Led Zeppelin

Robert Plant, Jimmy Page
John Bonham,
John Paul Jones

Led Zeppelin was a British rock band that became one of the most popular and influential musical ensembles ever.

The four-member group debuted in 1968 with a raucous and revolutionary take on British blues-rock, and later developed their music in other ways that would contribute to the birth of hard rock and eventually to the rise of heavy metal.

They proved to be consistent innovators while remaining popular and accessible, fusing disparate elements from an eclectic spectrum of popular music, including rockabilly, soul, funk, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, and even Latin. More than two-and-a-half decades after the band retired in 1980, their music continues to sell well, garner widespread radio play, and prove a seminal influence on modern rock. Their epic "Stairway to Heaven" is considered by many to be the greatest classic rock song ever recorded. To date, the group is reported to have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide, including over 100 million albums in the United States alone (the US sales figure ranks third, behind only The Beatles and Elvis Presley, according to the Recording Industry Association of America).

Besides "Stairway To Heaven", some of their most famous songs are: "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", "Rock and Roll", "Black Dog", "Heartbreaker", "Immigrant Song", "Kashmir", Dazed and Confused", "Ramble On", "Whole Lotta Love", "Communication Breakdown", "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)", "Achilles Last Stand", "Fool in the Rain", "Moby Dick", "When the Levee Breaks", "No Quarter", "Good Times, Bad Times" and "The Song Remains The Same".

History

The Early Days (1968-1970)

The band was originally formed in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page under the name The New Yardbirds, based on Page's previous band, the Yardbirds. While the The New Yardbirds arouse at first simply to fulfill some performance commitments booked in Scandinavia before the original band's break-up, Page attempted to create a rock-supergroup out of the new band, which would have been composed of the Yardbird's own Page and Jeff Beck, the Who's Keith Moon and John Entwistle (who were considering leaving their band), and possibly Steve Winwood or Steve Marriott. After Page's attempt at forming a supergroup failed, Page filled the band with vocalist Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham and former Yardbirds bassist Chris Dreja. After Dreja left early in the project to become a photographer (and would later take the photograph that appeared on the back of the group's debut album), he was replaced by Page's long-time friend and fellow London recording session player John Paul Jones. Page's first choice as singer, Terry Reid, declined the opportunity but unselfishly recommended Plant, who accepted and then brought in his old friend Bonham from the defunct Band of Joy.

After some concerts with this new line-up billed variously as the New Yardbirds, or sometimes simply The Yardbirds, the band's name was changed to Led Zeppelin, after a comment was made by The Who's drummer Keith Moon while the New Yardbirds supergroup was still a possibility. Moon (although some attribute the comment to the Who's bassist John Entwistle) was quoted saying that the band would go down faster than a "lead zeppelin". The group adopted the name, deliberately misspelling the first part to prevent people from pronouncing it as "leed."

Shortly after their first tour, the group's eponymous first album was released on January 12, 1969. Its blend of blues and rock influences with distorted amplification made it one of the pivotal records in the evolution of heavy metal music. Although several of Zeppelin's earliest songs were based on or were cover versions of blues standards, others such as "Communication Breakdown" had a unique and distinctively heavy sound. Led Zeppelin also featured delicate acoustic guitar on "Black Mountain Side", and a combination of acoustic and electric approaches on the reworked folk song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You." The immediate success of the first album kick-started the band's career, especially in the United States, where they would frequently tour. The second record, simply titled Led Zeppelin II, followed in similar style later that year: the album begins with the bludgeoning riff of "Whole Lotta Love," which, driven by the rhythm section of Bonham on drums and Jones on bass, defined their sound at the time. Led Zeppelin II—often referred to by fans as the "Brown Bomber"—was an even greater success for the group, reaching the Number 1 chart position in both the US and the UK.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were blues fanatics; their first album included the Willie Dixon song "You Shook Me," and their later hit "Whole Lotta Love" was lyrically very similar to an earlier Dixon song. (The band were subsequently accused of using his lyrics without crediting Dixon, and it was not until Chess Records brought suit 15 years later, that proper credit—and a monetary settlement—was given.) Page was once quoted in an interview with the hypothesis: "I've often thought that in the way the Stones tried to be the sons of Chuck Berry, we tried to be the sons of Howlin' Wolf 1" (a version of whose song "Killing Floor" featured prominently in Zeppelin's early live performances). The band also loved American rock and roll: the exuberant styles of Fats Domino and Little Richard were inspirations, and Led Zeppelin would perform rockabilly songs originally made famous by Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran. Onstage, Led Zeppelin concerts could last more than three hours; expanded, improvised live versions of their song repertoire often incorporated tight workouts of James Brown, Stax, and Motown-influenced soul music and funk (favorites of bassist Jones and drummer Bonham).

For the writing of the music on their third album, Led Zeppelin III, the band retired to Bron-Yr-Aur, a remote cottage in Wales. This would result in a more acoustic sound (and a song "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp", misspelled as "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on the album cover) strongly influenced by Celtic and folk music, and it also revealed a different side of guitarist Page's prodigious talent. Led Zeppelin III also ushered in an era of unique album jackets, this one featuring a wheel that displayed various images through cutouts in the main jacket sleeve when rotated. In November of 1970, Led Zeppelin's record label, Atlantic Records, released "Immigrant Song" as a single against the band's wishes (Atlantic had earlier released an edited version of "Whole Lotta Love" which cut the 5:34 song to 3:10). It included their only b-side, "Hey Hey What Can I Do". Even though the band saw their albums as indivisible, whole listening experiences — and their manager, Peter Grant, maintained an aggressive pro-album stance — nine other singles were released without their consent. The group also resisted television appearances, which would have reduced their ability to control their presentation and sound quality. Lack of Zeppelin TV exposure also enforced the band's preference that their fans hear and see them in person.

“The Biggest Band in the World” (1971–1975)

The band’s diverse musical tendencies were fused on its untitled fourth album, whose actual title was given as four unpronounceable symbols (); it is thus variously referred to as The Unnamed Album, Led Zeppelin IV, Zoso, Runes, or Four Symbols. (Not only is the album itself without a conventional title - on the original packaging, there is no indication of the name of the band.) Released on November 8, 1971, this record included hard rock such as "Black Dog", Tolkienesque fantasy on "The Battle of Evermore", and a combination of both genres in the lengthy, suite-like "Stairway to Heaven", a massive album-oriented rock FM radio hit which, despite its success, has never been released as a single. The album concludes with one of their best blues songs, a Memphis Minnie cover titled "When the Levee Breaks". This album is one of the highest-selling albums of all time in any genre.

Their next studio record, 1973's Houses of the Holy, featured further experimentation: powerful melodies, longer tracks and expanded use of synthesizers and Mellotron orchestration. With "The Song Remains the Same", "No Quarter" and "D'yer Mak'er" (pronounced "Jamaica", which was fitting, given the song's reggae feel), Led Zeppelin was again pushing the limits defining rock music. Their 1973 tour of the U.S. again broke records for attendance: at Tampa Stadium, Florida they played to 56,800 fans (more than the Beatles' 1965 concert at Shea Stadium). Three sold-out New York shows at Madison Square Garden were filmed for a concert motion picture, but this project would be delayed for several years.

In 1974, Led Zeppelin launched their own record label called Swan Song, named after one of only five songs that the band never recorded for commercial release (the track was re-tooled as "Midnight Moonlight" by Page's post-Zeppelin band The Firm on their first album). The record label's logo, based on Evening, Fall of Day (1869) by painter William Rimmer, features a picture of the Greek mythology figure Apollo, although often it is misinterpreted as Icarus or Lucifer. This logo can be found on much Led Zeppelin memorabilia. In addition to using it as a vehicle to promote their own albums, the band expanded the label's roster, signing artists such as Bad Company, Pretty Things, Maggie Bell, Detective, Dave Edmunds, Midnight Flyer, Sad Café and Wildlife.

1975 saw the release of Physical Graffiti, their first double-album, on the Swan Song label. Led Zeppelin again showed their impressive range with songs like the lush and complex "Ten Years Gone", the acoustic "Black Country Woman", the driving "Trampled Underfoot" and the thundering, Indian-Arabic-tinged "Kashmir".

Shortly after the release of Physical Graffiti, the entire Led Zeppelin catalogue of six albums simultaneously re-entered the top-200 album chart. The band embarked on another U.S. tour, again playing to record-breaking crowds. To top off the year, they played five sold-out nights at the UK's Earls Court (these shows were recorded, since they were originally broadcast on huge video screens behind the band on stage live, so patrons in the back could also get a great view of the band. Portions of which would be released on DVD some 28 years later). At this peak of their career, Led Zeppelin was the biggest rock band in the world.

If the band's popularity on stage and record was impressive, so too was its reputation for excess and off-stage wildness. Zeppelin traveled in a private jet (nicknamed "The Starship"), rented out entire sections of hotels, and became the subjects of many of rock's most famous stories of debauchery: trashed hotel rooms and heavy use of drugs and alcohol. Several people associated with the band would later write books about the wild escapades of the group, while band members themselves have disavowed many of the tales.

The Later Days (1976-1982)

In 1976 the band took a break from the road and began filming "fantasy" segments for the concert film entitled "The Song Remains The Same". During this break, Robert Plant and his wife were in a car crash while on holiday in Greece. Plant suffered a broken ankle; Maureen Plant was very seriously injured, and only a flight back to London and a timely blood transfusion saved her life. Unable to tour, the band returned to the studio and, with Plant sitting on a stool during the sessions, they recorded their seventh studio album, Presence. The album was a platinum seller, but marked a change in the Zeppelin sound, as straightforward, guitar-based jams such as "Nobody's Fault But Mine" had replaced the intricate arrangements of previous albums. A highlight of the album was the epic-length Achilles Last Stand featuring a driving bassline and thundering drums, melodic Page riffs and a memorable guitar solo. Overall, the album received mixed responses from critics and fans, with some appreciating the looser style and others dismissing it as sloppy; some critics speculated that the band's legendary excesses may have caught up with them at last. The year 1976 marked the beginning of Page's heroin use, a habit which would often interfere with their live shows and studio recordings in their later years.

Late 1976 finally saw the release of the concert film The Song Remains the Same and its soundtrack double LP. Despite the release date, the concert footage was actually from 1973; it would be the only filmed document of the group available for the next 20 years. The soundtrack album of the film had some songs missing and some added compared to the film, and some songs are different cuts from the three nights the band performed at Madison Square Garden. The soundtrack is not generally considered a great live album, but it would remain the only official live document of the band until the eventual release of the BBC Sessions in 1997.

In 1977, Led Zeppelin embarked on another massive U.S. tour, again selling out up to five nights in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. (Seattle and Cleveland shows from this tour were the sources of bootleg recordings prized by fans. The name of the bootleg from the Cleveland show is "Led Zeppelin Destroyer") Following a show at the "Day on the Green" festival in Oakland, the news came that Robert Plant's son, Karac, had died from a respiratory infection. Other problems during this time included an arrest of several members of the band's support staff (including Manager Peter Grant) after almost beating a member of the Bill Graham's Oakland concert staff to death during the concert (which resulted in the rest of the tour being canceled), and malicious critics and superstitious fans whispering of a "curse" said to be related to Page's interest in the occult. Such charges were scoffed at by the band.

The summer of 1978 saw the group recording again, this time at Swedish Polar Studio, owned by the pop group ABBA; this album would be titled In Through the Out Door and would highlight the talents of John Paul Jones and of drummer John Bonham on the epic "Carouselambra" and the tropical "Fool In The Rain". The album also featured rockers like "In The Evening", and the balladic tribute to Plant's son, "All My Love". After a decade of recording and touring, the band was now considered a dinosaur in some quarters, as mainstream musical tastes had moved in favor of disco and critical focus had turned to punk rock. Nevertheless, the band still commanded legions of loyal fans, and the album easily reached #1 in the US and UK.

In the summer of 1979, after two warm-up shows in Copenhagen, Led Zeppelin was booked as headliner at England's Knebworth Festival in August. Close to 150,000 fans witnessed the return of Led Zeppelin and, with the release of In Through the Out Door in August, they were ready to tour again, planning a short European tour followed by another American tour.

The 1980 American tour was not to be, however. On September 25, 1980, shortly before embarking on the U.S. leg of the tour, drummer John Bonham died of accidental asphyxiation after a day long alcohol binge. For two months the remaining band members considered whether to continue with a replacement, but decided that because of Bonham's death, they could not continue as Led Zeppelin, and so in December 1980, they announced that the group had disbanded. For many years after, there would be rumours of a reunion and plans for various collaborative projects.

Two years after Bonham's death, the band released Coda, a collection of out-takes from previous recording sessions. In the years to follow, a steady stream of boxed sets and greatest-hits collections would keep the band on the charts, as Led Zeppelin continued to garner heavy airplay on rock radio.

Reunions and ongoing success (1982-present)

After embarking on a successful solo career in 1982, Plant teamed with Page in 1984 for the commercially successful EP The Honeydrippers: Volume One, which also featured another former-Yardbird's guitarist Jeff Beck.

On 13 July 1985 Led Zeppelin reunited at the Live Aid concert for a short set featuring Page, Plant and Jones, with drummers Tony Thompson and Phil Collins standing in for the late John Bonham. The performance included three songs ("Rock and Roll", "Whole Lotta Love" and "Stairway to Heaven") and myriad difficulties. Consequently, many fans' impression of the event was marred--Plant's shot voice and Page's seeming inebriation and untuned Les Paul guitar stood out in particular (the Gibson EDS-1275 was in-tune). When Live Aid was released on a four-set DVD in late 2004, the group unanimously disallowed usage of footage from their performance. However, Page and Plant donated all proceedings from their Unledded DVD to the Live Aid charity, and Jones donated a portion of the profits from his US tour with the Mutual Admiration Society toward the charity as well.

In 1986, Page, Plant and Jones gathered at Bath, England for rehearsals with Thompson with a view to play again as a group, but a serious car accident involving Thompson put an end to that plan.

However, Zeppelin did reunite again in 1988 for Atlantic Records' 40th Anniversary concert, their second public performance after Bonham's death, with Jason Bonham (sitting in for his father, John) joining the remaining three. They also played with Jason at Carmen Plant's (Robert's daughter) 21st birthday party, and at Jason's wedding.

In 1990, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page played a brief set together at the Knebworth music festival, which included a rarity from Coda, "Wearing and Tearing". Page and Plant, without Jones, reunited in 1994 for an MTV Unplugged performance (dubbed Unledded) which eventually led to a world tour with a Middle Eastern orchestra, and an album entitled No Quarter. Many point to this as the beginning of an increasing rift between Jones and Plant/Page, as Jones was upset with Page and Plant touring without asking him first. Tensions were further increased when Plant was asked at a press conference where Jones was, he jokingly replied that Jones was indeed touring with them, but was parking cars instead of playing.

In 1995, the band was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by the members of Aerosmith. Evidence of the band's inner-rift became extraordinarily apparent when Jones joked upon accepting his award, "Thank you, my friends, for finally remembering my phone number," causing consternation and awkward looks from Page and, in particular, Plant. This would mark the band's third and final post-Bonham public performance together (as of 2005), as they jammed with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry on "Bring It On Home" and "Baby Please Don't Go" and Neil Young on "When the Levee Breaks."

1997 saw the release of the first Led Zeppelin album in more than 15 years— BBC Sessions. This two-disc set included almost all of the band's recordings for the BBC, though fans noticed the absence of one session from 1969 that included the unreleased "Sugar Mama". At this time Atlantic also released a single edit of "Whole Lotta Love" making it the only Led Zeppelin CD single. In 1998, Page and Plant continued their collaboration after the Unledded project with Walking into Clarksdale, the pair's first album-length collaboration on all-new material since Led Zeppelin.

The British press reported in 2002 that Plant and Jones had reconciled after a 20-year feud that had kept Led Zeppelin apart, and rumours surfaced of a reunion tour in 2003. Drummer Dave Grohl (drummer of Nirvana and former drummer for Queens of the Stone Age, as well as frontman for the Foo Fighters) was named as a potential replacement for Bonham, a claim later denied by Page (though Page and Plant have often hinted at the possibility of a tour with Jason Bonham on drums).

2003 saw yet another resurgence of the band's popularity with the release of live album and video collections featuring material from the band's heyday (see How the West Was Won album and Led Zeppelin DVD). At year's end, the DVD had sold more than 520,000 copies, easily making the list of the most popular DVDs of the year.

In 2005 Led Zeppelin received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which was the first (and to date only) Grammy the band had received. They were ranked #1 in US cable channel VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" special.

In early 2005, a census done by British radio determined that "Stairway to Heaven" was the overall most requested song, as well as having the #1 voted guitar solo in rock history by Guitar World magazine.

In November 2005, it was announced that the band has been awarded the 2006 Polar Music Prize.

In Rolling Stone magazine's tabulation of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, Jimmy Page was ranked #9.

Samples, covers, and tributes

Led Zeppelin songs have been the subject of cover versions on occasion; American band Dread Zeppelin have made a career out of covering and parodying Zeppelin tunes. However, other serious and authentic-sounding tribute bands have also recently finally emerged, striving to keep the true essence of a Led Zeppelin live show experience alive - in particular a noteworthy Chicago-based Led Zeppelin tribute band In The Light, as well as, the British band Fred Zeppelin, who are based in the Black Country homeland of Plant and Bonham and have been seen by Robert Plant several times. All of these tribute bands are linked below.

Beginning in the 1980s, the iconic nature of many Zeppelin riffs made them a popular target for sampling, initially unauthorised but later sanctioned by the surviving band members, to mixed reactions from fans. Hip-hop group the Beastie Boys sampled Bonham's crushing beat from "When the Levee Breaks", and also borrowed parts of "The Ocean" for "She's Crafty". For the movie Godzilla (1998), guitarist Jimmy Page collaborated with P. Diddy, reworking the famous riff from "Kashmir" in the song "Come With Me"—Page also has a brief vocal part in this song. Tool has covered "No Quarter" and a riff from the song can be found in Sublime's "Smoke Two Joints". Another band featuring Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan, A Perfect Circle, cut When the Levee Breaks for their eMOTIVe album in 2004. The rock/comedy duo Tenacious D strategically used pieces of "Stairway to Heaven" in the original version of their song "Tribute". In 2005 Coheed & Cambria released an album titled "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness" which utilized the riffs from "Kashmir" in "Welcome Home."

A cover version of "Whole Lotta Love", by Alexis Korner, was, for many years, used as the theme music for the BBC's chart show Top of the Pops. Tina Turner covered Led Zeppelin II 's "Whole Lotta Love" (as did the a capella group The Bobs) and the London Philharmonic Orchestra released an orchestral tribute to Led Zeppelin that includes versions of "Stairway to Heaven", "When The Levee Breaks", and "Kashmir". Rolf Harris recorded a cover version of Stairway to Heaven in 1993 which reached No.7 in the UK charts. Not long after an album "Stairways To Heaven" was released, featuring Australian artists' interpretations of the classic song. In 1995 a tribute album entitled Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin was released featuring covers performed by modern rock acts, notably a hit version of "Dancing Days" performed by Stone Temple Pilots. Robert Plant actually sang on this album, duetting with Tori Amos on "Down by the Seaside," because she wanted to sing a descant to it.

In 1978, a band from Davis, California called Little Roger and the Goosebumps put out a single called "Stairway To Gilligan's Island" (by putting the words to the theme of the 1960s US television show Gilligan's Island to an adapted and condensed "Stairway to Heaven"). This song became popular especially through heavy play (and many listener requests) on the Dr. Demento Radio Show. Legal action by representatives of Led Zeppelin soon followed and the single was withdrawn from sale.

Unlike many of their contemporaries, the band has been very protective of its catalogue of songs and has seldom allowed them to be licensed for other uses -- for example, as of early 2006, the band remains one of a select handful who have refused to license their songs to any online music stores. In recent years this position has softened somewhat and Led Zeppelin songs can be heard in movies such as One Day in September, Almost Famous and School of Rock, On the DVD release of the latter movie, a special feature shows star Jack Black and an auditorium full of extras videotaping a plea to Led Zeppelin for permission to use Immigrant Song in the film. In a singular concession for commercial use, the Led Zeppelin song Rock and Roll is currently heard in Cadillac television and radio ads.

On November 7th 2003, Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) put together a one-off cover band to perform at the 2003 Montreal Drum Festival. The one-time cover line-up titled "Hammer of the Gods" included Portnoy (drums), Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big) on guitar, Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs) on bass and Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation, The Flower Kings) on Vocals. All members dressed in proper attire to imitate the original members. This performance is scheduled for release on both CD and DVD in 2006 through Portnoy's website.

A tribute can also be heard in Dream Theater's album A Change of Seasons. In this live performance, "The Rover", "Achilles Last Stand" and "The Song Remains The Same" are put together in a medley. These tracks were performed and recorded in the "Uncovered" Show at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London, England in January 31st, 1995.

The British Heavy Metal Band Iron Maiden recorded a cover of the song "Communication Breakdown" on their single Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter

Frank Zappa covered "Stairway To Heaven" during live performances. One version can be found on the 1991 live album The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life. This remarkable cover features a note-for-note copy of Page's guitar solo played by the horn section.

The Minnesota Orchestra performed with a cover band by the name of "The Music of Led Zeppelin" on January 21, 2006 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. This performance combined electric guitar, singing, and drums with a full-blown orchestra and rock concert-style lighting for the entire duration of the show.

Filmography

Led Zeppelin DVD (2003) – This two-disc set is a collection of performances from different dates and locations (thus some songs are featured more than once)
Disc 1: [Royal Albert Hall 1970] We're Gonna Groove, I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, White Summer, What Is and What Should Never Be, How Many More Times, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, C'mon Everybody, Something Else, Bring It On Home - [Danish TV, Supershow & Paris 1969] Communication Breakdown, Communication Breakdown, Dazed and Confused, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, How Many More Times, Dazed and Confused, Communication Breakdown, Dazed and Confused

Disc 2: [(audio) Long Beach, California and (film) Sydney, Australia 1972] Immigrant Song (live edit) - [Madison Square Garden 1973] Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, The Ocean - [Earls Court 1975] Going To California, That's the Way, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, In My Time of Dying, Trampled Underfoot, Stairway to Heaven - [Knebworth 1979] Rock and Roll, Nobody's Fault But Mine, Sick Again, Achilles Last Stand, In the Evening, Kashmir, Whole Lotta Love, You'll Never Walk Alone - [Australia 1972] Press Conference, Rock and Roll, Robert Plant and John Bonham post-concert interviews with Jeune Pritchard - [Belgium 1975] Robert Plant interview with Bob Harris at the Vorst Nationaal, Brussels - [Promo clips] Over the Hills and Far Away, Travelling Riverside Blues

DVD Menu clips: Thank You, Royal Albert Hall dressing room (pre-concert), Heartbreaker (guitar solo), Dazed and Confused (Iceland 1970, guitar bowing solo), Moby Dick (drum solo excerpt), Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Over the Hills and Far Away, Whole Lotta Love (theremin solo excerpt), Stairway to Heaven (guitar intro), Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains the Same (Los Angeles 1977), The Crunge.