Led Zeppelin Vs. The Beatles - Who Is The True Rock G.O.A.T.?

[alang1216]

Now let's look at Harrison

• ‘Don’t Bother Me’ – With The Beatles
• ‘I Need You’ – Help!
• ‘You Like Me Too Much’ – Help!
• ‘Think For Yourself’ – Rubber Soul
• ‘If I needed Someone’ – Rubber Soul
• ‘Taxman’ – Revolver
• ‘Love You To’ – Revolver
• ‘I Want To Tell You’ – Revolver
• ‘Within You Without You’ – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club
• ‘Blue Jay Way’ – The Magical Mystery Tour
• ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ – The White Album
• ‘Piggies’ – The White Album
• ‘Long, Long, Long’ – The White Album
• ‘Savoy Truffle’ – The White Album
• ‘It’s All Too Much’ – The Yellow Submarine
• ‘Only A Northern Song’ – The Yellow Submarine
• ‘Something’ – Abbey Road
• ‘Here Comes The Sun’ – Abbey Road
• ‘I, Me, Mine’ – Let it Be
• ‘Dig It’ – Let it Be
• ‘For You Blue’ – Let it Be

Do I even need to do an opinion here?
I mean c'mon... the quality of what he did is lightyears better than McCartney

Great stuff but apples and oranges. Most of these songs were Rubber Soul and later. Compare them to PM's Rubber Soul and later songs and you see why I think PM was one of the best of all time.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

The only problem is that GH couldn’t write 10+ songs a year like Lennon could.
I hold that pissed off GH was a much better composer than meditating GH.

yeah GH got a little trippy after Beatles.
Who the hell knows what Wonderwall was all about?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Great stuff but apples and oranges. Most of these songs were Rubber Soul and later. Compare them to PM's Rubber Soul and later songs and you see why I think PM was one of the best of all time.

I will never accept PM as one of the best of all time.
As a hit machine for teenagers? - hell yes. Probably the best ever. The boy could have recorded a fart and girls would still line up to buy it back then.
As a serious song writer and composer?.... not even in the top 20.
Compare him to say Billy Joe, not even in the same solar system.
Bob Segar - again, light years better than Paul.
No one could come up with little pop songs like PM. No one. Closest would be Paul Williams maybe.

 

[DudleySmith]

Harrison was the better Beatle. That is basically generally excepted.
He was the most talented musician and songwriter. His songs were typically less bubble gum pop fare - and more complicated than McCartney's "teeny bop" hits.
McCartney was a hit song writing machine. He could care less how simple, kiddie like they were - just wanted to churn out hits after hits. His ego is legendary. Lennon was the 2nd best Beatle, also a better song writer than McCartney's "3 minute hits".
You can watch the videos on YouTube of their last recording sessions. Lennon and Harrison both had it up to their ears with Paul insisting on only producing bubble gum. In one video Paul wants to make the guitar sound different, and Lennon says" why does it matter, none of our songs are about anything really are they? We haven't made a meaningful song in so long, I have forgotten it".
And the next day is the famous video where Harrison quits. Disgusted with how the band was not progressing, and bone tired of McCartney's songs that sounded like children's nursery rhymes.

McCartney and Lennon just did formula writing. They knew a lot of teenage girls and closeted homos would buy anything they put out there, no matter how insipid it was. And they always had George Martin to critique and edit their stuff.

 

[DudleySmith]

And the reason is because it is true.


Every artist starts with what came before and the Beatles were no different as they admit. Just Like Me is an interesting love song, not unlike the early Beatles pop hits. The difference is that the Beatles evolved beyond their roots. They did things with their sound and lyrics (Penny Lane is not a love song and has instruments never heard in Rock before) that had not been done before.

They got taken in by a serious music producer and had their image polished and marketed.

 

[DudleySmith]

Lennon-McCartney's best song was Eleanor Rigby, and of course it was produced by George Martin. Nothing else they did came close to a real song.

 

[alang1216]

They got taken in by a serious music producer and had their image polished and marketed.

Half right. They were taken in by the owner of a local record shop but he did get them out of leather and into suits and ties. If you listen to some of their early press conferences they were just irreverent and having a good time. Pot, acid, and a meeting with Dylan changed them and music forever.

 

[alang1216]

Lennon-McCartney's best song was Eleanor Rigby, and of course it was produced by George Martin. Nothing else they did came close to a real song.

Great song but their best song was Day in the Life on the best album of all time, Sgt. Peppers. IMHO.

 

[BothWings]

The Beatles are number 1. There is no denying it. Even if you don't like the Beatles, you understand they are number 1. It goes

1. Beatles






2-10 (Zepplin, Stones, Doors, Cars, Aerosmith, Jethro Tull, whoever else you want to put in lines 2-10)

So your question should be, besides the Beatles, who is the GOAT. Then MAYBE Zepplin. Even without the Beatles that is debatable. Not saying they aren't number 2. They could be. But they most certainly aren't number 1.

Then of course there were people like Clapton fucking all their wives and making massive hits in his own right Clapton made just about as big an impact in several bands that he played in. He was was like one dude that jam with all the best and still maintains his identity. And later by himself long after the the others had expired he kept putting out the hits. Just about everything he does is musically commensurate with the type of life that he lives at the time. I really wonder when he's going to put an album out about fishing. Like for trout and salmon and shit....

 

[sealybobo]

Then of course there were people like Clapton fucking all their wives and making massive hits in his own right Clapton made just about as big an impact in several bands that he played in. He was was like one dude that jam with all the best and still maintains his identity. And later by himself long after the the others had expired he kept putting out the hits. Just about everything he does is musically commensurate with the type of life that he lives at the time. I really wonder when he's going to put an album out about fishing. Like for trout and salmon and shit....

Can you tell me 3 songs of his I need to listen to that are great? I appreciate him but can't think of any songs I LOVE of his.

The one song I play of his on guitar is You Look Wonderful Tonight.

Layla is good.

But besides those. Give me 3 other must hear's. His BEST.

 

[BothWings]

Can you tell me 3 songs of his I need to listen to that are great? I appreciate him but can't think of any songs I LOVE of his.

The one song I play of his on guitar is You Look Wonderful Tonight.

Layla is good.

But besides those. Give me 3 other must hear's. His BEST.

Well, I'm a keyboardist.... But some people call me "the keyboardist that should have been a guitarist". I guess some of my favorite songs to play by him...(when alone and recording for fun I do ALL parts) ...are My Father's Eyes, White Room, Presence of the Lord, Let it Grow, Bad Love, Old Love, Bell Bottom Blues, Layla..... Change the World (I used to know but I have to relearn)....

Cant think of any others right now.

 

[sealybobo]

Well, I'm a keyboardist.... But some people call me "the keyboardist that should have been a guitarist". I guess some of my favorite songs to play by him...(when alone and recording for fun I do ALL parts) ...are My Father's Eyes, White Room, Presence of the Lord, Let it Grow, Bad Love, Old Love, Bell Bottom Blues, Layla..... Change the World (I used to know but I have to relearn)....

Cant think of any others right now.

I wonder how many of those I would know if I heard them. I’ll look them up.

Right now I’m learning 4 country songs. Or trying to memorize.

I learned a lot of Billy Joel songs learning guitar. Chord songs. But I can’t think of one I remember how to play.

 

[gtopa1]

Without a good melody a lot of Rock to me is just noise. Yes; technically BRILLIANT etc etc but sound like......................meh. Rubber Soul was as far as I am concerned The Beatles at their peak. After that they were experimental far too much but STILL GOOD. Led Zep had a few songs that I really like LOTS, but often just too much noise.

Greg

 

[Ringo]

 

[Ringo]

 

[Quasar44]

Beattles cant be beaten I am afraid

 

[miketx]

Beattles cant be beaten I am afraid

Shooting the main one worked...

 

[toobfreak]

Beattles cant be beaten I am afraid

I thought you said that 60's music sucked?

You can really compared LZ to the Beatles, the Beatles were a transitional evolutionary band starting with the pure mixed-acoustic rock & roll of the 1950s and gradually taking it through progressive pop rock all the way into eventually increasingly electrified psychedelic rock, even staged studio rock opera, whereas Led Zeppelin was an outshoot from all of that into an entirely different venue of pure HARD rock.

 

[1stNickD]

Reading this conversation made me think a bit about the music I listened to all of my life. Most of the songs written in the 60's by anyone had to make it on the heavily censored AM radio airwaves, if the bands wanted to earn enough money to make it worth their time. Most young Americans had a one speaker 45 player at home or a one speaker AM radio in the car. So sure, when you listen to the music they made and songs they wrote, they were working with the mediums and society as they were. Each group had their own formulas for success and targeted different sections of the demographics of the day. There were a lot of bests from the 60s and 70s. Even today, depending on the mood, or what I'm doing I think different bands rank at the top of the list. I also enjoy deeply the bands that incorporate orchestras into their music such as Chicago and Moody Blues, again depending on what I am doing or the mood at the time, and even who may be sharing my music at the time. The older artist that no longer gets the time he deserves on the airwaves today would be Seger, in my opinion, both his music and the song writing struck at the heart and soul of blue collar America as I knew it in the day. Then Mr. Fagan hit it well for the gritty city world. Just MHO.

I don't play an instrument and couldn't carry a tune in a bucket even if it had a handle, but I know what I enjoy, and sometimes what I feel like listening to on one day, I don't want to hear it at all on another. All of the talent being mentioned here had/have a lot of talent and business acumen, cause if they didn't know how to do the business end, agents or not, no one would have ever heard of them outside of their garage or maybe a nearby tavern.

All of that said, I'll take the music of that era over anything on the airwaves today, at any time in any mood.

 

[Billo_Really]

Led Zeppelin Vs. The Beatles
Who Is The Rock-N-Roll G.O.A.T.?
​

First off I have to say that I am an unapologetic Zep head, and get tired of hearing my whole life that the Beatles are the greatest rock band in history. But is this really true?
2nd off I want to say that the Beatles were a great band who were way ahead of their time. Their songs will ALWAYS be remembered as some of the greatest ever written. Someone would be hard pressed to find a greater collaboration as was the case with McCartney and Lennon.
I will state my case for Zeppelin below, and would love to hear yours.

The first thing that has to be looked at between these two great bands is with record sales. The Beatles have far more record sales than do Zeppelin, but their is more to this issue than meets the eye.

1. The Beatles released 19 studio albums. That's 10 more then Led Zeppelins 9 studio albums. It was a common practice in rock for a band to record an albums than go on tour for almost a year to promote it, than come off of the road, again record an album, than back on tour again etc..
The Beatles stopped touring in 1966, and this enabled them to release multiple albums in a year to everyone else's 1.
2. Singles. Who can possible count all of the 45 rpm records that the Beatles sold to millions of love struck teeny bopper girls. Led Zeppelin did not release singles. If you wanted to hear them you had to buy the album. Imo, this is what created what is referred to as album rock.

So, before record sales can be used to say who is the greatest of the two, than you have to remove 10 of the Beatles studio albums to match Zeppelins 9 studio albums. Also, you have to remove the millions and millions of 45 rpm records that the Beatles released because Zeppelin did not release singles.

The next issue I would say would be promotion. The Beatles were the most heavily promoted band in history. To this day I can't think of another band that came close. The Beatles name and images were on just about everything. Their were Beatles dresses, record players, wigs, stamps, key chains, guitars, mirrors, watches, pendants, bowling balls and on and on and on. 6 months before they came to America posters were plastered everywhere proclaiming The Beatles are coming!, The Beatles are coming!. Radio d.j.'s were almost non stop declaring the same thing.
In contrast Led Zeppelin were the complete opposite, and the least commercial band in history. They wanted their music to speak for them, and not some gimmick. They even refused to appear on television. Interviews with Zeppelin were rare. Their is an early interview though were John Bonham the Zep drummer points out that people went to see the Beatles live just to look at them. You couldn't even hear the ban play. But to Zeppelin it was about the music they and not the image.

The last thing would be about musicianship and talent. So, lets compare these bands with that in mind.
1. Singer. I really don't think even die hard Beatles fans would disagree that Robert Plant is a far greater singer than any one of the fab four.

2. Guitar. George Harrison was an awesome player, and much better after the Beatles broke up. However, Jimmy page is legendary. I have never seen a list of the greatest guitar play of all time that didn't have him at 1 or at least top 3.. He was a riff machine. I doubt there is a Harrison tune that page cannot play, and probably many Page pieces that Harrison just could not play.

3. Bass. I think Paul McCartney was a good bass player, even better than he got credit for. But was no match for John Paul Jones.

4. Drums. Do I even really have to point this out. John Bonham is considered the greatest rock drummer in history. He played an 11 piece kit and used every single piece of it. What he was able to do still has most pro drummers in awe of him. If you've never heard "Moby Dick" than I suggest you give it a listen. Ring Starr? I guess you could he took a 3 piece kit as far as you could take it, but he could have easily have been replaced and not have been missed.

Okay, I guess this is the end of my case that Led Zeppelin not the Beatles are indeed the Rock-N-Roll G.O.A.T.. Their 300 million album sales I would venture to say out sales the Beatles if you take what I said above and even the game up the way it should be done for a true measure of who the greatest are.
What do you say?

WTF are you talking about? Zeppelin released singles! Whole Lotta Love, was a single. Immigrant Song, was a single. What Zeppelin has, is the greatest song ever recorded in Stairway to Heaven. However, the Beatles are the most covered band in history. Zeppelin did replace the Beatles as the No.1 group in England in 1970.