Blues based English rockers Led Zeppelin seemed to just appear as the Beatles, the most consequential act in recording history, were coming undone. Zed Zeppelin, the oxymoronic term that implies heavy yet light, were a collection of four brilliant musicians who burned white hot for a full decade, the ’70s, but by 1980 they were done, a spent force.

            They were– Jimmy Page, who went from being a young, in-demand session guitarist to a member of the esteemed Yardbirds before starting Zeppelin. Widely recognized as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all-time, he could play loud, fast, aggressive, distorted, powerful bluesy rock (eg, “Whole Lotta Love”), but he was also capable of light, acoustic, melodic, folk oriented styles (eg, “”Going to California”); John Paul Jones, was the unassuming, unsung musical hero of the band who played bass and keyboards; John Bonham was the power drummer known for his speed and brilliant rhythmic sense; various publications have cited Bonham as the greatest drummer of all-time; Robert Plant was the singer with a wide vocal range and a very distinctive high, wailing style, frequently mentioned, along with Jagger, Daltry, and Mercury, as one of the finest frontmen and vocalists in all of rock. 

            Among the best-selling acts in history, Led Zeppelin released eight studio LPs in 10 years. Their most celebrated include Led Zeppelin I and II, Physical Graffiti, and the untitled Led Zeppelin IV. Among their best loved tracks are “Dazed and Confused”, “Ramble On”, “Whole Lotta Love”, “Immigrant Song”, “Trampled Under Foot”, “Kashmir”, and, without a doubt, their best known “Stairway to Heaven” with its slow build, spiritual lyric thrust, and blazing denouement. For a time it was one of the most played songs of all-time and Plant, himself, got quite sick of it.

            In 1980 John Bonham was found dead of pulmonary aspiration after he accidently drank himself to death. Led Zeppelin disbanded; they only joined together to play publicly four more times, with Bonham’s son Jason on drums the last three times. Today they are remembered as progenitors of the hard rock and heavy metal subgenres. Their influence on such bands as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam, and many others is profound. They also are considered one of the early stadium rock bands. In addition, they helped the industry make the transition from single to album-oriented music. Finally, they were legendary bad boys with the attendant lurid tales of debauched touring to support the charge. Interestingly, though, fast forward several decades and Led Zeppelin had become cultural insiders, feted by the President and awarded Kennedy Center honors. The show’s finale, a stirring performance of “Stairway to Heaven” led by the group Heart, brought the crowd and the three Zeppelin survivors to their feet; tears were clearly visible in Robert Plant’s eyes.

            -Steve Williams (8/10/23) Greatest Recording Artists Blog Post #35