The song and musician that showcase the key to Led Zeppelin, according to Geddy Lee
Led Zeppelin fit a common stereotype within the world of rock legends, as many people watched them perform or listened to their records and believed that they were the spawn of Satan. The fact of the matter was that that much talent doesn’t belong in a standard human being; they could produce such otherworldly sounds in a group of just four, which was incomprehensible to listeners.
It wasn’t unusual for bands to have their talent likened to the devil. It says in the bible that musical ability was given to us as a gift from God, which is why, often, people sing songs of praise to give thanks. In the same vein, it is said that Lucifer was the director of the Lord’s heavenly choir, and as such, when he fell, he continued to make music as a means to undermine and dismantle God rather than worship him.
Rock music was often linked to the devil because the screeching sound of electric guitars and the sinful nature of a lot of the lives rock stars led was the antithesis of the word of the Lord. And those worshipped within rock were said to have made a deal with Lucifer, where they sold their soul in exchange for otherworldly talent and global acclaim. When Led Zeppelin started getting the attention they were getting, it came with conspiracies of devil worship and bargaining with Lucifer himself.
Well, nearly. There was one member who people didn’t think sold their soul to the devil: the bassist, John Paul Jones. The other three members of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and Robert Plant, were all considered the best in their field. They were praised like Gods as fans gathered in their millions to worship at the altar of Page, Bonham and Plant. However, Jones was never included in that conversation. He was the bassist of Led Zeppelin, sure, but he was never called the greatest of all time, and people thought he was the member of the band who refused the devil’s offer.
If you ask Geddy Lee, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as he often praises John Paul Jones for being the key to Led Zeppelin’s success. The other three band members were essentially musical acrobats permitted to run free and expand what rock music could be; it led to real experimentation within their sound and rock-heavy chaos. It was great. But it still needed to be accessible and grounded; otherwise, fans wouldn’t be able to get into it properly. This is where Geddy Lee says that Jones came in.
“The thing that held the whole thing down was John Paul Jones’ bass playing,” he said, “So if you listen to ‘How Many More Times’, I mean, no matter how wild that song gets at times, there’s John Paul Jones just holding it all down in such a fluid way.”
As Rush’s bassist, you might try to argue that Lee is biased, but he has a point. We are drawn to Zeppelin because of the chaotic nature of Page’s guitar solos, Plant’s vocal athleticism and Bonham’s thunderous drums, but they need a sufficient rhythm section to build all of these elements efficiently. In that sense, John Paul Jones might have flown under the radar somewhat, but he was arguably the most critical element in the band.