Genres Rock
Styles Album Rock, British Blues, British Metal, Arena Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock
Labels Atlantic, Swan Song, Ze Anonym Plattenspieler, Trademark of Quality, Silver Rarities Raven Import
Release History-Record Label
Led Zeppelin I-1969-Atlantic
Led Zeppelin II-Oct1969-Atlantic
Led Zeppelin III-Oct1970-Atlantic
Untitled-Nov1971-Atlantic
Houses of the Holy-Mar1973-Altantic
Physical Grafitti-Feb1975-Swan Song
Presence-Mar1976-Swang Song
The Song Remains the Same-Oct1976
In Through the Out Door-Aug1979
Coda-Nov1982
Led Zeppelin (Box Set)-Sept1990
Remasters-Feb1992
Led Zeppelin (10 Disc Box Set)-Mar1993
The Complete studio Recordings-Sept1993
BBC Sections-Nov1997
The Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Vol. 1
Latter Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Vol. 1
Led Zeppelin (led 'zep e lin), n. heavy metal, the defining sound of. 2. Interpretation of blues. Thier incredibly loud interpretation of blues, incorporation of mythology, mysticism, and use of a variety of other genres (including world music and British folk) made them the defining sound in heavy metal during the 60's and throguh the 70's. Led Zeppelin seemd set apart from the world though. They rarely gave interviews, the press detested the band, and their only real connection to the audience was through albums and concerts. Paving the way for the dominant format of heavy metal, they refused to release popular songs as singles, and set the genre's actual sound. At the same time, Led Zeppelin ended up sellin over 50 million records, becoming one of the most popular acts in rock history, thanks largely to their friend and manager Peter Grant.
Led zeppelin was formed from the ahes of the Yardbirds, a British Invasion blues-rock group which Jimmy Page joined in its final days. Page played a crucial role in their final album, produced in 1967, Little Games. The album featured Led Zeppelin bassist, John Paul Jones. While the Yardbirds decided thier future during a fairly inactive 1967, Page returned to session work. He played in Jone's arrangement of donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and eventually Jones asked to be part of any of Page's future projects. That opportunity would come sooner than either of them thought.
In the summer of 1968, Keith Relf and James McCarty left the Yardbirds, forcing Page and bassist Chris Dreja to play the upcoming fall tour by themselves. Page asked Terry Reid and B.J. Wilson to join the group, but neither was able to join at the time. Reid suggested Robert Plant, who was, at the time, singing with a band named Hobbstweedle. In august of 1968, Chris Dreja dropped the new project and Page asked Plant to join the band. Once Dreja left, John Paul Jone joined the new group as bassist. Plant told Page about the drummer of an old band of his, Jon Bonham from the Band of Joy. Bonham had to be presuaded though . . . he was recieving other offers but eventually joined the band under their new name, the New Yardbirds.
The New Yardbirds fufilled the Yardbirds' booked arrangements in Scandinavia, in late September 1968. They recorded their first album the next month in just under thirty hours. That month they also changed thier name to Led Zeppelin, under the suggestion of Who drummer Keith Moon. He predicted they would go over like a lead zeppelin. But they secured a contract with Atlantic records in the U.S. by the end of the year.
Led Zeppelin set out on their first American tour on early 1969 to set the stage for the release of their new album. Only two months after its release the album soared to the top of the U.S. Top Ten while Led Zeppelin toured nonstop, playing in both America and Britain. While on the road they recorded their second album, Led Zeppelin II, which they released in October 1969. The album was an immediate success with fans and FM album-rock DJ's, but dismissed by critics. Led Zeppelin II spent seven weeks at number one and topping the charts over two months after its release. It not only was a decisive commercial triumph, it signified a change of the times. Not only were they Beatles breaking up but thre of rock's icons had died - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison.
As Led Zeppelin recorded their third album , in October 1970, their music was influenced by British folk, introducing "the Immigrant Song" to the band's repertoire. Their other achievment - the acoustic-based tunes that dominated Side Two. Led Zeppelin's sound continued to deepen as they released their fourth album in November of 1971, which was untitled but often referred to as Led Zeppelin IV. Led Zeppelin IV showed the groups infatuation with folk and mythology. It was the most diverse album the group released. From the heavy rock in "Black Dog" to the folk in "The Battle of Evermore," and the combined rock and folk in "Stairway to Heaven," Led Zeppelin IV is viewed as the most successful ablum the group ever released. Despite "Stairway to Heaven" being the most played song in history, the group never released a single. Although Led Zeppelin IV never hit the number one spot, it sold over 16 million copies in the next two and a half decades. To promote Led Zeppelin III and Led Zeppelin IV, the group focused on playing fewer shows, but larger venues.
After their tour of 1972, they stopped touring to record a fifth album, Houses of the Holy, which was released in the spring of 1973. It featured touches of funk and reggae throughout their original sound of rock and roll. Houses of the Holy debuted at number one in both America and Britain and during the 1973 tour, Led Zeppelin broke box-office records, most previously held by the Beatles, throughout America. Their concert in Madison Square garden in July 1973 was filmed to use for their feature film, the Song Remains the Same, eventually released in 1976. Led zeppelin then took and year off, releasing no albums and performing no concerts through 1974. During that year, however, they established their own record label, Swan Song. Led Zeppelin used that label to release all of their subsequent albums. Records by Dave Edmunds, Bad Company, and the Pretty Things were also released under that record label. The double album, Physical Grafitti, released in February of 1975, was the first album to be released under Swan Song. Their music was beginning to show strain and during the last half of the seventies the group was beset with a string of tragedies.
The group had planned to launch a huge American tour until Robert Plant and his wife were involved in a serious car accident, while vacationing. Plant spent the rest of the year recovering, and unfortunately the tour dates were cancelled. Led Zeppelin released Presence in the spring of 1976, after Plant had recovered fully. The reviews of Presence, along with The Song Remains the Same, were not as good as they could be, although the album debuted at number one. The band returned to touring in the spring of 1977 and a couple of months into touring PLant's six-year old son, Karac, died of a stomach infection. The tour was immediately cancelled and did not set a date to reschedule, causing widespread panic about the future of Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant spent the last half of 1977 and the beginning of 1978 in seclusion.
The band didn't begin recording a new album until the late summer 1978, when they began recoring in ABBA's Polar studios in Sweden. Led Zeppelin played a short European tour in 1979, and, in August of 1979 Led Zeppelin played two large concerts at Knebworth.
Led Zeppelin's eighth album, In the Out Door, was much delayed, but finally released in September of 1979. Again the album entered the charts at number one, but was a melancholy effort, mainly the work of Plant and Jones, due to Page's struggles with heroin and Bonham's with alcohol. In May of 1980 Led Zeppelin played their final European tour - although they didn't know it at the time.
In September the group began rehersing at Jimmy Page's house in preparation for their American tour. Unfortunately, they never got to start it.
John Bonham, Led Zeppelin's drummer, was found dead on September 25, 1980, of asphyxiation after an all day drinking binge. A little over two months later, Led Zeppelin announced they would no longer stay together, because they could not continue without Bonham.
After the break up of Led Zeppelin the remaining members began solo careers. The bassist, John Paul Jones, returned to producing, arranging, and eventually releasing his debut album, Zooma, in 1999. Jimmy Page complied the Zeppelin outtakes collection, Coda, released at the end of 1982. Beforehand he had recorded the soundtrack for Death Wish II. Robert Plant began a solo career with the Pictures at Eleven album, also in 1982. He initially refused to play Led Zeppelin material live. In 1984, Plant and Page reunited for only a short time in the all-star oldies band the Honeydrippers. After one recording Plant returned to his solo career and Page formed the Firm, with formed Bad Company singer Paul Rogers.
In 1985, Led Zeppelin reunited to play Live Aid, sparkin reunion rumors, which ened up to be false. The band reunited again in 1988 to play Atlantic'a 25th Anniversary Concert. Afterward Page began to remaster the band's catalog to release on the 1990 box set, Led Zeppelin. The four-disc set became the biggest selling muti-disc box ever, and was followed three years later by the 10 disc set 'The Complete Studio Recordings.'
In 1994, Plant and Page reunited to produced the mostly acoustic No Quarter, which reworked several old Led Zeppelin songs. The recording of No Quarter led to Page and Plant reuniting to embark on a successful international tour, which then led to an all new studio recording, 'Walking into Clarksdale.' Page and Plant ended their reunion shortly after but the album was met by a warm reception from the public. Page went on tour with the Black Crowes and Plant resumed his solo career. The three remaining members again reunited when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Hame in 1995.
Led Zeppelin's catalogue remains irreplaceable cornerstone of classic rock radio, so influential that, in 1990, a Florida radio station even attempted to launch an all Zeppelin format. The music is legendary, the members almost mystical, and the name will live on. Forever.
