All About Led Zeppelin

In 1968, Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page was in a tight situation. His whole band had quit and he was stuck with the rights to the name and a whole tour he was contractually obligated to do. So he called up session man John Paul Jones and the two set out to find a vocalist and a drummer. They found Robert Plant and John Bonham, and the rest is music history.

The quartet toured under the name "The New Yardbirds" and at the end of the tour, changed their name to Led Zeppelin. The band recorded their debut album in 1968, and it was released in January 1969, peaking at number 10 in the US and number 6 in the UK. It was with their second album that the band acheived superstardom. Led Zeppelin II was released in October of 1969 and a shortened version of "Whole Lotta Love" was released in the US in November and reached the top 5 by January. The album soon shot to number 1 in both the US and UK. Their third album, released in 1970 did the same.

Over the remainder of the 1970's, all other bands would be in the shadow of the mighty Zeppelin. They released seven albums during the decade, all of which reached number 1 in the band's home country of the UK, and five of which reached number 1 in the US, with the other two peaking at number 2. Incidentally, the band's fourth album, which was their only studio album not to reach number 1 in the US during the decade, went on to become the band's best-selling album, and in fact, no album released before it has sold more copies.

Perhaps the best explanation as to why the band's fourth album outsold any album ever released by the Beatles or Elvis Presley is the name of the album's fourth song: "Stairway To Heaven." The single best song in the history of rock and roll, filled with more beauty, power and emotion than anything written or recorded since, it was never released as a single due to the band's unwillingness to edit it for length. Funnily enough (and a testament to the greatness of the song), it is said to be the most requested song in FM history.

The band's popularity reached its peak during 1973. This is known as the year that Led Zeppelin conquered America. "Stairway To Heaven" was the most popular song around, Houses Of The Holy reached number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, and the band's US tour of that year broke all kinds of sales records, including the Beatles' record for largest audience that dated back to 1965. The band did not release any new material in 1974, but 1975 marked the release of their acclaimed double album, Physical Graffiti. The album gained the band the respect of the part of musical community that inexplicably they had not up to that point recevied.

The beginning of the end was a car accident in 1976 that left Robert Plant in a wheelchair for an extended period of time. The band felt that they had to quickly produce a record while they were sidelined from touring, and the album they made was the first of their career that was not a rock classic. Zeppelin didn't release another album until 1979, which turned out to be the last they ever recorded. This was because, in 1980, drummer John Bonham was found dead after suffocating on his own vomit during his sleep. The band subsequently announced their breakup.

Led Zeppelin's music has and always will live on. With the possible exception of the Beatles, no artist gains as many fans with each new generation of music listeners as Zep. This is particularly amazing when no official Led Zeppelin reunion tour has ever taken place. But we can always hope.

Robert Plant: Vocals, Harmonica
Jimmy Page: Guitar, Sub Activider, Electronic Treatments, Backing Vocal
John Paul Jones: Bass Guitar, Organ, Mandolin, Grand Piano, Synthesized Piano and Bass
John Bonham: Drums, Tympani, Drum Orchestra, Backing Vocal

3. The Song Remains The Same - September 21, 1976

1. Led Zeppelin (September 7, 1990)
2. Profiled (September 21, 1990)
3. Remasters (January 1, 1992)
4. Box Set 2 (September 21, 1993)
5. Complete Studio Recordings (September 24, 1993)
6. Early Days (November 23, 1999)
7. Latter Days (March 21, 2000)
8. Mothership (November 12, 2007)
9. Definitive Collection (November 4, 2008)

1. Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown (3/10/1969)
   - Good Times Bad Times peaked at #80

2. Whole Lotta Love/Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman) (11/7/1969)
   - Whole Lotta Love peaked at #4
   - Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman) peaked at #65

3. Immigrant Song/Hey Hey What Can I Do (11/5/1970)
   - Immigrant Song peaked at #16

4. Black Dog/Misty Mountain Hop (12/2/1971)
   - Black Dog peaked at #15

5. Rock And Roll/Four Sticks (2/21/1972)
   - Rock And Roll peaked at #47

6. Over The Hills And Far Away/Dancing Days (5/24/73)
   - Over The Hills And Far Away peaked at #51

7. D'Yer Mak'er/The Crunge (9/17/1973)
   - D'Yer Mak'er peaked at #20

8. Trampled Under Foot/Black Country Woman (4/2/1975)
   - Trampled Under Foot peaked at #38

9. Candy Store Rock/Royal Orleans (6/18/1976)

10. Fool In The Rain/Hot Dog (12/7/1979)
   - Fool In The Rain peaked at #21

1. The Song Remains The Same
- Premiered October 21, 1976,
- Released October 25, 1990 on VHS, December 31, 1999 on DVD

2. Led Zeppelin DVD
- Released May 26, 2003 in UK and May 27, 2003 in US

3. Celebration Day
- Released October 17, 2012