Led Zeppelin rose from the scattered ashes of the British Invasion Yardbirds. Featuring Jimmy Page, the only and barely original member; singer Robert Plant; John Paul Jones on bass and drummer John Bonham, The New Yardbirds was hastily assembled to ...more Led Zeppelin rose from the scattered ashes of the British Invasion Yardbirds. Featuring Jimmy Page, the only and barely original member; singer Robert Plant; John Paul Jones on bass and drummer John Bonham, The New Yardbirds was hastily assembled to fulfill the Yardbirds’ concert commitments in August, 1968. By year end, the band had recorded its first album, changed its name to Led Zeppelin and secured a contract with Atlantic Records stateside. Although Led Zeppelin is considered the definitive heavy metal band, producing loud blues interpretations with heavy mythology, British folk and world music overtones, it was hardly a darling of the contemporary media. Refusing to grant many interviews and deigning to release popular singles from their album collections, the band released albums Led Zeppelin I, II, III and IV between 1969 and ’71. Stairway to Heaven, from IV, became the all-time most-played single on album-oriented radio. During the mid-70s, the band continued to record, releasing Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, Presence and In Through the Out Door. The late 70s were unkind to Led; grief struck Plant’s family and John Bonham died while the band was rehearsing for their 1980 American tour. Bonham’s demise led to the band’s dissolution. Although Page and Plant reunited briefly in 1994 and released Walking into Clarksville in 1998, Led Zeppelin is heard now in re-mastered compilations of past performances....less |
