![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/John-Paul-Jones-Musician-Led-Zeppelin-1975-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Credit: Far Out \/ Led Zeppelin<\/p>\n
Fri 12 June 2026 9:44, UK <\/p>\n
Taking the baton from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin<\/a> pushed the boundaries of rock music to new heights, introducing fresh styles and creating entirely new contexts along the way. <\/p>\n Whether drawing on the mythologies of various cultures, experimenting with traditional music from outside the Western canon, or helping to lay the foundations of heavy metal, the band achieved extraordinary feats in just 12 years. Together, they brought Jimmy Page\u2019s ambitious vision to life: a prismatic, pulsating sound that was as substantial as it was groundbreaking.<\/p>\n Part of what made Led Zeppelin so influential was their refusal to treat rock music as a fixed template. Instead, they approached each album as an opportunity to expand their palette, incorporating elements of folk, blues, world music and experimental production techniques that continually challenged audience expectations.<\/p>\n Although they may have unapologetically borrowed from their heroes in the early days, Led Zeppelin were masters at avoiding creative stagnation. Each of their albums evolved their sound and broadened their horizons. For example, they could have easily remained a straightforward hard rock band, sticking to the innovations of Led Zeppelin II, and eventually faded into obscurity. <\/p>\n Instead, with 1970\u2019s Led Zeppelin III, they embraced untried instrumentation in rock and experimented with new techniques and genres. While it wasn\u2019t immediately understood or appreciated, this marked the beginning of their journey toward crafting a truly unique and unmistakable sound. <\/p>\n This willingness to take creative risks became one of the band\u2019s defining characteristics. Even when those experiments divided critics or confused listeners, Led Zeppelin rarely retreated to familiar territory, preferring to push forward rather than repeat past successes.<\/p>\n While Led Zeppelin are associated with a high level of accomplishment and, like The Beatles, embody rock\u2019s ingrained refusal to be pigeonholed and confined to a single formula, they have released their fair share of duds<\/a>. Given that the band members were all authentic artists in that they never relinquished the ability to bluntly self-critique \u2013 essential for crafting outstanding music \u2013 they\u2019ve always been open about the moments they believe they flubbed. This includes bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones, the most reserved member of the group. There are two songs by the band he openly hates. <\/p>\n The first is the heavily reggae-influenced oddity \u2018D\u2019yer Maker\u2019 from 1973\u2019s Houses of the Holy. While the album features more variety than any of the band\u2019s releases, including the James Brown-inspired grooves of \u2018The Crunge\u2019, it\u2019s safe to say \u2018D\u2019yer Maker\u2019 is the worst cut in that body of work. A cheap imitation of the reggae genre, for fans and Jones, it has always been drummer John Bonham\u2019s refusal to play stripped back, which makes it a painful listen. Allegedly, he hated reggae. <\/p>\n \u201cIt would have been all right if [Bonham] had worked at the part,\u201d Jones once said. \u201cThe whole point of reggae is that the drums and the bass really have to be very strict about what they play. And he wouldn\u2019t [be], so it sounded dreadful.\u201d<\/p>\n The one that causes the most discomfort for Jones, though, is \u2018Royal Orleans\u2019 from 1976\u2019s Presence. He hates it for its homophobic lyrics, which mock him for allegedly going to bed with a drag queen<\/a> and accidentally lighting his hotel room on fire when in New Orleans. Not only is the track a manifestation of frontman Robert Plant\u2019s homophobic views in those days, but according to Jones, the story isn\u2019t even true. <\/p>\n \u201cOh, that was Robert in his usual homophobic manner,\u201d the bassist said in 2001. \u201cEverybody knew who those [drag queens] were. They were friends of Richard [Cole]\u2019s. And yes, we knew they were transvestites. We were friends\u2026 But Robert was a bit provincial.\u201d He asserted that the singer was \u201ca bit homophobic in those days.\u201d<\/p>\n Led Zeppelin might have been the kings of stylistically mixing it up, but there is no getting away from the fact that their oeuvre contains many peculiarities that are best left to rot in the dustbin of history.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even so, the existence of songs like \u2018D\u2019yer Maker\u2019 and \u2018Royal Orleans\u2019 does little to diminish Led Zeppelin\u2019s broader legacy. If anything, they serve as reminders that even the most celebrated artists are capable of missteps. The band\u2019s greatness ultimately rests not on perfection, but on their willingness to experiment, take risks, and continually search for new directions, even when the results were occasionally flawed.<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/John-Paul-Jones-Musician-Led-Zeppelin-1968-Far-Out-Magazine-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>Credit: Far Out \/ Dick Barnatt \/ Atlantic Records \/ John Paul Jones<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/faroutmagazine.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/far-out-magazine\/img\/google-discover.svg\")
<\/a> The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter<\/p>\n