rate, JPJ is a first-rate bassist and arranger who's always conducted himself with the utmost in class and dignity... he's never needed to constantly point out his major contributions to Zeppelin (like the riff to Black Dog... how many of us could come up with that??)... and he's survived being in a top band at the peak of the decandent 70's completely intact with no embarassment or addictions, a sure sign to me that the music was foremost. Dislike Robert Plant if one will, but if one wants to seriously study electric bass, you can't ignore JPJ (I can't deny wishing I had vocal-less mixes of some Zep tunes myself, but I also happen to find Daltry just as annoying).

Townshend was not talking about Moon's playing being limiting in the latter days. It was Moon himself being out of shape if not commission half the time in his latter days, which limited the amount of quality recording time they could get in in their last sessions with him.

Jones and Bonham get credit for the most interesting and non-pretentious sequences in the Song Remains the Same.

I'm sorry that Bonham died, as I'm sorry for anyone who is a rock casualty. As far as another totally overrated Zep song I'll put down Kashmir, and stick to my original statement that their last album stank up the airwaves something wicked. John Paul Jones was the major creative force behind that stench.

Mickey, Mickey, Mickey!

Just out of interest which of these bands is most popular in the US over the years?

For me, The Beatles have never lost popularity. I stopped listening to Zep back in high school ('70s). I still like "Tommy" by The Who, but other than that they're just soundtracks to TV shows for me.

Just me...Bill

I don't think the Who has a best selling LP in the top 20 of all time. Zep IV is in the top ten.