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8. Led Zeppelin
Points: 204
Nominations: 12
3rd Place: 1
2nd Place: 1
1st Place: 1
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin formed in 1968 from two UK pop groups, the well-known Yardbirds and not so well-known Band of Joy - Jimmy Page, already an accomplished session musician who had earlier dropped out of the music business to attend art college, had appeared with The Yardbirds while Robert Plant and John-Paul Jones joined from Band of Joy. Originally the new band, featuring vocalist Plant, bass player Jones and John Bonham (possibly the drummer with the heaviest chops ever) was named The New Yardbirds. The name Led Zeppelin apparently came from a throwaway comment made by Who drummer Keith Moon (or bassist John Entwhistle, depending who you believe), stating at a practise that if they played like they were currently playing they'd go down like a lead balloon. Their first eponymous album featured a number of blues re-workings and this is one interesting point which must always be kept in mind when considering the contributions of Led Zeppelin - while for example Eric Clapton personally saw to it that the old bluesmen whose songs he was recording received their royalty payments, Led Zeppelin have shown a strange reluctance to do likewise. That said, their next release Led Zeppelin II was a masterpiece with many fine originals, featuring at least three classic tracks - "Whole Lotta Love", "What Is and What Should Never Be" and "Ramble On". The former, re-worked by Alexis Korner's CCS, was featured as the theme tune to UK pop music showcase Top of the Pops for many years.
Shrewdly guided by their strong-armed manager Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin became one of the biggest rock bands in the world. The band's style began to develop towards more progressive and psychedlic stylings, epitomised by probably their most famous song of all, the epic "Stairway to Heaven" (though not necessarily their best-loved, as anyone who's seen Wayne's World can attest - "No Stairway - denied!") - "Stairway" was one of the highlights of their fourth, untitled album, variously referred to as Led Zeppelin IV, Four Symbols and the Runes Album, as it featured four runes which allegedly represented each of the band members. Interestingly, the band was able to engender huge success despite their decision to eschew the release of singles, and notwithstanding this potentially market-limiting device six of their studio albums reached number one in the US. Following the less well-received Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti was released, another classic with an innovative cover design featuring a tenement building with cut-out windows and scenes visible on the inner sleeves. The band's popularity was by now at an all-time high, as evidenced by five sell-out nights at London's Earls Court, and in terms of record sales they were even outstripping the Stones. However, injuries to Plant sustained in a car crash and the relative failure of the concert movie The Song Remains the Same, which some thought a trifle pretentious and a poor substitute for a live show, saw the band take something of a knock. They toured North America successfully in 1977, however this would be their last appearance there.
The 1978 release In Through the Out Door garnered mixed reviews, though it still topped the charts either side of the Atlantic, however the death of Bonham in 1980 led to the rest of the group members deciding to disband. They reunited for a disappointing 1988 appearance featuring Bonham's son Jason on drums, and again in 2007 with more success. In 1995 Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Members
Robert Plant - Vocals
Jimmy Page - Guitars
John Paul Jones - Bass Guitar and Keyboards
John Bonham - Drums and Percussion
Discography
Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin II (1969)
Led Zeppelin III (1970)
Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
Houses of the Holy (1973)
Physical Graffiti (1975)
Presence (1976)
In Through the Out Door (1979)
Coda (1982)
Also
3 Live Albums, 9 Compilation Albums
Write-up by chasingthedon
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Originally Posted by BoyBrumby
