"As soon as I heard John Bonham play,” John Paul Jones later said, “I knew this was going to be great. We locked together as a team immediately.” And the band was locked together that night as well, in an organic, often loosely spontaneous way, but it was like they could read each other’s minds. Page’s long solo on “Dazed and Confused” was appropriately jaw dropping, playing with a violin bow, getting sound and feedback that was as radical as anyone had heard since Hendrix. Page’s guitar playing was obviously rooted in the blues and was light years beyond most of the solo guitarists of the hippie type bands, who tended to be self-indulgent and noodled endlessly when they soloed.
This was different, his solos were as well constructed as a bluesman’s while at the same time full of room for improvisation and letting the spirit take over. Whatever spirit that happened to be. His guitar playing was rife with power that seemed to come from some elemental source, some ancient time of pre-history, drawing up volcanic turbulence, witches’ wails, storms from the mystic.
They did a stunning “You Shook Me,” showcasing the acrobatic, elastic voice of Plant. Here was another reason to absolutely love this band, the guy could hit notes that weren’t even written. They did “Communication Breakdown,” which was stunning, which we cheered for because we’d heard it on the radio already. The rhythm section of Jones and Bonham was crunching and fat, that metal sound of deep base and drums like thundering hooves.
The second set included the acoustic style guitar work of “White Summer” and the heavy metal meets folk “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.” Ending out on “How Many More Times,” leaving the audience gasping, wanting more but no encore, wondering what the hell we’d just seen, exactly. To repeat Jon Landau before he’d said it, we’d seen the future of rock and roll. Music got heavier, hundreds of bands tried but never came all that close to doing what Zep did.
The next records, Led Zepplin ll, Led Zepplin lll, Led Zepplin lV, came out one after the other in the following two years and created widespread popularity for the group, cementing Zep’s status as the biggest band in the world, with hits like “Whole Lotta Love,” “Heartbreaker,” “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” and the ubiquitous “Stairway to Heaven.” They toured the world in the Led Zeppelin jet, created ‘arena rock,’ became infamous for their excessive lifestyle. Jimmy Page became known as an advocate of the occult and philosophical disciple of Satanist Alestair Crowley, the band toured on, made more records, less influential records, eventually becoming so much of an institution that in recent years the song “Rock and Roll” was used in Cadillac commercials. And even there it sounded as fresh and raw and great as it did when it first same out. That’s what’s called classic.
Article comments
1 - Seetheshow
Will,
Great praise to one of my favorite bands!!! They did play one other time as Led Zeppelin. It was for Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert. The concert was held May of 1988 at Madison Square Garden. The show was 12 plus hours long. Led Zeppelin with Jason B. on drums closed the show. It was the only band of the show that Ahmet Ertegen introduced and he introduced them as his, "favorite".
2 - Will Brennan
hi Seetheshow
Thanks for correcting that. I missed that factoid. I wonder if that show was recorded and is available.
3 - El Bicho
they also played together at their induction to the RR Hall of Fame.
4 - Roofscape
Cool.This makes me want to read on. I tried to check out some of your other stuff, but clicking on your name brings up a list of articles by others, for some reason.
I enjoyed the description of the Tea Party. I missed its first incarnation. It was like Max's Kansas City on Lansdown by the time I got there. I think the first band I saw there was the Kinks. J. Geils used to play my high school. They definitely got booties shakin'.
5 - Christopher Rose
Hi Roofscape,
If you click on the "In Praise Of" link just under the author's name at the top of the article, you can find the other articles in this series.
To see all the articles written by Will Brennan, click on the "Will Brennan's BC Writer Page" link in the box under the article.
6 - stephanie
one of the best articles i've read on zeppelin...and I've read a lot. thanks
7 - ronnie
i had a wonderful time reading this article! i am 23 and i have led zeppelin at the top of my list for rock bands. generation gap haha!
8 - Will Brennan
thanks to all for your comments... rock on...
9 - lee litif
those led zeppelin january and may 1969 boston teaparty performances are so immolating and transonic and i own both bootlegs anyway [Personal contact info deleted]
10 - lee litif
will brennan i have a copy of led zeppelin january 26th 1969 boston teaparty show on cassette if your interrested i willbe in salem mass in two weeks and i love record exchange store anyway [Personal contact info deleted]