Ben Harper Plays Zeppelin 'Damn Near as Good as Zeppelin'

Posted on Jul 13th 2009 12:00PM by Steve Baltin
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If you check out Ben Harper and Relentless7 this summer, chances are you'll hear some Led Zeppelin covers like 'Good Times, Bad Times' in the band's set. While Harper says their versions are their own, he does have a unique insight into the Zep catalog. "What's cool about it is I've done a bunch of these songs with John Paul Jones," he tells Spinner. "Having been that close to the source, you feel that much more a part of the song when you play it after having played it with a member of Zeppelin."

While Harper can't believe that he can say those words -- he even corrects himself to say "Mr. Jones" -- he and the band are definitely feeling comfortable with the Zeppelin tracks. "We'll probably pull out at least one more cover 'cause the boys in Relentless7 hammer out Zeppelin damn near as good as Zeppelin. And I don't mean that to overstep that boundary but they just play the s--- out of them," he says proudly.

Another song they've been covering is the Queen and David Bowie classic 'Under Pressure,' which Harper has an even deeper appreciation now. "A song like 'Under Pressure, it's Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, two of the greatest singers to have ever been on earth, so you can't get too overwhelmed with that," he says.

And Harper understands nobody can be like the late Queen frontman. "No, no, no. That would be like being like Hendrix. You just don't do it. Do something else," he says. "Make no mistake about it, Freddie Mercury could've been singing opera with Pavarotti."