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Is Deep Purple in the same league with Led Zeppelin?

Is Deep Purple in the same league with Led Zeppelin?

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#381
IMO, not even close. As “big” as Led Zeppelin is, they’re probably underrated if that’s possible. Bonham is arguably one of the best drummers of all time. Page has to be at least a top 50 guitar player. Plant’s nickname is “the Golden God” and the more I play Zeppelin tunes, the more I realize how good JPJ is. There aren’t a whole lot of weak points on their first four albums and their live work is killer.
I’m from the US, and have US tastes - so that is where my opinion comes from.
 
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#382
Led Zeppelin has several songs, like Kashmir, Stairway, Levee, The Ocean, Immigrant, etc., that are in a different league than DP. I think a fairer comparison would be DP and Aerosmith. Not to knock DP too much, but comparing them to The Hammer of the Gods is like comparing Jefferson Airplane/Starship to The Who.

Lets put it this way: it’s 1990, and you can have free tickets to either a Zeppelin reunion or a DP reunion. Which would YOU go to?
 
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#384
Well LZ was first and the band DP set out to challenge. So they got Gillan and Glover in the band and did rather well...

Robert Plant invented the archetype for a hard rock (and later heavy metal) front man. But Blackmore's playing was defining what a guitar hero was and he didn't sound like anyone before him. Page's playing was more of an evolution of the English blues movement in the 60's. Very good, but not as original as Blackmore. JPJ was a better bass player than Roger Glover was, but non of them were anywhere near as influential as Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler was. Bonham versus Paice? Well, they both win. It's interesting because there are very few drummers who sounds or play anything like Ian Paice. They were both unique, but no-one seemed to be able to pickup what Ian Paice did. And there is only one Jon Lord...

I was completely blown away the first time I heard Deep Purple and what I wrote before is of course only Mac highly subjective take on the subject.

And then came Thin Lizzy.... But's that's another story... :)
 
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#385
I like them both. Apples and oranges as some have said. Also, I'm a fan of the MKIV Purple. Probably because Bolin and Hughes made them sound so different from MKII. I listen more often to Led Zeppelin, as, they are more 'rounded and versatile', but Purples contributions can't be ignored. I remember some years ago, Jethro Tull won 'best metal album', but as far as I was concerned? It was a 'legacy win' for "Aqualung". With that in mind, "In Rock", "Machine Head" and "Made In Japan" are as good a trio of hard rock albums for any band, including Zep. Some people love "Fireball", "Stormbringer" and (especially) "Burn", but? That first trio of albums I mentioned stack up well to Zeps "II", "IV", and "Physical Graffiti". In a lot of ways, they are not very similar bands, either.
 
#386
Yes. Excellent musicians with hhe ability to write great, interesting parts, and skilled soulful improvising. KILLER rhythm section!!!
Put out GREAT songs and albums that are still in heavy rotation on "oldies" stations today, 50 years later.

But to compare artists to each other in a competitive manner is kind of silly. It's art - not sports.
 
#387
Not having looked at the entire thread...

Zepp was a group of great Blues musicians with a groove for songwriting and a real vocalist and radio longevity.

DP was a group of GREAT musicians, with a talent for composition and the likes of Blackmore (a vertuoso) that has seen Steve Morse in the line-up. RJD was never Plant!

IMHO
 
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#388
MidnightRunner said:
Your thoughts? Are these two bands in the same league? If not, why?

I think the European and American perspective on DP vs. LZ are quite different.
In America Deep Purple are generally not considered to be the same tier as Zep, while in Europe Zep and Purple are considered the same tier, because in Europe Deep Purple generally have a much higher status than in the USA. In America Zep could have a status "the ultimate rock gods". That was always my impression. Maybe I'm wrong.

Let's discuss.
Click to expand...
Most DEFINITLY in the same league, add Ritchie Black moor's Rainbow and Black Sabbath and you have the roots of metal altogether for that era...! My old Geezer Gallaghers 59 year old era!!!
 
#389
I think I’m going to be in the minority when I say I much prefer Purple over Zeppelin. There is something about Blackmores playing that just excited me, never really had that feeling with Page, but my experiences could be coloured by seeing both live close together a long time ago and Purple absolutely blew Zep away. The Zeppelin gig was flat and soulless and they were just “going through the motions” Purple on the other hand Rocked the whole place, they played as though they wanted to be there.
 
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#391
Being old enough to have grown up on those bands and seen them in concert, I'd say "yes" they're in the same league. Both had great albums, both played great rock, both had unique sounds which marked an era in rock history. True.... the talent of individuals is different. But as a BAND (collectively) and rocking the house.... they're both in that LEAGUE. I only put LZ at the top because of the ability to bring the "magic" in a song vice just playing a pattern of notes that goes well together. I feel LZ have more of those types of songs. A LOT MORE...
 
#394
I like nearly everything Led Zep ever did, but I find Deep Purple's catalog rather uneven and there are a lot of their tunes that really do nothing for me. When at their peak they were amazing in a live setting. I suspect LZ sold a lot more records, although I don't think popularity should be the standard for judging a band.
 
#397
I did remember reading this year's ago...

1972. Deep Purple was recognised by The Guinness Book of World Records as the "globe's loudest band" for a concert at the London Rainbow Theatre, during which the sound reached 117 dB and three members of the audience were rendered unconscious!
 

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