And whereas it is the ’80s that’s normally pinpointed to as the height “Led Clones” interval (i.e., artists that modeled their sound after Led Zeppelin), in the event you actually assume lengthy and onerous about it, it was means again within the early-mid ’70s that others started pulling inspiration from the primary few Zeppelin albums, and continued to take action for the rest of the last decade.
In my 2024 guide, Led Clones: The Led Zeppelin Imitator Craze of the ’80s…and Past, this topic is completely explored and analyzed, and covers all Zep disciples all through every decade beginning within the ’70s as much as fashionable instances. And beneath are excerpts that target the actual decade that gave us Star Wars, pet rocks, bell backside denims, afros, and punk rock – along with a number of bands motivated by Plant, Web page, Jones, and Bonham.
Rush
With Led Zeppelin unquestionably one of the well-liked and profitable rock bands by the early ’70s, the primary bands cropped up that had a sound that was decidedly Zep-heavy. And positively on the high of the checklist must be Rush. Though they’d ultimately discover their very own distinctive sound (peaking with top-of-the-line one-two punches ever in onerous rock, 1980’s Everlasting Waves and 1981’s Transferring Photos), there isn’t any denying that the Canadian trio’s self-titled debut from 1974 is just about only one big Zep-ism. Working example, the Robert Plant-esque vocal wailing courtesy of Geddy Lee on such tunes as “Discovering My Method” and Alex Lifeson‘s Jimmy Web page-like riffing on “Working Man.”
And in contrast to some artists who fib and faux as if it is only one huge “completely happy accident” that they sounded related (a simple strategy to wiggle out of a decent spot in an interview has at all times been, “We share the identical influences…so, in fact we sound related”), the Rush lads have been at all times sincere about being influenced by Zeppelin. And Lee even made positive to confess as a lot in his excellent 2023 autobiography, My Effin’ Life.
Nevertheless, once I had the chance to ask Lifeson about Rush’s Zep-like monitor “Working Man” for my 2023 eBook, The 100 Best Songs of Heavy Metallic (oops, guess I simply gave away one of many checklist’s fortunate choices!), he defined that it was not Zeppelin that impressed the monitor, however fairly, one other legendary British band. “‘Working Man’ was written within the early Nineteen Seventies once we have been 17 years outdated. Influenced by our love for Cream, it grew to become one among our longer jam songs and a chance to stretch out and exhaust our teenage fingers. Working children, certainly!”
Coronary heart
And whereas a lot of the artists influenced by Zeppelin previous and current turned out to be male, there was a minimum of one exception. In fact, the artist in query is Coronary heart. Whereas they’re extensively thought of to hail from from Seattle, the band spent a formative early stint in Vancouver, British Columbia, particularly across the time of their debut album. The group was led by sisters Ann Wilson on vocals and Nancy Wilson on guitar, and like Montrose, issued a basic debut right away, with 1975’s Dreamboat Annie – which spawned such hits as “Magic Man” and “Loopy on You.”
And in contrast to the aforementioned Montrose, Coronary heart’s music total was not an apparent tip o’ the cap to Zeppelin…till you got here throughout a particular monitor. And that monitor was “Barracuda,” off their third providing, 1977’s Little Queen, which contained greater than a passing resemblance riff and groove-wise (in addition to sonically) to Zeppelin’s “Achilles Final Stand.”
Triumph
And but one other Canadian band that additionally acquired “Zepped” was Triumph. And their singer/guitarist, Rik Emmett, has clear reminiscences of Zeppelin’s early affect on him as a musician. “I can bear in mind sitting in the lounge with the Zeppelin albums – transferring the needle, transferring the needle – making an attempt to determine, ‘How do you play that intro to ‘Black Canine’?’ Which now, all people is aware of what it’s. However again in these days, no one knew – ‘How do you depend that factor? That is simply bizarre.’ Everyone performed it improper. To mannequin ourselves after Zeppelin was the factor that allowed us to get our foot contained in the door and have knowledgeable profession.”
Consequently, there are particular early Triumph tunes which have an unmistakable “Led taste” to them. “If you happen to take heed to the first Triumph album [1976’s self-titled], there have been ‘riff rock’ songs. Songs like ‘Be My Lover,’ there’s an amalgam of influences that present up. However the riffs could be ‘Be My Lover,’ ‘Simple Life’ – that is Zeppelin. And the proof within the pudding was in these days, we have been nonetheless a bar band, and we nonetheless performed two units of Led Zeppelin each night time.”
Moxy
Now, at this level, how about we talk about one of many extra obscure Zep replicators of the ’70s – one other Canadian band, that glided by the title of Moxy. By no means heard of them? Do not feel unhealthy, neither did I – till I heard a few their tunes nestled throughout the 1989 Tommy Bolin field set, The Final (as Bolin was employed as a session guitarist to lend his six-string abilities to a number of tunes on their 1975 self-titled debut). And upon giving the complete album a pay attention, tunes corresponding to “Cannot You See I am a Star,” “Nonetheless I Surprise,” and “Out of the Darkness – Into the Fireplace” comprise simple Zep parts. However one tune particularly, “Prepare,” is the group’s most blatant swipe.
Chatting with Moxy guitarist Earl Johnson for the 2008 guide, Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story, he defined how the late/nice guitarist (finest identified for brief stints in the James Gang and Deep Purple, plus taking part in on the jazz-fusion basic Spectrum by Billy Cobham) acquired concerned with the band within the studio. “I cherished his taking part in, however by no means met him personally, and need I had. I wrote about 95% of Moxy’s first album because the guitar participant. I acquired right into a combat with the producer in regards to the guitar solos I used to be taking part in on the time – extra like Web page and Beck – and Tommy was introduced in a single night time once I was thrown out of the studio by the producer.”
Trying again years later, Johnson figures all of it labored out for the most effective. “It really made me a greater participant, as I felt challenged, and knew I had to enhance my taking part in. Tommy had a fantastic really feel and magnificence, and I admired him for that. Moxy went on to file two extra albums, and by the third album, I used to be ripping and utterly assured – a lot of that was by-product from the primary album. I used to be fortunate in that our two greatest songs from the primary album have been songs that I performed all of the guitar tracks on – ‘Sail On Sail Away’ and ‘Cannot You See I am A Star’.”
So…Why So Many Canadian Zep Disciples within the ’70s?
Trying again upon Canadian rock bands of the ’70s, it looks like the bulk have been equally influenced by Zep rock and likewise, prog rock. And Triumph’s Rik Emmett defined why/how this occurred. “I feel the prog factor got here only a tiny bit later. However in the event you look again on Zeppelin, their first album got here out in North America in ’69,
their second album got here out in ’69, their third album got here out in ’70, their fourth album got here out in ’71. So, in two years you bought 4 albums. That is like a blizzard of stuff.”
“And on the identical time, you had all these different acts that have been doing stuff like, the Jeff Beck Fact album was ’68 – that was a really influential album right here. Pink Floyd albums have been occurring on the identical time. Proper round then I used to be discovering Sure, Genesis, and Pink Floyd. Canadian radio – that was quite a lot of the stuff they performed. So, there was an enormous marketplace for that stuff in Canada. However the factor in fact was…it was a little bit more durable to play. [Laughs] You wanted extra gear, you wanted extra musicians. It was a protracted haul between gigs in Canada, in order that’s why it was extra like, ‘Maintain the band small. Make or not it’s a trio – you possibly can all match within the van with the gear’.”
“I feel it is truthful to say that the entire thought of ‘riff rocking’ was type of the factor that Zeppelin found out. I appreciated Deep Purple lots, however you needed to lug round a Hammond B3. If you happen to have been making an attempt to get in on the grass roots and also you have been an influence trio, it was only a query of getting amps on the backline – and you did not have to have a fourth man to pay. So, Zeppelin, Hendrix, and Cream – that was the triumvirate of heavy bands that everyone stated, ‘We are able to do that. The least quantity of mouths to feed, and probably the most quantity of noise you may make’.”
Led Clones: The Led Zeppelin Imitator Craze of the ’80s…and Past is on the market as paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audio variations. Click on right here to order.
