John Paul Jones Reveals Why Led Zeppelin Is Not In The Same Level As The Beatles

When Led Zeppelin became famous in the 1970s, they were on the same level as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Even though parallels were bound to happen, bassist John Paul Jones thought that Led Zeppelin had made their own place in the music world.

A Unique Focus on Music

In an interview in 2003, Jones talked about the band’s history and said that even though they had a big fan base, they didn’t play music like other bands of the time. What he saw, “Maybe they saw the band as a bit of a phenomenon. We were beginning to get quite a big following and the only other band we were comparable to, for them, was something like the Beatles.” Jones, on the other hand, made it clear that Led Zeppelin were still only interested in making music, while The Beatles were famous for appearing on TV and in movies.

Steering Clear of the Limelight

Jones highlighted that Led Zeppelin consciously avoided the extensive media exposure that characterized bands like The Rolling Stones. He remarked, “We didn’t do any of that. The question, ‘Will you be making a film?’ took me by surprise because we were just a band that made music; it wasn’t that type of operation.” They chose to stay away from things like making movies and being in the trashy press all the time because of this.

Putting Musical Integrity First

The music was always the most important thing to Led Zeppelin. Jones said that they were more interested in making art and acting than in getting attention from the media. They were different from their peers because they put their art ahead of other things they had to do.

When Led Zeppelin decided to focus only on making music, they built a reputation based on artistic integrity. Led Zeppelin’s dedication to their craft made them one of rock’s most important acts, while other bands tried their hand at different types of entertainment.