Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Country United Kingdom

Years active 1968–1980
Blues rock
Hard rock
Genre(s)
Heavy metal
Folk Rock
Atlantic Records
Label(s)
Swan Song Records
Jimmy Page
Robert Plant
Members
John Bonham
John Paul Jones
Led Zeppelin was a British rock band formed in 1968. One of the most popular and
influential musical ensembles of the 20th century, they were consistent musicians who
gained increasing mainstream appeal, remaining popular and accessible right through
their last album. While the band is perhaps best known as pioneers of hard rock and
heavy metal, Zeppelin also included disparate elements from an eclectic spectrum in
their music, including blues, rockabilly, soul, funk, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, Folk and even
Latin. This combination of music styles separated Led Zeppelin from other chiefly hard
rock groups, contributing to their success.
Led Zeppelin's four members consisted of Jimmy Page (acoustic guitar, electric guitar,
mandolin), Robert Plant (lead vocals, harmonica), John Bonham (drums, percussion),
and John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin).
More than two-and-a-half decades after the group disbanded in 1980, Led Zeppelin's
music continues to sell well, garner widespread radio play, and prove a seminal
influence on modern rock. To date, the group is reported to have sold more than 300
million albums worldwide,[1] including 109 million sales[2] in the United States alone.
Contents

[hide]

• 1 History
o 1.1 The early days (1968-1970)
o 1.2 “The biggest band in the world” (1971–1975)
o 1.3 The Latter Days (1976-1982)
o 1.4 Reunions and ongoing success (1982-present)
o 1.5 Samples, covers, and tributes
• 2 Discography
• 3 Filmography
• 4 References
• 5 See also
• 6 Sources

• 7 External links

History

The early days (1968-1970)

The band was originally formed in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page, who had just joined
the Yardbirds as a co-lead guitarist with Jeff Beck. The Yardbirds, tired from constant
touring and recording, were beginning to wind down, and there was talk of building a
"supergroup" with himself and Beck on guitar, the Who's Keith Moon on drums, and
John Entwistle on bass.[3] Vocalists Steve Winwood and Steve Marriott had been
considered for the project as well.[4] The group never formed, although Page, Beck and
Moon did record a song together, the instrumental "Beck's Bolero", which ended up on
Jeff Beck's solo debut. This session also included bassist John Paul Jones who told Page
that he would be interested in future projects with the guitarist.
Meanwhile, two of the remaining Yardbirds quit, even though the band was still
scheduled to perform several dates in Scandanavia. Page began putting a new band
together with Yardbirds bassist Chris Dreja. His first choice for lead singer, Terry Reid,
declined the opportunity but suggested Robert Plant, [5] who accepted. Plant
recommended drummer John Bonham,[6] with whom he had played previously in Band
of Joy. Dreja opted out of the project to become a photographer (he would later take the
photograph that appeared on the back of the group's debut album). John Paul Jones
contacted Page about the empty position. Page, being more than familiar with his fellow
session player's credentials, gladly accepted him as the band's new bassist.
The band completed the first Scandinavian tour under the name The New Yardbirds.[6]
When the tour was completed the band set about coming up with a new name. Led
Zeppelin had been earlier coined by Keith Moon (although some attribute the comment
to John Entwistle), who had said Page's supergroup idea would go down faster than a
"lead zeppelin".[7] The group adopted the name, deliberately misspelling the first word to
prevent people from pronouncing it as "leed." [1]
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.[2] 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 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"[8] (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 versatility. 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 non-album 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 4 symbols each standing for a Led Zeppelin member. From left to right: (Top) Jimmy
Page, John Paul Jones, (Bottom) John Bonham, Robert Plant.
[edit]

“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" (supposedly titled in tribute to a nameless dog
which hung around the recording studio), 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 a radically altered version of
a Memphis Minnie/Kansas Joe McCoy blues song titled "When the Levee Breaks". The
song opens with a unique sounding drum track that has been sampled many times and
used in modern rock and rap releases.[3]
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. Other sources
say that this name might be a play on the joke of mispronouncing Jamaica as "Did-ja-
make-her", where the joke ends, "No, she went of her own accord"), 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 Under
Foot" 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. Tales of trashed hotel rooms, groupies and heavy
use of drugs and alcohol have become more extraordinary with each passing year.
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 Latter Days (1976-1982)

In 1976 the band took a break from the road and began filming "fantasy" segments for
the concert film "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 live shows and studio recordings of Led
Zeppelin's 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 and then How The West Was Won in 2003.
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.
In 1984 Jimmy teamed up with Paul Rodgers of Bad Company and Free fame to record
one album under the name The Firm.
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed] Dave Grohl, frontman for the Foo Fighters and former drummer of
Nirvana, was named as a potential replacement for Bonham[citation needed] This claim was
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. The first (and to
date only) Grammy Award the band has ever 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

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 and Cambria released an album titled "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star
IV, Vol 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness" which included a hidden song
entitled "Bron-Y-Aur" after Zeppelin's song of the same name from their Physical Graffiti
album.
A cover version of "Whole Lotta Love", 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).
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 [4]. 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. Comedian Mark
Silverman made a parody of the song "Stairway to Heaven" with a song titled, "Stairway
to the house on the rising smoke on the water."
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 [5].
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.[6]
The North American tribute show "Get the led out" performed authentic replications of
Led Zeppelin's studio recordings live in concert on 3/17/06 at the House of Blues Atlantic
City, NJ and Plymouth Memorial Hall, MA, 3/25/06.