Led Zeppelin has a legacy that has spanned decades. However, not everyone was a fan of the band’s music, and some musicians openly expressed their dislike for Led Zeppelin.
While Led Zeppelin was loved by millions of fans and influenced countless musicians, there were some who just didn’t like their music. However, it’s worth noting that the band’s legacy has endured and their music is still loved and celebrated by many today. Here are some of the most notable musicians who hated Led Zeppelin.
Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce, the bassist for Cream, was one of the first musicians to publicly criticize Led Zeppelin. During an award show in 2008, Bruce lashed out at the band, saying, “F*** off, Zeppelin, you’re crap. You’ve always been crap, and you’ll never be anything else.” He went on to say that Cream was “10 times the band that Led Zeppelin is.”
— Jack Bruce (@jackbrucemusic) August 6, 2020
Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend, the guitarist for The Who, also had a problem with Led Zeppelin. He accused the band of copying The Who’s sound and said that he never liked any of their music. Townshend’s dislike of Led Zeppelin was likely fueled by his protective nature towards The Who’s music and their place in rock history.
“I haven’t liked a single thing that they’ve done,” Townshend said. “I hate the fact that I’m ever even slightly compared to them. I just never, ever liked them. It’s a real problem for me because, as people, they’re all really, really great guys. I just never liked the band.”
Keith Richards
Keith Richards, the guitarist for The Rolling Stones, appreciated Jimmy Page’s playing but didn’t like Led Zeppelin as a whole. He thought that John Bonham’s drumming was too heavy-handed and that the music sounded like a bunch of thudding away. However, Richards’ bandmate Mick Jagger was a fan of Led Zeppelin and saw them play live in the 1970s and at their 2007 reunion gig.
On this day in 2020, Scarlet by @RollingStones, featuring me, is released.https://t.co/5XhT53U8vj
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I was invited to Ronnie Woods’ house in Richmond to do a session in October 1974. It was said that Keith Richards and Ian Stuart (Stu) would be there. pic.twitter.com/jdNJEpZQO9— Jimmy Page (@JimmyPage) July 22, 2020
Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker, the drummer for Cream, also had a problem with Led Zeppelin. He particularly disliked John Bonham’s drumming and said that he “couldn’t swing a sack of s***.” However, many drummers, including Lars Ulrich of Metallica, consider Bonham to be one of the best drummers of all time.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton, the guitarist for Cream and a former bandmate of Jimmy Page’s in The Yardbirds, also had a problem with Led Zeppelin. He thought that the band had taken Cream’s legacy in blues and jazz and “took it somewhere else that I didn’t really have a great deal of admiration for.”