When Frank Zappa mocked Led Zeppelin
Frank Zappa is undeniably one of the most revered figures in the history of rock music. As a genuine visionary, his extensive and diverse body of work seamlessly weaves together elements of rock, jazz, classical, and the avant-garde. Whether at the helm of The Mothers of Invention or as a solo artist, Zappa’s creative output is punctuated by numerous exceptional moments, firmly establishing him as a genuine modernist.
While some artists merely tinkered with the traditional blues structure by altering its typical four-chord progression, Zappa ventured into the realm of intricate and thought-provoking music that demanded the listener’s full attention. The importance of his musical innovations cannot be overstated, and his ability to deliver impactful political satire and social commentary has been praised by many.
One of the most intriguing of Zappa’s characteristics isn’t exactly his opinion on musicians he admires, but instead his views on those widely regarded as legends on a global scale. For instance, while the unmatched musical prowess of Led Zeppelin is recognised by a large audience, Zappa, by contrast, had a lot of bad things to say about them.
Zappa’s strong opinions about Led Zeppelin stemmed from his penchant for challenging conventional norms and criticising large rock bands. Specifically, the inventive guitarist incorporated Led Zeppelin’s alleged mud shark incident as a recurring theme in The Mothers of Invention’s two New York City shows, which later became the celebrated Fillmore East – June 1971 album. References to Robert “Plant-it” and Robert “Planet” were also included in their earlier album, 200 Motels.
In fact, Zappa held such a strong disapproval of the band that during his 1988 tour, he and his group delivered a completely satirical reggae-style rendition of ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Zappa had consciously avoided Zeppelin’s music for so long that, during the tour, there was widespread disbelief among the band when the group leader requested them to perform the song in its entirety. He had never heard it in full before but was aware of its massive popularity and was curious to explore it further, as recounted by the tour’s guitarist, Mike Keneally, in Record Collector.
Naturally, upon hearing the song, Zappa had his critiques. Keneally noted, “He remarked that he really didn’t like the chord progression for the guitar solo… but he decided he wanted to play the song live because he knew audiences would be flabbergasted by it.” The result was one of Zappa’s most brilliant satirical performances, residing in his extensive discography, and a memorable jab at the grandiose aspect of Led Zeppelin’s music history.
Zappa wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of The Beatles either. In his eyes, everybody saw them as this huge, divine presence, but he saw them as nothing more than just a commercial group. While there may be some points of agreement with Zappa’s statements here, it becomes somewhat perplexing when we consider that he had a preference for The Monkees, who were the epitome of a commercial group and a favourite among teenage audiences.