Led Zeppelin

“Light and Shade” was the famous qoute Rolling Stone author Cameron Crowe used to describe Led Zeppelin. One of the all-time greatest rock bands, their sound was a combination of a thuderous rhythm section, unbelievable guitar riffs, and wild frontman. They had a balance and counter-balance based in the blues with a hard edgy sound. Their sound was at times hard and soft, pounding and melodic, it was light and shade.

In 1968 Jimmy Page inherited a dysfunctional Yardbirds. The group’s original guitarist, Eric Clapton, would be replaced by Jeff Beck after leaving the band. Jimmy Page would later replace Beck. Left with the bands name and obligations Page recruited Robert Plant as vocalist, John Bonham on drums, and John Paul Jones on bass. They toured under the name the New Yardbirds. The name Led Zeppelin came from a famous quote from a music critic would voiced his opinion that the new line-up would go over like a “lead baloon”. With tongue in cheek the band was renamed to Led Zeppelin.

They found success with heavy blues-driven rock songs that carried a frightening manic edge never before heard in popular music. They were able to maintain a highly creative and commercially successful level for many years. Their self titled debut album woke the world up to a new sound. By combining blues and R&B and cranking the volume dial up to 12 they literally rocked the world. Their first single Communication Breakdown paired a driving beat together with ripping guitar riffs and a powerful vocal. It would define half of the Led Zeppelin sound. The B-side Babe I’m gonna leave You combined a gutty vocal plead with a melodic acoustic guitar and rhythm section that slowly built into a cresendo. It would define the other half of their sound.

Their second album, Led Zeppelin II, [Atlantic Records, 1969] was anchored by the rock staples “Whole Lotta Love” and “Heartbreaker”. Touring in support of the album Led Zeppelin was arguably the most popular rock band in the world in 1970. They changed gears on their next album Led Zeppelin III [Atlantic Records, 1970]. With softer music that paid homage to their blues influences the album was a critical hit but fell short of their previous albums commercial success. The bluesy album showcased the bands musical ability. It was a transition album that allowed the band to grow musically. It paved the way for one of the most important and influential albums in the history of Rock & Roll.

“Hey, hey mamma said the way you move, gonna make you sweat gonna make you groove” was the invitation passed to listeners the first time they heard Led Zeppelin IV. The lyrics lead the album with a call and response influenced track “Black Dog” Page’s insane guitar was evenly matched with Boham’s thunder of the gods to answer Plant’s wailing and grinding lyrical attack. Like a man who has seen rock bottom and returned to tell others about it, the song opened the door to an album that would change pop music. The musical onslauhgt continued with “Rock & Roll”, the second track on the album. A historic Bonham beat led the track into a riff so bluesy and aggressive it required listeners to turn up the volume as high as possible. A rolling Plant vocal complimented the tune with with enough force to accent the music and enough sense to get out of the way of an unstoppable rhythm. Listeners were granted a reprieve from the assault with ‘The Battle of Evermore” a beautiful acoustic stroll.