Gods of Rock
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in
1968 that consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer
Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham and bassist
John Paul Jones. With their heavy, guitar-driven
blues-rock sound, Led Zeppelin are regularly cited
as one of the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock,
even though the band's individualistic style drew from
many sources and transcends any one music genre.
Led Zeppelin did not release songs from their albums as singles
in the United Kingdom, as they preferred to develop the concept of "album-oriented rock".
A milestone for Rock n Roll
Shortly after their first tour,
the group’s eponymous first album was released
on 12th January 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 Led 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
in which the influence of Davy Graham can be heard, 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,
and was an even greater success for the group,
reaching the number-one chart position in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
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 fifteen years later, that proper
credit - and a monetary settlement - was given.)
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songs originally made famous by Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran.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 (favourites 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 resulted in a more acoustic sound
(and a song “Bron-yr-Aur Stomp”, misspellt as “Bron-y-Aur Stomp” on the album cover)
strongly influenced by Celtic and folk music.
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 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 television exposure also enforced the band’s preference
that their fans hear and see them in person.
Their fourth album, Led Zeppelin IV was actually untitled,
but is commonly referred to as Zoso, Runes, The Fourth Album,
Sticks, Man with Sticks, or Four Symbols; it featured “Stairway to Heaven”,
which Jimmy Page performed on stage on a custom-built double-necked electric
Gibson guitar, the top neck a twelve-stringed version.
Over twenty-five years after disbanding in response
to drummer John Bonham’s tragic death in 1980,
Led Zeppelin continue to be held in high regard
for their artistic achievements, commercial success and influence.
Since they disbanded, Page, Plant, and Jones have only played together on rare occasions.
Page and Plant did get back together to record
No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded as part of the
MTV Unplugged series in 1994, which was accompanied by a worldwide tour,
and again in 1998 for the studio album Walking Into Clarksdale.
John Paul Jones also has performed since the break up - at the Bonnaroo
music festival in Manchester, Tennessee. He was part of a “SuperJam”
featuring himself on bass, Ben Harper on guitar, and Ahmir “Guestlove” Thompson on drums.
He also played as a guest during the sets of various other artists throughout the weekend.
