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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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    706
#142
FritzM said:
Although this a joke, you should probably be 60 plus to even vote in this poll.lol

Someone said DP was on a different level as musicians? Seriously? LZ had one of the most iconic drummers of all time!
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Iconic? Yes. But I started my music life as a drummer, and I still play…. I can easily cop anything Bonham did. My doublets and triplets on the bass drum (his claim to fame) are not as ‘solid’ as his nowadays, but that’s just because I don’t practice anymore. Ian Paice, otoh, has Buddy Rich - level chops. Ridiculous hand speed, incredible technique and mobility, and his swing is great too. His bass drum with a single pedal was lightning fast, and as demonstrated on Fireball he was great on double bass drums too. EDIT: not just ‘was’. still is.
 
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#145
I don't know if it's a Europe vs America thing, or if it's a age thing. Led Zeppelin continues to be popular with young people who get into classic rock. But I don't know anyone from my generation who listen's to Deep Purple. If you were around when those bands were making music maybe you see them as the same, but I don't feel like Deep Purple has held up, or continued to be popular with new audiences the same way as Zeppelin has. I mean you can't watch a Marvel movie without hearing a Zeppelin song. But what do I know, honestly the only thing I know about Deep Purple is the trope about kids who don't know how to play guitar playing the Smoke on the Water riff. And honestly that isn't a very flattering trope. If a whole generation of kids have grown up believing that a band's most popular song is annoyingly repetitive and can be played by anyone it's not really going to make people run out and buy the records. Kind of like Blue Oyster Cult and the more cowbell skit, the joke has become more famous than the music.
 
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#148
I love Deep Purple. Made in Japan is one of the greatest live albums of all time, and is miles better than Zeppelin’s Song Remains the Same...

We can discuss which band has the better musicianship all day and night. But in the end, for me, it’s about songwriting. Deep Purple simply does not have the depth of songwriting, nor the diversity of Zeppelin. Not even close. If Purple had songs on the same level as Kashmir, Ten Years Gone, Battle of Evermore, Custard Pie, Over the Hills and Far Away, Babe Im Gonna Leave You, etc, etc, etc....

sorry not even close. Zeppelin for the win.
 
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#153
sxaxsx said:
I don't know if it's a Europe vs America thing, or if it's a age thing. Led Zeppelin continues to be popular with young people who get into classic rock. But I don't know anyone from my generation who listen's to Deep Purple. If you were around when those bands were making music maybe you see them as the same, but I don't feel like Deep Purple has held up, or continued to be popular with new audiences the same way as Zeppelin has. I mean you can't watch a Marvel movie without hearing a Zeppelin song. But what do I know, honestly the only thing I know about Deep Purple is the trope about kids who don't know how to play guitar playing the Smoke on the Water riff. And honestly that isn't a very flattering trope. If a whole generation of kids have grown up believing that a band's most popular song is annoyingly repetitive and can be played by anyone it's not really going to make people run out and buy the records. Kind of like Blue Oyster Cult and the more cowbell skit, the joke has become more famous than the music.
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I'm not sure Zeppelin is popular with new audiences. Immigrant Song was in Thor sure, but I can't say I've ever heard any 20 somethings talking about any of these 70s bands.

I take that back, kids today do know Rush.
 
#154
"Ian Paice, otoh, has Buddy Rich - level chops."

I was a drummer too, and Buddy Rich - level chops? No. But I respect your opinion. I sat 10 feet away from BR for a whole show. His chops were not even human. And you don't have to have big chops to groove.
I personally, thought DP was boring and unimaginative (from a compositional standpoint.) But then again, I was huge Yes fan, different worlds. I know this will ruffle feathers, but I'm just being honest.
 
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#155
sxaxsx said:
I don't know if it's a Europe vs America thing, or if it's a age thing. Led Zeppelin continues to be popular with young people who get into classic rock. But I don't know anyone from my generation who listen's to Deep Purple. If you were around when those bands were making music maybe you see them as the same, but I don't feel like Deep Purple has held up, or continued to be popular with new audiences the same way as Zeppelin has. I mean you can't watch a Marvel movie without hearing a Zeppelin song. But what do I know, honestly the only thing I know about Deep Purple is the trope about kids who don't know how to play guitar playing the Smoke on the Water riff. And honestly that isn't a very flattering trope. If a whole generation of kids have grown up believing that a band's most popular song is annoyingly repetitive and can be played by anyone it's not really going to make people run out and buy the records. Kind of like Blue Oyster Cult and the more cowbell skit, the joke has become more famous than the music.
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If all you know of Purple is that one riff/trope, your opinion is kinda meaningless. Question: just because kids today don’t hear Lester Young in Marvel comics movies, does that mean he was not a giant of jazz?
 
#157
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.
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Purple was every bit as good as Zep, if not better. Especially the Mark 2 incarnation.
 
#158
obimark said:
Not the same league. Both great but Led Zep had 3 gods playing, plus Jones. Deep Purple had great players but only Jon Lord was god level like Bonham, Page and Plant.
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We could argue this all day :)

JPJ was arguably the best musician in LZ, best trained, most versatile, solid background as a session musician. But with way less onstage charisma than the others. Lord similar classical background of course and composed DP's concerto for group and orchestra, does anyone remember that these days?

But I'd put Blackmore's guitar playing at world class level and beyond, even if he was a world class ah*le in DP. The flamenco-inspired scales in his lead playing made the more common bluesy styles in rock at that time look utterly pedestrian. Page though is a guitar great and 40+ years on from that era has far higher profile.

Probably best way to compare is album sales - LZ is still a big seller, DP not so much. But it is true that DP had multiple hit singles where LZ had I think just one.
 
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#159
deep purple were a much more european sounding hard rock band, which at times seemed to be much more “proto-metal” than zeppelin. zeppelin dominated the hard rock scene, with entries of folk and funk in there too. if you say “70s rock”, people usually think led zeppelin. they think of long curly haired singers with tight jeans and no shirt singing about flower children walking naked out of some rocks. deep purple seem to be mildly more dated, but they are still incredible despite becoming somewhat of a in-and-out sort of band towards the mid 70s, with constant member fluctuations. led zeppelin sat comfortably in their place of hard rock and hard blues and certainly stand the test of time better, remaining hugely influential, meanwhile deep purple seemed to be pushing for a metal kind of sound, and their studio albums sounded particularly contemporary and unfortunately not very note-worthy in comparison to the studio trickery page used in zeppelin. same league? vaguely, but yes. but i think zeppelin is a much better listening experience, all of their albums are filled with masterpieces and their sound defines the 70s decade.
 
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#160
8 pages later...

DP with Blackmore led to the European metal styles, all the stuff that added classical influences and removed the blues influences.

The constant lineup churn didn't do DP any favors. LZ was the same guys start to finish.

LZ's rep had the same benefit as the Beatles, frozen in time instead of descending into irrelevance like DP.

Would people's opinions be different if only the Blackmore-Gillian "MkII" DP had existed?

Time for popcorn!

movie-theatre-popcorn-800x1200-720x540.jpg
 
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