Led Zeppelin, like all bands and artists, built on the works of others. Their music is at it’s core, rock and roll. But you’re right that they fused blues, jazz, and many other genres into every song. Fusion Rock is just better than pure rock and roll because it allows for sophisticated compositions that permit the fan to listen over and over again.
when you watch pure rock and roll it seems to often lead down the rockabilly road which is a cul de sac
I love Social Distortion but even punky, it still falls into Hollow Body confinement
Zepplin just really made something happen with Blues renditions, trippy “Castles and Moats” rock, “lifted” occult and Tolkien lyricism, northern African sounds all molded together into loudness but with melody
much hard rock today is low on melody and loud on noise and quick chop...repetitive
anyhow...it’s a gone era but still gets a lot of airplay and usage
I was born in 1957...in the 60s nobody young was listening to Stardust or I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover from 1927 except maybe in a period movie piece
now in 2011...plenty of younf folks have Led Zep on the I Phone...it’s still a soundtrack to their lives chronology too even if it is music dad or grandad listened to