Was listening to "The Lemon Song".....

[gmahoog]

this morning. I love the bass line that John Paul Jones does in that tune. I can't believe he doesn't get more credit for the sound of Led Zep. I guess that's the life of a bass player.

He had some great ideas and really held a strong low end.

[bassvi]

JPJ = awesome musician. Check out some of his solo stuff, like Zooma, it's really good.

[mozarwasagenius]

Originally Posted by gmahoog

this morning. I love the bass line that John Paul Jones does in that tune. I can't believe he doesn't get more credit for the sound of Led Zep. I guess that's the life of a bass player.

He had some great ideas and really held a strong low end.

+1

I think he was as important to the Led Zep sound as Jimmy Page (except for the songwriting), yet doesn't get much credit. When I think of the word "musician" when thinking of bassists, there are only a few that come to mind and JPJ is one of them.

[lomo]

That song is truly one of the reasons I play bass. The line cooks, in a classy, bubbling/simmering way that really gets me. He also plays keys and mandolin.

[Honk'n_down-low]

He da Man!! Lemon Song is one of my all time favorite Zep Tunes.

[peaveyuser]

I can't play that song, its too hard. No the lines aren't hard, not the timing isn't hard, no i can keep up to the speed.


But have you ever tried remembering that whole song? JEESE every bar is changing lines he just jams the whole way through it seems, he has a basic groove there but always changing.

LOVE the bass line but if I were ever to cover the song I'd have get the basic idea of what the bass lines genreally are like are and and where critical bass parts are, then just jam it through

[JimK]

Originally Posted by peaveyuser

But have you ever tried remembering that whole song? JEESE every bar is changing lines he just jams the whole way through it seems, he has a basic groove there but always changing.

Jones liked Motown's Jamerson...& establishing a groove & then letting it grow & take on a life of its own is big part of Jamerson's thing.

LOVE the bass line but if I were ever to cover the song I'd have get the basic idea of what the bass lines genreally are like are and and where critical bass parts are, then just jam it through

Perfectly acceptable.
"The Lemon Song" is a Blues...not a tune to be played the same way twice, IMO.

Back in the '70s, I read Circus magazine. I recall one article where Page called JPJ the "true musical genius of Led Zeppelin". That always stuck with me.

[gmahoog]

Originally Posted by peaveyuser

I can't play that song, its too hard. No the lines aren't hard, not the timing isn't hard, no i can keep up to the speed.


But have you ever tried remembering that whole song? JEESE every bar is changing lines he just jams the whole way through it seems, he has a basic groove there but always changing.

LOVE the bass line but if I were ever to cover the song I'd have get the basic idea of what the bass lines genreally are like are and and where critical bass parts are, then just jam it through

I'm sure that was probably the case with him. He probably never played it twice the same way. A great groove with plenty of opportunities to embellish. Like you said, hit some key notes and get into the groove.

[lowendisthebest]

im not sure anyone could play this song the same way twice. l just listened to this for the first time. this song rocks

[selfblessed]

JPJ is an awesome bass player! His performance in the Lemon Song is great too. Man I think I am going to have Zeppelin Friday tomorrow.

[selfblessed]

I saw a video of him playing a 3 neck Mandolin once. The dude is so versatile.

[John Wentzien]

His tone and groove on that song are fantastic...

[Jazz Ad]

I don't see how he doesn't get credit. Led Zeppelin is taken as a whole. Each of the musicians was equally important in their alchemy.

[sound of bass]

I have been listening to Led Zep for 30+ years, and although my music collection runs from Gladys Night and the Pips to Black Sabbath, and everything in between, Ive always considered Led Zep as being in a class all thier own. JPJ influenced me greatly, still does. Any LZ freak knows that JPJ was a HUGE musical contributor to the band and is practically the only driving force on the album "In Through The Outdoor". Listen to it, Page and Plant were all but absent with personal and drug problems, leaving JPJ to finish the album, thats why its sounds sooo different from their other works, but still a huge success. Every generation finds Led Zeppelin, they still sell more than 1 million copies per year, and I imagine every generation always will find them. Longevity.....the true mark of great artists.

[Techmonkey]

there are a few basslines upon which I base my whole method of rock bass playing upon.

JPJ's line in 'ramble on' is one of them.

[EclecticElectrk]

he inspired me to play bass. theres something so different when your listeneing to led zeppelin, its like your hearing perfection.

[lamonica78]

Originally Posted by EclecticElectrk

he inspired me to play bass. theres something so different when your listeneing to led zeppelin, its like your hearing perfection.

JPJ is one of my biggest influences and The Lemon Song is definitely my favorite Led Zep song from a bass standpoint. I agree with the posters above that he doesn't get nearly enough credit for the sound of Led Zep. The last DVD that came out a few years ago really pissed me off.....he had hardly any screentime in any of the concert vids! I would have loved to watch his technique up close, but they barely focused on him!

A friend once asked me who I thought was the most expendable person in Led Zep was and I told him that there was none (hence the reason they called it quits after Bonzo's death). He told me he thought they would be the same with or without JPJ....granted he is not a musician, so I had to completely take him to school about how intricate a lot of his lines are, the fact that he plays multiple instruments, did much of the more complex arrangements, etc. There would be no Kashmir, Rain Song, Trampled Under Foot, etc without JPJ orchestral arrangements, keyboard parts, mandolin, etc. One of the most underrated musicians (not just bassist) in my opinion

[jaywa]

Geddy Lee inspired me to pick up the bass... JPJ inspired me to keep playing it.

Simple as that.

The other thing that's underappreciated about JPJ is, just about any line he originally played fingerstyle he could play equally well with a pick, and vice versa. If you're a fingerstyle player, try playing Ramble On with a pick sometime and you'll see why that's impressive.

[UncleBalsamic]

He's a genius who'd completely underrated, it was only about a year back that I started to notice his playing a bit more and when I did it was fantastic. He is an amazing bass player in my opinion and one of my all time favourites.

I love the lemon song so much as well.

[zombywoof5050]

Originally Posted by lomo

He also plays keys and mandolin.

He tears up a mean pedal steel too!