(More than a moment actually. More like 10.5 minutes but worth every second.)
There’s an old saying that goes, “Better late than never”, and some 45 years on I find I’m finally beginning to appreciate the amazing musicianship of Led Zeppelin. So having come to these guys late I’m undoubtedly less familiar with all their music than many of the board’s resident musicos, but for the benefit of those similarly ignorant I present the following. It is some damn good stuff.
Congrats on discovering zep! I envy you your new voyage of discovery. Hope you take this in the good natured spirit it’s meant, but I couldn’t help thinking of this when I read your post 
Thanks, and no offense taken whatsoever. 
Mostly when I post this kind of stuff I have younger people in mind who may not have any idea what they’re missing, or perhaps long time Led Zep fans who for some reason hadn’t experienced or perhaps had forgotten what I’m posting about.
But I also know a little can go a long way around here when it comes to flogging bands or musicians, and perhaps I’ve overdone it a bit without realizing it. (I think the fact WordMan hasn’t shown up pretty well illustrates that this may be the case. ) So again, no offense taken and thanks for the heads up.
So maybe the 60s weren’t so bad after all? 
Seriously, just kidding. I love Zeppelin.
Oh, to be able to listen to them for the first time again. Listen carefully to the drums. Bonham more than deserves the accolades.
Yeah, to be honest I never got into Zeppelin when they were popular, mostly because it just seemed to be hippie music but also because at that time I had no idea of the talent involved in creating their music. As a 20-year-old I just thought there guys who knew how to write and play music and that it was little more than a skill that almost anybody could pick up with a little practice. Kind of like with drawing. Anybody can do it if they work at it a little. But now that I’m older and have developed an appreciation of the extraordinary talent it took to create that music I find that I’m pretty much blown away by it. And the fact I once didn’t appreciate it has become an embarrassment.
I know, the guy’s amazing! And to think he got that good that early in life is also amazing. But it seems the truly great ones, the ones whose music stands the test of time and is admired for decades, do become great early on. For example, the Beatles and Elton John were also in their early twenties when they hit the big time.
Hey, I wasn’t trying to send a message to knock off the zep love or anything, just couldn’t resist posting the related onion link.
I myself discovered zep fairly late in life too- I didn’t really get into them until I started learning guitar in my late 20s, and could appreciate what Page was doing on a different level (not that I was ever even 1/1000 as good).
Hey, sorry - on a sprint of a project at work that shows no sign of letting up. Enjoy getting into them. Here’s an old thread I ended up posting a lot in about how I look at Led Zeppelin’s musicians vs. The Who’s: The Who vs. Led Zeppelin - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board
Ha, that was my thread! It’s been revived more than once before. Glad to see it still elicits a memory.
True story: I “discovered” LZ in the early 80s at a cousin’s house while browsing his cassette collection. I saw a song I really liked on one of them and popped it in his player. Not only was I surprised it wasn’t Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” but I was instantly hooked (pardon the pun.)
I was another who ignored them through much of their biggest decade, and didn’t really key on the music until much later. Listening to “Black Dog” with its three different time signatures still makes my head hurt, and “Kashmir” is still one of my all-time favorite pieces of music.
Thanks, solost. It looks like I misread your intent. Thanks for the clarification. I did get quite a kick out of the guy in the Onion article and was thankful I hadn’t gone that far down the rabbit hole.
And thanks to you, too, WordMan. Your input is always appreciated, as are the insights to be gained from them. Thanks also for the link to the Zeppelin/Who thread. Those are exactly the kinds of discussion I like to see in these regards.
And Chefguy, I seem to have a vague recollection of having told you before about the Led Zeppelin Celebration Day performance of Kashmir. But if not I’d recommend it very highly. I don’t even like to listen to the original anymore. Plus it’s fun to watch Page work his guitar (especially between 3:46 and 4:04, a time when he’s really into it.). At any rate and to make things easy, here it is.
Oh, crap.
Now I hate you for your politics, love you because you like Nero Wolfe, and hate you again for enjoying Led Zep. You are a complicated fellow.
I’d still buy you a beer.
But you have to give me a reason to love you again. What else do you like that I like? Wagner? Pre-Raphaelite art? Giant scary statues? Pickled eggs?
I am indeed.
And I’d drink it.
The French impressionists. Picasso. Love Salvador Dali, but for his technique and ability rather than his surreal images.
And oh, yeah, Robert Wagner’s cool. 
Barkeep, set this man up.
And for my friend as well!
This is my all-time favorite Zep song. I’m only slightly ashamed to admit there were times in my college years where I’d drunkenly put the song on repeat and take turns pretending to be each member of the band, starting with JPJ on bass. It’s just a fun song to rock out on the air guitar/drums/mic. Plus everything about it’s just dirty!
There was a video of a high school band (or junior high) playing the song making the rounds some time ago. They did a credible job, but I remember one girl in particular was head banging through the whole thing. Can’t find it online at the moment.