Led Zeppelin debut album

[CouchCoach]

He's Robert Plant, the golden God. He can do w/e wants and still looks cool doing it. And asides the girls loved that cucumber he had stuffed in those tight jeans of his If i had to pick one frontman it would be David Lee Roth especially during those early years{74-79or so}.

If you want the original front man to put on a show, look no further than Jim Morrison.

 

[Runwildboys]

If you want the original front man to put on a show, look no further than Jim Morrison.

I've never been a huge Doors fan, but you can't deny his charisma.

 

[CouchCoach]

Seriously, what does he do but make effeminate motions with his hands and hips? Even Mick Jagger looks like he's putting in some effort. Freddie Mercury put on a show, as did Bon Scott, Ozzie, Alice Cooper, Steven Tyler, etc. To me, Plant just looks like he's doing karaoke in a nightclub....but I love to listen to him.

Maybe front man isn't the right term for the ones you listed, more like showman.

I read an interview with Plant in RS many years ago about front men and he made an interesting comment. He said people come to hear our music performed differently since it is live; they do not come to see it. We perform our music with the best musicians in the world, that's what they come to see. I took that as why he really wasn't a showman and took his voice to be one of those instruments and I agree with that.

Guys like Mercury, Morrison, Cooper, Roth and Ozzie are more showmen than front men. I also think one of the developing problems with Van Halen was Roth's overshadowing the real star of the band and pulling attention away from him. I don't think Plant ever saw himself as the star, he reserved that for his friend, Page, and he was the first to call Bonham the best drummer in rock history. The last special he did on ACL, he would draw attention to his players. His respect for those that could really play was apparent.

The showmen you mention are in the minority, many more front men and women do not draw particular attention to themselves while performing live and see it more as a band presentation. But I like those showmen too, Alice Cooper was the best and most creative I'd ever seen and since he really didn't have a great voice, he needed that edge.

It's really semantics to me as I am not using the term front man as you are but more as to the contribution of that person to the overall effect of the music and in that area, Plant has no peer to me. His vocals were every bit as much of an instrument as Page's playing. I can listen to his voice soar on Immigrant Song over and over and never tire of it.

 

[CouchCoach]

I've never been a huge Doors fan, but you can't deny his charisma.

Or lack of inhibitions. Morrison was different, I think they created the term performance art to describe him. He was a true artist.

 

[Runwildboys]

Maybe front man isn't the right term for the ones you listed, more like showman.

I read an interview with Plant in RS many years ago about front men and he made an interesting comment. He said people come to hear our music performed differently since it is live; they do not come to see it. We perform our music with the best musicians in the world, that's what they come to see. I took that as why he really wasn't a showman and took his voice to be one of those instruments and I agree with that.

Guys like Mercury, Morrison, Cooper, Roth and Ozzie are more showmen than front men. I also think one of the developing problems with Van Halen was Roth's overshadowing the real star of the band and pulling attention away from him. I don't think Plant ever saw himself as the star, he reserved that for his friend, Page ,and he was the first to call Bonham the best drummer in rock history. The last special he did on ACL, he would draw attention to his players. His respect for those that could really play was apparent.

The showmen you mention are in the minority, many more front men and women do not draw particular attention to themselves while performing live and see it more as a band presentation. But I like those showmen too, Alice Cooper was the best and most creative I'd ever seen and since he really didn't have a great voice, he needed that edge.

It's really semantics to me as I am not using the term front man as you are but more as to the contribution of that person to the overall effect of the music and in that area, Plant has no peer to me. His vocals were every bit as much of an instrument as Page's playing. I can listen to his voice soar on Immigrant Song over and over and never tire of it.

I agree, I think terminology is the only thing we're seeing differently.

What you're referring to as a front man, I simply think of as the lead singer. To me, a front man adds to the show, and gives the audience something to watch. He also expresses himself and creates the mood, visually passing on his excitement, sorrow, anger, etc.

Don't get me wrong, there's not a band out there I'd love to see more than Zep, in their prime. I say "in their prime" because I remember watching a show with Jason Bonham on drums, and he was the best part of the show. Page was sloppy, and Plant actually forgot the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven. To be honest, when it comes to rock, I usually prefer the studio recording over live, but in all the live recordings I've heard, Zeppelin always had the perfect compromise between changing it up and not straying to far from the studio recording.

 

[jsb357]

IV
I
II
III

 

[Them]

 

[Them]

 

[Runwildboys]

My favorite. So raunchy!

 

[Hardline]

Zeppelin is the greatest rock and roll band of all time.

 

[Roadtrip635]

Led Zepp's debut album was the first 8-Track I ever bought with my own money.....lol
I never get the chance to see them live, but did see Plant on his first solo tour. It was a great show, but he was in his refusal to play Zepp songs phase. Throughout the show, they would tease and play just a little bit of a Zepp song, then play something else. Everyone thought for sure they would play at least 1 or 2, but never did, kinda crappy after all the teasing. They did do a very cool, complete stage change and did a HoneyDrippers show in the middle, then changed the stage back.

 

[Runwildboys]

Zeppelin is the greatest rock and roll band of all time.

Anyone who disputes that has never actually heard them.

 

[cowboy_ron]

It's 50 years this month that the first Led Zeppelin album was released in the USA. Here in the UK it was March 1969 before it came out, not that I was born then.

For any Zep fans on here - where does it rank for you out of all their albums and did you ever see them live in the states?

They are still #1 and not even a close second in sight.

 

[cowboy_ron]

I've never been a huge Doors fan, but you can't deny his charisma.

The doors were awesome.

 

[MyBad]

I wen to their show on 7/24/77 in Oakland Ca. Was a great time.

 

[Silver Surfer]

I've wondered what the band would have sounded like and what direction they'd have taken if they'd been able to get Steve Marriott to sing for them rather than Plant.....

 

[Sarek]

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

I've wondered what the band would have sounded like and what direction they'd have taken if they'd been able to get Steve Marriott to sing for them rather than Plant.....

Yep Page also wanted Terry Reid as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Reid

 

[Skullmiester]

I've wondered what the band would have sounded like and what direction they'd have taken if they'd been able to get Steve Marriott to sing for them rather than Plant.....

Without Plant there's no Bonzo therefore I don't think it would have worked so instantly and spectacularly.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Yep Page also wanted Terry Reid as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Reid

Didn't know that. I'll have to listen to some of his work.

I'm fully aware that it wasn't his song to begin with, but Marriott's rendition of You Need Loving was mimicked so heavily by Plant on Whole Lotta Love that its actually funny to me. I would have loved to hear Marriott sing Whole Lotta Love with Page playing behind him. That would have been rich.