Is Deep Purple in the same league with Led Zeppelin?

[bobba66]

No.

 

[Herrick]

No.

Maybe?

 

[Jason Schulhz]

They are both great bands. But I give the edge to Zeppelin.
Many consider John Bonham to be the greatest drummer of all time, and if not, he is in the conversation with Neal Peart, Keith Moon, and a couple other elite legends. Zeppelin also has a song that is widely considered as the most popular rock song of all time.

You are asking the opinion of a bunch of bassists, for context. Deep Purple had some groovy bass lines but nothing that can compare to the Lemon Song. John Paul Jones was not only a virtuoso on bass, he played: organ, piano, harp, clavinet, double bass, mellotron, keyboards, mandolin, recorder, koto, lap steel guitar, continuum, autoharp, ukulele, sitar, keytar, banjo, cello, and the violin.

And he played them all VERY WELL.

Deep Purple was great but didn’t have anyone quite as talented as GOAT Bonham or “no instrument he couldn’t play” John Paul Jones. To answer your question, yes, they are in the same league. But they are not both tied for first in the conference standings.

 

[vivaknoxvegas]

 

[consectaneus]

Absolutely same league, just totally different bands AFAIC. My perspective from here in the states is that Led Zeppelin looms bigger in the public consciousness. Both are iconic, but I also have to give the edge to LZ as the bigger band.

 

[Rabidhamster]

If you go by number of people who know how to play the intro to a song, then Deep Purple is #1, maybe a league of their own.

 

[J Gold]

Dumbest post of the year.

Congratulations.

Yay! I win and it’s only July!!
It takes different strokes to move the world.

 

[ajkula66]

Funny you mentioned Uriah Heep......for all those that use to read Circus magazine, there was an article that referred to them as the "Poor man's Deep Purple"

I don't get the comparison...but then again, I've been a huge Uriah Heep fan for decades now and still listen to them which is more than I can say for DP or LZ.

To answer the original question: to me, they are in the same league but vastly different in just about every single aspect of their music.

 

[wmhill]

Deep Purple is way ahead of Zep... both were fine, but Purple had it going on.

 

[BluesWalker]

Except for a couple of albums. I never liked LZ very much so my vote choice was very easy to make.

 

[Michedelic]

If you go by number of people who know how to play the intro to a song, then Deep Purple is #1, maybe a league of their own.

Is that from a scientific survey?

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

I think if Zepplin does not win this pole I will never again trust anything I hear on Talkbass.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Yay! I win and it’s only July!!
It takes different strokes to move the world.

Would have been even better if ya asked whose a faster guitarist, Blackmore or Page.


[edit] I thought you were the OP. Leaving it anyhow .

 

[tangentmusic]

 

[Kubicki Fan]

To think that deep purple is somehow “less than” Led Zeppelin is any way is just crazy talk

.

As well as, the other way around: equally meaningless.

 

[nutdog]

I like DP but I could probably sing along with every song on 8 LZ albums + a couple that weren’t on albums. I could sing along with about 8 DP songs.

 

[bon viesta]

Longevity. Deep Purple was a great band, but didn't last. Led Zep has been around a long, long time. Still both great bands.

did you get that reversed??? lol

 

[mellowinman]

Obviously.

Both bands are great.

 

[Sunset Shalom]

People love Zep because they had a very defined sound, and aside from some of their more unique songs their music tends to have a distinct feel.

Deep Purple were way more eclectic though overall I'd say, fans from different parts of the world will prefer different lineups and it's not like there was necessarily a "best" lineup unlike many bands that go downhill as soon as the original lineup changes.

When I was younger I would have said Zep was better for sure, now I'd say Deep Purple. I was never super into them until hearing the album Stormbringer which feels like a prog rock/fusion album at parts with some top notch classic rock mixed in. I've noticed people tend to just assume they sound like Smoke On The Water because it became such a meme song, but they cover a wide range with a lot of great influences while also being pretty unique.

Honestly people who prefer Zep probably just like blues rock more or heard them first and never checked out Deep Purple much. Though they are distinct bands so nothing wrong with preferring either. But seriously, tell me this song isn't amazing:

The first 2 songs alone are very eclectic, with the first being more of a prog rock song and the second having some heavy funk/soul elements.

 

[mellowinman]

They are both great bands. But I give the edge to Zeppelin.
Many consider John Bonham to be the greatest drummer of all time, and if not, he is in the conversation with Neal Peart, Keith Moon, and a couple other elite legends. Zeppelin also has a song that is widely considered as the most popular rock song of all time.

You are asking the opinion of a bunch of bassists, for context. Deep Purple had some groovy bass lines but nothing that can compare to the Lemon Song. John Paul Jones was not only a virtuoso on bass, he played: organ, piano, harp, clavinet, double bass, mellotron, keyboards, mandolin, recorder, koto, lap steel guitar, continuum, autoharp, ukulele, sitar, keytar, banjo, cello, and the violin.

And he played them all VERY WELL.

Deep Purple was great but didn’t have anyone quite as talented as GOAT Bonham or “no instrument he couldn’t play” John Paul Jones. To answer your question, yes, they are in the same league. But they are not both tied for first in the conference standings.

Are you kidding me? Jon Lord greatest hard rock keys player. Ian Gillan among the greatest or the greatest vocalist of all time. Ian Paice is a highly underrated drummer and Blackmore may be a world class a-hole, but he's also a world class guitar player. And let's not overlook Roger Glover, who may not be JPJ, but he is among the greatest bass players of all time. He's no virtuoso, but he lays down the perfect bass part EVERY SINGLE time.