The John Paul Jones Appreciation Thread

This guy often gets lost when anyone talks about Led Zeppelin. A great song writer and a great musician, he deserves more credit than he gets for his contributions to Zeppelin.

Give John his due. Without him, Zeppelin wouldn't be as awesome.

John is so awesome, that his name is actually used in a song.

Overrated like a mofo.

Eyesore wrote:

Overrated like a mofo.

You're thinking of Flea.

JPJ is a great bassist.

Schbopo wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

Overrated like a mofo.

You're thinking of Flea.

JPJ is a great bassist.

Actually JPJ is more overrated then Flea in this case. Flea stands out and actually makes a lot of the RHCP songs. JPJ is great but is overshadowed by Jimmy Page.

I've never found his drumming to be anything special. Maybe for the time he was great, but I obviously can't appreciate that time period like that.

One-armed Rick Allen KO1.

Eyesore wrote:

I've never found his drumming to be anything special. Maybe for the time he was great, but I obviously can't appreciate that time period like that.

One-armed Rick Allen KO1.

Eyesore wrote:

I've never found his drumming to be anything special. Maybe for the time he was great, but I obviously can't appreciate that time period like that.

One-armed Rick Allen KO1.

You have Bonham and Jones confused.

On a side note, Bonham was a hell of a drummer. Not as technical as a Palmer of Peart, he could still play well and was one of the most powerful drummers around.

Eyesore wrote:

Overrated like a mofo.

Neither Bohnam or John Paul Jones are overrated in the slightest.

John Paul Jones (bass player) also played organ, mellotron, mandolin and a variety of other random instruments in Zeppelin, he was the secret weapon.

As for Bohnam, he may seem overrated if you're comparing him to the music school tools that are running around playing like robots these days...but that dude had SWING...and nobody EVER played heavier but with more consistency.

In fact, if you take these guys together...it's the reason that none of the Zep-clone bands (Kingdom Come, mid-80's Whitesnake, etc) ever came close to capturing the sound...because they couldn't duplicate that rhythm section...those two guys together were telepathic.

MetalRob331 wrote:

Actually JPJ is more overrated then Flea in this case. Flea stands out and actually makes a lot of the RHCP songs. JPJ is great but is overshadowed by Jimmy Page.

I usually let these comments slide...but in this case, you need to get your ears cleaned out. Completely different styles of music, non-comparable. Just because Flea is the more recent player doesn't make him superior.

Chops are the most OVERRATED aspect of music my friend, bar none.

detuned wrote:

As for Bohnam, he may seem overrated if you're comparing him to the music school tools that are running around playing like robots these days...but that dude had SWING...and nobody EVER played heavier but with more consistency.

I'm never one to listen to drummers and pick out technical aspects......but Bonham is a rare one i stand up and take notice of.......heavy and swingin' and never plodding. So off put so right.

I've only heard one other drummer that hit's harder but still keeps it moving like Bonham.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4HEXWLZJ_U

Has anybody ever heard the album he made with the Goth performance "artist" Diamanda Galas? Now there's a strange combo.

detuned wrote:

MetalRob331 wrote:

Actually JPJ is more overrated then Flea in this case. Flea stands out and actually makes a lot of the RHCP songs. JPJ is great but is overshadowed by Jimmy Page.

I usually let these comments slide...but in this case, you need to get your ears cleaned out. Completely different styles of music, non-comparable. Just because Flea is the more recent player doesn't make him superior.

Chops are the most OVERRATED aspect of music my friend, bar none.

Chops arent overrated they are what makes and breaks a lot of songs. JPJ has serious chops and is a great bass player but what I was saying is Fleas bass lines make the RHCP songs, without him they are nothing, although they already are in my eyes. As far as being more recent thats a pretty blah statement and way overused. Im basing my opinions on the fact that Fleas basslines are much more memorable and he stands out a lot more.

I dont base my opinions on what bands they play for either as I like LZ a lot more then RHCP, i base them on what I hear. Again JPJ is a killer bass player nonetheless.

xyz wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

I've never found his drumming to be anything special. Maybe for the time he was great, but I obviously can't appreciate that time period like that.

One-armed Rick Allen KO1.

You have Bonham and Jones confused.

On a side note, Bonham was a hell of a drummer. Not as technical as a Palmer of Peart, he could still play well and was one of the most powerful drummers around.

Doh! How the hell did I do that? Haha.

Musical expert my ass!

Eyesore wrote:

Overrated like a mofo.

Silence!

All members of Zeppelin are great!

John Paul Jones is far from overrated that guy is a monster on bass, also as detuned points out played various instruments not only in Led Zeppelin but in session work that ranges from the Rolling Stones to Tom Jones.

In the 80's he helped various bands with string arrangements for Cinderella, R.E.M., and many others, not to mention produced a kick ass album from the Mission U.K., and is all around great musician, who Jimmy Page could depend upon for help with arrangements and even help with heavy lifting in the song writing dept on their final studio album 'In Through the Out Door'

Flea is a great bass player but comparing him to John Paul Jones is like comparing steak to dirt.

Jones was really the "sonic architect" on many of the later Zeppelin albums. Primarily I think of songs like "No Quarter" (he was the primary writer on that one and played keyboards) and "The Rain Song" which is epic because of the mellotron accompaniment he added.

He also released a really kick ass record back the the 90's...

Listen to the early live stuff Zeppelin III era and earlier. Jones and Bonham are a monster rhythm section. They took what both Cream and The Yardbirds were doing with British whiteboy blues and kicked it up into overdrive. Bonham at first glance goes right past most folks with what is really going on in his playing. It may sound simple and basic but the timing is quite unique and very subtle. The mastery he had with the use of the triplet is amazing. Again the command of timing is above and beyond normal talent. Too many folks equate speed and technical aptitude to what makes a good drummer, we all have an opinion. My point being, try to play it yourself and perhaps a new respect and / or perspective can be had.

respect to the man!

James B. wrote:

Listen to the early live stuff Zeppelin III era and earlier. Jones and Bonham are a monster rhythm section. They took what both Cream and The Yardbirds were doing with British whiteboy blues and kicked it up into overdrive. Bonham at first glance goes right past most folks with what is really going on in his playing. It may sound simple and basic but the timing is quite unique and very subtle. The mastery he had with the use of the triplet is amazing. Again the command of timing is above and beyond normal talent. Too many folks equate speed and technical aptitude to what makes a good drummer, we all have an opinion. My point being, try to play it yourself and perhaps a new respect and / or perspective can be had.

Metalrob pay attention to this dude

JPJ's fantasy sequence in The Song Remains The Same" was pretty cool. Plus it was during the best song "No Quarter".

The thing that I like about both JPJ and Bonham is that they made their instruments really stand-out in rock music. Before that, the bass and drums were kinda pushed back into the shadows as the rhythm section (with some exceptions of course), while the guitar and singer hogged the spot-light. Both players really made an impact on the scene, proving that their respective instruments could be more than just time-keepers.

As for John Paul, I agree that his musical contributions (multiple instruments, arrangments, etc.) are highly overlooked and was a key to the band's success. As a person, he seemed to help keep the rest of the band grounded and due to his studio work prior to Zep (Page too), had a professionalism and knowledge of the business side of things that really helped as well.

john bonham is probably my favourite member of Led zeppelin, although i think they were a band that made a whole from two very distinct musical sections

There's an amazing clip from the Guitar Wars DVD with John Paul Jones doing some fantastic slide guitar work (at least, that's what I think it is - I'm not really familiar with what he's actually playing on) with Steve Hackett, Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone doing 'Hole-Hearted'.