10 Rock Bands EVERYONE Tried To Copy
8. Led Zeppelin
As the hippie generation drew to a close, rock and roll found itself in a bit of a transitionary period. With the idealistic dreams of Jimi Hendrix in the rearview, a much heavier form of rock music began to emerge from the darkest depths of England. While a band like Black Sabbath may have the entire genre of metal to look after, you can't really talk about modern rock and not bring up Led Zeppelin.
Emerging from the ashes of the Yardbirds, Jimmy Page struck out on his own with the perfect model for the rock foursome. With Robert Plant upfront, kids found their new Golden God, whose mannerisms can be seen in everyone from David Lee Roth to Chris Cornell.
On the other end of the spectrum, John Bonham's animalistic way of approaching his drumkit left an impression on any skinsman willing to push his body to the very limit.
Though each member had their own importance, the real gamechanger was Jimmy Page's riff-based playing, which rewrote the way we traditionally thought about rock guitar. For generations now, any hard rock band worth its salt has the same riff-centric songwriting model that Jimmy Page implanted in their head.
Led Zeppelin may have had roots in the blues, but their voyage into darker territory became the template for every hard rock band to follow.