See also: Zeppelin, Graf Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin is a group of Rock English, precursor of the Hard rock and heavy metal, born in 1968. Composed musicians virtuosos and innovators, he is regarded as one of the greatest groups of the history of the rock'n'roll. Among the most known titles of this group, one counts Stairway to Heaven , Whole Lotta Love , Since I' ve Been Loving You , Dazed and Confused , Kashmir , Heartbreaker , Immigrating Song , Rock-and-roll , No Quarter and Black Dog .

Formation

History

Birth

In 1968, when the Yardbirds separate, Jimmy Page is still under contract and must honor with the dates in concerts. He thus seeks musicians to form a new group with the manager of Yardbirds, Peter Grant. John Paul Jones learns the news and contacts Page with which it already worked at various sessions studio. Page, knowing the professionalism of John Paul Jones, accepts immediately. For the singer, Jimmy Page thinks first of all of Steve Marriott, the singer of the Small Faces, then with Terry Reid. This one declines the offer, but directs it towards a young singer who impressed it: Robert Plant. Jimmy Page listening in concert and is filled with enthusiasm. It misses nothing any more but the beater. Robert Plant knows an exceptionally gifted beater with which it played within a group of Rock: John Bonham. This last refuses initially the offer, having entered in contact with Joe Cocker to occupy a stable station within its group. But under the pressure of Jimmy Page and Peter Grant, it accepts finally the offer and the quartet forms the New Yardbirds , which leave then in round in Scandinavia. They borrow a look very close to that of the Who and a sound similar to that of the Jeff Beck' S Group.

More to post themselves like Yardbirds and to mark a musical turning, New Yarbirds change their name for Led Zeppelin the November 9th 1968, at the time of a concert in London Roundhouse de Chalk Farm, in England. According to the legend, it is the beater of Who, Keith Moon, which gave the idea of the name Led Zeppelin with its sentence: “This group will run like a lead airship”.

Beginnings

The manager of the group, Peter Grant, obtains a five year old contract with the recording company Atlantic Records. They record their first opus in about thirty hours during their round in England, which gives him the sound of an album live . Led Zeppelin leaves the January 12th 1969, four months after their first concert. This homonymous album, strongly influenced by the Blues and the Folk, proposes devastating fronts and a powerful singer. After cancellation by Jeff Beck' S Group of their round in the United States, Peter Grant jumps on the occasion and replaces them by Led Zeppelin in first part of the concerts of Vanilla Fudge, Alice Cooper and Iron Butterfly. During this round, the American public is conquered by the conclusive solos of Jimmy Page, personal interpretations and improvisations: pieces as Dazed and Confused can last more than thirty minutes. Certain groups quite simply refuse to go up on scene. As from this moment, Led Zeppelin will be only at the head of poster.

They record during their voyage a second disc, Led Zeppelin II , in the same vein as the precedent opus, which leaves the October 22nd 1969. This album gives to the group a notoriety which makes of him the largest salesman of the beginning of the Années 1970. The press is however divided, some reproaching them them Sexisme or some sometimes unjustified Violence.

The apogee

Their following album, Led Zeppelin III (left the October 5th 1970), watch which the group does not summarize with some accesses of rageuses guitars and the aggressive voice of Robert Plant. The half of the disc is made up exclusively of ballades folk, sometimes reproductions notes with note of pieces of Bert Jansch or Davy Graham, practice that Jimmy Page keeps with the pieces with tonality plus blues, often completely begun again the traditional ones of John Lee Hooker, Leadbelly or Robert Johnson, without never quoting its sources. Sulfurous reputation that Led Zeppelin forging mill is due to many variations: devastated hotel rooms, Groupie S and abuse Drug S, inter alia.

Their fourth album, whose small pocket includes neither title, nor name of the group, leaves the November 8th 1971. Certain texts are inspired by the Seigneur of the Rings of Tolkien and are impressed of occultism. This album is the most sold group thanks to traditional the Stairway to Heaven , but also thanks to rich and varied compositions, Folk with the Hard rock.

Two years later, the group leaves Houses off the Holy the March 28th 1973, first of their albums having a title strictly speaking. The album is very varied, Led Zeppelin being tested with the Reggae or the Funk, and thus losing a little its spontaneousness. This same year, Robert Plant, whose voice is worn by rounds with repetition (450 concerts in four years) and the tobacco, undergoes an operation of the vocal cords which leaves it voiceless during several weeks.

In 1974, the group creates its own label, Swan Song Records , which produces several groups and will finance part of first film of the Monty Python, Sacré Graal! .

The February 24th 1975, the group publishes its sixth album studio. It is a double, heading Physical Graffiti . For much, it is about the last large album of Led Zeppelin.

Descent into Hell

The March 31st 1976, the group leaves Presence , album known for the song Achilles Last Stand which lasts more than ten minutes. The following year, Karac Seedling, the son of Robert Plant, the July 27th dies. This event, as well as the movement Punk in full rise at that time, carries an hard blow to the group, which decides to take a pause.

The August 15th 1979, In Through the Out Door leaves in a small pocket packed in Kraft paper, fragile and of collection. Led Zeppelin must then much with the work of John Paul Jones. Indeed, Jimmy Page lives plunged in the chaos of the Drogue and John Paul Jones benefits from it to mark the album of its print. The album is thus tinted sounds resulting from synthetizers. He works in particular with Robert Plant on All my Love , piece that this last dedicates to his/her Karac son.

The group dissolves in 1980, after the death of the beater John Bonham (death of suffocation during a ethyl Coma). The last concert had taken place the July 7th 1980, with Berlin. A last posthumous album, composed of falls of studio and faces B of 45 turns entitled Coded , leaves the November 19th 1982.

Last sighs

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page meets twice in the middle of the Années 1990: first once for the album No Quarter (also called Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded pun between unledded and unplugged ) which takes again mainly titles of Led Zeppelin and contains two new songs. This album, recorded with the Morocco, has strong Eastern sonorities, and contains in particular a version of Nobody' S Fault drank crossbred Mine traditional instruments Maghrebian. The two men find another time for Walking into Clarksdale , an album which really does not bring of good news concerning a possible reformation of the group. This return falls under a basic movement where the tenors of the years 1960 and 1970, such Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, carried out, with more or less success, a return on the front of the scene, benefitting from an effect of mode which was favorable for them.

Since, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones continue with tops and bottoms their careers solo respective. Jason Bonham, wire of the beater John Bonham, had been had a presentiment of to replace his/her father in a reformation in the years 1990. It in particular published an album live which takes again the titles headlights of Led Zeppelin (The Jason Bonham Band, album In the Name off my Father ). Led Zeppelin sold nearly 300 million discs what makes of it to the fifth larger salesman of discs of all times.

In 2007 Led Zeppelin decided to reform itself for a single concert with O2 Arena of London on November 26th, 2007. The group will be composed of Robert Plant (Song), Jimmy Page (Guitars), John Paul Jones (Low) and of the son of John Bonham, Jason with the battery. But following a fracture on the level of the finger, Jimmy Page preferred to defer the concert to December 10th.

“Live” Philosophy

See also: Discographie pirates of Led Zeppelin

Jimmy Page had a particular design in the concerts and always knew to insufflate it with the group.

First of all, contrary to the other artists of the time, Led Zeppelin did not have a first part. Their service was indeed too long (up to three hours) to integrate one of them.

Then, Led Zeppelin was never satisfied to play its pieces such as one heard them on their albums studios. Jimmy Page, particularly, worked over again each piece which he played during the round in order to try out each aspect, modifying not only its solos, but also the body of the pieces. The differences go from the detail to deep modifications. For example, the piece Dazed and Confused of the first album, lasts 6 minutes in the version studio against 25 at the time of the round of 1973 and up to 45 in 1975. They were not simple extensions of the same topic but often of the Medley S generally containing recoveries, or of new topics which sometimes became titles with whole share thereafter.

The live version of the title Whole Lotta Love was increased by five or six Jam session added to the original contents. Jimmy Page also modified and prolonged its solo. Also sometimes the beater John Bonham made last the solo of battery of Moby Dick up to 40 minutes.

This work can be appreciated in their albums live (see to them Discographie) like in the very many Bootleg S available.

Musical genre

If Led Zeppelin is famous to be pioneer of the Hard rock and of the heavy metal it is in fact influenced by very many other musical genres, especially the Blues, but also the Rockabilly, the music Indian Celtique, or the Folk music, which makes group a very eclectic formation.

If the legend wants that the group made in round a number impressing of excess in any kinds (drugs, various orgies) typical with the Hard rock pure and hard, it shows a great refinement Folk, practically on each album ( Black Mountain Side on Led Zeppelin, Thank You on Led Zeppelin II, near total of Led Zeppelin III, The Battle off Evermore on Led Zeppelin IV, Bron-Yr-Aur on Physical Graffiti, etc), and a big number of their concerts comprised an acoustic set.

Discography

Albums studio

Albums live

Compilations and “  Best of  ”

  • 1990 : Remasters (2 Cd) (compilation in two or four discs)

  • 1990: Profiled (1990, interviews)
  • 1992: Remasters (3 Cd) (compilation in three discs of which one of interviews with the musicians)
  • 1993: Boxed Set, vol. 1 (compilation in two discs with a new song)
  • 1993: Boxed Set, vol. 2
  • 1993: The Supplements Studio Recordings (Integral in ten discs and of the news)
  • 1999: Early Days (“Best off”, volume one)
  • 2000: To lath Days (“Best off”, volume two)
  • 2002: Early Days & To lath Days (compilation)
  • 2007: Mothership (compilation): exit 12.11.07, 24 remasterized titles, chosen by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones in person
  • 2007: The Song Remains the Same (B.O.) Republication of the prestigious B.O of the film concert of the same name, remasterized and decorated of 6 additional titles; exit the 19.11.07

Pirate albums

Videotex

  • 1976 : The Song Remains the Same (concert of 1973 with the Madison Square Garden and extracted from thoughts of each member of the group)

  • 2003: Led Zeppelin DVD (two DVDs of quality higher including/understanding of the extracts in the concert than the Royal Albert Hall (London) in 1970, of the extracts in the concerts of Earl' S Short (London) in 1975, four new pieces of the concert of 1973 with the Madison Square Garden (New York) as well as extracts in the two concerts of Knebworth (England) in 1979. DVDs also include/understand no-claims bonus where one can see two clips of Led Zeppelin ( Over The Hills And Far Away and Travelling Riverside Blues ), three pieces played on television Danish in 1969, a promotion of Communication Breakdown and Dazed and Confused with Paris in 1969, an interview with the group with the NBC in 1970, the piece Rock Roll live on television Australian as well as an interview in 1972 and one interview with Robert Plant with BBC in 1975.)

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