In June 1969, Should Led Zeppelin Have Asked Brian Jones to Join The Group?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by S. P. Honeybunch, Nov 20, 2022.

  1. fretter

    fretter Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    His addition, had he been in a state for it, would’ve taken Zep back to the Yardbirds sound. Maybe he could’ve learned to play fast riff heavy guitar and soaring leads, but that would’ve taken practice and focus.
     
  2. Manalishi

    Manalishi With the 2-pronged crown

    Location:
    New Hampshire
    If Brian joined would there have been good times and bad times?
     
  3. The Trinity

    The Trinity Do what thou wilt, so mote be it.

    Location:
    Canada
    Honestly, this is one very silly thread.

    The OP sets out his premise in the first post, and then largely fails to adhere to that premise in his defence of it. We are not talking about the Brian Jones of 1965 here; the thread proposed hiring Brian Jones for Led Zeppelin in 1969, when he was in a personal and professional decline.

    So, where is the discussion about the advantages of hiring a drug addled, alcohol addled, drug convict, who would have difficulty travelling internationally with Led Zeppelin on tour, and who caused dysfunction in his previous band to the extent that they fired him? Where’s that discussion in all of this?

    And, despite all of the above, one argument advanced in favour of hiring the 1969 trouble ridden Jones is:
    So, let’s look at Led Zeppelin III as an example. On that album, and off the top of my head, the band played:

    Electric guitar
    Acoustic guitar
    Mandolin
    Dulcimer
    Banjo
    Electric bass
    Acoustic bass
    Drum kit
    Castanets
    Bongos
    Lap Steel guitar
    Pedal Steel guitar

    So, what colour is it that Brian Jones was allegedly going to add that the band weren’t already more than capable of adding themselves?

    And if the answer is that Jones could have added depth to their live performances, it was always the prerogative of Led Zeppelin to bring in extra musicians while on tour, without having to formally hire Brian Jones, but they chose not to. Bands like Black Sabbath have had extra musicians behind the curtain, adding depth to their sound, for years. In fact, most touring bands add additional players and vocalists to their tour outfits, so hiring Brian Jones for this purpose, assuming he could actually travel the world given his legal issues, was not required at all.

    From reading this thread, it is clear that the original premise is not being considered in many of the responses that followed. I don’t see how anyone could reasonably argue that Brian Jones, in his 1969 state, would have been a good addition to Led Zeppelin. Doing so is simply ignoring the facts.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2022
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  4. Manalishi

    Manalishi With the 2-pronged crown

    Location:
    New Hampshire

    What LZIII track had a glockenspiel?
     
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  5. The Trinity

    The Trinity Do what thou wilt, so mote be it.

    Location:
    Canada
    I deleted that. My mistake. I meant castanets?!
     
  6. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney Thread Starter

    Putting a showman like Brian Jones behind a curtain is like putting Mick Jagger behind a curtain. It doesn't add up. You put Brian Jones out front because he is an engaging performer, who would complement other showmen like Jimmy Page and John Bonham.
     
  7. The Trinity

    The Trinity Do what thou wilt, so mote be it.

    Location:
    Canada
    You really just don’t get it.
     
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  8. keifspoon

    keifspoon Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    Right before Jones passing, there were talks about him collaborating with Vincent Crane and Carl Palmer on a new group which eventually turned into Atomic Rooster. I personally don't think that would of been a good fit either.
     
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  9. Harp Of Glass

    Harp Of Glass Forum Resident

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    U.S.A.
  10. Uuan

    Uuan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    Yes , just to annoy Richards if nothing else
     
  11. The Elephant Man

    The Elephant Man Forum Resident

  12. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Led Zeppelin already had a resident aesthete in John Paul Jones: Someone who added the flavor. Brian played that role with the Stones, but wasn't necessary for Zeppelin.
     
  13. Benjamin Edge

    Benjamin Edge Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukie, OR, US
    That's one way to look at it, but if his musicianship proved to be fruitful, it would mean Jimmy would no longer be the only guy playing guitar in the band, nor would bassist John Paul Jones be the only Jones in the band.

    ~Ben
     
  14. Kassonica

    Kassonica Forum Resident

    Jones should of joined Black sabbath
     
  15. Nightswimmer

    Nightswimmer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    And suddenly their music became better...
     
  16. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    Peter Grant would have shown Jones the door before he even walked through it.
     
  17. drift

    drift Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peoria, IL
    Out Through The In Door.
     
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  18. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    I'm guessing here that Jones was tired of heavy and loud music at that stage. Even the former Yardbirds were at that point. But if Jones was going to sit in with Zeppelin for some recording, I can see him joining in for the more acoustic numbers on III and IV. Adding percussion, woodwinds, maybe some Mellotron-omics.

    Donovan, Jones, and Marianne Faithful should have formed an ad-hoc group. They'd have enough friends to round out the sessions.
     
    S. P. Honeybunch likes this.
  19. Yes, and it would be equally as silly to suggest Mick Jagger join Zep to add colour to Planty's vocals. Lol.
     
  20. DoubleAside

    DoubleAside Forum Resident

    Location:
    New york
    It would have gone down like a led balloon.
     
  21. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney Thread Starter

    It's easy to overlook or downplay Brian's contributions. The strength of the Brian Jones era, however, is the diversity of timbre, diversity of musical ideas, and diversity of instrumentation.

    The Mick Taylor era has many musical strengths as well. Taylor, however, did not play anything other than guitar and bass. This offered a more limited palette of sound than Brian, with his smorgasbord of instruments. Brian would have done well to have the opportunity to use them with Zeppelin. Likewise, Zeppelin would have done well to give him that opportunity.
     
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  22. Benjamin Edge

    Benjamin Edge Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukie, OR, US
    And then we have, since 1976, the Ronnie Wood period. Like Taylor before him, "Woody" mainly stuck to guitar and bass, but he sometimes played electric sitar (for "Paint It Black") and harmonica. So again, if [Brian] Jones would have kept himself together, who knows what might have really happened if chose to join Led Zep?

    ~Ben
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2022
  23. He chose not to?
     
  24. Jones circa 1969, a “showman”? Have you seen Rock and Roll Circus?! That was a year earlier, and he’d only got worse since then. :laugh:
     
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  25. Benjamin Edge

    Benjamin Edge Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukie, OR, US
    If he chose to join... but he didn't.

    ~Ben
     

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