![]() The group, understandably, cancelled the rest of the tour, and spent the next 1 1/2 years on a much-needed hiatus. Tragedy again struck the Plant family, when his 6-year-old son, Karac, contracted a sudden and fatal infection. The following year ('76), Zeppelin produced another album and another round of touring in the U.S. Due to their involvement in the occult, rumors swirled that some supernatural phenomenon was involved in the accident, further heightening the fans' fascination with Led Zeppelin. They then scaled back to touring only once every other year, until Plant and his family had a quite scary car accident in 1975, at which point they began touring even less. ![]() The first two years after the band got together, they toured almost constantly. ![]() They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (U.S.) in 1995. With a total of 9 studio albums, they landed eight #1 hit albums in a row in the UK charts. All told, they lay claim to an estimated 300 million total sales, worldwide (111.5 million certified sales), and stand at #4 on the list of best-selling bands in the United States (behind The Beatles, Garth Brooks, and Elvis Presley). Led Zeppelin produced 5 number-one hits, shattered concert ticket sales records all over the States (most of which were established by The Beatles), and even formed their own record label, Swan Song. Blues musician and songwriter Willie Dixon sued them for copyright infringement over "Whole Lotta Love" and "Bring It on Home," (he won), and litigation over their massive hit "Stairway to Heaven" is still ongoing between the remaining members of Led Zeppelin and representatives of the estate of Randy "California" Wolfe (a guitar player, songwriter, and original member of the group Spirit). Since successful rock bands and controversy go together like peanut butter and jelly, Zeppelin also experienced their share of that, and the legal drama over their alleged music theft continues today. But it's The Yardbirds, rather than Zeppelin, that are credited with creating "psychedelic rock." Zeppelin just assured it became more than a passing trend. The lasting contributions of Zeppelin to music is evident even today, across genres including hard rock, metal, punk, and alternative. Their adoring public remains enamored with their heavy music, as well as their cryptic and mystical cover art, drawn heavily from the band members' interest and involvement in the occult. Despite lukewarm reception from critics, Zeppelin's fans were (and still are) amazingly enthusiastic. Their heritage in electric blues, rock and roll, and even funk, country, and folk music, wasn't their only draw. Zeppelin also probably fathered the era of "arena rock," packing out some of the word's largest venues. That didn't stop their songs from becoming massive radio hits, though. Led Zeppelin was the first of the "album rock" bands, depending on their album sales and concert tickets instead of releasing singles. They've never cut an album that failed to reach Platinum sales levels. It hit the #10 spot on the Billboard charts within just a few weeks. When they returned to the UK, they renamed the band Led Zeppelin (reportedly an idea of Who drummer Keith Moon), and cut their first album in a mere 30 hours. The band's first tour fulfilled Page's obligations under The Yardbirds' name, playing as the New Yardbirds. All of these musicians had solid musical pedigrees already. ![]() Page called on guitarist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, vocalist Robert Plant, and drummer John Bonham to fill the gap. Led Zeppelin was born in 1968, after The Yardbirds broke up and guitarist Jimmy Page was left standing with the legal rights to the band's name, plus a whole list of concert commitments scheduled that needed to be fulfilled. It was upon this stage that a new sound burst in, further altering the musical world forever, and literally defining the music of the 1970's.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |