Led Zeppelin was one of the giants of the 1970’s in hard rock.
They were also one of the greatest success stories that ever played
hard rock music. The group was one the more popular hard rock groups
that performed in the seventies, and even had some hits in the 1960’s.
The members of the group are Jimmy Page, born on April 9, 1944,
Robert Plant, born on August 24, 1948, John Paul Jones, born on
January 3, 1946, and John Bonham born on May 31, 1948. Jimmy Page
played guitar, Robert Plant was the vocalist, John Paul Jones played
bass guitar and the keyboard, and John Bonham beat the drums. The
group had the complete set up for a band right off the start. They
produced their first record in thirty hours to complete their deal
with the old Yardbirds. They toured Scandinavia for awhile also to
complete their obligations to the Yardbirds.
When they first came to the United States they supported
Vanilla Fudge. They also played in clubs to start their
American popularity.
After they played in the clubs they got their first
headlining tour and toured again that. They were playing
their fifth tour by the March
of 1970. Led Zeppelin the record was released by the
Atlantic Records in 1969. Shortly after the record was
released it was number eight and stayed in the top
twenty for six weeks. When the Led Zeppelin II was
released, it was Atlantic Records’ fastest selling album
at 100,000 copies a week. |
They broke their own record in 1975 when “Physical
Graffiti” that sold 500 copies an hour. All of their albums have gone
platinum.
They were the first group to heavily tour the United States and
sporadically tour the rest of the world. This occurred because there
was a lack of interest in them Britain. Their success was due to their
manager Peter Grant. Peter was able to keep the group moving from
place to place and kept the people interested in them. Peter thought
that they would work every other year so they would stay in demand.
While they were working on their first movie featuring them. This
movie was of the group playing their music, which was called, “The
Song Remains Playing.”
A representative from their record company called and told Page
that the sales of their new album Houses of the Holy was spectacular.
The record company told Page that the group, Led Zeppelin, was the
biggest selling group in the world and was making the most money at
the time. After Page and Plant heard this they were having a moment of
triumph because their band was making it big. During this time of
popularity that the band was going through, there was a feature on
them in the L.A. Times. They were making music for the adolescence age
group and they were being looked up at as role models.
Led Zeppelin’s manager Peter Grant was an amazing and brilliant
person. Their road manager was also a great person for the band to
have because he promoted them as much as possible. By the summer of
1975, Led Zeppelin was the most popular band in the world. They were
filling football stadiums across the United States. They also filled
the Earl’s Court, which held 20,000 people for five days in London.
It was awesome an show that had an amazing light show, smoke, dry ice,
and laser beams. The concerts were focused on Jimmy Page and Robert
Plant because they were the main guys in the group. On stage they were
opposites and compliments: Plant a golden-ringleted Adonis marvelously
parodying the sexual superstar while singing in a voice of limitless
power.(www.wysiwyg://14/http://www.redrival.com/getled/history.html.)
Page was a dark, fragile guitarist of immense versatility and command
clothed in black velvet and rippling dragons.
The Presence(1976) and In Though the Out Door(1979) proved to be
the last Led Zeppelin albums that were produced. John Bonham was found
dead at the home of Jimmy Page on the 25 of September in 1980.
(www.http://www.led-zeppelin.com/news.html) After this tragic loss the
band announced that they could not play any longer. The album entitled
Coda was an unreleased set of recordings and out takes which was
released in 1982. In the same year, Robert Plant released his own
album, which was called, “Pictures at Eleven.”
Even in to the 1990’s the music that was produced in the early
days of Led Zeppelin is still being played and loved. The music that
they play is very persuasive and as popular as before. Even though
they broke up ten years ago you would not know they broke because of
the way that they are played on the radio. Zeppelin was played for
their fans and followers. For generations of kids, all they needed
were headphones and a decent copy of Led Zeppelin II to keep them
occupied.
Led Zeppelin had their down times but they also had their good
times. People have loved Led Zeppelin for years even today’s kids seem
to have picked up the ear for listening to the band. Twenty-two years
after their formation, the myth still surrounds the group Led
Zeppelin. Few people other then Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John
Paul Jones remember what a truly difficult road Led Zeppelin traveled
in their time. Led Zeppelin in my mind is one of the best bands to
ever happen to the world.
