# Deep purple as good as Led Zepplin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2020, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531 "2020-02-05T08:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bionic\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/49beb7/32.png) [@bionic\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bionic_man)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/1 "2020-02-05T08:57:03Z")
Would you rank the band that had the hit song smoke in the water compared to the band that brought us stairway to heaven? ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/2 "2020-02-05T09:44:17Z")
No contest. Not on tour, not in the studio, not even in the commission of excesses. Led Zeppelin is better in every way, unless Deep Purple is better for you. Seriously, Zeppelin were much better musicians. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2020, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/3 "2020-02-05T09:45:08Z")
Deep Purple is not as good, though I love some of their songs. Jon Lord was awesome, Ian Gillan was likewise, and Ritchie Blackmore did a good job, coming up with some iconic riffs. As a whole, though, I think Zeppelin’s body of work is more varied and of an overall higher quality. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/4 "2020-02-06T04:45:15Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > That’s nice, do we all have to follow your rules? Do you mind if we laugh at you? Laugh away until you realize that they stole probably millions from poor blues artists in lost royalties. I wouldnt want to follow your rules. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/5 "2020-02-06T04:55:19Z")
I never paid much attention to DP. They did a song about Frank Zappa’s band gear catching fire, init? Some years back, a UK music site polled their audience on which individuals their fantasy rock supergroup would contain. Who would be the best singer, lead and bass guitarists, and drummer, from anywhere and anywhen? The vote results: Best singer: Robert Plant Best guitarist: Jimmy Page Best bassist: John Paul Jones Best drummer: John Bonham Sound familiar? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/6 "2020-02-06T11:35:49Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Then you missed an amazing guitar player. Heh. It’s early and you had me totally confused for a minute. I thought you knew who my friend was, and couldn’t figure out how you figured it out. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/7 "2020-02-06T11:52:08Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I would give Zep the edge, but let’s not kid ourselves. Deep Purple was fucking GREAT. This is about where I am. Jon Lord is incomparable. Bonzo is incomparable. Jimmy Page had a vision for Led Zeppelin while still in the Yardbirds. And seconding everything Loach says about Steve Morse. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/8 "2020-02-08T18:43:26Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > In a perfect world we’d have Zeppelin without Robert Plant interrupting the music, and Deep Purple would be The Kinks. Still trying to get my head around that one. /atmb/ uuuuuuhhhhhh why am I able to quote _only_ posts 1 - 13, yet, from post 14 onwards, I can’t? What in the bleep is _that_ kind of a glitch all about? Huh. /atmb/ And so: **Madsircool** (post 20): “Led Zep blatantly plagiarized some of their most famous songs. That disqualifies them from any conversation of the alltime best rock groups.” So other than the _Stairway_/Randy California thing, there were other numbers? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/9 "2020-02-08T19:44:58Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > **Madsircool** (post 20): “Led Zep blatantly plagiarized some of their most famous songs. That disqualifies them from any conversation of the alltime best rock groups.” > > So other than the _Stairway_/Randy California thing, there were other numbers? [Led Zeppelin’s 10 Boldest Rip-Offs](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/led-zeppelins-10-boldest-rip-offs-223419/) (_Rolling Stone_ magazine 6/22/2016) I still dig Zeppelin all the same. But the beefs against them are legit. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/10 "2020-02-08T19:47:21Z")
Zeppelin. It is not even close really. I like Deep Purple but if stranded on a desert island with only one or the other music catalog it is no contest. Zeppelin all the way. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/11 "2020-02-08T22:16:41Z")
Since the number of really good songs is far more important to me than guitar licks or similar measures of musicianship, I’d have to rate Led Zep considerably ahead of Deep Purple, though I like both. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/12 "2020-02-08T22:56:41Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > [Led Zeppelin’s 10 Boldest Rip-Offs](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/led-zeppelins-10-boldest-rip-offs-223419/) (_Rolling Stone_ magazine 6/22/2016) > > I still dig Zeppelin all the same. But the beefs against them are legit. Interesting, thanks. Indeed legit. (except for maybe the “Shake em On Down” / “Hats off to (Roy) Harper” comparison, which struck me as a stretch) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/13 "2020-02-08T23:07:42Z")
Warning. Heresy coming. Blackmore’s solo on Child in Time is better than anything Page did. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/14 "2020-02-08T23:28:29Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Zeppelin. It is not even close really. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Since the number of really good songs is far more important to me than guitar licks or similar measures of musicianship, I’d have to rate Led Zep considerably ahead of Deep Purple, This, basically. I’m not a Zeppelin fanatic by any means - I liked( but didn’t love )them as a teen, but don’t seek them out much anymore. If some tune that isn’t fucking _Stairway to Heaven_\* comes on an oldies station or something I will still listen and appreciate it. They were a great band in their heyday, blatant royalty theft and personal peccadilloes aside. And great songs really do beat great licks for me, which is why I’ve never been a huge Rush fan despite respecting them enormously - Peart’s lyrics mostly didn’t do much for me. I see an awful lot of love for Deep Purple, so I suppose I can be the heretic there as well without feeling like I’m piling on. Never much cared for them :). They’re okay. I guess. - Can’t change the station away from StH fast enough. One of the unholy trinity of insanely overplayed rock songs from my youth, right there with _Freebird_ and _Hotel California_. I liked all three once upon a time. Never again. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deep-purple-as-good-as-led-zepplin/847531/15 "2020-02-09T02:02:01Z")
A couple of my favorite Deep Purple moments: On the 1985 Mk II reunion tour, they had laser light effects. During the [“Difficult To Cure” jam](https://youtu.be/avBBDRQPyD8?t=127) they went off into Ode To Joy, with an animated Beethoven “conducting” above the stage. And then, there’s the finale of their California Jam set, with a really angry\* Blackmore [torturing several guitars and setting fire to his amps](https://youtu.be/vcAjMB3hsq8). \*Ritchie had only agreed to play the festival on the condition that they go on after dark…it was part of their contract. When the organizers tried to get them up on stage 2 hours before sunset, Blackmore would have none of it. He refused to take the stage and finally came out, angry as hell…and it showed.