How could anybody actually hate Led Zeppelin? They came out with such epochal songs, especially "Stairway to Heaven." The band included terrific artists of the highest caliber, like Robert Plant, John Bonham, and Jimmy Page. Nobody could beat them at what they did, which has been described by Grunge as "electric blues meets heavy metal." Still. some very famous and respected musicians claim to despise Led Zeppelin. Do they have valid reasons for feeling that way or are they jealous maybe? Let's take a closer look at the people who are not professing love for Led Zeppelin.
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The outlet declared Led Zeppelin "almost unparalleled in the canon of rock legends." I happen to agree. Take that, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Pete Townshend!
Bob Dylan
The release of the biopic A Complete Unknown has put a bright new spotlight on Bob Dylan and his music. He is, without a doubt, a unique and amazing virtuoso. The fact that he earned a 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature speaks to the extraordinary quality and cultural heft of Dylan's work.
Per the outlet, Led Zepelin's manager, Peter Grant, had an unpleasant run-in with Dylan at an event, according to Ian McLagan, a member of Dylan's band in his book, All the Rage via Vulture. Dylan and Grant's conversation allegedly went like this.
"'Hello, Bob. I'm Peter Grant, I manage Led Zeppelin.'" Dylan's retort: "'I don't come to you with my problems.'" Not too friendly, but that does not necessarily mean that Bob Dylan didn't like the band. Or maybe he didn't, who knows?
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is truly one of the epic guitarists of his era or any other era. But it seems like he would not win a popularity contest. According to the outlet, "Despite his many collaborations, Eric Clapton is loathed by other musicians, and he doesn't like a lot of them back, including a group co-created by one of his own ex-bandmates: Jimmy Page was a member of the Yardbirds before he joined Led Zeppelin."
Clapton reportedly said this about the band's music, according to Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Biography by Ritchie Yorke via Ultimate Classic Rock. "I really did like some of it. But a lot of it was just too much. They overemphasized whatever point they were making, I thought."
Keith Richards
Richards, a longtime, legendary mainstay of the Rolling Stones, was evidently not enthusiastic about either Robert Plant or Jimmy Page. He reportedly said to Rolling Stone 56 years ago about Plant, "I played their album quite a few times when I first got it, but then the guy's voice started to get on my nerves," And what of Page? "Jimmy is a brilliant player. But I always felt there was something a little hollow about it, you know?" Ahem!
Pete Townshend
Townshend did not hide his distaste for Led Zeppelin. He reportedly said in 1995, ""I just never, ever liked them. It's a real problem to me, 'cause as people, I think they're all really, really great guys. Just never liked the band. They became so much bigger than The Who in so many ways, in their chosen field — I've never liked them."
