Kickin' Tail and Takin' Names Week: The mighty Zep

This is a week for music so powerful, it has a kind of force that can knock you out just thinking about it.  It's relentless.  It can stick with you for a lifetime.

To start it off, I'll turn to a band that's been on a "high" lately and has never really faded away in the hearts, minds, and ears of so many classic rock fans even though it ceased to exist as a full-blown group with the death of its "heartbeat" -- drummer John Bonham -- in 1980.

John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham

Of course, I'm talking about that force of nature known as Led Zeppelin.

It's not every band that can get together for a huge one-off concert at London's O2 Arena the way Zep did in December 2007, and have the official film of the event -- Celebration Day -- become so highly anticipated when it appeared in theaters and on home video nearly five years later.  They may have been missing John Bonham's powerful drums, but not by an awful lot.  John's son Jason makes for a very worthy fill-in for his father.

And, let's be "blunt" here.  Back in the late '60s, when the Zep was launched, how many people would have predicted that Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones -- the surviving members -- would be standing in the finest attire, looking all spiffed up, to receive the Kennedy Center Honors, as they did on Sunday?  The celebration continued the following Monday night with an interview on The Late Show with David Letterman.

 
It's all most definitely a "high" for a bunch of rowdies who've been rocking people's worlds for years.  It is cause to celebrate.

Taking a closer look at Zep's "discreet" member

Be honest.  When you think of Led Zeppelin, how much more often do you think of the more flamboyant ways of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and the monster style of drummer John Bonham before bass/mandolin/keyboard player John Paul Jones even comes to your mind?

John Paul Jones  (Photo credit:  Wikipedia)

But when you think of Led Zeppelin, where would they have been without JPJ giving his powerful bass style to tunes like "Ramble On" and "The Lemon Song," or "Immigrant Song."  On a song like "Black Dog," it wouldn't have been the same without Jones helping out with the changing time signatures.

On keys, he gave the band extra flavor on "The Rain Song," "Trampled Under Foot," and "No Quarter."

It could be said that Jones was the most versatile member of Led Zeppelin, and only a few might argue with that.  It began with tons of session work that led up to his role in Zeppelin, and even after the band broke apart following Bonham's death in 1980, it seems he's been busier than ever composing, playing seemingly any instrument he can get his hands on, doing production work, and appearing with artists from the Foo Fighters to Diamanda Galas, Them Crooked Vultures to Seasick Steve ... the list is long.

He just seems to do it all so ... discreetly.  Just like he did "back in the day" when Led Zeppelin ruled the rock world.

Never underestimate the man.