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Led Zeppelin

May 15, 2014 by strictlyrock Leave a Comment

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On October 25th 1968, at the University of Surrey, Guildford in the United Kingdom, “Led Zeppelin” played their first live show as a band. Their name is often attributed to a term that fellow musician John Entwistle, bassist for The Who, used to describe a bad gig; a “lead zeppelin”. It is said that the “a” was dropped from the word “lead” so that it would not be mispronounced “leed”. Whether or not this is the case, it is not surprising the band’s first gig didn’t go over like a “lead zeppelin. Led Zeppelin, comprised of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham, could be looked at as the originators of hard rock. As singer Robert Plant pointed out, about one third of their music was actually acoustic.

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From 1968–1980 Led Zeppelin could easily have been called the biggest band in the world. They released eight albums that shaped and influenced countless other musicians in ways that can still be heard today. Their first album, which was self-titled and released in 1969, included the tracks “Dazed and Confused”, “Communication Breakdown” and “Good Times Bad Times”. The song “How Many More Times” was listed as having a runtime of 3:30 in an effort by Jimmy Page to get radio stations to play the track. The song was actually 8:28. The band’s sophomore album, “Led Zeppelin II,” also released in 1969, included “Whole Lotta Love,” “Ramble On,” and “Heartbreaker.” “Immigrant Song” and “Tangerine” helped their third record, “Led Zeppelin III” ,released in 1970, sell more than 6 million copies in the United States alone. In 1971 the band’s fourth album which was untitled, although it is known as Led Zeppelin IV, sold a breathe taking 23 million units. With songs like “Black Dog”, “Battle of Evermore” and the absolutely epic “Stairway to Heaven,” it is easy to see why. Although “Stairway to Heaven” was never released as a single, it is reportedly the most requested rock song ever, and at 8 minutes long a great opportunity for squirming DJ’s to take a much needed bathroom break. Led Zeppelin’s other albums include 1973’s “House of the Holy”, “Physical Graffiti” released in 1973, “Presence” released in 1976, and their last studio album, “In Through the Out Door” which was released in 1979.

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Unfortunately for the members of Zeppelin, fame and fortune couldn’t protect them from the realities of life. In 1975 the band’s voice, Robert Plant, was involved in a serious automobile accident on a Greek island. Although the crash almost left him without a leg, Plant survived. This understandably put the band on hold for two years. To make matters worse for Plant, in 1977, just two years after his accident, his son, who was only 6 years old at the time, developed a serious viral infection and died. Zeppelin released “In Through the Out Door” in 1979, but September 25th 1980, as the super group prepared for an upcoming American tour, they suffered a blow from which they could not recover. After having consumed excessive amounts of alcohol, drummer John Bonham was found dead from asphyxiation. The band decided that Bonham was irreplaceable and out of respect, called it quits.

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Their Zeppelin days behind them, Plant, Page, and Jones continued with their musical endeavors. John Paul Jones decided to return to arranging, scoring, and producing music. Robert Plant started a career as a solo artist, and Jimmy Page, along with Paul Rodgers, formerly of the band “Bad Company” started a new band called “The Firm”. Fortunately for the three surviving members, careers after Led Zeppelin could be looked at as the “icing on the cake”. In terms of records sales, as of the year 2000, Led Zeppelin was second only to The Beatles, selling a jaw dropping 84 million albums. “Led Zeppelin IV” is the 4th best selling album of all time. Their albums “Led Zeppelin”, “Led Zeppelin II”, “Houses of the Holy” and “Physical Graffiti” are ranked in the top 100 best selling records of all time as well.

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Keeping true to their words that Bonham was irreplaceable, Led Zeppelin never reunited. They did, however, come together on a few occasions such as Live Aid for Atlantic Records’ 40th anniversary celebration. Most recently, and most notably, on December 10 2007, the band got back together for the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena in London, which has been their last performance to date. What made this concert so special was the band’s choice of drummer—John Bonham’s son, Jason.

 

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100 Greatest Rock & Roll Bands

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Elvis Presley
  6. The Who
  7. U2
  8. Pink Floyd
  9. The Doors
  10. The Police
  11. Elton John
  12. Metallica
  13. AC/DC
  14. Van Halen
  15. Nirvana
  16. Guns N' Roses
  17. Santana
  18. The Allman Brothers Band
  19. Bon Jovi
  20. David Bowie
  21. Grateful Dead
  22. Rush
  23. Yes
  24. Black Sabbath
  25. Bob Dylan
  26. James Brown
  27. The Beach Boys
  28. Eric Clapton
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. The Eagles
  31. Bob Marley
  32. Van Morrison
  33. Bruce Springsteen
  34. The Clash
  35. Queen
  36. Janis Joplin
  37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  38. R.E.M.
  39. The Kinks
  40. Steely Dan
  41. Steve Miller Band
  42. Jethro Tull
  43. Tool
  44. The Scorpions
  45. Coldplay
  46. Stone Temple Pilots
  47. Rod Stewart
  48. Marilyn Manson
  49. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  50. KISS
  51. The Pretenders
  52. Green Day
  53. Aerosmith
  54. Tina Turner
  55. Pearl Jam
  56. Ted Nugent
  57. Pantera
  58. Motörhead
  59. Judas Priest
  60. ZZ Top
  61. Megadeth
  62. Motley Crue
  63. Alice Cooper
  64. Def Leppard
  65. Iron Maiden
  66. Billy Idol
  67. Journey
  68. Anthrax
  69. Rage Against the Machine
  70. Blue Oyster Cult
  71. Alice in Chains
  72. Genesis
  73. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  74. Chuck Berry
  75. Buddy Holly
  76. Little Richard
  77. Elvis Costello
  78. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  79. Sex Pistols
  80. Cream
  81. Frank Zappa
  82. Talking Heads
  83. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  84. Billy Joel
  85. The Band
  86. Ramones
  87. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  88. Jerry Lee Lewis
  89. Doobie Brothers
  90. Foo Fighters
  91. The Cure
  92. Soundgarden
  93. Iggy Pop
  94. Peter Gabriel
  95. The Byrds
  96. Traffic
  97. Deep Purple
  98. Blondie
  99. Velvet Underground
  100. Heart

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