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Jimmy Page, It's time to call your lawyers?

I'm pretty late to this party--as usual.  A Chicago radio station is starry-eyed over Greta Van Fleet.  I gave them a listen today.  All I could think was...

Is this a Zeppelin parody band? 

There are so many features to their sound, playing, and sonics that sound just like LZ--so much so that I cannot get into the music passionately.  These are (IMHO):  Vocals (phrasing mimics Robert Plant without stopping);  Lyrics (the themes seem, based on limited listening, to track LZ);  Lead Guitar (I cannot think of another guitarist who sounds like he's trying to sound like Page as much as this one).  

Does Greta Van Fleet sound like a facsimile to you?  I'm not hung up on punishing artists who copy, as I think it's part and parcel of the art form.  But I'm having real trouble getting past the photocopy nature of this.  Again, this is just one person's opinion. So curious to hear what others think and feel about this group.  I'd like to give them more of a chance and maybe others can help.  For now, I can't keep listening.

128x128jbhiller
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments
2,097 posts
 
@tooblue 

"borrow" was written in sarcasm font ;-)
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,617 posts
 
Many many rock songs are reworked blues classics.It's nothing new.I also common for  musicians to sneak in riffs and sections from other songs to amuse themselves and other musicians.Musician geeky fun:)
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,399 posts
 
While Zeppelin stole and borrowed, they didn’t copy. I don’t think Plant or Page tried to sound just like Bukka White, Wllie Dixon or the countless others they stole from. 

I’m making a nuanced but important point. Listen to the production. Listen to the drum fills. Do you hear the organ come in and fade out nearly exactly how LZ did it in the near exact same times of the songs?  Listen to the placement of the guitar in the mix.   I don’t think they are just capturing the “sound”.

Sure no no one patents this stuff. My point is it’s a near clone. 

Mellencamp once said he thinks everything is there to be stolen. I firmly agree. My question when hearing this group is why do you want to clone ideas?  


uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
I would agree that van fleet appear to be trying to sound more like Zep that Zep themselves did, phasing, timings, warts and all.
However that does not prevent me from enjoying it.
Funny I met their drummer at a drum clinic a while back, at that time I had never even heard their music though.

They come and go, remember Kingdom Come? They were accused of exact same thing at the time but they stuck it out and changed pace a little.
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,399 posts
 
My brain wants me to sing “Your Time is Gonna Come” during “Flower Power”. It’s so uncanny a resemblance. 
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