What if John Paul Jones Had Left Led Zeppelin in 1973/74

Yup. He wrote the riff to Black Dog. And that’s one slammin’ riff.

 

You're the one that started the thread...

 

I never said he didn't like to rock. - But just look at where all the rock "lite" arrangements come from...

 

If JPJ quit for good during Physical Graffiti, I think they'd have finished that record without him and released it, but then disbanded--culminating their career with the Double Album Monster that is PG!

It doesn't seem like Page and Plant considered JPJ replaceable or liked the idea that LZ could be a revolving door of musicians. They seemed like a tight unit and Led Zeppelin was their collective project as a foursome.

Plant would have just started his solo career in 1976 and done really well at that stage I think. Maybe Page would have started producing other artists in the late 70s or there could have been some kind of acoustic Page/Plant album in the late 70s as a further collaboration. Not sure what Bonzo would have done, occasional session work for a few years probably before hooking up with another major star like McCartney or Bowie or solo Gilmour...But ending LZ in '75 and all the touring might have saved his life, you never know.

 

Adding nothing significant to the conversation other than "I hate this thread" is worse than trolling. It's obnoxious. If you don't like the topic, sit it out. No one's forcing you to contribute.

 

Right. Ever hear songs called Tangerine, That's the Way, Battle of Evermore, Going to California, The Rain Song, Bron Y Aur, Black Country Woman? Guess who was the primary songwriter of those tunes, expert? Here's a hint - it wasn't JPJ.

 

Yup - and a whole bunch of others. Just ignore the troll.

Love,
Billy

 

Aw, c'mon. Let's. Zawinul was a proud man who didn't take any $#!+ and didn't like the Rock music of that era. So let's lock 'em all in a hotel room and see what happens.

 

Hey, I love Zeppelin, and have something to say. You may not agree with it, but don't try to peg me as a "troll" just because my view is different than yours. Notice how many "likes" I have?
My first concert (when I was 15) was Zeppelin in '73. Yeah, I've been around... But seems I'm not welcome in this thread. - Goodbye.

 

JPJ leaving would have been a huge blow to the band, precisely because he _was_ the secret weapon. I think they would have tried to find a replacement, but depending exactly when this would have gone down would have determined how successful that search would have been.

If it happened in the first half of 74, I think they could have gotten John Deacon, and made it work. Would the band have been different? Absolutely! But, he would have brought quite a few similar qualities that would have been lost with JPJ's departure.

 

Yes, listened to all of it. Speak for yourself.

Love,
Billy

 

Jack Bruce was an accomplished keyboardist and could have handled the parts himself.

 

Is that right? I knew he played a bit of piano, but wasn't sure at what level. Only problem is it sounds like there's love lost between Jack and the guys in Zep.
Jack was pretty vocal about his disdain for LZ - not sure when all that started.
Still, no question he had the bass chops for the gig.

If people think the Duke/Johnson duo is too fusion-y for LZ, how about bringing on board Jerry Scheff and Billy Preston?

Love,
Billy

 

I'm not so sure about that; John Deacon is no slouch and certainly had a musical feel and good sense of keeping time (as well as great knack for writing catchy melodies) but he wasn't anywhere near as harmonically innovative as Jones, which would have made those improvised Zeppelin jams less exciting. Plus, Deacy's preference for a 'slinky' tone would have been a poor fit for bass-forward Zep pieces like "Dazed and Confused". Didn't he tend to just sit out stuff like "Get Down Make Love" when it got to the freeform parts onstage...?

Also, in 1974, Deacon was just at the beginner-stage on keyboards, I believe his "You're My Best Friend" is a very simple but effective part that might nevertheless have been laughed out of a Zeppelin rehearsal

 

Agree with all the above - and especially giving Deacon his due. It's not that some bass players aren't any good or not - it's whether or not they would be a good fit within Led Zeppelin. And specifically, at the time of this situation - 1973/74. Some folks have proposed John Entwistle or Chris Squire - my response would be, why would either one of those guys want to leave their band? The Who were on top of the world in that time period with Quadrophenia and Who's Next. Yes had just put out Fragile and Close to the Edge - also at the top of their game.

John Deacon, same thing. Great bass player and certainly capable in some regards, but not nearly the complete package JPJ was, and Queen was just starting out. A) why would he leave Queen and B) would he have established enough of a reputation to even be considered?

Love,
Billy

 

Maybe Squire would have quit in solidarity with Bruford!

John D. I believe has said he wasn't sure Queen was the right band for him until recording the Sheer Heart Attack album, so if (and it's a big If) the Zeppelin camp were aware of him he might have accepted an offer before that. But again, I don't see how they could have considered him a fitting replacement for JPJ

 

If John Paul Jones had left in '74 I believe Zeppelin would have tried to soldier on with Physical Graffiti and touring for that album. But I bet that the results of doing so would have been less than stellar, and then Zeppelin would have either called it a day or would have taken a long (one year or more) break. If the latter then it is completely conceivable that JPJ would then have returned to the fold resulting in the (now rested and refreshed) Zeppelin juggernaut resuming course.

 

Ron Wood. He was going to become available in 1975, and he's not inexperienced on bass, and he can get along with anybody.

 

One of my favorite bassists, but he was the most replaceable member of the band. As long as the other three were there, Led Zeppelin still would've sold concert tickets and been a huge band. (How different their last three albums would've been is another matter entirely, but Graffiti was really the last great Zeppelin album regardless)

 

Led Zeppelin should have disbanded in ‘73, imho.

 

Don’t let him bother you.

 

how so?

 

If JPJ had quit, they would have replaced him.

Frankly, I think that if Bonzo had quit, as opposed to dying, they might have replaced him. Replacing a guy who quit is a much different proposition than replacing a guy who died. That casts a pall over the whole thing.

Can't say who would have been tapped to replace JPJ. There's those who are obviously worthy, like Jack Bruce or Greg Lake, who would have never fit in. Then there's guys like John Wetton or Paul Newton, who had the chops but perhaps not the profile. Eh, Wetton might have made a good fit. He'd been in KC after all.

 

A somewhat related topic :
Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones ... and Jobriath

 

They could have swiped Boz Burrell from Bad Company, but they’d still need to find a keyboard player. I’d say they were done. JPJ was essential in writing and arranging.