Nirvana sound found in Led Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore?

[cribeiro]

Hello!

I thought about it several times, and now that I am listening to this song and I am in front of my computer, I thought I'd post this... Don't you think the phrase "bring it back" repeated several times at the end of the song sounds very Nirvana-like?

I am not a big expert in Nirvana, I just know the usual stuff from them... But if I didn't know it is Led Zep, I would swear I am hearing Kurt Cobain himself!

 

[lmilhan]

If that is indeed the case, I think it would be more like 'Led Zeppelin sound found in Nirvana song' - assuming we can pin down which Nirvana song you think sounds like the Zep song in question.

 

[cribeiro]

Yes, you are right, and I wanted to express it in that way... It is only that I cannot think of a certain Nirvana song, it is only that voice... OK, I will give my two Nirvana Cds a listening, and see what I can come up with...

I wonder if Nirvana ever declared being influenced by Led Zeppelin...

 

[Aman]

If I remember, a lot of Nirvana tracks actually take lead progressions/melodies from other artists. I remember hearing a lot of Blue Oyster Cult in "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and I read later that this was, shamelessly, not a coincidence at all. Like they always say, the best comedians always steal others' jokes. Influences are key in the progression of a band's sound.

 

[sTisTi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman If I remember, a lot of Nirvana tracks actually take lead progressions/melodies from other artists. I remember hearing a lot of Blue Oyster Cult in "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and I read later that this was, shamelessly, not a coincidence at all.

The Pixies' "U-Mass" is another quite obvious 'source' of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

 

[Scrith]

I'm a huge Pixies fan, and I think they had a lot of influence (along with Sonic Youth) on Nirvana, but I'm pretty sure Nevermind came out (particularly the Smells Like Teen Spirit single) a little before Tromple Le Monde? You know, in retrospect, I wonder if Nirvana's amazing popularity had a negative effect on The Pixies as a band, given that their last album was released at about the same time.

 

[sTisTi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrith I'm a huge Pixies fan, and I think they had a lot of influence (along with Sonic Youth) on Nirvana, but I'm pretty sure Nevermind came out (particularly the Smells Like Teen Spirit single) a little before Tromple Le Monde?

It seems you are right: I tried to find out more about it, and that's what I found at a page (http://www.last.fm/user/MattWhitwort...06/03/3/88276/):
Quote:

Trompe le Monde the album were U-Mass comes from was Released on October 8, 1991. Nevermind was released on September 24, 1991. So it's impossible that either of them knew that they were using the same gitar-rif.

But I also found that (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11825670/):
Quote:

Kurt Cobain admitted that when he wrote “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana’s first hit, he was basically trying to rip off the Pixies

 

[Rempert]

Kurt Cobain admitted that when he wrote “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana’s first hit, he was basically trying to rip off the Pixies

I doubt he was talking about the riff from "U-Mass". He probably also wasn't referring to the general style, since that would apply to every Nirvana song.

Most likely, by "rip off the Pixies" he meant that he would use the most annoying singing voice humanly imaginable to sing lyrics which rhyme extremely well but make no sense whatsoever. Something like "Levitate Me". Are there any karaoke versions of the Pixies albums?

Although, none of this is helping to find the Led Zep connection.

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman If I remember, a lot of Nirvana tracks actually take lead progressions/melodies from other artists. .

correct

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman I remember hearing a lot of Blue Oyster Cult in "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and I read later that this was, shamelessly, not a coincidence at all.

uhhh, the hit SLTS stemmed directly from Pixies song Debaser, Kurts words in a 1994 Rolling Stone interview...sorry. Read about it here

The band killed Pixies-Surfer Rosa on their Bleach tour, listening to it repeatedly..and in many interviews Nirvana speaks to the influence that the Pixies had on them..not to mention the Meat Puppets, The Vaselines, blah blah etc. Where did you read where this was not a coincidence (Nirvana making SLTS in efforts to emulate BOC? This is news to me??)

Don't take my word for it, take his..
"In a January 1994 Rolling Stone magazine interview, Kurt admitted that Smells Like Teen Spirit was a result of attempts to write songs like those of the Pixies"

"I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily that I should have been in that band - or at least a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard." He also talked about his dislike for the song, mostly because of its success, and how "Drain You", from the same album, was "definitely as good as 'Teen Spirit'."
shown here


Now we must all wait till the truth surfaces one day on the horrific end to KC's life, it will be delayed at least until that little girl grows up, and supersedes Courtney Love's audacity and control over the matter..
Here is a great video if you have not seen yet, rent it..

If someone that hates Nirvana is still reading (bravo), I urge you to listen to With The Lights Out , Disc 2, with Kurt pretty much playing most of the songs in his head, pre band, pre hoopLA, very interesting and well done, full of intrique and rawness, Great stuff for Grunge/Indie fans IMO..

On this set you will hear/see the influence of Led Zepp on the bands music, as the opening video/song on the Nirvana "With the Lights Out" is Heartbreaker from Led Zeppelin II which Nirvana recorded in '87, also in this set was Moby Dick, also a Zep song..

Edit: Sorry for the thread-jack, I get excited talking about music history :O

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rempert Most likely, by "rip off the Pixies" he meant that he would use the most annoying singing voice humanly imaginable to sing lyrics which rhyme extremely well but make no sense whatsoever. Something like "Levitate Me".

uhh, by rip off the Pixies, Kurt stated that the band exibited the Pixies ability to create melodies/songs that have quiet and roaring parts to produce Nirvanas sound on Smells like....

('quiet bit/loud bit' dynamic)