The 1971 song 'Black Dog' by Led Zeppelin is a fascinating example of the band's creative process and their ability to absorb and transform influences. While it's been noted that the song bears a passing resemblance to Peter Green's 'Oh Well' by Fleetwood Mac, this is not a case of direct plagiarism but rather a testament to the band's skill in pushing familiar ideas into new territory.
In my opinion, what makes this particularly intriguing is the idea that originality in rock music is not about creating something from nothing, but rather about taking existing influences and pushing them into unexplored territory. This is a concept that many artists, including Led Zeppelin, have embraced throughout history. The band's genius lay in their ability to absorb influences and transform them into something entirely their own, often reshaping familiar ideas into music that felt revolutionary.
One thing that immediately stands out is the band's penchant for stealing riffs from other people. Throughout their time together, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were known for trying their hand at old blues standards or reworking those older songs into their demented riffs. This is evident in their co-opting of the standard 'Killing Floor' for 'The Lemon Song' on their second outing. By the time they reached their fourth album, they had turned into a rock and roll tour de force, with little to no promotion to sell the record. This album, their untitled masterpiece, contained one classic after another, including 'Rock and Roll' and their magnum opus 'Stairway to Heaven'.
The song 'Black Dog' is a prime example of this process. While Page is happy to give credit to John Paul Jones for coming up with the riff, he admitted there may have been some overlapping influence. Around the same time that Zeppelin was mining their typical hard rock songs, Page thought that 'Black Dog' bore a passing resemblance to what Peter Green was doing in Fleetwood Mac. This connection is particularly interesting because it highlights the band's ability to absorb and transform influences, rather than simply copying them.
What many people don't realize is that this unconscious borrowing is a common practice in rock music. Many artists, including Led Zeppelin, have been known to steal riffs from other people, often transforming them into something entirely their own. This is evident in the band's use of a deceptive sense of timing in 'Black Dog', where the band turns the time around when the riff changes key, almost sounding out of sync with the drums before going back into the standard pattern on a dime. This technique was later used by Soundgarden in the verses of their song 'Spoonman'.
In conclusion, 'Black Dog' serves as a reminder that originality in rock music is rarely about creating something from nothing. More often, it comes from taking existing influences and pushing them into unexplored territory. Led Zeppelin may have borrowed a spark from Fleetwood Mac, but the fire they created remains uniquely their own. This is a testament to the band's skill in absorbing and transforming influences, rather than simply copying them.
