CARMINE APPICE: JIMI HENDRIX Didn't Like LED ZEPPELIN Because They Stole From Everybody

Jeb Wright of Classic Rock Revisted recently conducted an interview with legendary rock drummer Carmine Appice (VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS, BECK, BOGERT & APPICE, ROD STEWART, KING KOBRA, OZZY OSBOURNE). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Classic Rock Revisted: You have me curious with the news of "The Song Almost Remains the Same" [the upcoming VANILLA FUDGE album of LED ZEPPELIN covers]. Are you going to do the album in true VANILLA FUDGE style and change the arrangements?

Carmine: "Some of them are going to be slowed down, like 'Immigrant Song'. We are going to put a Viking-style intro on that one. On 'Dancing Days' we are doing this weird chord that makes a VANILLA FUDGE kind of build-up. We are doing 'Fool in the Rain' in three-part harmonies.

"LED ZEPPELIN were very similar to VANILLA FUDGE in a way. Tim and I had never tried to play LED ZEPPELIN songs before and now that we are playing them we are finding that the way we play is very much the same as John Bonham and John Paul Jones played in terms of feel. I am finding that these songs are very easy to play for me due to that. It really feels the same and it is really wild to me. I have played a few ZEPPELIN songs in clinics with guys like Tony Franklin but it didn't have the same feel that it did with Tim and me."

Classic Rock Revisted: ZEPPELIN has been caught borrowing from bands before.

Carmine: "They opened up for us. We had them on their first bill. Robert Plant was green. They didn't even have a name when we started touring with them. On the first gig we actually paid their fee. The promoter didn't even want them on the tour as the gig was already sold out with VANILLA FUDGE and SPIRIT. He didn't want to pay for LED ZEPPELIN so we paid them their fee for the gig. I actually think we paid them half their fee. I helped John Bonham get his Ludwig endorsement. We were close and we watched them grow.

"But ZEPPELIN did borrow from others. Jimi Hendrix personally told me that he didn't like ZEPPELIN because they were like excess baggage and that they stole from everybody. 'You Shook Me' was on JEFF BECK's record. 'Dazed & Confused' has a bit of VANILLA FUDGE on it and it has parts of 'Beck's Bolero' in it. I think I was told by a member of the band that the 'Good Times Bad Times' riff came from Tim Bogart's bass line. When I listen to that, it sounds like Tim. When I first heard John Bonham do that triplet thing on the bass drum, I went up to him and said, 'John, that is amazing. I have to admit that I took that from you.' He looked at me and said, 'What are you talking about? I took that from you!' I replied, 'I don't do that. You couldn't have taken it from me.' He proceeded to tell me where I did actually do that on the first VANILLA FUDGE record and he was right. I only did it for a moment on that album and he took it and made something bigger and better out of it. We used to go and sit on the side of the stage and watch ZEPPELIN. We hung out in the dressing rooms and we built a great relationship with them."

Read the entire interview at www.classicrockrevisited.com.