Led Zeppelin vs Deep Purple
 

First of all PLEASE don't vote unless you are well familiar with the work of both bands. i.e. don't vote for Zeppelin because you're a big fan of them but have only ever heard a few DP songs, or vice versa.

My vote goes to Deep Purple. I actually think they have it all over Zeppelin. I love Zeppelin's good songs but all in all I don't think their albums as a whole are that great, with the possible exception of IV. Deep Purple have a good 4 albums which are great right through. Both had awesome guitarists and vocalists, though Page would have an edge over Blackmore I think. Plant and Gillan are pretty much on par imo. I've never been too concerned with drummers or bass players so no comment there. Just watching a live Deep Purple dvd last night though, their keyboard player was also pretty awesome.

But in the end I just like DP's albums a lot better than Zeppelin's, and for that reason they get my vote.

Btw I realise the question I used for the poll should really allow for more options such as Black Sabbath and The Stooges, but I just wanted to compare the 2 bands, and in the end they are the 2 most influential and highly regarded "metal" bands of that era.

When I read the title I assumed you were going to say Led Zeppelin, because everyone always says that. But I completely agree with you. I can't say I've heard every song by both, but I have 3 Deep Purple LP's and the Cabala 8 disc collection by Led Zeppelin, so I'm pretty familiar with their work. Especially the early 70's stuff is clearly in favour of DP.

Frankly there aren't many songs by Led Zeppelin I like, even Stairway to Heaven I find overrated. The whole band is overrated if you ask me. Anyway, Purple it is.

as much as i recognize how much everyone sucks LZ's dick, and DP is underrated...i still give the slight edge to LZ, and this is from someone who doesnt like LZ nearly as much as i used to.

fav. album by them is Houses of the Holy

The correct answer is Black Sabbath. But I voted Led Zep, despite them not ever being a Metal band.

Yeah I agree Zeppelin weren't a metal band. I'm not so sure I'd even say DP were. But they were both instrumental and hugely influential in the development of heavy metal music.

true

not even concerned with drummers or bass players??? whole thread is invalid.

I wouldn't call Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple metal, in fact, even Black Sabbath didn't get tagged with the "heavy metal" label until after Judas Priest came along and turned it into a legit genre. Both Zep and DP certainly had a big influence on early heavy metal, but there's no way in hell that they were more influential to heavy metal than Black Sabbath. Perhaps more diverse and consistent, but not nearly as heavy or directly influential.

Thanks for your insightful, constructive and most of all wholly necessary input. I will never pass an opinion on anything musical again now that I've been so firmly put in my place.

Cthulu, I'm not really into Black Sabbath so I don't know a whole lot about them. I really should have phrased the poll question differently though. I pretty much just wanted to see what people's preference between the two bands was but didn't want to make it some lame "who is better than who?" shit.

Gotcha. I like the first six Sabbath albums, but I've never combed too deep into Zep's discog (aside from the first four) and I'm not really a Deep Purple fan at all. I know you meant to word it differently, I just object to calling them the two most influential "metal" bands when "metal" didn't quite exist yet and their influence on that genre pales in comparison to Sabbath. I think it would make more sense to rephrase it as "hard rock."

Anyway, my knowledge of 70s rock is pretty pitiful anyway. Most of the rock and metal I listen to is from the 80s and 90s since I'm big on the extreme metal, crust punk, noise rock, and experimental rock end of things.