Jethro Tull singer Ian Anderson discussed Led Zeppelin and Robert Plant in a new Rock History Music interview, and why he couldn’t imitate Plant. Robert Plant & Jimmy Page Reunite In Stunning Letter.
The interviewer asked, “Did you have a relationship with Led Zeppelin back in the day? There’s that rumor that Jimmy Page walked in during the recording of ‘Aqualung’, was that true?”
Anderson responded, “Yeah, we performed on a lot of shows with Led Zeppelin from ’69 onwards. But when they were just becoming a headline band, and we were on our first tour or two, then we were the opening acts at Zeppelin and a few shows.
“It was a very educational experience to watch these guys. And over the next two or three years, we played a few more shows so we saw them evolve into being global superstars. And there was a great deal to absorb from that.
“But at the end of it all, you realize that there are some things you can learn from but you can’t actually imitate, let alone replicate, so there was never any point in me trying to compete with Robert Plant as a singer. I actually knew that frankly from early 1968, before Zeppelin began – before Robert got the call from Jimmy Page.” Ultimate-Guitar transcribed his comments.
