# Led Zep, The Stones, The Beatles, or The Who?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 10, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805 "2014-04-10T17:25:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/41 "2014-04-11T01:05:46Z")
Pardon the slight (?) hijack, but Who fans might be interested in checking out Roger Daltrey and Wilko Johnson’s new album, [Going Back Home](http://blogcritics.org/music-review-wilko-johnson-and-roger-daltrey-going-back-home/).
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### Author:  [@Gretchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gretchion)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/42 "2014-04-11T02:57:02Z")
This was tough, because I love all four bands.
The Beatles, because, come on, they’re the Beatles!
The Rollings Stones I have been getting more and more into lately. Didn’t care as much for them before, but they have certainly grown on me.
But it really comes down to The Who and Led Zeppelin. They are almost tied for number one as far as I’m concerned (along with Boston, but they’re not an option). The Who songs that I like I really like, but the same for Zeppelin, and they have more songs that I listen to, so that gave them the edge for my vote.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/43 "2014-04-11T03:02:57Z")
I love The Who, and Zep and The Stones are both great, but listening to nothing else but any one of those bands all the time would soon get very dull indeed. The Beatles covered a much wider musical range, were much more varied in their output.
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### Author:  [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/44 "2014-04-11T03:10:14Z")
I didn’t even have to think about it - The Beatles. No contest. Which isn’t to say I don’t _like_ the others, but in terms of the percent of each band’s songs I like, The Beatles is around 99.99% (_coughcoughRevolution9coughcough_), while the rest are much, much lower. To put it another way, if I had all The Beatles songs ever written in a single playlist on shuffle, no matter what came up, I’d be happy. The Who, Led Zep, The Stones - I like a handful of songs from each of them, but the majority is . . . blah. Or worse than blah. Of course, looking back from a historical viewpoint, you don’t remember the bad songs - only the legendary hits.
Plus, come _on_. It’s The Beatles.
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### Author:  [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/45 "2014-04-11T03:10:14Z")
Count me as another Kinks fan but I still gotta vote The Beatles for their diversity, songwriting and massive about of material for the comparatively short time they were together.
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### Author:  [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/46 "2014-04-11T06:01:15Z")
> [@Octarine](#):
>
> I didn’t even have to think about it - The Beatles. No contest. Which isn’t to say I don’t _like_ the others, but in terms of the percent of each band’s songs I like, The Beatles is around 99.99% (_coughcoughRevolution9coughcough_), while the rest are much, much lower. To put it another way, if I had all The Beatles songs ever written in a single playlist on shuffle, no matter what came up, I’d be happy. The Who, Led Zep, The Stones - I like a handful of songs from each of them, but the majority is . . . blah. Or worse than blah. Of course, looking back from a historical viewpoint, you don’t remember the bad songs - only the legendary hits.
> Plus, come _on_. It’s The Beatles.
Revolution 9 is brilliant. Revisit it for the textures, rhythms and changes. Compare it to other avant garde efforts of the same vein from the era. It wears much better than Zappa or Capt Beefheart because they were just so damn earnest in trying to actually say something important. Rev 9 might be a lark and a joke, but it was so much better than its now forgotten contemporaries that it still says “John Lennon farts more interesting things than the wannabes.”
That said, I’ve come to _hate_ a lot of early Beatles stuff. Run For Your Life? Really guys? There are a dozen really misogynistic Beatles songs that I find far more revolting than anything the Stones did except Under My Thumb, which still has a great riff despite it’s vicious lyrics. And Yesterday? Shit, I hear that now and it sounds like some dumped loser in a fetal position dribbling into a cup and sobbing. That said, I have no problems skipping over songs I don’t like. (Never did like Michelle. My belle. Go to hell. Gee you smell.)
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### Author:  [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/47 "2014-04-11T19:56:36Z")
Threads like this always serve to remind me how different my music preferences are. Not only are the Beatles not my first choice, I would choose to NOT have music on my island if all I could have is The Beatles. Can’t say why, but nothing in their catalog does anything for me.
My order: Led Zeppelin, the Stones, the Who, nothing, then the Beatles.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/48 "2014-04-11T20:01:56Z")
The Stones.
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/49 "2014-04-11T20:05:28Z")
> [@WordMan](#):
>
> If you asked Zep
…they’d just take credit for all the other bands’ songs.
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/50 "2014-04-11T20:09:05Z")
In my more affluent working days we bought the whole catalogs of Rolling Stones, Who, Led Zep, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix [and Rammstein and around 100 albums of Smithsonian Folkways ranging from Woodie Guthrie to Pete Seeger] I would normally not consider picking a single 60s/70s act, I really do lean towards Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Who are good, but I can only take so many arm waving power cords.
I tend to confuse people when they ride in the car with me - my ipod can shuffle from anything from [Wolgemut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFOwbo2sn3E), [Mozart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb_jQBgzU-I), [Rammstein](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2P1Z-iQH1c), [the Fibonnacis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gDsb8ZBJfc&list=FL60_nJL1RCFKKVasGufgGKw), [Grasu XXL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQHrmK-gOFw), [Woodie Guthrie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxxKWGTtjNM), [Laibach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zSRcFxZVAA), [Pete Seeger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBtSFhbxBTg), [Cab Calloway](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-XI_1LgEik), [Black](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz0tYD_vVIo) [Sabbath]([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/planet](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/planet) caravan black sabbath) and [Huun Huur Tu](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bDntRWfL70). I think that about the only stuff you will not find is bubble gum boy band pop and the really whiney country-western shit.
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### Author:  [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/51 "2014-04-11T20:12:05Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#):
>
> …they’d just take credit for all the other bands’ songs.
Ha! Quoted for truth. I love Zep – always have, always will – but some of their uncredited thefts have been, well, ballsy – check out [Bert Jansch’s Black Water Side](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY-xpa9GWuo).
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### Author:  [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/52 "2014-04-11T20:42:43Z")
Holy smokes, here’s [Sonny Boy Williamson doing Willie Dixon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zThdTAWQFAQ#t=330)…this time, I actually thought I was hearing “Bring it On Home” from Zep II! Plant’s mimicking of every nuance of the voice, and Page of the guitar, is uncanny…that _does_ take real skill! Credits would have been a nice touch. 🙂
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### Author:  [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/53 "2014-04-11T23:17:29Z")
You make the point, there’s no attempt to even pretend it’s not someone else’s work.
And, referring to the link, of course it was settled out of court - why would it not. It’s not like they were denying it.
I guess the issue of crediting the source material would have been a legal/management decision. It’s a shame but Peter Grant wasn’t exactly known for his generous nature.
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### Author:  [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/54 "2014-04-12T03:55:05Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#):
>
> Revolution 9 is brilliant. Revisit it for the textures, rhythms and changes. Compare it to other avant garde efforts of the same vein from the era. It wears much better than Zappa or Capt Beefheart because they were just so damn earnest in trying to actually say something important. Rev 9 might be a lark and a joke, but it was so much better than its now forgotten contemporaries that it still says “John Lennon farts more interesting things than the wannabes.”
There’s a story of a mathematics professor who was doing a word problem in class and said, “Now, x will represent the number of sheep.” A student asked him, “But what if x isn’t the number of sheep?” The professor said, “That’s either the stupidest or the most profound question I’ve ever heard, but I can’t tell which.” With Rev 9, I kind of feel the same way - either there’s something incredible there that I’m just not deep enough to get, or it’s just a load of random noise. I’ll go back to it soon and give it another listen . . .
And yeah, Run For Your Life is a terrible song. Although I do like Yesterday and Michelle, though the latter may not be their . . . strongest effort lyrically. 😃
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### Author:  [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/55 "2014-04-12T16:14:08Z")
Led Zep, The Stones, The Beatles, or The Who?
Well I like harmony’s so, The Beatles, but
I like to Rock and no one screams better than Daltry so, The Who, but
I like music that has some soul to it so, The Stones, but
If I had to choose one, I’d rather have the power of **Led Zep** cranking Kashmir on the speakers in the end.\* (Even though they stole a bunch of their stuff)
\*
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### Author:  [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/56 "2014-04-12T21:02:51Z")
Cant decide b/t Stones or Zep.
Beatles are just so much commercialized pap to me. Never ever did like them.
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### Author:  [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/57 "2014-04-12T22:01:59Z")
Gotta go with The Beatles. The others, while I like some songs, I just could never really get into that much. I didn’t get into them until 1980 or so, but it was The Beatles who taught me how to rock & roll.
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### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/58 "2014-04-12T22:05:56Z")
The Who’s not in first?
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/59 "2014-04-12T22:21:12Z")
No, they moved I Don’t Care over there.
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### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-zep-the-stones-the-beatles-or-the-who/685805/60 "2014-04-12T22:53:55Z")
A very tough choice, but I went with the Stones simply because I’m not as familiar with their catalog as I am with the other three groups. I’ve owned every single Beatles and Zeppelin album. The Who didn’t have a deep catalog of studio releases.
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