This series is dedicated to classic Rock & Roll, circa 70's
and 80's. This coincides with my misspent teenage years, and wa the
music that first 'spoke' to me. I hope that others may feel the
same nostalgia as I did conceiving this series, and that it makes
for an interesting and informative cache experience. Please click
on the 'Hint' for a lyrical clue.
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968. With
their heavy, guitar-driven blues rock sound, Led Zeppelin are
regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal and hard
rock. However, the band's individualistic style drew from many
sources and transcends any one genre. The band have sold over 200
million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million certified units
in the United States. According to the Recording Industry
Association of America, Led Zeppelin is one of the three acts in
music history to achieve four or more Diamond albums – the
other two being The Beatles and Garth Brooks. Led Zeppelin's
popularity in the early years was dwarfed by their triumphant
mid-seventies successes and it is this period that continues to
define the band.
The genesis of the bands name is legendary. Keith Moon and John
Entwistle, drummer and bassist for The Who, respectively, suggested
that a possible supergroup containing themselves, Jimmy Page, and
Jeff Beck would go down like a lead zeppelin, a term Entwistle used
to describe a bad gig. The group deliberately dropped the 'a' in
Lead at the suggestion of their manager, Peter Grant, to prevent
"thick Americans" from pronouncing it "leed". The band consisted of
Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica), John Paul
Jones (bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin), and John Bonham
(drums).
Jimmy Page was the favoured session guitarist of producer Shel
Talmy, and therefore he ended up doing session work on songs for
The Who and The Kinks. Page's studio output in 1964 included
Marianne Faithfull's "As Tears Go By", The Nashville Teens'
"Tobacco Road", The Rolling Stones' "Heart of Stone" (released on
Metamorphosis), Van Morrison & Them's "Baby Please Don't Go"
and "Here Comes the Night", Dave Berry's "The Crying Game" and "My
Baby Left Me", Brenda Lee's "Is It True," & and Petula Clark's
"Downtown." Under the auspices of producer Talmy, Page contributed
to The Kinks' 1964 debut album and he played six-string rhythm
guitar on the sessions for The Who's first single "I Can't Explain"
(although Pete Townshend was reluctant to allow Page's contribution
on the final recording. Jimmy Page is described by Allmusic as
"unquestionably one of the all-time most influential, important,
and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history", and by
Rolling Stone as "the pontiff of power riffing & probably the
most digitally sampled artist in pop today after James Brown." In
2007, Page was ranked at #4 on Classic Rock Magazine's list of the
"100 Wildest Guitar Heroes", and Rolling Stone ranked him number
nine in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in
2003.
According to Allmusic, John Paul Jones "has left his mark on
rock & roll music history as an innovative musician, arranger,
and director." Many rock bassists have been influenced by John Paul
Jones including Geddy Lee, Gene Simmons, and Krist Novoselic.
Robert Plant immediately hit it off with Jimmy Page, with the
two sharing a buring passion for blues and music in general.
Plant's lyrics with Led Zeppelin were often mystical, philosophical
and spiritual, alluding to events in classical and Norse mythology,
such as the "Immigrant Song", which refers to Valhalla and Viking
conquests. The song "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is named after the 18th
Century Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur owned by a friend of his father;
it later inspired the song "Bron-Yr-Aur". The songs "Misty Mountain
Hop," "That's the Way" were written in Wales and lyrically reflect
Plant's mystical view of the land. Critic Steve Turner suggests
that Plant's early and continued experiences in Wales served as the
foundation for his broader interest in the mythologies he revisits
in his lyrics (including those myth systems of Tolkien and the
Norse). Undoubtedly one of Plant's most significant and influential
achievements with Led Zeppelin was his contribution to the track
"Stairway to Heaven", an epic rock ballad featured on Led Zeppelin
IV that drew influence from folk, blues, Celtic traditional music
and hard rock among other genres. Most of the lyrics of the song
were written spontaneously by Plant in 1970 at Headley Grange.
While never released as a single, the song has topped charts as the
greatest song of all time on various polls around the world. Plant
enjoyed great success with Led Zeppelin throughout the 1970s and
developed a compelling image as the charismatic rock-and-roll front
man. With his mane of long blond hair and powerful, bare-chested
appearance, Plant helped to create the "god of rock and roll" or
"rock god" archetype.
John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham was an English drummer and songwriter,
best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin.Bonham was esteemed for
his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel"
for the groove. He is considered to be one of the greatest drummers
in the history of rock music by other musicians and commentators in
the industry. On September 25th 1980, Bonham was pronounced dead of
acute alcohol poisoning. Led Zepplin chose not to go on after the
loss of their friend, and disbanded shortly after.