Led Zeppelin are the world’s greatest supergroup. They first took to the stage on September 7th, 1968, as The New Yardbirds. That night, at the Gladsaxe Teen Club in Copenhagen, fans were initially disappointed as they only recognised Jimmy Page. The legendary John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Robert Plant were unknown entities. However, what followed was the heralding of heavy metal, and pandemonium soon kicked in.
The band were quickly snapped up by Atlantic Records, and given Page’s previous success as a songwriter and session musician for the likes of Marianne Faithful, Van Morrison and Nico, they were given profound creative license. Their self-titled debut album saw John Bonham thunder a new style of drumming to the forefront of rock, and Led Zeppelin became one of the heaviest acts ever to crack the top ten.
With ‘Led Zeppelin II’, anthems like ‘Ramble On’ and ‘Whole Lotta Love’ launched them to the top. And this success continued further, with Led Zeppelin IV remaining one of the best-selling records of all time. There was a grandiosity to their music that shone on epic orchestral songs like ‘Stairway to Heaven’ that remain marmite rock – beloved by some and cast as ‘The Forbidden Riff’ by others.
With Page writing most of the music and Plant providing the lyrical content, their influences were wider than most. Page borrowed from classical composers and blues legends like Muddy Waters, while Plant perused the pages of J.R.R. Tolkien and spiritual texts. This created a unique style that Freddie Mercury called the “greatest”, and he hailed Plant as “one of the most original vocalists of our time.”
George Harrison and many others would also heap praise on the band, earmarking them as a musician’s favourite. By the mid-1970s, they would be championed as “The World’s Biggest Band”. This allowed them the liberty of experimenting and expanding their sound on albums like ‘In Through the Out Door’. However, tragedy soon struck with the death of drummer John Bonham.
Following the death of Bonham, who has since been hailed as the greatest drummer of all time, the band released the statement: “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.” With that, the band parted ways and ventured off into solo careers.
Nevertheless, they remain heroes of rock ‘n’ roll, with their riffs still being heard and modern artists like Matt Helders of Arctic Monkeys declaring their albums among his all-time favourites.
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