What's Gone Wrong With Rock?

[A Lark Ascending]

Led Zeppelin did a bit more than rework Willie Dixon. Just as Charlie Parker did a bit more than rework Jerome Kern or George Gershwin; and as Vaughan Williams did a bit more than rework Tudor church music and English folk song.

I suspect if I heard them now for the first time I'd have absolutely no interest. But at the time they were a sound to behear; and I retain an affection for them, even if I generally find heavy metal more than a bit plodding.

I've never considered Zep to be heavy metal, but other than that I totally agree with your post. To me there is a vast difference between hard rock & heavy metal.

I'm using the term very loosely.

At the time blues-rock was very much the norm in UK rock at least. What caught my ear were the acoustic contrasts and - increasingly - the folky side. I had a very brief flirtation with 'hard rock' c.1970 but quickly moved off to the folkier, jazzier, more classically influenced stuff. But I always kept a liking for LZ, because there was that light and shade. I suspect from this distance it might be hard to hear past the thunderous heavy rock.

[Shawn]

At the time blues-rock was very much the norm in UK rock at least. What caught my ear were the acoustic contrasts and - increasingly - the folky side. I had a very brief flirtation with 'hard rock' c.1970 but quickly moved off to the folkier, jazzier, more classically influenced stuff. But I always kept a liking for LZ, because there was that light and shade. I suspect from this distance it might be hard to hear past the thunderous heavy rock.

I love Zep's first album but I think it was Zep III when they got really interesting, mostly because of the aforementioned acoustic elements. That's the same reason I dig Jethro Tull from this era, the English folk and classical mixed with some heavy riffs now and again was a marvelous combination...that is still being used (and many times abused) to this day by countless bands.