• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Do you consider Led Zeppelin a METAL band?

#41
No. They span all sorts of rock/blues/folk, but I would not consider them to be a metal band. Like a lot of early rock groups, some of their songs are the pre-cursor of many things metal. But they're not metal in and of themselves, in my opinion. Metal didn't exist at that point.
 
#44
if i think back to 69/ early 70's ...

Beach Boys/ Beatles - pop
Clapton/Doors/Doobies - rock
Led Zep/ Black Sabbath/ Grand Funk - harder rock
Yes/ Who / Deep Purple / Uriah Heep - early prog rock


i really never thought of that era as having ' metal ' here in the US , probably more so in the UK .. ?? maybe things like The Velvet Underground .. ?
maybe Black Sabbath a bit later . ? or into the mid 70's - Judas Priest ,Iron Maiden , Motorhead ...
i think metal hit it's stride in the early 80's ... Metallica , Anthrax , Pantera , etc ...
 
#47
MAJOR METAL said:
Howdy Friends,

I've often heard Led Zeppelin referred to as one of the first metal bands, but do you consider them a metal band?

Personally, although they have some hard rockin "metal" songs, I think the label "alternative" is more fitting, even if they were 20 years prior to the official "alternative genre". They drew heavily from the blues and folk, but I don't think their catalog is comprehensively METAL.
Click to expand...

What was hard rock/metal back then isn't it today. The borders moves forward. I know people who think Sabbath sounds like the Beatles today, too twee, and too cute. Zep refused to be called heavy metal back then. They loathed the term intensely. Even the first ones tagged with the label as early as possible, was Blue Öyster Cult. I can't even remotely think "Fear The Reaper" is anywhere close to metal. AOR mainstream elevator or yacht rock, even. "Kind, gentle" singing, major key singing harmonies, and la-la-la-la-la. Kids were humming along to it.

Zep, it was a loud folk band. They did include some - at that time - previously unheard of INTENSITY and DYNAMICS by having one very silent part in the same song, to suddenly EXPLODE into sonic mayhem. Folk/Blues band with added dynamics and intensity. But they did rock at the same time. Metal? No...

But even today when some people hears RAMMSTEIN they think it's fairly mainstream... everything that shocked and was rebelloius at the time isn't anymore.

I know Sabbath heard Zeps first one, before Sabs released their first one. And they immediately thought "ha ha, great but ours going to be heavier!!". At least Ozzy and Iommi said that. Geezer was friends (close) with Plant anyway. Zep, sort of, couldn't care less what their music was called. I know only Pagey wanted that "light and shade" stuff that mixed Joni Mitchells gentlest folk tunes with the loudest scream and rockin/riffing that any band could churn out. The DYNAMICS!
 
  • Like
Reactions: J-Bassomatic
#52
Find it funny, back then NO journalists or record companies flagged them as heavy metal. The first band I heard of calling themselves heavy metal kind of music was actually BÖC, at that time. And when I checked them out, I thought they should six deep Sabbath, Deep Purple, Zeppelin all at once. But boy how I was disappointed!

I think that term Heavy Metal wasn't used really until years later. It's a mere afterthought. Cooper and stuff was just called "shock-rock", and no more. Judas Priest? "Living After Midnight"....metal? get out of here...

But there you go. 1988 was a Grammy won for "Best Metal" album, guess by whom? Jethro Tull!!!!

Can you imagine that?! as late as 1988?! Nor could they. They didn't show up because they didn't thought they had a chance to win (over Metallica no less), and thought it was ridiculous to even be nominated in that genre. The day after, they'd put out a full page ad in one of the more prominent music papers in UK with a pic of a flute on with aid of a text:

"Well, the flute is actually a heavy metal instrument"

In order for make some excuse of it... well, Ian Anderson was at least right in that regard...

What had they've been smoking those grammy judges?!??!

jt_flute_ad89_heavy_metal_instrument560.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Novarocker and foolforthecity
#55
They are not a heavy metal band. Let's also clarify one thing, they maybe classic rock now, but they weren't when they came out. According to the radio the Red Hot Chili Peppers are now a classic rock band.

Led Zeppelin were as many have posted one of the bigger influences on heavy metal. Black Sabbath are arguably the definitive and first heavy metal band.
 
  • Like
Reactions: karl_em_all
#57
If anything I do think that Zeppelin had their fair share of Phsycedelic Rock infused at all times though. Psychedelic and Zep is not often mentioned in the same sentence, but anyone who could stand Pageys 45 minute excursion with the violin bow on stage, must've been psychedelic.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back