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Bands that sound like Led Zeppelin:


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Their albums prior to the one with "Fell In Love With A Girl" are essentially outtakes from Led Zeppelin I & 2.

I don't think many people have heard much the albums before White Blood Cells. I certainly haven't. I had never heard of them until Seven Nation Army came along, but presumably they were more popular in the US before then.

I tend to think saying that a band "sounds like Led Zeppelin" is somewhat similar to saying something "tastes like a sandwich". Sandwiches taste different depending on what's inside them, and similarly Led Zeppelin songs sound very different to one another. People tend to characterise Led Zeppelin's sound as being the hard rocking style of songs like Communication Breakdown, Heartbreaker, Black Dog and Immigrant Song, but a large percentage of their songs sound nothing like this. For example:

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

Good Times Bad Times (much more 60s pop influenced than most of their other songs)

Ramble On

Thank You

What Is And What Should Never Be

The Lemon Song

Since I've Been Loving You

The Battle Of Evermore

Stairway To Heaven

Going To California

When The Levee Breaks

The Rain Song

Over The Hills And Far Away

D'yer Mak'er

No Quarter

In My Time Of Dying

Kashmir

Boogie With Stu

Achilles Last Stand

All My Love

And no doubt many more from their albums that I haven't heard all of.

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I agree that most people probably haven't heard much White Stripes prior to "Seven Nation Army". I had listened to some earlier albums, and kind of dug it because it sounded so much like Zeppelin at times. Then when their first single of any note, "Fell In Love With A Girl", came out, I was disappointed because it sounded like every other "new garage" band that was out at the time.

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What are you people hearing from The White Stripes (besides the guitar) that sounds anything like Led Zep? I'm not hearing anything remotely like Bonham in the drumming, I dont hear any of John Paul Jones intricate organ intros, and Whites vocal phrasings are much different than Plants...So again, I'm just not hearing it.

Also, c s 1987--good post. I tried representing bands that resembled all sides of Led Zeps songs. Bands like The Tea Party and Fear Itself for instance.

BTW, there are certainly other bands who owe a debt to Led Zep, the 21 I selected just happen to be the ones that are most obvious to me...

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Does anyone remember a band called Zebra? They had one small hit circa 1985 called "Who's Behind The Door?". That was the first song I heard by them...and the last. If I hadn't heard the name of the band at the time, I would have thought it was something off "Physical Graffiti". A true Zeppelin rip-off. Check it out, if you can find it.

:afro: :afro: :afro: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

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Yes, Zebra was included in Rockism 101's list of 21 bands that sound like Led Zep...

What exactly do you hear in Soundgarden? I hear no Bonhamesque drumming and no "intricate organ solos". And can you really lump Dread Zeppelin and Lez Zeppelin into the "soundalike" category?

Chris Cornell has a deeper voice than Plant, but his overly dramatic phrasing reminds me of Plant. Also the heavy guitar of SOundgarden harkens back to a Led Zep-influenced sound. I've read articles where band members site Led Zep as a major influence.

As for Dread Zeppelin, they are a brilliantly satirical spin on Led Zep and who at their very core are founded on the same energy as Led Zep. Also remember that Led Zep did get quite funky at times, and songs like "d'yer maker" are a beautiful blend of funky rythms with heavy guitar that Dread Zep has copied and expanded on...

Edited by Guest
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What are you people hearing from The White Stripes (besides the guitar) that sounds anything like Led Zep?

It's funny though that, about four years ago, I was trying and failing to get into The White Stripes 'cos they just sounded too much like Led Zep to my ears. Meanwhile, over in Charlotte, N. Carolina, a total stranger was really digging The White Stripes precisely because they reminded him of Led Zep.

Strikes me as more than mere happenstance...

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It's funny though that, about four years ago, I was trying and failing to get into The White Stripes 'cos they just sounded too much like Led Zep to my ears. Meanwhile, over in Charlotte, N. Carolina, a total stranger was really digging The White Stripes precisely because they reminded him of Led Zep.

Strikes me as more than mere happenstance...

B-F, let me get this straight. You saying that you failed to like White Stripes because they sounded too much like Led Zep? So then, am I to assume that that means you dont like Led Zep?

ANd okay, let's assume White Stripes and Led Zep sound alike for a second. What specifically is it that you think sounds so similar? Is it just the the guitar tones and the riffs? If that is the case, then I could see there being an argument that Jimmy Page and Jack White sound similar, but there was more to Led Zep than just Jimmy Page, thought admittedly he was a huge part of it. But he was also a big part of the Yardbirds, so would you say that the White Stripes sound similar to the Yardbirds as well?

I'm very familiar with how Led Zep was formed and that it was Page who put it together and did most of the songwriting, still though there were so many more layers to Led Zep than just being Page's backing band...

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Rage Against the Machine have nicked more Zep riffs than any band ought to and got away with it.

Mind you, the inclusion of Babe Ruth in your list betrays either your ignorance (have you ever heard them?) or your cloth ears...ok so Janita Haan did a canny Plant-like pose...and I know who I fancied most (although it was a close run thing)and the guitarist had long dark curly hair and played a black Les Paul.... but they were a Zappa/Ennio Morricone inspired progressive rock combo...I think you are getting your Zepps mixed up with your Zapps. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMzhaCCG1So

:)

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B-F, let me get this straight. You saying that you failed to like White Stripes because they sounded too much like Led Zep? So then, am I to assume that that means you dont like Led Zep?

They have bad associations for me. When I was but a child, my brother (ten years my senior) in the adjoining bedroom, would play Led Zep at an ear-splitting volume, causing my walls to shake, then the monsters would come... He did this either to drown out the sound of dad yelling drunkenly at mum, or as a smokescreen for frantic adolescent ham-shanking activities. Either way, the tragic effect is that to this day, I can't listen to Led Zep without wanting to cry. :puppyeyes:

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  • 1 year later...

They've ripped off Led Zep something chronic.

As if Led Zep never ripped anyone off . . .Guaranteed this guy will concur.

This is only one example, I've a few more . . .

Led Zeppelin? How 'bout "Thieving Magpies?"

Or the inspiration for "Dazed And Confused".

Exactly!!! Jake Holmes.

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