Kathmandu- Led Zeppelin – Short Biography
In the now distant 1968, four already experienced British musicians decided to form a band and made history – would be short but accurate description of Led Zeppelin.
The group consisted of Robert Plant on vocals, Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on keyboards/bass, and last but not least John Bonham on drums.
Since they all had previous experience with bands and had many music sessions under their belt, it didn’t take long for the newly formed band to start recording or even touring the world.
In fact, they started touring the UK a few months before even releasing their debut album. They kicked off their first tour in 1968, October, while their debut album came out in January the following year.
At the beginning of 1969, Led Zeppelin released their debut and eponymous studio album which became a massive success. The record brought a new and unique sound to the industry which left a significant mark in music history. Sound that paved the way for many hard rock and heavy metal bands in the upcoming decades.
Shortly after the release of their debut record Led Zeppelin, they kicked off a world tour and also released their second studio album Led Zeppelin II. An album that became an even bigger commercial success than the first one.
Interesting fact about Led Zeppelin’s second album is that it was recorded during their North American tour in multiple studios.Barely a year passed since the release of their self-titled debut album before Led Zeppelin began working on their third studio album. Led Zeppelin III showed the band’s versatility because of the album’s more acoustic and folk/Celtic music style.
During the early to mid-1970s, Led Zeppelin became one of the – if not the biggest band in the world. Even though many believed that Rolling Stones would become the band of the 70s, just like the Beatles were in the 1960s.After 7 highly successful years and constant touring, the group decided to pull the breaks and rest for a while due to multiple factors. But the hiatus didn’t last for long and the band went back to their previous working schedule.
Led Zeppelin closed the decade with a massive success, but sadly the momentum didn’t transfer into the 1980s as well.
The reason for this was the sudden passing of the band’s drummer John Bonham – Bonzo in the autumn of 1980, a month before their scheduled North American tour.Afterward, the remaining members canceled the group’s upcoming events and decided to disband. Replacing John Bonham wasn’t an option.
1. Led Zeppelin wasn’t their original name
Yes, Led Zeppelin wasn’t the band’s original name. This may come as a surprise to some newer fans but is probably well known among older ones.
Before becoming what they are known today, the band was formed under the name New Yardbirds. A name of an already existing band in which Jimmy Page participated as a bassist and guitarist. A band that had Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck in the lineup throughout the years. Three of the very best guitarists of all time.
2. Robert Plant wasn’t the first choice
As weird as it may sound now, Robert Plant wasn’t the first choice for the lead vocalist role. In fact, Terry Reid was first considered to be the band’s frontman.
However, he had to refuse the offer from Jimmy Page and as a replacement, Terry recommended Plant – who at the time was part of Band of Joy alongside John Bonham.
3. The Who’s Keith Moon inspired the name Led Zeppelin. But how did he inspire the name? Well, at first Jimmy Page wanted to form a super-group with his former band-mate Jeff Beck.
This, however, didn’t seem like the brightest idea to Moon who jokingly said that such a group would go down like a “lead balloon”. The “lead balloon” phrase apparently sounded interesting to the band who after some brainstorming and alterations – came up with the name Led Zeppelin.
4. Debut album recorded in 30 hours:Unlike their second album which took over 8 months to record. Led Zeppelin wrapped up their self-titled debut album in less than 30 studio hours according to Jimmy Page who actually paid the bill for the studio usage.
5. Never topped the charts: Probably one of the most interesting Led Zeppelin facts is the fact that they never achieved a No.1 hit besides their massive popularity. Their best result is No.4 in 1969 with an edited version of ‘Whole Lotta Love’. However, there are multiple factors that play part in their lack of chart-topping singles.
One of the main reasons for this occurrence is that they wanted fans to buy their albums for the full experience and viewed themselves as a live band with awesome shows (which they were). Because of this they always encouraged their fans to come and see them live at concerts.
