I think partly what makes it so great is all the contrast within the bass parts. Between the legato and staccato notes, repeated notes vs. the runs, syncopation in some sections, range of the bass lines from highest to lowest notes and on and (ramble) on
Bass playing isn't about being flashy, it's about carrying the heart of the song all the way through the track. you see these "slap" guys doing solo stuff all the time, but being able to keep the song flowing is an art.
they were each a little unruly but they knew how to curb it for the good of the band. all those bands had a lot of inside fighting and that just goes with the territory so, in it to win it, or go big or go home, something like that
JPJ is one of the finest musicians on the planet and not just on bass. I had the privilege of seeing Led Zeppelin back in about 1970 and they put on a 3 hour plus show. Jones not only played bass but also 6 and 12 string acoustics, banjo, mandolin, keyboards, and a few instruments whose identity I did not even know. What's a shame is that he was so overshadowed by the other three. The "quiet one".........and a musical genius to boot.
He liked the background. He'd get a different haircut before every tour to have some freedom. He saw Jimmy and Robert caged up and didn't want to live like that. Truly a musical genius.
The show was at the fairgrounds arena in OK City. Plant was just as strong at the end as he was at the beginning and he did some fantastic harp work. Page, Plant, and Jones got a 20 minute break halfway through with Bonham flailing away with everything in the book on drums. Best of all, the show was free. A guy who had a pair of great seats could not go so he gave them to a friend of mine. The buddy saw me a few days later and asked if I wanted one of the tickets so off we go.
Imagine, you're in a band and this guy, one of the best musicians on the planet, is your least remarkable member. Edit: Friends, thank you for all the thumbs up and let me be clear; John Paul Jones is my favourite member of Led Zeppelin and I believe he is definitely the most under-appreciated.
Maybe we can say “least venerated” rather than “least remarkable”...? Or maybe “least in the spotlight” or “least we’ll known”...? He’s just so great...
I’m glad I checked your channel’s playlists before I walked into your trap. I think someone who has a dedicated Queen playlist on their channel, of all people, would know who Roger Deacon is.
We're the legit, low-key Chads of the band. Bassists are the alphas who hold everything together while the drummer, guitarist and vocalist are engaged in their theatrics.
Bass is crazy important. Unfortunately, in modern rock a very large % of gigging bass players are guitarists who were not good enough to get a band spot on guitar. Holding the root down does the job. Many VERY amazing bands had/have boring and uninspired bass players that fill that basic role. Lots of shredder guitarists actually prefer a root riding bassist. Not trying to cast shade on that style, it certainly works. However, there are those among us who heard the rumble and never considered 6 strings an option. A musician who thinks like a bass player can make a good band amazing. Lead guitar gets a couple spots per song to shine. A great bass player might not be noticed as much, but they are adding sparkle the entire song!
Cash. Jimmy has always neglected to give JPJ his credit for production and writing at least half of the music on every album. It's a whole lot cheaper to hire a journeyman bassist and split the savings between Jimmy and Robert.
I'm pretty sure I remember reading that JPJ turned down the offer. He was busy doing production work with bands like R.E.M. and had left Led Zep in his rear view
No it looked callous. And understandably didn’t go down too well with JPJ. Took several justifiablesideswipes at them for that. The bass player for Page and Plant in 94 was....Charlie Jones - Plant’s son in law. Poor.
JP Jones and Bonzo were as solid and secure as is possible in a live situation. They also had the ability to fill-in and improvise which allowed Page the freedom to take whatever direction he pleased on the spot.
Truth. I often tell people that Led Zeppelin is the musical equivalent of the PERFECT pepperoni pizza. Plant was the cheese, and Page the pepperoni: they get noticed most and the most recognition. Bonzo was the buttery, heavy, crust: a foundation on which everything was built. But the magic..... ah the magic...... is the sauce. Jonesey's cool-head, beyond amazing basslines, and talents brought it all together - and KEPT it together. John Paul Jones is my hero. LZ is my favorite band.
JPJ was quiet and unassuming and let Page and Plant take on the face of LZ but he was a well-established and sought-after session player (like Page) before LZ.
I love how "imperfect" it is. When dropped in the track it ebbs and flows against all the other tracks, but in isolation, it shows how great he is, but at the same time, a little imperfection here and there... which makes it human, a living, breathing, organic masterpiece... not the machine-honed crap of 100 takes and edits of protools and quantized click tracks. THIS IS VERY MUSICAL!!! Imperfectly PERFECT!
Am I right or wrong if i say zeps recording process was a bit less high tech even back then compared to heart, kiss, ELO, Queen, bee gees etc...high quality recordings yes but as u say, "Organic"
I don't know about their equipment per se, but definitely they were trying to capture a much more spontaneous feel than ELO or Queen, so yeah, organic.
yes sir i cover zeppelin songs hes an awesome bass player very smooth an a lot of rhythm we cover from metallica to iron maiden black sabbath but i refuse to play anything other than cliffs work hate robert newsted was an amzing bass player but the turned him down way to much its a shame
This bass line always used to put me to sleep as a kid, comfort me during hard times and let me enjoy every great moment to the fullest. Music like this is so underated in that it speaks to everyone no matter what language you speak or God you believe in.
So understand this man. This song is like an anthem since childhood. I love the sense of wandering it captures and that little bit of heartache ..its beautiful. I ended up on a helicopter tour in Iceland .. one of things I used to dream about as a kid listening to Zeppelin ...So the pilot puts me into headphones that were marked with TC. He had spent weeks flying Tom Crusie around filming Oblivion..the main song that was featured in that movie was Ramble On. I call that God.
y'know, george thought it was hilarious that he got tagged as the quiet beatle, it all had to do with a nasty flu on that very first tour..... tom petty said he was hilarious, and never shut up.....
Perhaps very young George. But I would not call George Harrison unassuming. He had a very strong personality manifested in eastern music, spirituality, and film production. "She's a drag, a well-known drag."
No John Paul Jones, no Led Zeppelin. Thanks so much for posting this. His true brilliance shows during the long fade out. What a monster of a musician.
What I hate is people saying things like "Jonesy deserved more notice", " No one notices Jonesy" etcetera. Jonesy didn't like fame, he detested it. He'd much rather have been at home with his family.
Dude, when you are the bassist of Led Zeppelin, you are simply not unnoticed or underrated. This is Led Zeppelin we're talking about. The dude has a version on one of the hits of his band only with his instrument and it hits 200k views; of course everyone speaks more of page and plant but jonesy is not unknown, period, whether he liked it or not.
wasn't to happy in the nineties when they never asked him to tour, and thats the truth bummer they never asked him to even be on the album they was promoting.
Plus the general insincere wankery of people who talk this or that musician being "underrated", that's just code for "wow look how amazing I am for noticing that this guy can play"
That's the way every bass should be played. I wish more bass players would unlock the bass's potential like John Paul Jones did. One of the best bassists of all time. And Ramble On is just perfection. Zeppelin was a hell of a band.
People are quick to say no he isn't and yet he plays over 20 instruments...what made Led Zeppelin so special is all 4 were powerhouses...Jonesy was just the understated one to many but not to all :)
JPJ, John Deacon and Geezer Butler are my 3 most favourite bassists of all time. The way they were able to add their own groove to the song without being too flashy while complementing the guitar was so brilliant. 🤘🏻
Probably the most influential bass player within a band that there is/was. He doesn't stand out but if he wasn't there it would be a huge game changer. If Led Zeppelin had a different bass player their music would have had a completely different feel. He quietly gave Led Zeppelin a swagger that no other band really had. People will still be talking about him in 200 years
JPJ and Macca were the two best James Jamerson´s disciples, and here it shows.. Listen to the original Mountain High Enough isolated bass - there you have it all: this bass tune, almost to the note (in verse) .. the syncopation, and that swagger.. they both said he was their true master... as if you could not hear it 😊
@@sampickel1030 Exactly.. there´s no point in this contest Who was the best... they all were, but most importantly, they gelled together like no one else could - it all just fell in place
I always loved how he peppered his phrasing with those little vibrato wiggles. I always thought the bass was obscenely under mixed on most of Led Zeppelin tracks.
Yeah I have always felt that too. He is holding the grove and at the same time adding but not overpowering. I guess that truly is why he is such a great musician.Peace
One of the best bass lines ever written and played. And the way it fits the song and counters the melody is just genius. A true work of bass-playing art.
Oh come on 😉... you cant say THAT about any musician, living or dead.. there were so many greats. He just could do things Page couldnt - and vice versa. And they both were so well versed from their studio time pre-Zep... like twins. And when Bonzo and Plant came in - it just clicked big time. Thats why Zep were the greatest.
dear tomasvanecek , you should read korrectly what others write, braynturner ist talking about the greatest ALLROUND musician. I just can agree, brian johnes was a splendid allround one, he died to young, he would have come much better by the age when he would have not died. @@tomasvanecek8626
I don't believe in g.o.a.t. tags on any person in any endeavor since it is subjective to their time. But JPJ is a remarkable musician and a multi-instrumentalist which gave him a musical vision beyond just one single instrument. He is a really good mandolin player. Other instruments he plays: Electric organ and piano, Harp, mellotron, guitar,recorder, lap steel, ukulele, sitar, banjo, cello, double bass. There are more instruments. He was /is a producer and arranger as well. Pretty amazing and well rounded musically.
@@BeesWaxMinder I don't think it's a pedal. Sounds like the amp is overdriving on the low E. I don't know the bass he used but it sounds like a Fender P Bass to me.
@@BeesWaxMinder yeah, as others have pointed out, The whole line is overdriven. They're not running this through a compressor, so the low frequencies are naturally a bit louder. That takes the overdriven sound and, since this is a tube amp, pushed it into some nice pleasant distortion.
@Nairam Diam According to the fender bass setup guide, the E string should be the furthest string from the pickups. This is to compensate for string thickness. This is how all fender basses ship from the factory. Stop spreading misinformation.
Jones and Bonham were the backbone of the band. I give Page credit for his incredible producer skills allowing us to listen to ALL the instruments equally well. He knew how lucky he was to have Jones and Bonham.
+Furious Sherman you must not be familiar with the bass playing of one Billy Sheehan. J.P.J amazing yes, Entwistle mindblowing pioneer yes, Chris Squire a beast! all great but Sheehan is just on a league of his own. out of this world.
Both beautiful and phenomenal at the same time. His Motown and Stax influences predominate and I think that’s one of the things it makes him such a great bass player. As a bassist myself I don’t think I could even approach this level of fantastic...
This is without a doubt John Paul Jones. It's in the tone, the fingerpicking etc. not to mention it's literally note for note even through the ending fills... Yes, as a bassist for 20 plus years, I can say that if you isolate bass, especially bass recorded 40 plus years ago, it's does pick up the buzzing, as well as minute timing errors, which even the greatest bass players tend to make. No doubt it's JPJ, and his improvisation on his basic line at the end is magical
Michael, Glad someone else picked up the occasional timing stutters and other minor errors in this piece. I think it is these little imperfections that are the real beauty in this, and indeed many other forms of art. Have always loved this particular bass line and if I could play a bass guitar anywhere near this well and with as much passion and vibe, I would throw all of my six string guitars in the fireplace.
Mistakes in the rhythm section are what make bands sound dynamic and real. Want perfection? That's ALL you get w/ modern bass recordings where producers cover the bass w/ a wash of compression and digital correction. And everybody sounds the same.
+Butch Jackson I'm sorry, no. You're thinking of quantizing, which is NOT precise. The grid in real life is not binary like on a computer. Music is dynamic if it's groovy - aka if you fit 1:1 to the grid, which is not one you can write down but you must feel, since all the accents are not equidistant. So yes, playing like a metronome makes you a bad musician, but that doesn't allow you to be any less precise that a metronome. You just have to select *better* than a metronome the moment that you'll hit *with the precision of* a metronome,
He created such dynamics and dimension in the band. Genius bass lines, haunting keyboard phrasing, and he could play any stringed instrument. A gentleman, and the most humble rock star on the planet. Listen to those runs at the end! Dam!!!
+Luke Valentino cello, flute, sitar, organ, guitar, harp, mandolin, lap steel guitar, uke, Kyoto, etc. & John Henry Bohnam(RIP) is one if my favorite drummers as well.
I saw Zeppelin twice. It amazed me how many instruments JPJ played. He really filled in a lot oh holes. Under appreciated member of the band in my opinion.
omg, what a fucking bass player! Truly a wizz. At the end you can hear a very strong jazz influence in his playing. That's what made him stand out from other rock bassists.
Just imagine your in a band quite big in your local area, and your the bassist, and just pretend that ramble on is one your bands songs. Lets just say that the guitarist thinks hes the best and thinks he everything. And lets pretend that he is a bit of a douche to the bass player and never bothers to give the bass parts for the bassist to learn. So, then the bassist goes to him and says "hey man, I dont know my parts you never gave them to me", and the guitarist replies " well that aint my problem, you should have called me or something". Then the bassist says "so what do I do" and he replies, "I dunno man just play 16th notes or something". Then you go out on stage and then play this bassline, kicking ass while you do it. Then when the song ends and you look over to the guitarist with a smug grin on you face and see him with his mouth wide open, and you casually wink at him while leaving stage saying "was that good enough for ya"??. Just think about that, just think how nice that would feel
Started playing bass as a teen in '76, listened to this over and over with the headphones on, finally got it right, Never. Love JPJ. Thanks for sharing.
Ridiculously talented, obviously. Without an inflated ego. Just seems like a really nice guy that happens to be one of the best musicians ever. Never seen a negative comment. Referred to as a secret weapon probably more than anyone , in any context. Under rated by the way he's perceived not by the quality of his work. Big difference. This shows the essence of human nature and says more about the people listening than about him. They want drama and a fake "show" most of the time. I'd take this any day of the week. Pop stars and rock stars could learn some serious lessons from him.
I remember driving iny car one day listening to this song. I'd heard it a million times before and it got to the chorus, the bass strucke in a way it never had before. I thought, " man this is really good bass work!" Thereafter any time a Zeppelin song came on I'd pay attention to the bass. JPJ is a great bassist. Jonesy man, kudos to you!
The James Jamerson of rock. LZ II is a masterclass on how to play rock and blues bass. This, the lemon song, what is and should never be... Just so good!
Amazing how much detail here that gets drowned out in the mix. JPJ is a god.. We all know that. It's so nice listening to the remixed Zep CD's on a nice pair of headphones.. The 8-Track in my Buick didn't offer sure quality.. :)
Since I first heard this fifty years ago, this song has always been about the bass. The rest of the song on top of it is fabulous too, but for fifty years, if you say "Ramble On", the bass instantly starts playing in my head.
One of my musical heroes from my earliest days! This is such an awesome a demonstration (of how to play rock bass), on one of my favorite Zep tunes of all time.
As much a genius as Jimmy's "light and shade" on this track, it's hard to ignore this groove that holds everything together. Was mesmerized first time hearing the entire album.
@@CorePathway that's the beauty of his playing. It's unnecessary to have technical prowress and complication when you have a Groove that fits so perfectly like his does, but I totally see your point. This would piss off a lot of music snobs...
This is great. It is very difficult to fully track the bass through the sounds of the other instruments. When I was a kid listening to this song, portions of the bass line always stood out, and what I retained in my memory.
The spine that kept Led Zeppelin's music fckin clean and a sort of guy that put them on a leach when things went south of the border. A joy to find this. Thanks uploader
This bass line is so delicious. Love it. JPJ was great bassist, and multiinstrumentslist. I love Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple too. So talented player.
What a joy to listen to this bass line seperate from the entirety of the song. It truly illustrates how much his creativity really molded the timeless sound of Zeppelin.
One of the most iconic bass lines of all time.
Agreed one of the best baselines of all time
No doubt
Agreed. Legendary. Epic. Still innovative and fresh. Brilliance.
I think partly what makes it so great is all the contrast within the bass parts. Between the legato and staccato notes, repeated notes vs. the runs, syncopation in some sections, range of the bass lines from highest to lowest notes and on and (ramble) on
Easily one of my all time favorites too
Whenever i hear this song, i always end up "singing" the bass. It's just too damn good.
Me too
Same here because it’s a song on its own. That’s how good Led Zeppelin was.
Me tooo!!
Yep, me too. It’s a great bass line!
Just did... dammit 🤣
Bass playing isn't about being flashy, it's about carrying the heart of the song all the way through the track. you see these "slap" guys doing solo stuff all the time, but being able to keep the song flowing is an art.
Perfectly right! There's a time and place for a bass solo, but much like a drum solo, don't bore us to death with overindulgence.
Slap yer mama! J/k..lol
Guitar solos get the cheers.
Bass moves keeps the butts moving in the crowd.
what if someone is capable of both 🤔
@@mj2208 Then you have Geddy Lee
Bonzo is a beast, Jimmy is a wizard, but JPJ is a genius. The fact that a band like Led Zeppelin even existed is absolutely incredible
They were wonderful.
they were each a little unruly but they knew how to curb it for the good of the band. all those bands had a lot of inside fighting and that just goes with the territory so, in it to win it, or go big or go home, something like that
Lemon song says it all my man
All four were just an amazing conglomeration
JPJ and John Bonham is the dream rhythm section.😎
The secret weapon of Led Zeppelin, off to one side away from Jimmy Page just doing awesome stuff on every track.
Hey leokim!
EXACTLY.
no man john bonham is the reason theyre so amazing the relationship or friendship shall we call it between bonham and page
I agree
I agree
JPJ is one of the finest musicians on the planet and not just on bass. I had the privilege of seeing Led Zeppelin back in about 1970 and they put on a 3 hour plus show.
Jones not only played bass but also 6 and 12 string acoustics, banjo, mandolin, keyboards, and a few instruments whose identity I did not even know.
What's a shame is that he was so overshadowed by the other three. The "quiet one".........and a musical genius to boot.
contrabass too ;)
He liked the background. He'd get a different haircut before every tour to have some freedom. He saw Jimmy and Robert caged up and didn't want to live like that. Truly a musical genius.
Wow 3 hours? Robert Plant didn't shred his voice from screaming for 3 hours? Where did you attend the concert in 1970?
The show was at the fairgrounds arena in OK City. Plant was just as strong at the end as he was at the beginning and he did some fantastic harp work.
Page, Plant, and Jones got a 20 minute break halfway through with Bonham flailing away with everything in the book on drums.
Best of all, the show was free. A guy who had a pair of great seats could not go so he gave them to a friend of mine. The buddy saw me a few days later and asked if I wanted one of the tickets so off we go.
iwubfood k
Imagine, you're in a band and this guy, one of the best musicians on the planet, is your least remarkable member.
Edit: Friends, thank you for all the thumbs up and let me be clear; John Paul Jones is my favourite member of Led Zeppelin and I believe he is definitely the most under-appreciated.
kind of like Alex Lifeson in Rush...
It really is astonishing!!!
Maybe we can say “least venerated” rather than “least remarkable”...? Or maybe “least in the spotlight” or “least we’ll known”...? He’s just so great...
This may not have been a bad thing. I remember an interview saying he could walk in the street without being mobbed.
I’m glad I checked your channel’s playlists before I walked into your trap. I think someone who has a dedicated Queen playlist on their channel, of all people, would know who Roger Deacon is.
So rare to hear a standalone bass line that commands your attention all on its own. Jones is something else.
It really does, always did and will continue to do so.
The bass is one of the most underrated instruments.
Seriously. A good bass player can make a trope of trash musicians palatable
Almost as underrated as the didgeridoo.
yup! i’m learning this on bass atm, not easy to learn but definitely fun!
We're the legit, low-key Chads of the band. Bassists are the alphas who hold everything together while the drummer, guitarist and vocalist are engaged in their theatrics.
Bass is crazy important. Unfortunately, in modern rock a very large % of gigging bass players are guitarists who were not good enough to get a band spot on guitar.
Holding the root down does the job. Many VERY amazing bands had/have boring and uninspired bass players that fill that basic role. Lots of shredder guitarists actually prefer a root riding bassist. Not trying to cast shade on that style, it certainly works.
However, there are those among us who heard the rumble and never considered 6 strings an option. A musician who thinks like a bass player can make a good band amazing. Lead guitar gets a couple spots per song to shine. A great bass player might not be noticed as much, but they are adding sparkle the entire song!
Never sat well with me that Page and Plant had shows without JPJ
Completely agree. Makes you wonder what Plant/Page had against Jonesy.
Cash. Jimmy has always neglected to give JPJ his credit for production and writing at least half of the music on every album. It's a whole lot cheaper to hire a journeyman bassist and split the savings between Jimmy and Robert.
I'm pretty sure I remember reading that JPJ turned down the offer. He was busy doing production work with bands like R.E.M. and had left Led Zep in his rear view
No it looked callous. And understandably didn’t go down too well with JPJ. Took several justifiablesideswipes at them for that. The bass player for Page and Plant in 94 was....Charlie Jones - Plant’s son in law. Poor.
Musically I think he outgrew Led Zeppelin. Look at his body of work after Led Zeppelin.
The most addictive bass line ever
And dazed
...and the lemon song
Tony Martinez That one kinda goes all over the place at times but the main riff yeah
Tony Martinez That's actually one of Jonesy's best basslines it's so interesting
It's easy to learn... except for that middle part.
The bass line is the heart and soul of this song. It tells a beautiful story on its own, and does it perfectly.
He and John created such a wall Jimmy could leave all kinds of holes.
Baggman i think this is the best description of the band ive heard so far
JP Jones and Bonzo were as solid and secure as is possible in a live situation. They also had the ability to fill-in and improvise which allowed Page the freedom to take whatever direction he pleased on the spot.
Truth.
I often tell people that Led Zeppelin is the musical equivalent of the PERFECT pepperoni pizza. Plant was the cheese, and Page the pepperoni: they get noticed most and the most recognition. Bonzo was the buttery, heavy, crust: a foundation on which everything was built. But the magic..... ah the magic...... is the sauce. Jonesey's cool-head, beyond amazing basslines, and talents brought it all together - and KEPT it together.
John Paul Jones is my hero. LZ is my favorite band.
Les Deffner m
Jon *
I don't know anything about playing bass, but I know this is brilliant.
I do and it is
Most underrated member of Led Zeppelin, and yet such a vital part of their sound.
Rolling stone: "sum up Led Zeppelin in one word".
Robert Plant: "John Paul Jones".
I wouldn’t say under rated at all.. I feel it’s well known all four members were amazing at their instrument..
JPJ was quiet and unassuming and let Page and Plant take on the face of LZ but he was a well-established and sought-after session player (like Page) before LZ.
@@Philo-ul2uq Rolling Stone have No Credibility what so ever......But that's about the only sensible thing I've heard from them!
Big JPJ fan and I would agree. JPJ with JB, JP and RP... One of a kind
I love how "imperfect" it is. When dropped in the track it ebbs and flows against all the other tracks, but in isolation, it shows how great he is, but at the same time, a little imperfection here and there... which makes it human, a living, breathing, organic masterpiece... not the machine-honed crap of 100 takes and edits of protools and quantized click tracks. THIS IS VERY MUSICAL!!! Imperfectly PERFECT!
Am I right or wrong if i say zeps recording process was a bit less high tech even back then compared to heart, kiss, ELO, Queen, bee gees etc...high quality recordings yes but as u say, "Organic"
I don't know about their equipment per se, but definitely they were trying to capture a much more spontaneous feel than ELO or Queen, so yeah, organic.
Sounds much better this way
Another cringe comment by an old person hating technology lmao.
The new will replace the old
Yesss!!!! Exactly! Absolutely love the “organic” sound!
if your band plays led zeppelin and you're the bassist you have BIG FUCKIN RESPONSIBILITY
what a touch jpj has, simply inimitable
Yup. Page can mess up as much as he wants, but Bonham and Jonesy have to keep it together.
if your band plays zeppelin and you're in the band YOU HAVE A BIG FUCKING RESPONSIBILITY.
+awesomeguy2469
haha exactly
yes sir i cover zeppelin songs hes an awesome bass player very smooth an a lot of rhythm we cover from metallica to iron maiden black sabbath but i refuse to play anything other than cliffs work hate robert newsted was an amzing bass player but the turned him down way to much its a shame
Easily the most competent musician in the group.
This bass line always used to put me to sleep as a kid, comfort me during hard times and let me enjoy every great moment to the fullest. Music like this is so underated in that it speaks to everyone no matter what language you speak or God you believe in.
So understand this man. This song is like an anthem since childhood. I love the sense of wandering it captures and that little bit of heartache ..its beautiful. I ended up on a helicopter tour in Iceland .. one of things I used to dream about as a kid listening to Zeppelin ...So the pilot puts me into headphones that were marked with TC. He had spent weeks flying Tom Crusie around filming Oblivion..the main song that was featured in that movie was Ramble On. I call that God.
Probably why I picked up a bass
The quiet unassuming one in the band,like George Harrison was.
And underrated like George!
And Alex Lifeson of Rush
y'know, george thought it was hilarious that he got tagged as the quiet beatle, it all had to do with a nasty flu on that very first tour..... tom petty said he was hilarious, and never shut up.....
Perhaps very young George. But I would not call George Harrison unassuming. He had a very strong personality manifested in eastern music, spirituality, and film production. "She's a drag, a well-known drag."
Except George couldn't play for sh*t!
No John Paul Jones, no Led Zeppelin. Thanks so much for posting this. His true brilliance shows during the long fade out. What a monster of a musician.
I'll go further, I cannot imagine Zeppelin without any member of the band. That's why they ended it when Bonham died. Unique.
What I hate is people saying things like "Jonesy deserved more notice", " No one notices Jonesy" etcetera. Jonesy didn't like fame, he detested it. He'd much rather have been at home with his family.
Ha that is the same with several other bassists suck as John Deacon in Queen.
Hate fame is something bad?
Dude, when you are the bassist of Led Zeppelin, you are simply not unnoticed or underrated. This is Led Zeppelin we're talking about. The dude has a version on one of the hits of his band only with his instrument and it hits 200k views; of course everyone speaks more of page and plant but jonesy is not unknown, period, whether he liked it or not.
wasn't to happy in the nineties when they never asked him to tour, and thats the truth bummer they never asked him to even be on the album they was promoting.
Plus the general insincere wankery of people who talk this or that musician being "underrated", that's just code for "wow look how amazing I am for noticing that this guy can play"
That's the way every bass should be played. I wish more bass players would unlock the bass's potential like John Paul Jones did. One of the best bassists of all time. And Ramble On is just perfection. Zeppelin was a hell of a band.
yeahhh
Ashley Beckner This is not John Paul Jones playing...
TrulyGreenSolution.com
what the fuck? Shut up. OF COURSE this is John Paul Jones!! Are you dumb?!?!?
Janneke Goossens GROW UP.
.
He is hands down the best musician in the band . And a true gentleman in interviews . So humble and great character . JPJ forever!
Randy Marsh Tegridy farms forever!
Jimmy Page is a top 3 guitarist all time and Bonzo is the greatest rock drummer of all time. Come at me bro lol
Quarantine Special
Not really.
People are quick to say no he isn't and yet he plays over 20 instruments...what made Led Zeppelin so special is all 4 were powerhouses...Jonesy was just the understated one to many but not to all :)
JPJ, John Deacon and Geezer Butler are my 3 most favourite bassists of all time. The way they were able to add their own groove to the song without being too flashy while complementing the guitar was so brilliant. 🤘🏻
I was just thinking about John Deacon too..A lot of people still do not know that many of Queen's greatest hits were writen by John.
Roger Glover must be part of that list
Geddy?
Probably the most influential bass player within a band that there is/was. He doesn't stand out but if he wasn't there it would be a huge game changer. If Led Zeppelin had a different bass player their music would have had a completely different feel. He quietly gave Led Zeppelin a swagger that no other band really had. People will still be talking about him in 200 years
Macca was quite influential.
You could say the same thing about all 3 other members . Thst is what made them superior
JPJ and Macca were the two best James Jamerson´s disciples, and here it shows.. Listen to the original Mountain High Enough isolated bass - there you have it all: this bass tune, almost to the note (in verse) .. the syncopation, and that swagger.. they both said he was their true master... as if you could not hear it 😊
@@strexus see my last comment, about Macca and JPJ...
@@sampickel1030 Exactly.. there´s no point in this contest Who was the best... they all were,
but most importantly, they gelled together like no one else could - it all just fell in place
I always loved how he peppered his phrasing with those little vibrato wiggles. I always thought the bass was obscenely under mixed on most of Led Zeppelin tracks.
Explained to me once as a way to allow more 'room' for Bonham's giant-sounding drums. But I know what you mean...
Obscenely undermixed, yes most definitely.
Yeah Eddie Kramer, what a neophyte.
Yeah I have always felt that too. He is holding the grove and at the same time adding but not overpowering. I guess that truly is why he is such a great musician.Peace
Lol, which Zeppelin songs are you listening to?
i never realized how peaceful ramble on sounded
elenchus It’s my go to happy song.
Favorite bass track from Led Zeppelin. Always loved this.
That's another good one,
+Pete Floyd Jones shreds on that song
Simply awesome.
Lemon Song is pretty epic
And Rover
This bass line always stands out whenever I hear this song. It gets into your soul.
One of the best bass lines ever written and played. And the way it fits the song and counters the melody is just genius. A true work of bass-playing art.
JPJ is quite possibly the greatest all around musician in the world
Oh come on 😉... you cant say THAT about any musician, living or dead.. there were so many greats.
He just could do things Page couldnt - and vice versa. And they both were so well versed from
their studio time pre-Zep... like twins. And when Bonzo and Plant came in - it just clicked big time.
Thats why Zep were the greatest.
That's an extremely tall order. But he is amazing
Dude can play anything and it makes it sound damn good.
dear tomasvanecek , you should read korrectly what others write, braynturner ist talking about the greatest ALLROUND musician. I just can agree, brian johnes was a splendid allround one, he died to young, he would have come much better by the age when he would have not died. @@tomasvanecek8626
I don't believe in g.o.a.t. tags on any person in any endeavor since it is subjective to their time. But JPJ is a remarkable musician and a multi-instrumentalist which gave him a musical vision beyond just one single instrument.
He is a really good mandolin player.
Other instruments he plays:
Electric organ and piano,
Harp, mellotron, guitar,recorder, lap steel, ukulele, sitar, banjo, cello, double bass.
There are more instruments.
He was /is a producer and arranger as well.
Pretty amazing and well rounded musically.
That distortion on the low E just sticks out and really makes the song drive. There's a sweetness, but that nasty low E tone is just nasty.
Sean Landis
Is it a fuzz pedal?
What bass is he using?
@@BeesWaxMinder I don't think it's a pedal. Sounds like the amp is overdriving on the low E. I don't know the bass he used but it sounds like a Fender P Bass to me.
@@BeesWaxMinder yeah, as others have pointed out, The whole line is overdriven. They're not running this through a compressor, so the low frequencies are naturally a bit louder. That takes the overdriven sound and, since this is a tube amp, pushed it into some nice pleasant distortion.
@@MrBreakstuff I would describe this as extraordinarily unpleasant distortion.
@Nairam Diam According to the fender bass setup guide, the E string should be the furthest string from the pickups. This is to compensate for string thickness. This is how all fender basses ship from the factory. Stop spreading misinformation.
I've said it before. Best musician in the band.
Hands down. Especially considering he could have also been the drummer, or the lead guitar player.
Haha, he said he decided to play bass because he couldn't take a drum kit on the bus, lol.
Nostatic Atall definitely the best all around musician. wouldn't be surprised if he could play the drums as well.
He's huge into playing mandolin now. He shows up to the big Bluegrass festivals.
Bradley Pressley how do you know that?
Jones and Bonham were the backbone of the band. I give Page credit for his incredible producer skills allowing us to listen to ALL the instruments equally well. He knew how lucky he was to have Jones and Bonham.
I never noticed how much he just goes off at the end. That was really cool to hear.
the 1st time I heard this I knew what instrument I wanted to play.
he was also my inspiration.
Piano?
bass
sounds like a didgerydoo.
Nope, that is absolutely and positively a bassoon.
My all time favorite bassist
Dovah Bear agreed
What about Duff McAgan?
HAHAHAHA! I love you!
Furious Sherman I agree that Enwhistle the best bassist though JPJ was a excellent player and I think he is underrated
+Furious Sherman
you must not be familiar with the bass playing of one Billy Sheehan. J.P.J amazing yes, Entwistle mindblowing pioneer yes, Chris Squire a beast!
all great but Sheehan is just on a league of his own. out of this world.
Both beautiful and phenomenal at the same time. His Motown and Stax influences predominate and I think that’s one of the things it makes him such a great bass player. As a bassist myself I don’t think I could even approach this level of fantastic...
JPJ was the invisible glue that held the whole band together. So underrated
John and other john were the best rythm section to ever exist and i doubt if we will ever see a better one
Entwistle and Moon
Peart/Lee..
hard to argue
Mani and reni
This is without a doubt John Paul Jones. It's in the tone, the fingerpicking etc. not to mention it's literally note for note even through the ending fills... Yes, as a bassist for 20 plus years, I can say that if you isolate bass, especially bass recorded 40 plus years ago, it's does pick up the buzzing, as well as minute timing errors, which even the greatest bass players tend to make. No doubt it's JPJ, and his improvisation on his basic line at the end is magical
Michael,
Glad someone else picked up the occasional timing stutters and other minor errors in this piece. I think it is these little imperfections that are the real beauty in this, and indeed many other forms of art. Have always loved this particular bass line and if I could play a bass guitar anywhere near this well and with as much passion and vibe, I would throw all of my six string guitars in the fireplace.
Mistakes in the rhythm section are what make bands sound dynamic and real. Want perfection? That's ALL you get w/ modern bass recordings where producers cover the bass w/ a wash of compression and digital correction. And everybody sounds the same.
You've all said it, perfectly. Amen.
+Butch Jackson I'm sorry, no. You're thinking of quantizing, which is NOT precise. The grid in real life is not binary like on a computer. Music is dynamic if it's groovy - aka if you fit 1:1 to the grid, which is not one you can write down but you must feel, since all the accents are not equidistant.
So yes, playing like a metronome makes you a bad musician, but that doesn't allow you to be any less precise that a metronome. You just have to select *better* than a metronome the moment that you'll hit *with the precision of* a metronome,
I don't think this is quite as smooth sounding as the way he plays on the cd or vinyl
Even just listening to him play his part is so relaxing and enjoyable.
Truth.
Will never hear Ramble On the same way again. Love it!
He really is the best musician in Led Zeppelin by a country mile.
He created such dynamics and dimension in the band. Genius bass lines, haunting keyboard phrasing, and he could play any stringed instrument. A gentleman, and the most humble rock star on the planet. Listen to those runs at the end! Dam!!!
that last minute... lord
favorite instrumentalist. . forever.
what other instruments can he play?
+Luke Valentino cello, flute, sitar, organ, guitar, harp, mandolin, lap steel guitar, uke, Kyoto, etc. & John Henry Bohnam(RIP) is one if my favorite drummers as well.
+Luke Valentino *Koto
+Luke Valentino If you are trolling, that was not cool. If your question is for real, then you are commenting the wrong video.
I'm not trolling, but sorry if you think i am
this bass line made me find my dad's old bass and tune it up just so I could learn this, and now i'm playing bass more than guitar. thank you JPJ!!
I saw Zeppelin twice. It amazed me how many instruments JPJ played. He really filled in a lot oh holes. Under appreciated member of the band in my opinion.
I remember learning this by ear 20 years ago. Wish we had isolated tracks back then!
what can you say? Perfect bass line to the perfect song... especially at 3:40 it's a groovy improvisation
Beautiful! His entire musicianship is pure artistry. JPJ played so many different instruments. Can’t imagine Zeppelin without him.
good to see JPJ getting love in these comments. He deserves it.
JPJ's playing on the Zep albums is fantastic and shows the breadth of his musical knowledge.
bass , keyboards , and mandolin this dude is freaking awesome . no more words .
omg, what a fucking bass player! Truly a wizz. At the end you can hear a very strong jazz influence in his playing. That's what made him stand out from other rock bassists.
There was so much damn talent in this band that most people didn’t realize this dude is one of the best rock bassists of all time
OMG JPJ's bass in this song,can be a song in and of itself!!! ROCKIN!!!
That moment when you tell your bass player, "I dunno. Just play 16th notes" and they freakin OWN the song.
Lol
Is that really what Page told JPJ? I’ve never heard that story before
Tom O'Connell... probably not, but if you listen to it, in the chorus, that’s what it is
Just imagine your in a band quite big in your local area, and your the bassist, and just pretend that ramble on is one your bands songs. Lets just say that the guitarist thinks hes the best and thinks he everything. And lets pretend that he is a bit of a douche to the bass player and never bothers to give the bass parts for the bassist to learn. So, then the bassist goes to him and says "hey man, I dont know my parts you never gave them to me", and the guitarist replies " well that aint my problem, you should have called me or something". Then the bassist says "so what do I do" and he replies, "I dunno man just play 16th notes or something". Then you go out on stage and then play this bassline, kicking ass while you do it. Then when the song ends and you look over to the guitarist with a smug grin on you face and see him with his mouth wide open, and you casually wink at him while leaving stage saying "was that good enough for ya"??. Just think about that, just think how nice that would feel
@@jimwolabaugh3608 JPJ wrote that bass line all by his lonesome Pagey didn't tell him squat. Armchair producers... pffft.
Started playing bass as a teen in '76, listened to this over and over with the headphones on, finally got it right, Never. Love JPJ. Thanks for sharing.
Glad to see Jones getting credit for his amazing contribution to my favorite band.
Ridiculously talented, obviously. Without an inflated ego. Just seems like a really nice guy that happens to be one of the best musicians ever. Never seen a negative comment. Referred to as a secret weapon probably more than anyone , in any context. Under rated by the way he's perceived not by the quality of his work. Big difference. This shows the essence of human nature and says more about the people listening than about him. They want drama and a fake "show" most of the time. I'd take this any day of the week. Pop stars and rock stars could learn some serious lessons from him.
As soon as the chorus starts this line goes intensely groovy!!!
I never thought I'd use that word!!
I remember driving iny car one day listening to this song. I'd heard it a million times before and it got to the chorus, the bass strucke in a way it never had before. I thought, " man this is really good bass work!" Thereafter any time a Zeppelin song came on I'd pay attention to the bass. JPJ is a great bassist. Jonesy man, kudos to you!
Still gives me chills. What a cool way to listen to this.
The James Jamerson of rock. LZ II is a masterclass on how to play rock and blues bass. This, the lemon song, what is and should never be... Just so good!
The greatest bassist and multi-instrumentalist in rock history...
So organic, not killed by overproduction. Sounds like he had the chord progressions down then just improv' ed the fills with his endless imagination.
John Paul Jones is a straight-up musical genius. He understands music on a level that surpasses 99.9999999% of mere mortals.
The bass and drums on this song are lovely.
Amazing how much detail here that gets drowned out in the mix. JPJ is a god.. We all know that. It's so nice listening to the remixed Zep CD's on a nice pair of headphones.. The 8-Track in my Buick didn't offer sure quality.. :)
No Zeppelin album or song has ever been remixed. Not even in 5.1. I think you mean remastered. remixed would be great though.
But the 8-track in the Buick had 1970's & 80's style!
Since I first heard this fifty years ago, this song has always been about the bass. The rest of the song on top of it is fabulous too, but for fifty years, if you say "Ramble On", the bass instantly starts playing in my head.
The greatest bass players of all-time. John, Paul, and John Paul.
The Master! He not only keeps the rhythm in this musically complex song, he's also constantly filling holes in the melody!
How can 122 people not like this?? One of the best grooves ever by one of the best ever!
No One can show me a Bass player like John Paul Jones Today....
The sound , The feel, The Timing, and the Groove...
I'd probably get a lot of hate for saying this anywhere else, but
Jones > Entwistle
Yup. Come at me people who disagree.
I'm trying to get there but I think I'm pretty close. I'll throw a clip up and you decide. Long live Zep!
Tal Wilkenfeld
I know rite? music today is not music just a lot of noise and does nothing for me!
There are literally so many better bass players around today it’s staggering. Your lack of bass player knowledge is hilarious though
JPJ is one of my favourite bassists. Great tune.
I have always told people how great his playing is in this song & this is the proof right here. This guy is a great musician. JPJ🤘
One from the best bass guitar player ever
One of my musical heroes from my earliest days! This is such an awesome a demonstration (of how to play rock bass), on one of my favorite Zep tunes of all time.
Legend!! Some of the Greatest bass lines ever written, insane talent!!
Probably the best pure musician in the band. Guy can play anything.
As much a genius as Jimmy's "light and shade" on this track, it's hard to ignore this groove that holds everything together. Was mesmerized first time hearing the entire album.
So much groove, feel, warmth and vibrato. Love his playing...recording to tape is the best.
One of the most talented musicians in the 20th century. IMO the most talented.
Honestly, how could 409 people give this a thumbs down?
Because you can't fix stupid
John Gramaglia Because it is so simplistic and non-technical.
@@CorePathway that's the beauty of his playing. It's unnecessary to have technical prowress and complication when you have a Groove that fits so perfectly like his does, but I totally see your point. This would piss off a lot of music snobs...
just hearing this makes me feel really good
Definitely one the most inventive bass lines of all time.
This is great. It is very difficult to fully track the bass through the sounds of the other instruments. When I was a kid listening to this song, portions of the bass line always stood out, and what I retained in my memory.
Thank you for posting this. I never noticed how adventurous it got at the end. One of the most beautiful baselines ever created
I literally don't care about Zeppelin at all, yet this absolutely blows my mind. Amazing.
THANK GOD WE STILL HAVE HIM..FANTASTIC
Wow, that is mellow gold, I could almost listen to that more than the original album.
His work on a 12 string bass is freaking amazing!! He is a TRUE bass hero!!!
The spine that kept Led Zeppelin's music fckin clean and a sort of guy that put them on a leach when things went south of the border. A joy to find this. Thanks uploader
I always thought that this was one of the funkiest bass licks ever.
This bass line is so delicious. Love it. JPJ was great bassist, and multiinstrumentslist. I love Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple too. So talented player.
Didn't realise he got so busy on the chorus. Will have to listen to the whole recording again now. Thanks for this
The bass seems so subtle in this song but it is the powerful vehicle that carries the ears down this river of notes.
What a joy to listen to this bass line seperate from the entirety of the song. It truly illustrates how much his creativity really molded the timeless sound of Zeppelin.