THE WHO’s PETE TOWNSHEND Says He ‘Never Really Got Into LED ZEPPELIN’: ‘The Only Heavy Metal I Really Listened To Was AC/DC’
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Pete Townshend says he has recently been listening to Led Zeppelin’s albums again and now recognises “some fucking great stuff” in their music. In a new interview, he also said he never really got into the band at the time because he felt they were trying to take The Who’s audience.
Townshend said AC/DC was the only heavy metal he really listened to, and he was unsure that The Who helped create the genre. He noted that musicians cited the band’s 1970 live album, *Live At Leeds*, as inspiration to play more expansively, and recalled The Who performing both *Tommy* and heavier material at Woodstock. In 2019, he had said The Who “sort of invented heavy metal” with the album; *The Who By Numbers* is due for a deluxe reissue on 30 October.
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In short
- Townshend has revisited Led Zeppelin and now admires their range.
- He says AC/DC was the only heavy metal he really listened to.
- He sees *Live At Leeds* as explosive but is unsure The Who created metal.
How this story developed
- 29 minutes ago Pete Townshend says The Who may have helped shape heavy metal, with their explosive live performances giving later musicians permission to stretch out, but he does not think the band necessarily created the genre.
- 33 minutes ago Pete Townshend says he has recently been listening to Led Zeppelin’s albums again and now recognises “some fucking great stuff” in their music.
Explained simply
The Who and Led Zeppelin were British rock bands that rose to prominence in the late 1960s. The Who became known for loud, forceful concerts and ambitious albums such as Tommy, a rock opera; Led Zeppelin developed a sound that helped shape hard rock and heavy metal.
Heavy metal grew from rock music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with louder guitars, heavier rhythms and powerful live performances. The Who’s explosive concerts are often discussed as part of that history, though the genre’s origins are not attributed to one band alone.
Pete Townshend is The Who’s guitarist and a songwriter, while AC/DC is an Australian band whose music he says he listened to. The discussion matters because it reflects how musicians and listeners look back on the influences behind a genre, and how competition between bands could shape what artists chose to hear.
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