Led Zeppelin

Robert Plant - vocals
Jimmy Page - guitars
John Paul Jones - bass
John 'Bonzo' Bonham - drums

Disparaged by some as the epitome of ‘dinosaur rock’ and yet still perennial contenders for the title of ‘greatest band that ever lived’, whatever Led Zeppelin are they remain the undisputed godfathers of all that is heavy in modern music.

Formed from the ashes of the Yardbirds in 1968, Led Zeppelin began as the brainchild of prodigious guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones who were already by that stage, two of the most sought after session musicians in London. After recruiting vocalist Robert Plant, formerly of Midlands band Hobbstweedle, the group poached Band of Joy drummer John ‘Bonzo’ Bonham, and Led Zeppelin was born.

The release of their eponymous debut album in the spring of the following year catapulted the band to the top of the charts, earning them fame and fortune practically overnight. Influenced by the likes of Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf, the album essentially consisted of heavy, bluesy numbers owing much to the old Delta-Blues standards on which the four musicians had been brought up.

The follow-up to this highly acclaimed debut came in the form of Led Zeppelin II (affectionately known by fans as ‘The Brown Bomber’). Written while the band were on tour in the U.S. in 1969, and released in October the same year, Led Zep II would instantly cement the band’s iconic status in the world of rock’n’roll. Right from the immortal, stuttering intro to ‘Whole Lotta Love’, through ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘Ramble On’ and Bonzo’s masterpiece ‘Moby Dick’, Led Zeppelin II is flawless, and it is largely due to the riff wizardry on this album in particular that Jimmy Page would soon become widely acknowledged as one of the greatest, most gifted guitarists ever to have stalked the planet. Coupled with his musical virtuosity, Page’s knowledge of music technology and his innovative approach to the instrument made him a pioneer in the genre of heavy rock, raising the bar for every single guitarist who came after him.

Returning to the UK after a lengthy spell in the U.S. promoting the Brown Bomber, the perma-touring Zeppelin retreated to the rural isolation of Bron-Yr-Aur, a secluded farmhouse in the heart of the north Wales countryside, where their acoustic-orientated third album began to take shape. Led Zeppelin III explored the band’s deep-seated affinity with the Celtic and folk genres, and although dismissed by some as a low-point in their career, undoubtedly gave a clear indication of the remarkable scope of the band’s talents, not to mention the enormous pool of influences from which they drew.

However, it was arguably the band’s fourth album, untitled and recognisable only by the four mysterious symbols on its cover, that would be the one that turned Led Zeppelin from stars to superstars. The album, known variously as Led Zeppelin Four, Four Symbols, Runes, or simply Untitled, arguably contains some of the band’s finest material, including the rock classics ‘Black Dog’, ‘Rock and Roll’, ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ and Tolkien-inspired ‘Battle of Evermore’, the latter featuring guest vocals from Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention fame. The unlikely highpoint of the album came in the form of the band’s epic masterpiece ‘Stairway to Heaven’, a track which regularly tops “greatest song ever written” polls, and even today is one of the most requested songs on the airwaves.

In the U.S. the band soon became infamous for their riotous partying, gargantuan intake of drugs and alcohol, and their dalliances with the black arts. Their name became synonymous with excess and debauchery, and tales of their outrageous antics in Hollywood hotels soon passed into legend. Motorcycling around corridors, extreme groupie-abuse, TVs out of windows – on their rampages around the U.S. Led Zeppelin invented the modern concept of the rock-star, setting a standard for rock’n’roll behaviour that people like Axl Rose and Steven Tyler could only aspire to.

Meanwhile, Page’s virtuoso playing, lengthy solos and use of a violin bow and weird guitar effects afforded him near-supernatural qualities as a live performer, qualities which, combined with his rapidly growing reputation for dabbling in black magick, prompted comparisons with 18th century violin prodigy Niccoló Paganini. Rumours of a pact with the Devil, fuelled by Page’s obsession with the occult and his fascination with the widely vilified Aleister Crowley in particular, led to a mythology growing up around the band, a mystique heightened by the fact that they never appeared on television and very rarely emerged in public to give interviews. The only time fans got to hear or see Led Zeppelin was at their shows, which is possibly partly why, according to some statistics, their tours of the U.S. managed to outsell those of the Beatles and the Stones put together.

After the astronomical success of their fourth album, the band’s ensuing work would incorporate virtually every musical influence imaginable, demonstrating once again the incredible scope of their combined talents. From rockabilly, soul and funk right through to Celtic, Indian, Arabic and Middle Eastern sounds, on their Physical Graffiti, Houses of The Holy, and In Through The Out Door albums these diverse influences came together in what can only be described as monolithic rock anthems, such as ‘Kashmir’, ‘Over The Hills and Far Away’ and ‘Houses of The Holy’ to name but a few.

Following the death of drummer John Bonham in May 1980, the three remaining members of Led Zeppelin decided to part company and pursue their respective solo careers. The group reformed briefly for an embarrassing and shambolic set at Live Aid with drummers Phil Collins and Tony Thompson standing in for Bonham (the video of which they went to great lengths to ensure never reached the public domain) and Page and Plant have released a number of highly acclaimed albums together, most notably “Walking into Clarksdale” and ’Unledded’. John Paul Jones, perhaps the most underrated musician in the band, or indeed the world, went on to collaborate with a long list of eminent musicians and is probably best known, post-Zeppelin, for writing the orchestral arrangements REM’s 1992 album ‘Automatic for The People’.

The genre-straddling genius of Led Zeppelin set the standard for all that was to follow, in terms of rock’n’roll Hell-raising as much as in terms of music. With estimated album sales in excess of $400 million worldwide, more than a quarter of a century after the band’s demise Led Zeppelin remain one of the most popular and influential bands in history.

Discology:

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