Led Zeppelin, Part 1

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and I'm calling this podcast Led Zeppelin, Part 1.  I plan to highlight the first six and a half years of Led Zeppelin - a group that I consider to be one of the greatest bands in rock and roll history!  Be sure to check out our companion podcast, Led Zeppelin, Part 2, where I will discuss the last six years that the band was active, as well as a few of their numerous awards and honors.

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott. The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John. It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then.
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Bill and John welcome your feedback and comments, and they can be emailed to rockandrollflashback@outlook.com.
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Until next time...
Rock On!

Transcript

Greetings time travelers and welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and I'm calling this podcast Led Zeppelin, Part 1.  I plan to highlight the first six and a half years of Led Zeppelin - a group that I consider to be one of the greatest bands in rock and roll history!  Be sure to check out our companion podcast, Led Zeppelin, Part 2, where I will discuss the last six years that the band was active, as well as a few of their numerous awards and honors.

In Rock and Roll Flashback podcast episode #35 I reviewed a band called The Yardbirds.  Near the end of that podcast I mentioned that talented guitarist Jimmy Page transitioned that band into what was going to be called The New Yardbirds.  The remaining Yardbirds had been exhausted by heavy touring and were disappointed by a lack of recent chart success.  They broke up after a July 1968 gig in Luton, Bedfordshire.  The Yardbird's manager at that time, Peter Grant, encouraged Jimmy Page to form his own band.  

Before he joined the Yardbirds, Jimmy Page had been a prominent session guitarist.  On some weeks he ended up playing at least three sessions a day, six days a week.  Through his contacts with record producer Shel Talmy, he secured session work on songs for the Who and the Kinks.  Page's studio gigs in 1964 and 1965 included Marianne Faithfull's "As Tears Go By", Jonathan King's "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", the Nashville Teens' "Tobacco Road", the Rolling Stones "Heart of Stone" and "We're Wasting Time",  Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger", Petula Clark's "Downtown", and several others.  The session work and studio discipline proved to be invaluable to Jimmy and paid off when he began producing Led Zeppelin records. 

Also beginning in 1964, John Baldwin began studio session work with Decca Records.  From then until 1968, he played on hundreds of recording sessions.  He soon expanded his studio work by playing keyboards, arranging and undertaking general studio direction, resulting in his services coming under much demand.  Some of the numerous artists he worked with included the Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Jeff Beck, Françoise Hardy, Cat Stevens, Rod Stewart, Shirley Bassey, Lulu, Dusty Springfield, and numerous others.  John also played bass for Dusty Springfield's Talk of the Town series of performances.  His string arrangement is heard on "She's a Rainbow" on the Rolling Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request album.  In addition to contributing to Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and "Mellow Yellow", Baldwin's arranging and playing on Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" got the attention of producer Mickie Most.  Most used John as arranger for projects with Tom Jones, Wayne Fontana, the Walker Brothers, and many others.  In 1967, Mickie Most, as music supervisor, hired Baldwin to arrange the music for Herman's Hermits' theatrical film Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter.  It was during his time as a studio musician that Baldwin decided to take the stage name of "John Paul Jones".

John Paul Jones knew Jimmy Page from prior recording sessions.  In 1968, at the urging of his wife, Jones contacted Page to see if he needed a bass player.  Jimmy Page jumped at the chance of adding John Paul Jones to the new band.  With Jones on board to play bass and keyboards, Jimmy Page and Peter Grant went to Birmingham to check out a band called Hobbstweedle.  They were greatly impressed by lead singer Robert Plant's voice.  Page invited Plant to London to join the new band, and Plant suggested that Page contact an old bandmate of his from "The Band of Joy", drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham.  After some coaxing, Bonham agreed to join.

From the very beginning Jimmy Page had a very specific idea in mind as to what he wanted the new band to be.  He wanted the band to be a marriage of blues, hard rock, and acoustic music topped with heavy choruses and lots of light and shade in the music.  In the ensuing years Jimmy Page would receive credit for the unique innovations in sound recording that he brought to the studio.

For contractual reasons, the four man band was initially called The New Yardbirds.  On August 12th, 1968, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant got together in a small basement room on Gerrard Street in London for the first time for a rehearsal.  The first song they played was “Train Kept A-Rollin’”.   They quickly realized that they had a powerful, cohesive band and were excited at how good they sounded together.  After that enthusiastic rehearsal in the West End of London, the band embarked on a 10 day tour of Scandinavia in September 1968.  This new band played with an exuberance, yet stayed in control.  They were talented, confident, and cocky.  

In September and October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London the band started recording.  They recorded a mix of original material worked out in the first rehearsals, and remakes and rearrangements of contemporary blues and folk songs.  The sessions took place before the group had secured a recording contract and totaled 36 hours.  Jimmy Page and the band's manager, Peter Grant, paid for the sessions, which were produced by Page.  The tracks were mixed by Glyn Johns.  

On October 15th, 1968 the band made their UK performance debut at Surrey University under their new name, Led Zeppelin.  The band's name was apparently derived from a prediction by either the Who's Keith Moon or John Entwistle that the new band would go down like a "lead baloon".  In November, at the recommendation of Jones' friend Dusty Springfield, Atlantic record executives signed Led Zeppelin without ever having seen them.

On December 26th, 1968 Led Zeppelin played their first American show in Boston.  On January 12th, 1969, their debut album, simply called Led Zeppelin, was released in the US during the tour.  Almost immediately, the band's innovative, dynamic new sound created an electrifying excitement.  This new band was the real deal!  Flamboyant singer Robert Plant's voice ranged from controlled shrieks to plaintive moans and back again.  Plant also contributed harmonica on the song "You Shook Me".  Jimmy Page's distorted guitar alternated between lightning licks and punchy riffs, with strange reverberating feedback enhanced when he stroked his strings with a violin bow.  Sometimes Page's guitar would echo Plant's screams.  Backing the band was a tightly synchronized rhythm section of reliable John Paul Jones on bass or organ and John Bonham's relentless, thundering drums.

The LP showcased the group's fusion of blues and rock, played with maximum intensity and volume.  The hard rock sound was immediately commercially successful in both the UK and US.  It peaked at #10 on the Billboard chart and earned Gold certification by the RIAA in July 1969.  A slightly later release in the UK saw the LP peak at #6 on March 31st.  Page was reluctant to release singles, so only "Good Times Bad Times", backed with "Communication Breakdown", was released outside of the UK.  "Good Times Bad Times" only reached #80 on the Billboard Hot 100.  However, due to exposure on album-oriented rock radio stations and growth in popularity of the band, many of the album's tracks, such as "Good Times Bad Times", "Dazed and Confused", and "Communication Breakdown" have become classic rock radio staples.  

As the band developed further, Jimmy Page would write most of Led Zeppelin's music, particularly early in their career, while Robert Plant wrote most of the lyrics.  John Paul Jones's keyboard-based compositions later became central to their music, which featured increasing experimentation.  In their first full year, Led Zeppelin completed four US and four UK concert tours, and also released their second album, Led Zeppelin II.  Recorded mostly on the road at various North American studios, it was an even greater commercial success than their first album.  The LP was produced by Jimmy Page, and Eddie Kramer handled recording engineer duties.  Led Zeppelin II reached the #1 chart position in both the US and the UK.  The album further developed the mostly blues-rock musical style established on their debut release, creating a sound that was heavy and hard, brutal and direct.  The first album track, "Whole Lotta Love", had a ponderous energy and sound, yet was precise and modulated by dynamic contrasts.  Several of the nine album tracks became classic rock staples.  Thirty-five years later, in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list included three from Led Zeppelin II:  "Whole Lotta Love" at #75, "Heartbreaker" at #320, and "Ramble On" at #433.  

Here's a sample from "Heartbreaker".

The band considered their albums to be complete listening experiences, and they were against re-editing of existing tracks for release as singles.  Band manager Grant maintained an aggressive pro-album stance, particularly in the UK, where there were few radio and TV outlets for rock music.  Without the band's consent, however, some songs would nevertheless be released as singles, particularly in the US.  In 1969, an edited version of "Whole Lotta Love" was released as a single in the US.  It reached #4 in the Billboard chart in January 1970.  The group also increasingly shunned television appearances, citing their preference that their fans hear and see them in live concerts.  Over the years following the release of their second album, Led Zeppelin completed several more US tours. They played initially in clubs and ballrooms, and then in larger auditoriums as their popularity grew.  Some early Led Zeppelin concerts lasted more than four hours, with expanded and improvised live versions of their repertoire.  It was during this period of intensive concert touring that the band and their roadies developed a reputation for off-stage excess.

In 1970, Page and Plant stayed at a remote cottage in Wales called Bron-Yr-Aur.  They wrote several songs, which would ultimately result in a more acoustic style.  The new songs were strongly influenced by folk and Celtic music, and showcased the band's versatility.  Much of the recording work was done at Headley Grange, a country house, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.  Additional sessions were held at Island Studios and Olympic Studios in London.  The range of instruments played by the band was greatly enhanced on this album, with John Paul Jones especially emerging as a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing a wide range of keyboard and stringed instruments, including various synthesizers, mandolin and double bass, in addition to his usual bass guitar.  As with the prior albums, Page served as producer on the album.  Mixing was done by Andy Johns and Terry Manning.  Page said that the group had 16 tracks to choose from for release on Led Zeppelin III.  They settled on 10.

On October 5th, 1970 Led Zeppelin III was released.   It reached #1 in the US and UK charts, but its stay would be the shortest of their first five albums.  In the UK the LP remained on the chart for 40 weeks.  In the US it remained on the chart for 19 weeks and was certified Gold on October 8th, 1970.  The album's rich acoustic sound initially received mixed reactions, with critics and fans surprised at the turn from the primarily electric arrangements of the first two albums.  Consequently, LP sales lagged after this initial peak.  The LP's opening track, "Immigrant Song", was released as a US single in November 1970 against the band's wishes.  "Immigrant Song" reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  Another significant album track was "Since I've Been Loving You".  That power blues song features John Paul Jones providing a great organ backing behind Plant and Page.  Audio engineer Terry Manning called Page's solo in

the song the best rock guitar solo of all time.  In 1998 two magazines ranked Jimmy's solo in "Since I've Been Loving You" among the 100 Greatest Solos of All Time.  It was ranked #8 in the UK's Guitarist magazine and #53 in the US Guitar World magazine. 

During the 1970s, Led Zeppelin reached new heights of commercial and critical success that made them one of the most influential groups of the era, eclipsing their earlier accomplishments.  The band's image also changed as the members began to wear elaborate, flamboyant clothing.  Led Zeppelin enhanced their show by using things such as lasers, professional light shows, and mirror balls.  They began travelling in a private jet airliner, a Boeing 720 nicknamed the Starship.  They rented out entire sections of hotels, and became the subject of frequently repeated stories of debauchery.  One involved John Bonham riding a motorcycle through a rented floor in the Chateau Marmont, while another involved the destruction of a room in the Tokyo Hilton.  Although Led Zeppelin developed a reputation for trashing their hotel suites and throwing television sets out of windows, some suggest that these tales have been exaggerated.  The real culprits were often tour manager Richard "Ricardo" Cole and the road crew.

Earlier I mentioned the band's occasional use of the English country house, Headley Grange, for recording.  For the band's Led Zeppelin IV album, the band returned to Headley Grange.  Robert Plant wrote most of the lyrics to "Stairway to Heaven" at Headley Grange in a single day.  The opening track of the album, "Black Dog", was named after a black Labrador Retriever which was found hanging around Headley Grange during recording.  John Paul Jones wrote the main riff for "Black Dog".  Jones added complex rhythm changes to "Black Dog", resulting in a clever pattern that turns back on itself more than once, crossing between time signatures as it does.  Because the group had a difficult time with the turnaround, drummer John Bonham kept the song moving by playing it straight through as if there was no turnaround.  On the final track of the album, "When the Levee Breaks" John Bonham's drumming became the defining feature of the song.  Headley Grange is a three storey stone structure with a cavernous hallway.  To obtain Bonham's unique drum sound, he was recorded drumming in the lobby of Headley Grange using two microphones suspended high above a flight of stairs.  

The band had wanted to release the fourth album with no title or information, but Atlantic wanted something on the cover.  So it was agreed to have four symbols to represent both the four members of the band and that it was the fourth album.   So the LP has been variously referred to as Led Zeppelin IV, Untitled, IV, or, due to the four symbols appearing on the record label, as Four Symbols or Zoso.  

Led Zeppelin released their fourth album on November 8th, 1971.  Led Zeppelin IV entered the UK chart at #10, rising to #1 the following week and spent a total of 90 weeks on the chart.  In the US it was Led Zeppelin's best-selling album, but just missed topping the Billboard album chart, peaking at #2.  With 37 million copies sold as of 2014, Led Zeppelin IV is one of the best-selling albums in history, and its massive popularity cemented Led Zeppelin's status as superstars in the 1970's.  By 2021, it had sold 24 million copies in the US alone.  The song "Black Dog" was released as a single on December 2nd, 1971 in continental Europe, the United States, and Australia.  As was their practice, the UK did not receive the single.  "Black Dog" reached #10 in Australia, #11 in Canada, and #15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

When you think of their fourth album, the final track, "Stairway to Heaven", inevitably comes to mind.  That masterpiece was one of the most popular songs of the decade.  The song begins with Page's acoustic feel and delicate Plant vocals.  As the song progresses, Page builds the intensity, gradually adding drums and ultimately climaxing with Plant screaming over the distorted guitar.  "Stairway to Heaven", never released as a single, was the most requested and most played song on American rock radio in the 1970's.  In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list included two from Led Zeppelin IV:  "Stairway to Heaven" at #31 and "Black Dog" at #294. The group followed up the album's release with tours of the UK, Australasia, North America, Japan, and the UK again from late 1971 through early 1973.

By 1972, Led Zeppelin had achieved sustained commercial and critical success from both their studio albums and live shows.  After touring Australia, in April 1972 the group decided to take the mobile studio to Mick Jagger's country estate called Stargroves.  Both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had installed home studios, which allowed them to arrive at Stargroves with complete compositions and arrangements.

In March 1973 Atlantic released the band's fifth studio album, Houses of the Holy.  It featured further experimentation by the band, who expanded their use of synthesizers and mellotron orchestration.  The album was produced by Page and mixed by Eddie Kramer.  Although critical response was mixed, Houses of the Holy became a commercial success.  It topped the UK charts and spent 39 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart, including two weeks at #1.  The album was #4 on Billboard magazine's top albums of 1973 year end chart.  Several songs from the LP would became fixtures in the group's live set, including "The Song Remains the Same", "The Rain Song", and "No Quarter".  In particular, "No Quarter" became a centerpiece of Led Zeppelin concerts, being played at virtually every show the band performed until 1980.  During live performances of the song, John Paul Jones frequently improvised on keyboards and performed parts of classical music, especially Rachmaninoff melodies.  Page and John Bonham would always join Jones later in the song.  In 1999 the Houses of the Holy LP received a Diamond certification by the RIAA for at least 10 million copies sold in the US.  In 2020, the album was ranked at #278 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

The band's subsequent concert tour of North America in 1973 broke records for attendance, as they consistently filled large auditoriums and stadiums.  At Tampa Stadium in Florida, they played to 56,800 fans, breaking the record set by the Beatles' 1965 Shea Stadium concert.  Three sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City were filmed for a motion picture, but the theatrical release of this project was delayed until 1976. 

John Paul Jones accepted his low-key role in the band with good grace.  He was the quiet one, doing few interviews, and being mostly stationary on stage while all the attention was on Page and Plant.  However, following exhausting tours and extended periods of time away from his family, by late 1973 Jones was beginning to show signs of disillusionment.  He considered quitting Led Zeppelin to spend more time with his family, but was talked into returning by the band's manager, Peter Grant.  Jones joked that he was interested in becoming the choirmaster of Winchester Cathedral, which was reported as fact in several sources.

In 1974, Led Zeppelin took a break from touring and launched their own record label, Swan Song, named after an unreleased song.  In addition to using Swan Song as a vehicle to promote their own albums, the band expanded the label's roster, signing artists such as Bad Company and the Pretty Things.  The label remained successful while Led Zeppelin existed, but folded less than three years after they disbanded. 

This concludes another episode of Rock and Roll Flashback podcasts!  As mentioned in my intro, this episode is Part 1 of a two part podcast.  Be sure to check out the companion podcast, Led Zeppelin, Part 2, to hear some of the highlights, honors, and awards of Led Zeppelin's career from 1974 onward.  So for now, I'm Jumpin' John McDermott and until next time...Rock On!