Beatles vs. Led Zeppelin

There are no similarities between these bands; so they can't be compared; so I can't vote...

Beatles.

Hmm let me think about this one...The beatles!!!!!

Lancé una moneda al aire, para decidir, pero esta jamás cayó


Can't decide

I don't think people appreciate just how influential was Zeppelin,even compared to the Beatles.As far as musicianship goes,there's no pint in arguing who's best,since both have proven several times to be made of genious musicians(alright maybe not Ringo).The Beatles reinvented rock n'roll,but Led Zep basically set the standard for early 70's music with their first albums,and where the grandfathers of heavy metal.

Gianthogweed wrote: The Beatles were an unstoppable force for the 7 years they recorded their 16 albums worth of music.  They broke up at the top of their game.  And had it not been for the squabbles that eventually led to their break up they would have still been making great music well into the 80s.   Led Zeppelin started out very strong making great blues inspired heavy rock albums but very quickly ran out of steam in the mid seventies.  They couldn't survive the death of their drummer and broke up after 10 albums worth of music in 12 years.   The Beatles wins this so handily.

Bullsh*t.

I'll take your points one at a time ;
- The Beatles "16 albums worth of music" contained a fair percentage of, let's face it, mediocre songs, both original and covered.  I don't begrudge them this, they loved to play and were probably the most prolific rock ensemble ever, but quantity is not quality.

- They broke up for numerous reasons, and may very well have split eventually due to the fact they just didn't want to be the Beatles anymore.  Besides you can hear what they would've been doing by listening to the best of the solo work.  Would they have still been the cutting-edge band of the world?  Maybe but I doubt it.  It was Prog and Hard-rock's turn, and soon Punk's, and all three trumped the Beatles for newness, innovation and risk-taking.  Not to say the boys wouldn't have put out some great records - I'm sure they would have - but artists as Zeppelin, Genesis, Bowie, Zappa, Sabbath, Tull, the Stooges, these were the new leaders of what rock was capable of.  The Beatles had mostly run their course as trailblazers.

- Your opinion of Zeppelin's mid-70s output is fair and probably shared by some fans (though I hesitate to call anyone who doesn't like their mid-70s stuff a fan) but you don't specify what, i.e. 1975's Physical Graffiti is mostly a hard blues album, was one of their most successful records, and is arguably their finest studio release.  That they broke up after Bonham's death just shows their integrity and understanding that without him they would not be the same band.  This is a testament to the band's honesty, intelligence and sensitivity.  Further, this deep bond and friendship was real and endured, unlike the bitterness sometimes shown between former Beatles.

Abstrakt wrote: While Beatles may have been more important for the music scene, Led Zeppelin is much better...

Led Zeppelin > The Beatles, but i love both.

I voted Beatles, but Led Zeppelin is a close second for me.  The Beatles were my first "favorite" band, in the late '60's.  It was my dad, a classically trained bebop jazz musician, who brought home Abbey Road from one of his students.  He excitedly put it on the record player and had our whole family listen to it.  I still have a clear memory of that day.  I don't know what it was that drew us in, but there was a "magic" in the music that got us all excited.  Before that, my parents hated rock music.  After that, my dad started buying more Beatles albums, Santana, Rare Earth, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Bob Dylan.  One thing that impressed me was that each song on Abbey Road had a completely different sound and feel to it.  It was like an adventure.  My mom, who loved classical music, fell in love with "Because," and my dad raved about "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."

The Beatles were an unstoppable force for the 7 years they recorded their 16 albums worth of music.  They broke up at the top of their game.  And had it not been for the squabbles that eventually led to their break up they would have still been making great music well into the 80s.

Edited by Gianthogweed - June 29 2009 at 03:55