Few rock bands dominated the 20th century quite like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. The two English outfits made wildly different music, but they both got into the brains and hearts of fans around the world, nonetheless. And according to bassist John Paul Jones, there’s a specific reason he believes is behind why The Beatles took over the world in a way that Led Zeppelin simply couldn’t. And it doesn’t involve the music at all, really.
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John Paul Jones Dishes on Why Led Zeppelin Couldn’t Top the Beatles
In an interview from back in 2003, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones was frank about why Led Zeppelin could never match The Beatles in terms of international stardom. Specifically, he said that even though their fan base was (and still is) huge, they simply weren’t playing music that was similar to other massive acts of the time.
“We were beginning to get quite a big following and the only other band we were comparable to, for them, was something like the Beatles,” said Jones.
He also mentioned that Led Zeppelin was really only interested in writing, recording, and performing music. The Beatles, on the other hand, had become an entire brand with film credits and television appearances.
According to Jones, Led Zeppelin was intentionally not doing any of that; they didn’t want the crazy media attention that bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were getting during their shared heyday.
“We didn’t do any of that,” Jones continued. “The question, ‘Will you be making a film?’ took me by surprise because we were just a band that made music; it wasn’t that type of operation.”
In a way, it worked out for them. The Rolling Stones got in trouble on occasion, namely because of Keith Richard’s mouth. The Beatles got in trouble for saying they were bigger than Jesus. Led Zeppelin rarely got any bad press because they never involved themselves with the press.
For Led Zeppelin, music was the most important thing. Without it, they would be nothing. The band was full of artists who wanted to make art, and that’s definitely what they did. And their reputation benefited from avoiding mass media and press-related fumbles.
Photo by Dick Barnatt/Redferns
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