Led Zeppelin, like any rock ‘n’ roll outfit, would occasionally endure some disagreements. The group had taken the mantle left behind by The Beatles and grown to be the biggest group on the planet, and such accolades come with predetermined issues. When you add to a mix of egos and charisma a whole heap of creativity and pressure to deliver wheelbarrows of cash to those around you, there is an unavoidable cocktail of chaos waiting to be delivered at every hotel or studio bar.
The group, consisting of Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Jimmy Page, managed to avoid any major break-ups or bruised egos through their dominance of the 1970s. They did so by, largely, focusing on what they were put on this earth to do: make great music.
Led Zeppelin is a band where each member stands as a master of their craft. Page’s virtuoso guitar work is perfectly complemented by John Paul Jones’ impeccable rhythm, while Plant’s powerful, mythical vocals rival Bonham’s thunderous, Thor-like drumming. On stage and in the studio, the quartet was unstoppable. However, in the studio, creative tensions inevitably surfaced as each member pushed to bring their own musical vision to life.
This meant that the group had to proceed with songs that not all of the band members were necessarily on board with. More specifically, there is one track that Page and Bonham both agreed they hated: ‘All My Love‘. The tune showcased a softer side to the band and one the power players of the group were not so keen to show.
While the 1970s encapsulated the group’s rise to the top professionally, personally it would become a tortuous decade, one that would ultimately end their 12-year run, following the premature death of drummer John Bonham. Many would argue that the drummer was the glue that kept the group together, signifying their trademark powerful sound and unique position in the rock world. Without Bonham, they simply could not go on.
The decade also saw John Paul Jones take a break in 1973, a decision which came after an absolutely gruelling tour in support of their record Houses of the Holy and he just couldn’t bring himself to go back on the road anytime soon. However, the band kept on going strong with their self-released and Jimmy Page produced Physical Graffiti in 1975.
Tragedy then struck following the death of Robert Plant’s young child in 1977 while the band were touring in the States, an incident which led the group to take a two-year break before returning in the most grandiose manner with an epic two-night residency at Knebworthand with the release of their final album In Through The Out Door.
The album was poignant, and Plant paid tribute to his son, Karac, on the heartbreaking ‘All My Love’. This gorgeous and emotionally heavy track is seemingly the perfect way for the frontman to honour his child. However, this song was less than perfect, though, in the eyes of Jimmy Page and John Bonham, who thought that the track was “too soft”.
Looking back on the album in 1993, Page said he and John Bonham considered it “a little soft” and he called out the softest target of them all ‘All My Love’ directly. “I was a little worried about the [‘All My Love’] chorus,” Page said in an interview published in Brad Tolinski’s Light and Shade.
“I could just imagine people doing the wave and all of that. And I thought ‘That is not us. That is not us’.” However, Page didn’t want the song to be taken off the album as it was one that Robert Plant delivered straight from his heart.
“In its place, it was fine, but I would not have wanted to pursue that direction in the future,” he said. Of course, the reality is, that beyond their time in the limelight as rock icons, Led Zeppelin had also grown up together in many ways. They had shared experiences, good and bad, that few others had. So while Page and Bonham were never keen on ‘All My Love’ as a testament of what Led Zeppelin represented, by allowing it on to the record they showed that it represented them as friends.
