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Pete Townshend’s opinion on Led Zeppelin
Besides being one of the most influential songwriters and guitarists of all time, Pete Townshend is also known for his sincerity. He never hesitated to give his honest opinion about other artists and bands.
In the music business since the early 1960s, Townshend was part of the Rock and Roll revolution and had the chance to see many incredible groups perform and release their classic albums. Over the decades, he has spoken about many of his peers, giving his opinion on them, including Led Zeppelin.
What is Pete Townshend’s opinion on Led Zeppelin
Although he admires the members of Led Zeppelin as persons, Pete Townshend is not a fan of what the band did, he once said he didn’t like a single thing they’ve done. “I haven’t liked a single thing that they’ve done. I hate the fact that we’re ever even slightly compared to them, I just never, ever liked them. It’s a real problem for me because as people I think they’re all really, really great guys. Just never liked the band, you know. I don’t know if I just got a problem block to them. They became so much bigger than The Who in so many ways in their chosen field. But I never liked (them),” he said in an interview for History of Rock N’ Roll in 1995 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).
Pete already said in recent years that he believes The Who sort of invented Heavy Metal and were copied by many bands, including Led Zeppelin. “We sort of invented Heavy Metal with (our first live album) Live at Leeds (1970). We were copied by so many bands, principally by Led Zeppelin, you know heavy drums, heavy bass, heavy lead guitar. Some of those bands, like Jimi Hendrix for example, did it far better than we did.”
Pete Townshend continued:
“Cream, with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, they came along in ‘67. Same year as Jimi Hendrix and they kind of stole our mantle in a sense. So people who want to hear that old heavy metal sound there are plenty of bands that can provide it. So it’s not really what we can actually do today. Even if we wanted to, it was never high on my list of wishes,” Pete told Toronto Sun in 2019.
Although Pete mentioned “Live at Leeds” as an album that helped invent Heavy Metal, Black Sabbath, widely considered the band that created the genre, had released their debut album months earlier. Led Zeppelin had also already put out their first albums by the time that Who record was released.
Pete Townshend said Robert Plant copied Roger Daltrey
Pete also thinks that Robert Plant copied Roger Daltrey’s look and stage behavior but eventually found his own style. “I think by that time (the early 70s), we became aware that Led Zeppelin was snapping at our heels. Eventually of course in heavy Rock terms (they) overtook The Who. But I think Robert Plant was a shrieker.”
“He copied the way that Roger (Daltrey) looked on stage, you know. (Plant) had his own thing but you know, Robert Plant was somewhere between Roger Daltrey and Steve Marriott from the (Small) Faces. He found his own feet in the end but I think Roger was aware that he had to really sharpen up and he did.”
He continued:
“(Plant) started to really regard his voice as an instrument and to really take care of himself. He didn’t use drugs, he didn’t drink a lot. He had his issues, his eccentricities but he really looked after himself. The rest of the band would be living hard without question,” he told Jackie Brambles in 2023.
Curiously, Pete said in the 1990s that in the band’s early days, when Roger Daltrey briefly left the group, Robert Plant went to see them play three nights in a row. Townshend and Entwistle handled the vocals during those shows, and the future Led Zeppelin singer even offered to become their frontman. Not long after that conversation, however, Roger returned to the band. As a result, the histories of The Who and Led Zeppelin could have been very different had Plant joined them.
Although that never happened, Pete told Los Angeles Times in 2022 that he always felt something very good could come out of a supergroup formed by The Who and Led Zeppelin. “I’ve always felt there was a real potential for something explosive and nuts with the Who and Led Zeppelin. The principals in Led Zeppelin are much more musicians than they’re perceived to be by the heavy-metal fans who just think it’s about heavy (things),” he said.
Keith Moon and Entwistle gave Led Zeppelin their name
One of the biggest legends in Rock music is that Keith Moon and John Entwistle gave Led Zeppelin their name. As Jimmy Page told Brad Tolinski in an interview featured in the book “Light & Shade: Conversations With Jimmy Page”, Moon indirectly named the band. That happened during the recording of Jeff Beck‘s “Beck Bolero”, which was actually written by Page. Besides the two legendary guitarists, were also part of the track Keith Moon on drums, John Paul Jones on bass (Who replaced Entwistle since he didn’t show up) and Nicky Hopkins on piano.
“I played rhythm guitar on a Fender electric 12-string. I have to admit, it was pretty memorable. Moon smashed a two-hundred-and-fifty-dollar microphone while we were recording by just accidentally hitting it with his stick. Halfway through ‘Bolero’ you can hear him scream, then hit the mike. From there all you hear are the cymbals. The song just continues. It was sort of funny,” Jimmy Page said. A few years later, The Who performed for the first time with Led Zeppelin in Columbia, Maryland, USA in 1969.
