Led Zeppelin Essay, Research Paper
The band Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest hard rock groups of all time. The
band also has one of the best success stories in the history hard rock music.
Led Zeppelins success in hard rock was achieved in the seventies and they even
had a few hits in the late sixties. The musicians in Led Zeppelin 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
shredded the guitar, Robert Plant was the vocalist, John Paul Jones kept the
beat on bass guitar and keyboard, and John Bonham pounded away on the drums. All
of the band members were in it from the beginning, and it stayed that way until
the end. Their first album was produced in thirty hours and the record completed
their opening deal with the Yardbirds. They toured Scandinavia for some time to
complete their touring obligations with the Yardbirds. When Led Zeppelin first
arrived in the United States they supported Vanilla Fudge. The band stared
playing in small venues and clubs until their popularity in American would take
off. After the band started receiving more recognition from their fans they got
their first chance to tour as a headliners. Led Zeppelin played their fifth tour
by March of 1970. Led Zeppelin released their first record with Atlantic Records
in 1969. In no time the record had risen to number eight on the billboard top
twenty. The album stayed in the top twenty for six weeks after it hit the
charts. When the bands second album, Led Zeppelin II, was released, it was
praised by Atlantic Records? as the fastest selling record in history. Led
Zeppelin II sold upwards of 100,000 copies a week. In 1975 when ?Physical
Graffiti? was released the album was selling 500 copies an hour breaking there
own previously held record. All of the band albums have gone platinum. Led
Zeppelin was the first group to heavily tour the United States and the band
occasionally toured the rest of the world. This happened because the band did
not have the same following in Britain as previous rock bands. Their success was
due to their genius manager Peter Grant. Peter kept the group moving all the
time and in hand the peoples interest in the band never faded. Peter realized
that if he could have Led Zeppelin tour every other year they would stay in
demand, and this way the population would not grow board with the band as
quickly. Peter tried his notion while the group worked on their first movie.
This movie was, simply, the group playing their music, and was titled; ?The
Song remains playing.? A representative from their record company called and
told Page that the sales of the bands new album ?Houses of the Holy? were
spectacular. The record company told Page that Led Zeppelin, was the biggest
selling group in the world. On top of that they were making more money than any
other band the time. After Page and Plant heard this they had a moment of
triumph. They were living their dream, and nothing could or would stop them
know. Around this time of popularity the band was featured in the L.A. Times.
They were creating music for the teenage group and they were being perceived as
role models. In the summer of 1975, Led Zeppelin was the most popular band in
the world. They were packing football stadiums across the United States. Abroad
the bands talent was also starting to be recognized, and they held sold out
shows all across Europe. They filled Earl?s Court, which held 20,000 people a
show, for a five-day stay in London England. It was an awesome show that had a
dazzling lights, dry ice, smoke, and even lasers. The concerts focused on Jimmy
Page and Robert Plant because they were the main attraction of the group. When
performing on stage they complimented each other even though they had different
styles of music: 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. (www.http://www.led-zeppelin.com/news.html)
The last led Zeppelin albums released while the band was still making music
together were ?The Presence?(1976) and the ?In Though the Out
Door?(1979). John Bonham was found dead at the home of Jimmy Page on the 25 of
September in 1980. The tragic loss of their band member brought an end to the
bands ten-year triumph in the music industry. In 1982 an album was released
named ?Coda?, it was a set of recordings and out takes from the bands early
days. Around the same time period, Robert Plant released his first solo album,
which was called, ?Pictures at Eleven.? Even now the music-produced twenty
years a go is a constantly requested on classic rock and rock stations across
the country. Led Zeppelin is still being played and loved by all generations of
music fans. The music that they played is very persuasive and as popular as it
ever was. Even though they broke up twenty years ago you would not know it
because of the loyal fans that still roll there windows down tun the radio up
and jam to the sounds created by Led Zeppelin. (www.wysiwyg://39/http://www.dazedandconfused.com/home.html)
Led Zeppelin played for their fans and followers. The band had a huge following
of teenagers and young adults. All they needed were headphones and a decent copy
of Led Zeppelin II to keep them happy, occupied, and mesmerized. Led Zeppelin
had there 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
hit to the world.
1 Atlantic Records, www.atlanticrecords.com/frames/artistmusic/main 1.
Buckeyes led Zeppelin page, Http://www.dnaco.net/buckeye/lz.html 2. Godwin,
Robert, www.cgpublishingcom/ledzep3.htm 3. www.http://www.led-zeppelin.com/news.html
5. www.wysiwyg://14/http://www.redrival.com/getled/history.html.