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Led Zeppelin
Background information
Origin London
West Bromwich
Kidderminster, England
Genre(s) Hard rock, Heavy metal, Blues-rock, Folk-rock
Years active 1968–1980
(Partial reunions: 1985, 1988, 1995)
Label(s) Atlantic
Swan Song
Associated
acts The Yardbirds
Page and Plant
Band of Joy
Website ledzeppelin.com
Members
Robert Plant
Jimmy Page
John Paul Jones
John Bonham (deceased)
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band that formed in September 1968. Led
Zeppelin consisted of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul
Jones. With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as
one of the first heavy metal bands.[1][2] Their rock-infused interpretation
of the blues also incorporated rockabilly,[3] reggae,[4] soul,[5] funk,[6]
jazz,[7] classical, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, folk, pop, Latin and country.
The band did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in
Britain, as they preferred to develop the concept of album-oriented rock.[8]
Over 25 years after disbanding following Bonham's 1980 death, Led Zeppelin
continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements,
commercial success, and broad influence. The band have sold more than 300
million albums worldwide,[9] including 109.5 million sales in the United
States.[10] Led Zeppelin are ranked No. 1 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest
artists of hard rock.[11]
History of Led Zeppelin
The early days (1968-1970)
The "New Yardbirds"
The beginnings of Led Zeppelin can be traced back to the English
blues-influenced rock band The Yardbirds.[12] Page joined the Yardbirds in
1966 to play bass guitar after the original bassist, Paul Samwell-Smith,
left the group. Shortly after, Page switched from bass to second lead
guitar, creating a dual-lead guitar line up with Jeff Beck.
Following the departure of Beck in October 1966, The Yardbirds, tired from
constant touring and recording, were beginning to wind down. Page wanted to
form a supergroup with himself and Beck on guitars, and The Who's rhythm
section - drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle. Vocalists Donovan,
Steve Winwood and Steve Marriott were also considered for the project.[13]
The group never formed, although Page, Beck and Moon did record a song
together in 1966, "Beck's Bolero" (which Entwistle did not play on), which
is featured on Beck's 1968 album, Truth. The recording session also included
bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones, who told Page that he would be
interested in collaborating with him on future projects.[14]
The Yardbirds played their final gig in July 1968. However, they were still
committed to perform several concerts in Scandinavia, so drummer Jim McCarty
and vocalist Keith Relf authorised Page and bassist Chris Dreja to use the
Yardbirds name to fulfil the band's obligations. Page and Dreja began
putting a new line-up together. Page's first choice for lead singer, Terry
Reid, declined the offer, but suggested Robert Plant, a Birmingham singer he
knew.[15] Plant eventually accepted the position, recommending a drummer,
John Bonham from nearby Redditch.[16] When Dreja opted out of the project to
become a photographer — he would later take the photograph that appeared on
the back of Led Zeppelin's debut album — Jones, at the suggestion of his
wife, contacted Page about the vacant position. Being familiar with Jones'
credentials, Page agreed to bring in Jones as the final piece.
The group played together on record the first time on the final day of
sessions for the P. J. Proby album, Three Week Hero. Proby recalled, "Come
the last day we found we had some studio time, so I just asked the band to
play while I just came up with the words. ... They weren't Led Zeppelin at
the time, they were the New Yardbirds and they were going to be my
band."[17]
The band completed the Scandinavian tour as "The New Yardbirds". "Led
Zeppelin" was chosen as their new name after Keith Moon predicted they would
go down like a lead zeppelin. After some discussion, the band decided to
stick with it. One account, which has become almost legendary, has it that
Keith Moon and John Entwistle suggested that a possible supergroup
containing themselves, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck would go down like a lead
balloon, a term Entwistle used to describe a bad gig.[18] The group
deliberately dropped the 'a' in Lead at the suggestion of their manager,
Peter Grant, to prevent "thick Americans"[14] from pronouncing it as "leed".[19]
Grant also secured an advance deal of $200,000 from Atlantic Records in
November 1968, then the biggest deal of its kind for a new band.[17]
Atlantic was a label known for its catalogue of blues, soul and jazz
artists, but in the late-1960s it began to take an interest in progressive
British rock acts, and signed Led Zeppelin without having ever seen them,
largely on the recommendation of singer Dusty Springfield.[20] With their
first album not yet released, Zeppelin made their live debut at the
University of Surrey, Guildford on October 15, 1968. This was followed by a
U.S. concert debut on December 26, 1968 (when promoter Barry Fey added them
onto a bill in Denver, Colorado) before moving on to the west coast for
dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities.[21]
Led Zeppelin (the first album)
Shortly after their first tour, the group's self-titled first album was
released on January 13, 1969. Its blend of blues, folk, and eastern
influences with distorted amplification made it one of the pivotal records
in the creation of heavy metal music. However, Plant has commented that it
is unfair for people to typecast the band as heavy metal, since about a
third of their music was acoustic.[22]
In an interview for the Led Zeppelin Profiled radio promo CD (1990) Page
said that the album took about 36 hours of studio time to create (including
mixing), and stated that he knows this because of the amount charged on the
studio bill. Peter Grant claimed the album cost £1,750 to produce (including
artwork).[14] By 1975, the album had grossed $7,000,000.[23]
Led Zeppelin's album cover met an interesting protest when, at a February
28, 1970 gig in Copenhagen, the band was billed as "The Nobs" as the result
of a threat of legal action from aristocrat Eva von Zeppelin (a relative of
the namesake creator of the Zeppelin aircraft), who, upon seeing the logo of
the Hindenburg crashing in flames, threatened to have the show pulled off
the air.[24]
Led Zeppelin II
In their first year of existence, Led Zeppelin managed to complete four US
and four UK concert tours, as well as find time to release their second
album, entitled Led Zeppelin II.[17] Recorded almost entirely on the road at
various North American recording studios, the second album was an even
greater success than the first and reached the number one chart position in
the US and the UK.[25] Here the band further developed ideas established on
their debut album, creating a work which became even more widely acclaimed
and arguably more influential.[26] It has been suggested that Led Zeppelin
II largely wrote the blueprint for 1970s hard rock.[26]
Following the album's release Led Zeppelin made several more tours of the
United States. They played often, initially in clubs and ballrooms, then in
larger auditoriums as their popularity grew. Led Zeppelin concerts could
last more than three hours, with expanded, improvised live versions of their
song repertoire.[27] Many of these shows have been preserved as Led Zeppelin
bootleg recordings.
Led Zeppelin III
For the composition of their third album, Led Zeppelin III, Jimmy Page and
Robert Plant retired to Bron-Yr-Aur, a remote cottage in Wales, in 1970.
This would result in a more acoustic sound than previously exhibited by the
group (and a song, "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp", misspelled as "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on
the album cover, which was a complete remake of Bert Jansch's song "The
Waggoners Lad"). Strongly influenced by folk and Celtic music, the album
revealed a different side of the band's versatility.
The album's rich acoustic sound initially received mixed reactions, with
many critics and fans surprised at the turn taken by the band away from the
primarily electric compositions of the first two albums. Over time, however,
its reputation has recovered and Led Zeppelin III is now generally
praised.[28][29] It has a unique album cover featuring a wheel which, when
rotated, displayed various images through cut outs in the main jacket
sleeve.
The album's opening track, "Immigrant Song", was released in November 1970
by Atlantic Records 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, removing the abstract middle section). 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 — some singles were
released without their consent. The group also increasingly resisted
television appearances, enforcing their preference that their fans hear and
see them live in person.
"The biggest band in the world" (1971–1975)
The success of Led Zeppelin's early years would be dwarfed by this five year
period in which the band would release their best selling albums and ascend
to musical success in the 1970s. The band's image also changed as members
began to wear elaborate, colourful clothing and jewellery similar to other
popular performers of the era. If the band's popularity on stage was
impressive, so too was its reputation for off-stage wildness and excess. Led
Zeppelin began travelling in a private jet airliner (nicknamed The
Starship[30] ), rented out entire sections of hotels (most notably the
Continental Hyatt House in Los Angeles, known colloquially as the "Riot
House"), and became the subject of many of rock's most famous stories of
debauchery. One escapade involved John Bonham throwing televisions out of
the windows of the Riot House during a drunken rampage and then blaming the
damage on Led Zeppelin groupies. Another example of Led Zeppelin excess was
the infamous shark episode, or red snapper incident, which took place at the
Edgewater Inn in Seattle, Washington, on July 28, 1969.[14]
The fourth album
Led Zeppelin's fourth album was released on November 8, 1971. There was no
indication of a title nor band name on the original cover, but on the LP
label four symbols were printed - . The reason for this was the band's
disdain for the media which labelled them as hyped, so they put out the
album with no indication of who they were to prove that the music could sell
itself. The album is variously referred to as Four Symbols and The Fourth
Album (both titles were used in the Atlantic Records catalogue), and also
IV, Untitled, Zoso, Runes, Sticks, Man With Sticks, and Four. It is still
officially untitled, and most commonly referred to as Led Zeppelin IV. In an
interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 2005, Plant said that it is simply
called The Fourth Album.[31]
further refined the band's unique formula of combining earthy, acoustic
elements with heavy metal and blues emphases. The album included examples of
hard rock, such as "Black Dog" and an acoustic track, "Going to California"
(a tribute to Joni Mitchell).[32]
"Rock and Roll" is a tribute to the early rock music of the 1950s. Recently (as of 2006), the song has been used prominently in
Cadillac automobile commercials--one of the few instances of Led Zeppelin's
surviving members licensing songs.[33]
The album also featured "Stairway to Heaven" (sample (info)), which became a
massive album-oriented rock FM radio hit despite never being released as a
single. Stairway has been controversial due to unsubstantiated but repeated
claims of "satanic" back masked messages.[34] In 2005, the magazine Guitar
World held a poll of readers in which "Stairway to Heaven" was voted as
having the greatest guitar solo of all time.[35]
As of July 31, 2006, has sold 23 million copies in the US, making it one of
the top four best selling albums in the history of the US music
industry.[36] Worldwide, it ranks at number eleven in album sales.[37]
Houses of the Holy
Led Zeppelin's next album, Houses of the Holy, was released in 1973. It
featured further experimentation, with longer tracks and expanded use of
synthesisers and mellotron orchestration. The song "Houses of the Holy" does
not appear on its namesake album, even though it was recorded at the same
time as other songs on the album; it eventually made its way onto the 1975
album Physical Graffiti.[14]
The striking orange album cover of "Houses of the Holy" features images of
nude children[38] climbing up the Giant's Causeway (in County Antrim,
Northern Ireland) to an unseen idol. Although the children are not depicted
from the front, this was highly controversial at the time of the album's
release, and in some areas, such as Spain, the record was banned.
The album topped the charts, and Led Zeppelin's subsequent Houses of the
Holy concert tour of the United States in 1973 broke records for attendance,
as they consistently filled large auditoriums and stadiums. At Tampa
Stadium, Florida, they played to 56,800 fans (breaking the record set by The
Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965), and grossed $309,000.[14] Three sold-out
shows at Madison Square Garden in New York were filmed for a motion picture,
but the theatrical release of this project (The Song Remains the Same) would
be delayed until 1976.
In 1974 Led Zeppelin took a break from touring and launched their own record
label, Swan Song, named after one of only five Led Zeppelin songs which the
band never released commercially (Page later re-worked the song with his
band, The Firm, and it appears as "Midnight Moonlight" on their first
album). The record label's logo, based on a drawing called Evening: Fall of
Day (1869) by William Rimmer, features a picture of Apollo (although it is
often misinterpreted as a picture of Icarus, Daedelus, Satan, or Lucifer).
The logo can be found on much Led Zeppelin memorabilia, especially t-shirts.
In addition to using Swan Song 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.[39] The label would be successful while Led Zeppelin
existed, but folded less than three years after they disbanded.[14]
Physical Graffiti
February 24, 1975 saw the release of Led Zeppelin's first double album,
Physical Graffiti, which was the first release on the Swan Song Records
label. It consisted of fifteen songs, eight of which were recorded at
Headley Grange in 1974, and the remainder being tracks recorded years
previously but not released on earlier albums.
A review in Rolling Stone magazine referred to Physical Graffiti as Led
Zeppelin's "bid for artistic respectability," adding that the only
competition the band had for the title of 'World's Best Rock Band' were The
Rolling Stones and The Who.[40] The album was a massive fiscal and critical
success. Shortly after the release of Physical Graffiti, all previous Led
Zeppelin albums simultaneously re-entered the top-200 album chart,[14] and
the band embarked on another U.S. tour, again playing to record-breaking
crowds. In May 1975, Led Zeppelin played five highly successful, sold-out
nights at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, footage of which was
released in 2003, on the Led Zeppelin DVD. This series of concerts could be
considered as some of the best of the band's career.[41]
The latter days (1976-1980)
By 1976, Led Zeppelin were becoming increasingly popular, having outsold
most bands of the time, including the Rolling Stones.[14] Their live shows
would increase even further in theatricality, featuring larger stage areas
and complex lights shows. While there were still massive musical and
commercial successes for the band during this period, problems such as the
1977 death of Robert Plant's son, Jimmy Page's heroin use,[42] changing
musical tastes, and ultimately John Bonham's 1980 death would finally bring
an end to Led Zeppelin.
Presence
Following their triumphant Earls Court appearances, Led Zeppelin took an
unplanned break from touring. In August 1975, Robert Plant and his wife
Maureen were involved in a serious car crash while on holiday in Rhodes,
Greece. Robert suffered a broken ankle and Maureen was very badly injured; a
blood transfusion saved her life.[14] Unable to tour, Plant headed to the
channel island of Jersey to spend August and September recuperating, with
Bonham and Page in tow. The band then reconvened in Malibu, California. It
was during this forced hiatus that much of the material for their next
album, Presence, was written.
Released in March 1976, the album marked a change in the Led Zeppelin sound
towards more straightforward, guitar-based jams, departing from the acoustic
ballads and intricate arrangements featured on their previous albums. Though
it was a platinum seller, Presence received mixed responses from critics and
fans. While many appreciated the looser style, others dismissed it as
"sloppy", and some critics speculated that the band members' legendary
excesses might have finally caught up with them, resulting in a sub-standard
album release.[43] The recording of Presence coincided with the beginning of
Page's heroin use, which may have interfered with Led Zeppelin's later live
shows and studio recordings, although Page has denied this.[44]
Despite the original criticisms, Jimmy Page has called Presence his
favourite album, and its opening track "Achilles Last Stand" (sample (info))
his favourite Led Zeppelin song. Robert Plant has also stated that he thinks
Presence is the album that probably sounds the most "Led Zeppelin" of all
their LPs.[45]
The concert film (The Song Remains The Same)
Robert Plant's injuries prevented Led Zeppelin from touring in 1976.
Instead, the band finally completed the concert film The Song Remains The
Same, and the soundtrack album of the film. It would be the only official
live document of the group available until the release of the BBC Sessions
in 1997. The recording had taken place during three nights of concerts at
Madison Square Garden in July 1973, during the Houses of the Holy concert
tour. The film premiered in New York on October 20, 1976, but was not well
received by critics or fans. The film was particularly unsuccessful in the
UK, where, after eight years of recording and touring, and in the wake of
the punk rock revolution, Led Zeppelin were now considered to be obsolete in
some quarters.[46]
In 1977, Led Zeppelin embarked on another massive U.S. concert tour. Though
profitable financially, the tour was beset with off-stage problems. On June
3, after a concert at Tampa Stadium was cut short because of a severe
thunderstorm, a riot broke out amongst the audience, resulting in several
arrests and injuries. Police ultimately resorted to tear gas to break up the
crowd.[47]
After a July 23 show at the "Days on the Green" festival at Oakland-Alameda
County Coliseum in Oakland, California, John Bonham and members of the
band's support staff (including manager Peter Grant and security co-ordinator
John Bindon) were arrested after a member of promoter Bill Graham's staff
was badly beaten during the performance. A member of the staff had allegedly
slapped Grant's son when he was taking down a dressing room sign; when Grant
heard about this, he went into the trailer, along with Bindon and John
Bonham, and savagely assaulted the man.[14]
The following day's second Oakland concert would prove be the band's final
live appearance in the United States. After the performance, news came that
Plant's five year old son, Karac, had died from a stomach virus. The rest of
the tour was immediately cancelled.[14]
In Through the Out Door
December 1978 saw the group recording again, this time at Polar Studios in
Stockholm, Sweden. The resultant album was In Through the Out Door, which
exhibited a degree of sonic experimentation that again drew mixed reactions
from critics. Nevertheless, the band still commanded legions of loyal fans,
and the album easily reached #1 in the UK and the US (in just its second
week on the Billboard album chart).
In August 1979, after two warm-up shows in Copenhagen, Led Zeppelin
headlined two concerts at the Knebworth music festival, where crowds of
close to 120,000 witnessed the return of the band. However, Robert Plant was
not eager to tour full-time again, and even considered leaving Led Zeppelin.
He was persuaded to stay by Peter Grant. A brief, low-key European tour was
undertaken in June and July 1980, featuring a stripped-down set without the
usual lengthy jams and solos. At one show on June 27, in Nuremberg, Germany,
the concert came to an abrupt end in the middle of the third song when John
Bonham collapsed on stage and was rushed to a hospital. Press speculation
arose that Bonham's problem was caused by an excess of alcohol and drugs,
but the band claimed that he had simply overeaten, and they completed the
European tour on July 7, at Berlin.[14]
"A tragic end"
On September 24, 1980, John Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant
Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for the upcoming tour of the
United States, the band's first since 1977. During the journey Bonham had
asked to stop for breakfast, where he downed four quadruple vodkas (roughly
sixteen shots (2/3 pint(~8dl) of vodka), with a ham roll. After taking a
bite of the ham roll he said to his assistant, "Breakfast." He continued to
drink heavily when he arrived at the studio. A halt was called to the
rehearsals late in the evening and the band retired to Page's house — The
Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor. After midnight, Bonham had fallen asleep
and was taken to bed and placed on his side. Benji LeFevre (who had replaced
Richard Cole as Led Zeppelin's tour manager) and John Paul Jones found him
dead the next morning. Bonham was 32 years old.[48]
The cause of death was asphyxiation from vomit. A subsequent autopsy found
no other drugs in Bonham's body.[49] The alcoholism that had plagued the
drummer since his earliest days with the band ultimately led to his death.
John Bonham was cremated on October 10, 1980, at Rushock, Worcestershire
parish church.
Despite rumours that Cozy Powell, Carmine Appice, Barriemore Barlow, Simon
Kirke, or Bev Bevan would join the group as his replacement, the remaining
members decided to disband Led Zeppelin after Bonham's death. They issued a
press statement on December 4, 1980 confirming that the band would not
continue without Bonham. "We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear
friend and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our
manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."[50]
Post Led Zeppelin
1980s
In 1982, the surviving members of the group released a collection of
out-takes from various sessions during Led Zeppelin's career, entitled Coda.
It included two tracks taken from the band's performance at the Royal Albert
Hall in 1970, one each from the Led Zeppelin III and Houses of the Holy
sessions, and three from the In Through the Out Door sessions. It also
featured a 1976 John Bonham drum instrumental with electronic effects added
by Jimmy Page, called "Bonzo's Montreux".
On July 13, 1985 Page, Plant and John Paul Jones reunited at the Live Aid
concert at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, for a short set featuring drummers
Tony Thompson and Phil Collins. Collins had played on Plant's first two solo
albums. When Live Aid footage was released on a four-DVD set in late 2004,
the group unanimously agreed not to allow footage from their performance to
be used, agreeing that it was not up to their usual standards.[51] but to
show their ongoing support Page and Plant pledged proceeds from their
forthcoming Page and Plant DVD release to the campaign and John Paul Jones
pledged the proceeds of his [then] current US tour with Mutual Admiration
Society to the project.
Led Zeppelin reunited again in May of 1988, for Atlantic Records' 40th
Anniversary concert, with Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, on drums.
1990s
Page and Plant reunited in 1994 for an MTV Unplugged performance (dubbed
Unledded) which eventually led to a world tour with a Middle Eastern
orchestra, and a live album entitled No Quarter. The bass player was Charlie
Jones, who had been the bassist with Plant's own band for several years.
Many see this as the beginning of discord with John Paul Jones, who was
upset with Page and Plant for touring without asking him first. Tensions
were further increased when Plant was asked at a press conference where
Jones was, and he jokingly replied that Jones was parking the car.[52]
On January 12, 1995, Led Zeppelin was inducted into the United States Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame. They were inducted by Aerosmith's vocalist, Steven
Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. At the induction ceremony, the band's inner
rift became 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 Plant.[53]
On August 29, 1997, Atlantic released a single edit of "Whole Lotta Love" in
the US, making it the only Led Zeppelin CD single. Additional tracks on this
CD-single are "Baby Come on Home" and "Travelling Riverside Blues". The band
have never released a single in the UK.[54]
November 11, 1997 saw the release of Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions, the first
Led Zeppelin album in fifteen years. The two-disc set included almost all of
the band's recordings for the BBC.
2000s
In October 2002, the British press reported that Robert Plant and John Paul
Jones had reconciled after a 20-year feud which had kept Led Zeppelin apart,
and rumours surfaced of a reunion tour in 2003.[55] This was later denied by
Plant and Page's management company.[56]
2003 saw the release of a triple live album, How the West Was Won, and a
video collection, Led Zeppelin DVD, both featuring material from the band's
heyday. At the year's end, the DVD had sold more than 520,000 copies. Around
Christmas 2004, "Stairway To Heaven" was voted the best rock song of all
time by Planet Rock listeners in a poll conducted on the station's website.
Two other Led Zeppelin songs were also featured in the top ten - "Whole
Lotta Love" at number six and "Rock and Roll" at number eight.[57]
In 2005, Led Zeppelin received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and
readers of Guitar World magazine voted the guitar solo from "Stairway to
Heaven" to be the best rock guitar solo of all time.[58] Led Zeppelin ranked
#14 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All
Time.[59] In November 2005, it was announced that Led Zeppelin and Russian
conductor Valery Gergiev were the winners of the 2006 Polar Music Prize. The
King of Sweden presented the prize to Plant, Page and Jones, along with John
Bonham's daughter, in Stockholm in May, 2006.[60]
In November 2006, Led Zeppelin were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.
The television broadcasting of the event consisted of an introduction to the
band by various famous admirers, a presentation of an award to Jimmy Page
and then a short speech by the guitarist. After this, rock group Wolfmother
played a tribute to Led Zeppelin, playing the song "Communication
Breakdown".[61][62]
Led Zeppelin have always been very protective of its catalogue of songs, and
have seldom allowed them to be licensed for films or commercials. In recent
years, this position has softened, and their songs can be heard in movies
such as School of Rock, Dogtown and Z-Boys, Almost Famous, and Shrek the
Third. One Tree Hill was the first, and so far only network television show
to license a Led Zeppelin song, using Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. However, Led
Zeppelin remain one of the few bands to not allow the sale of their music on
online music stores. [63]
On June 25, 2007, World Entertainment News reported Led Zeppelin have
allegedly agreed to re-form for a special memorial concert for Ahmet Ertegun,
the founder of Atlantic Records who died in December 2006. It was also
reported that if the concert goes well, they may also tour in 2008. The same
report suggests that the three surviving members would be joined by John
Bonham's son Jason. [64] However on June 28, Robert Plant had made it clear
at a press conference that the reunion discussions were false, and once
again, the hopes of a Zeppelin reunion were shot down. [65]
Allegations of plagiarism
When Led Zeppelin's debut album was released, it received generally positive
reviews, however John Mendelsohn of Rolling Stone magazine, criticized the
band for stealing music, notably "Black Mountain Side" from Bert Jansch's
"Black Water Side" and the riff from "Your Time Is Gonna Come" from
Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy". He also accused the band of mimicking black
artists, and showing off. This marked the beginning of a long rift between
the band and the magazine, with Led Zeppelin rejecting later requests for
interviews and cover stories as their level of success escalated.[31]
One song from the album, "Dazed and Confused", was a song originally written
by Jake Holmes on his album "The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes. The
Yardbirds, Jimmy Page's old band, had made a version called "I'm Confused",
and Page reworked the song again for Led Zeppelin's debut recording, with
Holmes having never received any royalty payments for their recording.[66]
Holmes did not file suit over the song, although he did send the band a
letter stating "I understand it's a collaborative effort, but I think you
should give me some credit at least and some remunity." His letter was never
replied to and he did not follow up on it.[66]. Holmes is however also
reported to have said "what the hell, let him [Page] have it [Dazed and
Confused]". [14]
Led Zeppelin II's credits have also been the subject of debate since the
album's release. The prelude to "Bring It on Home" is a cover of Sonny Boy
Williamson's "Bring it on Home" and drew comparisons with Dixon's "Bring It
on Back". "Whole Lotta Love" (sample (info)) shared a line with Dixon's "You
Need Love/Woman You Need Love". In the 1970s, Arc Music, the publishing arm
of Chess Records, brought a lawsuit against Led Zeppelin for copyright
infringement over "Bring It on Home" and won an out-of-court settlement.[67]
Dixon himself did not benefit until he sued Arc Music to recover his
royalties and copyrights. Years later, Dixon filed suit against Led Zeppelin
over "Whole Lotta Love" and a large out-of-court settlement was reached.
Later pressings of Led Zeppelin II credit Dixon.
The opening chord progression and verse in "Stairway to Heaven" are nearly
identical to the 1968 instrumental "Taurus" by the group Spirit.[68][69] Led
Zeppelin was the opening act for Spirit's 1968 tour.[70], three years before
"Stairway To Heaven" was written.
Discography
Date of release Title
January 12, 1969 Led Zeppelin #6 UK #10 U.S.
October 22, 1969 Led Zeppelin II #1 UK #1 U.S.
October 5, 1970 Led Zeppelin III #1 UK #1 U.S.
November 8, 1971 Led Zeppelin IV #1 UK #2 U.S.
March 28, 1973 Houses of the Holy #1 UK #1 U.S.
February 24, 1975 Physical Graffiti #1 UK #1 U.S.
March 31, 1976 Presence #1 UK #1 U.S.
August 15, 1979 In Through the Out Door #1 UK #1 U.S.
Filmography
* The Song Remains the Same (1976)
* Led Zeppelin DVD (2003)
References
1. ^ Heavy metal timeline
2. ^ BBC.com
3. ^ In live shows, Led Zeppelin would perform rockabilly songs originally
made famous by Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran
4. ^ "Houses Of The Holy" includes a reggae-influenced song,"D'Yer Mak'er"
5. ^ Live Led Zeppelin concerts would also include James Brown, Stax and
Motown-influenced soul music and funk, as these were favourites of bassist
John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham.
6. ^ See previous reference to soul and funk
7. ^ "Houses Of The Holy"'s song "No Quarter" is a jazz and blues-style jam.
8. ^ Musicmatch, "Led Zeppelin", followers; accessed September 10, 2006
9. ^ VH1 Welcomes the Return of the 'Third Annual UK Music Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony'. vh1.com (September 14, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-21.
10. ^ RIAA. Top Selling Artists.
11. ^ 100 greatest artists of hard rock at vh1.com
12. ^ MTV biography of Led Zeppelin
13. ^ Led-Zeppelin.org. Led Zeppelin Assorted Info.
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Stephen Davis (1995). Hammer of the Gods (LPC),
44, 64, 190, 225, 277 ISBN 033043859-X.
15. ^ Billboard. Led Zeppelin Biography.
16. ^ Digital Graffiti. Led Zeppelin FAQ.
17. ^ a b c Fred Dollar (2005). "Led Zep were my backing band": 83.
18. ^ Keith Shadwick (2005). Led Zeppelin The Story of a Band and their
Music 1968-1980, 36, ISBN 100879308710.
19. ^ Jimmy Page Online
20. ^ Welch, Chris (1994) Led Zeppelin, London: Orion Books. ISBN
0-85797-930-3, p. 31.
21. ^ Led Zeppelin Official Website
22. ^ The History of Rock 'n' Roll: The 70s: Have a Nice Decade
23. ^ Billboard discography
24. ^ Keith Shadwick Led Zeppelin 1968-1980: The Story Of A Band And Their
Music (excerpt posted on Billboard.com)
25. ^ Led Zeppelin discography
26. ^ a b Review at All Music Guide
27. ^ Led Zeppelin.com audio guide
28. ^ Led Zeppelin III.
29. ^ Q4 Review of Led Zeppelin 3.
30. ^ Led Zeppelin.org
31. ^ a b Rolling Stone Magazine; Q&A with Robert Plant, May 05, 2005
32. ^ Songmeanings.com
33. ^ Rock and Roll Dropped from Cadillac advert
34. ^ Stairway to Heaven Backwards
35. ^ About Guitar, 100 Greatest Guitar Solos, accessed September 10, 2006
36. ^ RIAA best selling Albums
37. ^ Mjni
38. ^ Manning, Toby. "Broad Church", Q Led Zeppelin Special Edition, 2003.
39. ^ VH1 Biography
40. ^ Rolling Stone Review, Mar, 27 1975
41. ^ Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File,
London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 111.
42. ^ About.com/Experts [1]
43. ^ Rolling Stone Magazine [2] Rolling Stone Magazine Review, Published
May, 20 1976]
44. ^ Rock's Backpages review, Published April, 10 1976
45. ^ From interview in Swedish TV program "Musikbyrån" around the time of
Led Zeppelin receiving the Polar Music Prize.
46. ^ Led Zeppelin.com bio
47. ^ Robert Plant's Home Page
48. ^ Rock Deaths
49. ^ John Bonham Biography
50. ^ Mick Wall (2005). "No Way Out": 86.
51. ^ BBC News Report
52. ^ Led Zeppelin.org, accessed 2nd August 2006
53. ^ Lewis, Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert
File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 144.
54. ^ BBC News accessed 3rd March 2007
55. ^ [3] The Sun, accessed 2nd August 2006]
56. ^ BBC News, accessed 2nd August 2006
57. ^ Zeppelin classic tops rock poll BBC News, accessed 2nd August 2006
58. ^ Guitar World Magazine, 2005
59. ^ The Immortals: The First Fifty. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling
Stone.
60. ^ BBC News article, 23 May 2006
61. ^ [4]
62. ^ BBC News article, 23 May 2006
63. ^ Guardian Article, 15 November 2005
64. ^ "Led Zeppelin to reunite", WEN (World Entertainment News), Yahoo,
2007-06-25. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
65. ^ "ROBERT PLANT Shoots Down LED ZEPPELIN Reunion Rumors",
blabbermouth.net, 2007-06-28. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
66. ^ a b http://www.furious.com/perfect/jakeholmes.html
67. ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation website
68. ^
69. ^ Guitar World Magazine, April 1997: "California's most enduring legacy
may well be the fingerpicked acoustic theme of the song "Taurus," which
Jimmy Page lifted virtually note for note for the introduction to "Stairway
to Heaven."
70. ^ The London Independent, January 17, 1997
Published sources
* Dave Lewis (2003), Led Zeppelin: Celebration II: The 'Tight But Loose'
Files, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-056-4.
* Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File,
London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.
* Dave Lewis (2004) The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, London:
Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
* Chris Welch (2006) Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind
Every Song, Thunder's Mouth Press, ISBN 1-56025-818-7.
* Chris Welch (2002), Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin, London: Omnibus
Press. ISBN 0-7119-9195-2.
* Richard Cole and Richard Trubo (1992), Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin
Uncensored, New York: HarperCollins, ISBN 0-06-018323-3.
* Stephen Davis (1985) Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga, New York:
William Morrow & Co., ISBN 0-688-04507-3.
* Luis Rey (1997) Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of
Underground Tapes, Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press. ISBN 4ISBN 0-9698080-7-0.
* Susan Fast (2001) In the Houses of the Holy: Led Zeppelin and the Power of
Rock Music, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19514-723-5.
* The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll (2001 edition).
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