Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin [ˌlɛdˈzɛplɪn] ( listen^{? /i}) was a British rock band. Formed in 1968, they are one of the most successful bands ever, having sold 300 million albums. The death of drummer John Bonham in September 1980 marked the end of the band, which had been active throughout with vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist John Paul Jones in the same lineup. Musically, Led Zeppelin belonged to the pioneers of hard rock, blues rock, progressive rock and the burgeoning heavy metal, but also processed influences of folk music.

Style and effect

Musical elements

Besides rock 'n' roll, blues and folk music, which shaped the style of many rock bands, Led Zeppelin also used elements of many other genres. The atonal interlude from Whole Lotta Love exemplifies psychedelic elements.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were musically influenced by the blues. This influence can be seen, for example, in the Led Zeppelin hit Whole Lotta Love (based on the song You Need Love by Willie Dixon) and The Lemon Song (based on the song Killing Floor by Howlin' Wolf). The band was also fond of American rock 'n' roll and played songs by Elvis Presley (A Mess of Blues) and Eddie Cochran (Something Else, C'mon Everybody). Other examples of songs by other artists that Led Zeppelin reinterpreted include Babe I'm Gonna Leave You by Joan Baez, Black Mountain Side (Bert Jansch, originally Blackwaterside), Dazed and Confused (Jake Holmes) and I Can't Quit You Baby (Otis Rush.)

Jimmy Page's guitar playing is particularly distinctive. Instead of the classic electric guitar in rock music, he used an acoustic guitar for many songs. He often used the DADGAD tuning, which is almost only used in folk music. His style was also often experimental in other ways: in The Battle of Evermore he plays mandolin, in Whole Lotta Love theremin. His use of double-neck guitars, usually a Gibson EDS-1275, is also well known.

Most of the lyrics were written by Plant. They often contain mystical elements, such as in Stairway to Heaven. The song Ramble On refers to J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings:

Led Zeppelin's stage shows could last over three hours; sprawling and improvised live versions of their song repertoire often featured arrangements of John Lee Hooker, James Brown, Stax, and Motown-influenced funk and soul music.

The most striking track on the fourth album and probably Led Zeppelin's best-known song is the rock ballad Stairway to Heaven, which runs for over eight minutes. It was often insinuated that Jimmy Page had included or had included a satanic message in this song, which could be heard if you ran the chorus backwards - several versions of the wording of this supposed message are circulating. The band had to deal with such press campaigns throughout their history, mainly due to Jimmy Page's well-known interest in the occult.

Reception and meaning

Among the contemporary music press, the band's unconventional style was generally met with disapproval. The renowned Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung described the concert in Frankfurt on 18 July 1970 as a "boring stammer of undifferentiated effects":

Especially with Rolling Stone the band had a very bad relationship. The magazine had published the letter of a college student as a review of the first and second LP, in which the student certified the band low musical quality; thus the relationship between band and magazine was ruined for years. It wasn't until 1975 that the band gave an interview to Rolling Stone, which was conducted by Cameron Crowe, who later became known as a director, and who later processed this experience in his film Almost Famous.

The band members rarely gave interviews and focused more on their albums and tours than on television appearances. In some cases, they refused to conform to the usual practices of the music industry. The fourth album, for example, was not given a name, but was marked with four symbols to emphasize the importance of the music.

The release of profitable singles happened mostly only under pressure from their record company Atlantic Records. For example, their most famous song Stairway to Heaven, which contributed significantly to the band's notoriety, was never released as a single. In the UK, not a single was released until 1997.

Led Zeppelin, along with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, is one of the first and most important bands of hard rock and is considered today to have set the trend for the later development of heavy metal.

Along with many other musicians, the members of the group Guns N' Roses openly admitted to having taken Led Zeppelin as a role model. Guitarist Slash, for example, played on a tribute album in 1997. In addition, the prevailing opinion is that the heavy, typical "Led Zeppelin sound" paved the way for grunge. For example, members of the band Nirvana, especially Dave Grohl, said that they were big fans of the band. Musicians from the pop scene also point to this:

The songs have been covered many times by musicians of different genres. Many major artists have also played Led Zeppelin songs live or recorded them in the studio, including musicians such as Frank Zappa and Joe Bonamassa, progressive metal bands Dream Theater and Tool, and other renowned bands such as Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Pearl Jam, and German bands Grave Digger and Puhdys.

Since Robert Plant established the vocal and clothing style of a stereotypical hard rock singer, Jimmy Page's guitar solos were very popular and frequently covered, and John Bonham had a considerable influence on the style and technique of many drummers after him, Led Zeppelin can still be seen as a prototypical hard rock band. The band's importance can still be seen in their sales figures: more than twenty million albums have been sold since 1990, more than ten years after their break-up. 38% of the purchases in the years 2002-2006 were made by fans under the age of 25, which indicates that younger people still listen to Led Zeppelin's music.

Despite initial disdain, Rolling Stone listed Led Zeppelin as the 14th greatest musician of all time in 2004.

Beginning of Stairway to Heaven

Allegations of Plagiarism

The band has been sued several times for copyright infringement. In most cases a settlement was reached with the plaintiffs. In other cases, the band agreed to name the actual authors. One much-discussed case in music circles involves the song Whole Lotta Love, an important step on the band's road to worldwide fame. The band was admittedly sued by Willie Dixon, whose song You Need Love was clearly the inspiration for the lyrics. However, Whole Lotta Love's direct musical model was You Need Loving by the Small Faces. Their singer Steve Marriott later said that Plant had completely copied his interpretation. There were also accusations of plagiarism with Stairway to Heaven. The bassist of the band Spirit, Mark Andes, charged Led Zeppelin in court with stealing the beginning of Stairway to Heaven from the Spirit song Taurus. Led Zeppelin won the case.