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The Underrated John Paul Jones
- Thread starter Pumpkin
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- jones paul underrated
There simply was no weak link in that band. All Gods, yet still mortals in the way of flesh and blood.
Seriously though, the man kicked rump and was the glue that held the band together. He led from behind, so to speak. He cued the band on changes, always had the steering wheel and like a good Shepard, collected the flock when they wandered a bit to far, leading them back to the song.
The complex rhythms and underlying tones of songs such as Kashmir was unmistakeably JPJ driving the bus. JPJ and his musical genius allowed Page and Plant to explore with a solid safety net under them, allowing risks to be taken and history to be made.
Seriously though, the man kicked rump and was the glue that held the band together. He led from behind, so to speak. He cued the band on changes, always had the steering wheel and like a good Shepard, collected the flock when they wandered a bit to far, leading them back to the song.
The complex rhythms and underlying tones of songs such as Kashmir was unmistakeably JPJ driving the bus. JPJ and his musical genius allowed Page and Plant to explore with a solid safety net under them, allowing risks to be taken and history to be made.
Underrated? Definitely not the bass playing aspect of JPJ---but yes, his keyboard skills get little mention. The intro to 'In The Light' and the mellotron parts to 'Rain Song' are some of my favorites.
Many also forget that the mandolin parts on 'Going To California', 'That's The Way', and 'Hey Hey What Can I Do' are all Jones (Page played mandolin on 'Battle Of Evermore'.
Zeppelin would have been a very different band if the bass chair had been given to someone else---like maybe John Entwistle. (Now there's something to think about....)
Many also forget that the mandolin parts on 'Going To California', 'That's The Way', and 'Hey Hey What Can I Do' are all Jones (Page played mandolin on 'Battle Of Evermore'.
Zeppelin would have been a very different band if the bass chair had been given to someone else---like maybe John Entwistle. (Now there's something to think about....)
What I loved about that generation of bands were that each player contributed greatly to the whole. The styles of the individuals seem much more diverse than they do today. Bands were like a living organisms, not one was alike.
Agree. I always thought that JPJ and Bonham were literally 10 years ahead of everyone else. There was such focus in the power of their approach. There were other rhythm sections in other bands of that time period that played with power but the special thing was how they controlled it and really worked out their parts together.