Second in a series of posts ranking band members on impact, originality and intangible coolness. Here's the previous post.1 (tie). John Bonham and John Paul Jones. Led Zep worked from the bottom up. Bonham's thundering drums and Jones' steady bass provided a mighty foundation throughout the band's career, captured at their peak on the "How the West Was Won" live set. Jones also added the obligatory keyboard embellishments. Even though the synths on "In Through The Out Door" sound dated today, Jones deserves credit for pushing the group into a more mature material.
2. Robert Plant. The self-proclaimed "golden god" was actually a hippie at heart. He grew tremendously as a vocalist and writer throughout the band's glory years from 1969-73. Plant increasingly showed a sensitive, human side, and the fact that some his lyrics ("The Ocean," "All My Love") were about parenthood is often overlooked.
3. Jimmy Page. Nearly everything unsavory about Led Zep can be traced to Page: the drug use, the underage groupies and the occult influence. He's also made some bone-headed career moves (Does anyone remember the Firm? How about Coverdale-Page?) His greatest sin, however, is his rampant pilfering of blues and folk traditions. As even Homer Simpson has noted, Page "borrowed" heavily from others, sometimes without any crediting.
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