If you ask anyone to name the greatest rock band of all time, most (sensible) people will name this band. Formed in 1968, the band have released some of the greatest rock tunes in history, have sold over 300 million albums over the world and may be going back on tour in the near future.
Led Zeppelin originally consisted of Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), Paul Jones (bass/keyboards) and John Bonham (guitar) Jimmy Page was originally in the Yardbirds in the 1960s and when the band wound up, he decided to put a new band together. The name of the band came from the Who’s bassist John Entwhistle, who used the term “Lead Zeppelin” to describe bad gigs.
The band were signed by Atlantic records and made their live debut in 1968. Their debut album was released in 1969 and was seen as the first original heavy metal album. Led Zeppelin II was released a year later. The interesting thing about Led Zeppelin is that they didn’t usually release singles from their albums, as they strongly believed that their whole albums couldn’t be split into single songs and that the whole album had to be played in full to really enjoy it.
Led Zeppelin III was released in xx and had more of a folky, acoustic vibe to it than the other two albums. This album included Immigrant Song, which was released as a single against the bands wishes. Their fourth album was released in 1971 – it didn’t have a name but instead was promoted by the use of four symbols, but is commonly referred to Led Zeppelin IV. This is the album that Stairway to Heaven featured on, and is frequently said to be the best rock and roll song ever.
Houses of the Holy was released in 1973, and double album Physical Graffiti was released in 1975 – which included the classic song Kashmir. Presence was released in 1976, and although it was popular with fans (Jimmy Page said it was his favourite album), critics saw it as the end of the band. In Through the Out Door was released in 1978 which was one of the band’s most experimental albums.
On September 24 1980, after a day of heavy drinking, John Bonham was found dead by his manager. The rest of the band decided that they could not continue and issued a statement saying that the band was going to split up. The remainder of the band did reunite for the American leg of the Live Aid concert in 1985 but they were not happy with the performance. They reunited yet again in 1988 for an Atlantic Records concert but again were not happy with the way they played.
In 2006 the band were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and on December 10 2007, Page, Plant, Jones and John Bonham’s son Jason played a one-off concert at the 02 in London. Tickets traded hands for thousands of pounds and people all over the world descended en masse to see the show. There are now rumours that the band will tour… and if they do I’ll definitely want a ticket!
The band have released 8 albums: Led Zeppelin (1969),Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), Led Zeppelin IV (1971), Houses of the Holy (1973), Physical Graffiti (1975), Presence (1976), In Through the Out Door (1978).
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