Led Zeppelin的艺人档案
小简介
Led Zeppelin(莱德·泽普林)
音乐风格：Album Rock(专辑摇滚) British Blues(英国蓝调) British Metal(英国金属) Arena Rock(舞台摇滚) Heavy Metal(重金属) Hard Rock(硬摇滚)
乐队成员：Robert Plant(主唱) Jimmy Page(吉他手) John Paul Jones(贝斯手) John Bonham(鼓手)
Led Zeppelin是一支权威性的重金属乐队，这不仅是因为他们用爆裂的噪音来诠释布鲁斯，更重要的是他们将神话、神秘主义及其他许多风格（最显著的是世界音乐和英国民歌）融入他们的音乐。Led Zeppelin很神秘，他们很少接受采访，因为音乐新闻界厌恶他们；因此，歌迷只有通过唱片和演唱会了解他们。比其他乐队更强的是，Led Zeppelin确定了album-oriented rock（以专辑而非单曲为主导的摇滚）的概念，他们拒绝从专辑中拿出较流行的歌曲作为单曲发行。正因如此，他们确立了重金属的统治地位，就象现在听到的那样。
1969年的年头，他们首次在美国举行了巡演。这次的美国巡演为他们1月发行的首张同名专辑《Led Zeppelin》奠定了良好的基础。专辑发行后两个月，爬上了美国排行榜前10名。整个1969年，他们穿梭在美国和英国之间，进行着几近残酷的巡演。在巡演的路上，他们录制了第二张专辑《Led Zeppelin II》，于1969年10月发行。跟上一张一样，《Led Zeppelin II》直接上榜，发行两个月后便升至美国排行榜首位并停留了七周之久。这张专辑使得Led Zeppelin成为一支极具吸引力的国际级乐队。接下来的一年，他们继续他们的残酷巡演。
Led Zeppelin的音乐在《Led Zeppelin III》中开始深化。这张1970年10月发行的专辑明显受了英国民歌的影响。乐队对民歌与神话的倾心，为他们在1971年11月发行的无标题的第四张专辑带来了成功。《Led Zeppelin IV》是他们到此为止音乐最丰富的专辑，从硬摇滚风格的Black Dog到民歌风格的The Battle Of Heaven，几乎包容了一切；还有一首《Stairway To Heaven》，被人们称为连接这两种风格的桥梁。《Stairway To Heaven》是一首电台直接上榜歌曲，最终成为电台历史上播放次数最多的一首歌，它也从来没有作为单曲发行过。尽管事实上Led Zeppelin IV在美国从未排到排行榜的第一位，但它是卖得最多的专辑，在后来的25年中共卖出了一千六百多万张。(强烈推荐《Led Zeppelin IV》，可谓是Led Zeppelin颠峰之作，特别是《Stairway To Heaven》是经典中的经典。本歌讲述了一位少女坠入金钱的深渊，将自己的灵魂出卖，而她以为那才是她心目中的天堂。从一开始就十分动听的分解和弦到Jimmy Page在歌曲结尾处的一段著名的solo都将这首《Stairway To Heaven》铸就成为不朽的经典名曲。后来还有许多著名的乐队翻唱过这首歌，但是能演绎的如此神圣的只有Led Zeppelin！)
Led Zeppelin为《Led Zeppelin III》和《Led Zeppelin IV》的促销一起举行了巡演，但他们没有象以前那样举行那么多的演出。取而代之的是，他们精简地举行了一些大型的演唱会。1972年的巡演结束后，乐队从聚光灯下退出来录制他们的第五张专辑。《House Of The Holy(圣屋)》于1973年春天发行，该专辑继续了乐队在音乐上的实验，在他们代表性的摇滚与民歌风格中包含了funk与reggae风格。《Houses Of The Holy》第一次在美国和英国都登上排行榜冠军，以此他们开始了破记录的美国巡演。贯穿整个1973年，Led Zeppelin在美国的巡演打破了由the BEATLES保持的票房记录。其中7月在麦迪逊花园广场的演出被录摄下来，作为电影《The Song Remains The Same》的素材，此片于3年后发行。
1973年的巡演结束后，Led Zeppelin度过了一个平静的1974年，没有发行新专辑，也没有举行演出。但有一件事是非常重要的，他们建立了自己的唱片公司Swan Song，他们此后的专辑全由自己发行；另外在该唱片公司发行专辑的乐队还有DAVE EDMUNDS、BAD COMPANY、the PRETTY THINGS及其他几支。《Physical Graffiti》，一张双唱片专辑，于1975年的2月发行，这也是Led Zeppelin在Swan Song发行的第一张专辑。专辑发行后马上取得了成功，在美国和英国排行榜上双双登上首位。正当Led Zeppelin准备于75年夏末在美国举行一次大的巡演时，Robert Plant却和他的妻子在希腊度假时发生了一起严重的车祸。巡演被迫取消，Plant本年余下的时间都用来康复。
Led Zeppelin直到1976年的春天才又活跃起来，发行了专辑《Presence（在场）》。虽然专辑一出来就登上了美国和英国排行榜的冠军，但它却受到乐评的冷淡；同样的，1976年发行的演唱会实况影带《The Song Remains The Same(歌声依旧)》也不被乐评接受。最终乐队在1977年的春天才开始美国巡演。然而到演出进行了两个月时，Robert Plant的六岁的儿子Karac因胃部感染而夭折。Led Zeppelin立即终止了巡演，也没有说是否将重新制定巡演日程，这引起了大家对乐队前途的广泛关注。暂时地，Led Zeppelin好象真的已经完了。Plant的1977年下半年和1978年的大部分时间都与世隔绝。直到1978年的夏末，Led Zeppelin才开始了新专辑的制作，他们在瑞典ABBA的Polar录音室开始录音。一年后，他们举行了一次短暂的欧洲巡演，演出地点包括瑞士、德国、荷兰、比利时和奥地利。1979年8月，Led Zeppelin在Knebworth举行了两场大型演出，这是他们在英国的最后一次演出。
In Through The Out Door(穿越外门)》，他们姗姗来迟的第八张录音室专辑，终于在1979年的9月与大家见面了。这又是一张在美国和英国排行榜双双登上冠军宝座的专辑。1980年5月，Led Zeppelin开始了他们的最后一次欧洲巡演。9月，Led Zeppelin在Jimmy Page家为即将到来的美国巡演开始排练。悲剧却又一次发生：9月25日，John Bonham死在自己的床上——在一整天的狂欢饮酒后，他被自己的呕吐物窒息而死(与AC/DC的Bon Scott如此相似，可怜的酗酒人)。1980年12月，Led Zeppelin宣布解散，他们不能没有Bonham。
解散后，余下的乐队成员都开始了他们的个人事业。John Paul Jones从来都没有发表个人专辑，他又干起了他的制作工作。为Death Wish II制作了电影原声后，Jimmy Page编辑了一张Led Zeppelin的未发表歌曲的精选《Coda》，该专辑于1982年年末发行。同年，Robert Plant发表首张个人专辑《Pictures At Eleven》。
1984年，Plant和Page在全明星整容的老头乐队the Honeydrippers中有了一次短暂的重组。与the Honeydrippers发行了一张EP后，Plant回到个人道路，Page与原Bad Company的主唱Paul Rogers组建了the Firm。
1985年，Led Zeppelin因Live Aid而暂时重组，而此时关于他们将重组的谣言四起。事实上，重组从未实现。1988年，他们又聚集在一起，参加了亚特兰大公司25周年庆典音乐会。1989年，Page重新灌录了乐队的一盒套装专辑，Led Zeppelin，于1990年发行。这张４张唱片的套装成了有史以来卖得最多的多唱片套装。1994年，Page和Plant为MTV的不插电演唱会重组，以此他们于1994年秋天发表了一张名为Unledded的专辑。虽然该专辑达到了白金唱片的销量，但人们预料的Led Zeppelin重组仍旧没有实现。在接下来的一年中，Page和Plant举行了一次成功的国际性巡演......
这些活动虽然屡次让歌迷感到Led Zeppelin会再次出现在他们面前，但始终没有得以实现。或许Led Zeppelin真的已经永远的成为一个传奇了。作为一个有着巨大影响力和敬业精神的摇滚乐队，不管他们是否仍然存在，他们的音乐和精神都足以让他们进入不朽的王国.
Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues — it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) — into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. They rarely gave interviews, since the music press detested the band. Consequently, the only connection the audience had with the band was through the records and the concerts. More than any other band, Led Zeppelin established the concept of album-oriented rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. In doing so, they established the dominant format for heavy metal, as well as the genre's actual sound.
Led Zeppelin formed out of the ashes of the Yardbirds. Jimmy Page had joined the band in its final days, playing a pivotal role on their final album, 1967's Little Games, which also featured string arrangements from John Paul Jones. During 1967, the Yardbirds were fairly inactive. While the Yardbirds decided their future, Page returned to session work in 1967. In the spring of 1968, he played on Jones' arrangement of Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man." During the sessions, Jones requested to be part of any future project Page would develop. Page would have to assemble a band sooner than he had planned. In the summer of 1968, the Yardbirds' Keith Relf and James McCarty left the band, leaving Page and bassist Chris Dreja with the rights to the name, as well as the obligation of fulfilling an upcoming fall tour. Page set out to find a replacement vocalist and drummer. Initially, he wanted to enlist singer Terry Reid and Procol Harum's drummer B.J. Wilson, but neither musician was able to join the group. Reid suggested that Page contact Robert Plant, who was singing with a band called Hobbstweedle.
After hearing him sing, Page asked Plant to join the band in August of 1968, the same month Chris Dreja dropped out of the new project. Following Dreja's departure, John Paul Jones joined the group as its bassist. Plant recommended that Page hire John Bonham, the drummer for Plant's old band, the Band of Joy. Bonham had to be persuaded to join the group, as he was being courted by other artists who offered the drummer considerably more money. By September, Bonham agreed to join the band. Performing under the name the New Yardbirds, the band fulfilled the Yardbirds' previously booked engagements in late September 1968. The following month, they recorded their debut album in just under 30 hours. Also in October, the group switched its name to Led Zeppelin. The band secured a contract with Atlantic Records in the United States before the end of the year. Early in 1969, Led Zeppelin set out on their first American tour, which helped set the stage for the January release of their eponymous debut album. Two months after its release, Led Zeppelin had climbed into the U.S. Top Ten. Throughout 1969, the band toured relentlessly, playing dates in America and England. While they were on the road, they recorded their second album, Led Zeppelin II, which was released in October of 1969. Like its predecessor, Led Zeppelin II was an immediate hit, topping the American charts two months after its release and spending seven weeks at number one. The album helped establish Led Zeppelin as an international concert attraction, and for the next year, the group continued to tour relentlessly. Led Zeppelin's sound began to deepen with Led Zeppelin III. Released in October of 1970, the album featured an overt British folk influence. The group's infatuation with folk and mythology would reach a fruition on the group's untitled fourth album, which was released in November of 1971. Led Zeppelin IV was the band's most musically diverse effort to date, featuring everything from the crunching rock of "Black Dog" to the folk of "The Battle of Evermore," as well as "Stairway to Heaven," which found the bridge between the two genres. "Stairway to Heaven" was an immediate radio hit, eventually becoming the most played song in the history of album-oriented radio; the song was never released as a single. Despite the fact that the album never reached number one in America, Led Zeppelin IV was their biggest album ever, selling well over 16 million copies over the next two and a half decades.
Led Zeppelin did tour to support both Led Zeppelin III and Led Zeppelin IV, but they played fewer shows than they did on their previous tours. Instead, they concentrated on only playing larger venues. After completing their 1972 tour, the band retreated from the spotlight and recorded their fifth album. Released in the spring of 1973, Houses of the Holy continued the band's musical experimentation, featuring touches of funk and reggae among their trademark rock and folk. The success of Houses of the Holy set the stage for a record-breaking American tour. Throughout their 1973 tour, Led Zeppelin broke box-office records — most of which were previously held by the Beatles — across America. The group's concert at Madison Square Garden in July was filmed for use in the feature film The Song Remains the Same, which was released three years later. After their 1973 tour, Led Zeppelin spent a quiet year during 1974, releasing no new material and performing no concerts. They did, however, establish their own record label, Swan Song, which released all of Led Zeppelin's subsequent albums, as well as records by Dave Edmunds, Bad Company, the Pretty Things, and several others. Physical Graffiti, a double album released in February of 1975, was the band's first release on Swan Song. The album was an immediate success, topping the charts in both America and England. Led Zeppelin launched a large American tour in 1975, but it came to a halt when Robert Plant and his wife suffered a serious car crash while vacationing in Greece. The tour was canceled and Plant spent the rest of the year recuperating from the accident.
Led Zeppelin returned to action in the spring of 1976 with Presence. Although the album debuted at number one in both America and England, the reviews for the album were lukewarm, as was the reception to the live concert film The Song Remains the Same, which appeared in the fall of 1976. The band finally returned to tour America in the Spring of 1977. A couple of months into the tour, Plant's six-year-old son Karac died of a stomach infection. Led Zeppelin immediately canceled the tour and offered no word whether or not it would be rescheduled, causing widespread speculation about the band's future. For a while, it did appear that Led Zeppelin was finished. Robert Plant spent the latter half of 1977 and the better part of 1978 in seclusion. The group didn't begin work on a new album until late in the summer of 1978, when they began recording at ABBA's Polar studios in Sweden. A year later, the band played a short European tour, performing in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Austria. In August of 1979, Led Zeppelin played two large concerts at Knebworth; the shows would be their last English performances.
In Through the Out Door, the band's much-delayed eighth studio album, was finally released in September of 1979. The album entered the charts at number one in both America and England. In May of 1980, Led Zeppelin embarked on their final European tour. In September, Led Zeppelin began rehearsing at Jimmy Page's house in preparation for an American tour. On September 25, John Bonham was found dead in his bed — following an all-day drinking binge, he had passed out and choked on his own vomit. In December of 1980, Led Zeppelin announced they were disbanding, since they could not continue without Bonham.
Following the breakup, the remaining members all began solo careers. John Paul Jones returned to producing and arranging, finally releasing his solo debut, Zooma, in 1999. After recording the soundtrack for Death Wish II, Jimmy Page compiled the Zeppelin outtakes collection Coda, which was released at the end of 1982. That same year, Robert Plant began a solo career with the Pictures at Eleven album. In 1984, Plant and Page briefly reunited in the all-star oldies band the Honeydrippers. After recording one EP with the Honeydrippers, Plant returned to his solo career and Page formed the Firm with former Bad Company singer Paul Rogers. In 1985, Led Zeppelin reunited to play Live Aid, sparking off a flurry of reunion rumors; the reunion never materialized. In 1988, the band re-formed to play Atlantic's 25th anniversary concert. During 1989, Page remastered the band's catalog for release on the 1990 box set Led Zeppelin. The four-disc set became the biggest-selling multi-disc box set of all time, which was followed up three years later by another box set, the mammoth ten-disc set The Complete Studio Recordings.
In 1994, Page and Plant reunited to record a segment for MTV Unplugged, which was released as No Quarter in the fall of 1994. Although the album went platinum, the sales were disappointing considering the anticipation of a Zeppelin reunion. The following year, Page and Plant embarked on a successful international tour, which eventually led to an all-new studio recording in 1998, the Steve Albini-produced Walking Into Clarksdale. Surprisingly, the album was met with a cool reception by the record-buying public, as Page and Plant ended their union shortly thereafter, once again going their separate ways (Page went on to tour with the Black Crowes, while Plant resumed his solo career). Further Zeppelin compilation releases saw the light of day in the late '90s, including 1997's stellar double-disc BBC Sessions, plus Zep's first true best-of collections — 1999's Early Days: The Best Of, Vol. 1 and 2000's Latter Days: The Best Of, Vol. 2.
小简介
Led Zeppelin(莱德·泽普林)
音乐风格：Album Rock(专辑摇滚) British Blues(英国蓝调) British Metal(英国金属) Arena Rock(舞台摇滚) Heavy Metal(重金属) Hard Rock(硬摇滚)
乐队成员：Robert Plant(主唱) Jimmy Page(吉他手) John Paul Jones(贝斯手) John Bonham(鼓手)
Led Zeppelin是一支权威性的重金属乐队，这不仅是因为他们用爆裂的噪音来诠释布鲁斯，更重要的是他们将神话、神秘主义及其他许多风格（最显著的是世界音乐和英国民歌）融入他们的音乐。Led Zeppelin很神秘，他们很少接受采访，因为音乐新闻界厌恶他们；因此，歌迷只有通过唱片和演唱会了解他们。比其他乐队更强的是，Led Zeppelin确定了album-oriented rock（以专辑而非单曲为主导的摇滚）的概念，他们拒绝从专辑中拿出较流行的歌曲作为单曲发行。正因如此，他们确立了重金属的统治地位，就象现在听到的那样。
1969年的年头，他们首次在美国举行了巡演。这次的美国巡演为他们1月发行的首张同名专辑《Led Zeppelin》奠定了良好的基础。专辑发行后两个月，爬上了美国排行榜前10名。整个1969年，他们穿梭在美国和英国之间，进行着几近残酷的巡演。在巡演的路上，他们录制了第二张专辑《Led Zeppelin II》，于1969年10月发行。跟上一张一样，《Led Zeppelin II》直接上榜，发行两个月后便升至美国排行榜首位并停留了七周之久。这张专辑使得Led Zeppelin成为一支极具吸引力的国际级乐队。接下来的一年，他们继续他们的残酷巡演。
Led Zeppelin的音乐在《Led Zeppelin III》中开始深化。这张1970年10月发行的专辑明显受了英国民歌的影响。乐队对民歌与神话的倾心，为他们在1971年11月发行的无标题的第四张专辑带来了成功。《Led Zeppelin IV》是他们到此为止音乐最丰富的专辑，从硬摇滚风格的Black Dog到民歌风格的The Battle Of Heaven，几乎包容了一切；还有一首《Stairway To Heaven》，被人们称为连接这两种风格的桥梁。《Stairway To Heaven》是一首电台直接上榜歌曲，最终成为电台历史上播放次数最多的一首歌，它也从来没有作为单曲发行过。尽管事实上Led Zeppelin IV在美国从未排到排行榜的第一位，但它是卖得最多的专辑，在后来的25年中共卖出了一千六百多万张。(强烈推荐《Led Zeppelin IV》，可谓是Led Zeppelin颠峰之作，特别是《Stairway To Heaven》是经典中的经典。本歌讲述了一位少女坠入金钱的深渊，将自己的灵魂出卖，而她以为那才是她心目中的天堂。从一开始就十分动听的分解和弦到Jimmy Page在歌曲结尾处的一段著名的solo都将这首《Stairway To Heaven》铸就成为不朽的经典名曲。后来还有许多著名的乐队翻唱过这首歌，但是能演绎的如此神圣的只有Led Zeppelin！)
Led Zeppelin为《Led Zeppelin III》和《Led Zeppelin IV》的促销一起举行了巡演，但他们没有象以前那样举行那么多的演出。取而代之的是，他们精简地举行了一些大型的演唱会。1972年的巡演结束后，乐队从聚光灯下退出来录制他们的第五张专辑。《House Of The Holy(圣屋)》于1973年春天发行，该专辑继续了乐队在音乐上的实验，在他们代表性的摇滚与民歌风格中包含了funk与reggae风格。《Houses Of The Holy》第一次在美国和英国都登上排行榜冠军，以此他们开始了破记录的美国巡演。贯穿整个1973年，Led Zeppelin在美国的巡演打破了由the BEATLES保持的票房记录。其中7月在麦迪逊花园广场的演出被录摄下来，作为电影《The Song Remains The Same》的素材，此片于3年后发行。
1973年的巡演结束后，Led Zeppelin度过了一个平静的1974年，没有发行新专辑，也没有举行演出。但有一件事是非常重要的，他们建立了自己的唱片公司Swan Song，他们此后的专辑全由自己发行；另外在该唱片公司发行专辑的乐队还有DAVE EDMUNDS、BAD COMPANY、the PRETTY THINGS及其他几支。《Physical Graffiti》，一张双唱片专辑，于1975年的2月发行，这也是Led Zeppelin在Swan Song发行的第一张专辑。专辑发行后马上取得了成功，在美国和英国排行榜上双双登上首位。正当Led Zeppelin准备于75年夏末在美国举行一次大的巡演时，Robert Plant却和他的妻子在希腊度假时发生了一起严重的车祸。巡演被迫取消，Plant本年余下的时间都用来康复。
Led Zeppelin直到1976年的春天才又活跃起来，发行了专辑《Presence（在场）》。虽然专辑一出来就登上了美国和英国排行榜的冠军，但它却受到乐评的冷淡；同样的，1976年发行的演唱会实况影带《The Song Remains The Same(歌声依旧)》也不被乐评接受。最终乐队在1977年的春天才开始美国巡演。然而到演出进行了两个月时，Robert Plant的六岁的儿子Karac因胃部感染而夭折。Led Zeppelin立即终止了巡演，也没有说是否将重新制定巡演日程，这引起了大家对乐队前途的广泛关注。暂时地，Led Zeppelin好象真的已经完了。Plant的1977年下半年和1978年的大部分时间都与世隔绝。直到1978年的夏末，Led Zeppelin才开始了新专辑的制作，他们在瑞典ABBA的Polar录音室开始录音。一年后，他们举行了一次短暂的欧洲巡演，演出地点包括瑞士、德国、荷兰、比利时和奥地利。1979年8月，Led Zeppelin在Knebworth举行了两场大型演出，这是他们在英国的最后一次演出。
In Through The Out Door(穿越外门)》，他们姗姗来迟的第八张录音室专辑，终于在1979年的9月与大家见面了。这又是一张在美国和英国排行榜双双登上冠军宝座的专辑。1980年5月，Led Zeppelin开始了他们的最后一次欧洲巡演。9月，Led Zeppelin在Jimmy Page家为即将到来的美国巡演开始排练。悲剧却又一次发生：9月25日，John Bonham死在自己的床上——在一整天的狂欢饮酒后，他被自己的呕吐物窒息而死(与AC/DC的Bon Scott如此相似，可怜的酗酒人)。1980年12月，Led Zeppelin宣布解散，他们不能没有Bonham。
解散后，余下的乐队成员都开始了他们的个人事业。John Paul Jones从来都没有发表个人专辑，他又干起了他的制作工作。为Death Wish II制作了电影原声后，Jimmy Page编辑了一张Led Zeppelin的未发表歌曲的精选《Coda》，该专辑于1982年年末发行。同年，Robert Plant发表首张个人专辑《Pictures At Eleven》。
1984年，Plant和Page在全明星整容的老头乐队the Honeydrippers中有了一次短暂的重组。与the Honeydrippers发行了一张EP后，Plant回到个人道路，Page与原Bad Company的主唱Paul Rogers组建了the Firm。
1985年，Led Zeppelin因Live Aid而暂时重组，而此时关于他们将重组的谣言四起。事实上，重组从未实现。1988年，他们又聚集在一起，参加了亚特兰大公司25周年庆典音乐会。1989年，Page重新灌录了乐队的一盒套装专辑，Led Zeppelin，于1990年发行。这张４张唱片的套装成了有史以来卖得最多的多唱片套装。1994年，Page和Plant为MTV的不插电演唱会重组，以此他们于1994年秋天发表了一张名为Unledded的专辑。虽然该专辑达到了白金唱片的销量，但人们预料的Led Zeppelin重组仍旧没有实现。在接下来的一年中，Page和Plant举行了一次成功的国际性巡演......
这些活动虽然屡次让歌迷感到Led Zeppelin会再次出现在他们面前，但始终没有得以实现。或许Led Zeppelin真的已经永远的成为一个传奇了。作为一个有着巨大影响力和敬业精神的摇滚乐队，不管他们是否仍然存在，他们的音乐和精神都足以让他们进入不朽的王国.
Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues — it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) — into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. They rarely gave interviews, since the music press detested the band. Consequently, the only connection the audience had with the band was through the records and the concerts. More than any other band, Led Zeppelin established the concept of album-oriented rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. In doing so, they established the dominant format for heavy metal, as well as the genre's actual sound.
Led Zeppelin formed out of the ashes of the Yardbirds. Jimmy Page had joined the band in its final days, playing a pivotal role on their final album, 1967's Little Games, which also featured string arrangements from John Paul Jones. During 1967, the Yardbirds were fairly inactive. While the Yardbirds decided their future, Page returned to session work in 1967. In the spring of 1968, he played on Jones' arrangement of Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man." During the sessions, Jones requested to be part of any future project Page would develop. Page would have to assemble a band sooner than he had planned. In the summer of 1968, the Yardbirds' Keith Relf and James McCarty left the band, leaving Page and bassist Chris Dreja with the rights to the name, as well as the obligation of fulfilling an upcoming fall tour. Page set out to find a replacement vocalist and drummer. Initially, he wanted to enlist singer Terry Reid and Procol Harum's drummer B.J. Wilson, but neither musician was able to join the group. Reid suggested that Page contact Robert Plant, who was singing with a band called Hobbstweedle.
After hearing him sing, Page asked Plant to join the band in August of 1968, the same month Chris Dreja dropped out of the new project. Following Dreja's departure, John Paul Jones joined the group as its bassist. Plant recommended that Page hire John Bonham, the drummer for Plant's old band, the Band of Joy. Bonham had to be persuaded to join the group, as he was being courted by other artists who offered the drummer considerably more money. By September, Bonham agreed to join the band. Performing under the name the New Yardbirds, the band fulfilled the Yardbirds' previously booked engagements in late September 1968. The following month, they recorded their debut album in just under 30 hours. Also in October, the group switched its name to Led Zeppelin. The band secured a contract with Atlantic Records in the United States before the end of the year. Early in 1969, Led Zeppelin set out on their first American tour, which helped set the stage for the January release of their eponymous debut album. Two months after its release, Led Zeppelin had climbed into the U.S. Top Ten. Throughout 1969, the band toured relentlessly, playing dates in America and England. While they were on the road, they recorded their second album, Led Zeppelin II, which was released in October of 1969. Like its predecessor, Led Zeppelin II was an immediate hit, topping the American charts two months after its release and spending seven weeks at number one. The album helped establish Led Zeppelin as an international concert attraction, and for the next year, the group continued to tour relentlessly. Led Zeppelin's sound began to deepen with Led Zeppelin III. Released in October of 1970, the album featured an overt British folk influence. The group's infatuation with folk and mythology would reach a fruition on the group's untitled fourth album, which was released in November of 1971. Led Zeppelin IV was the band's most musically diverse effort to date, featuring everything from the crunching rock of "Black Dog" to the folk of "The Battle of Evermore," as well as "Stairway to Heaven," which found the bridge between the two genres. "Stairway to Heaven" was an immediate radio hit, eventually becoming the most played song in the history of album-oriented radio; the song was never released as a single. Despite the fact that the album never reached number one in America, Led Zeppelin IV was their biggest album ever, selling well over 16 million copies over the next two and a half decades.
Led Zeppelin did tour to support both Led Zeppelin III and Led Zeppelin IV, but they played fewer shows than they did on their previous tours. Instead, they concentrated on only playing larger venues. After completing their 1972 tour, the band retreated from the spotlight and recorded their fifth album. Released in the spring of 1973, Houses of the Holy continued the band's musical experimentation, featuring touches of funk and reggae among their trademark rock and folk. The success of Houses of the Holy set the stage for a record-breaking American tour. Throughout their 1973 tour, Led Zeppelin broke box-office records — most of which were previously held by the Beatles — across America. The group's concert at Madison Square Garden in July was filmed for use in the feature film The Song Remains the Same, which was released three years later. After their 1973 tour, Led Zeppelin spent a quiet year during 1974, releasing no new material and performing no concerts. They did, however, establish their own record label, Swan Song, which released all of Led Zeppelin's subsequent albums, as well as records by Dave Edmunds, Bad Company, the Pretty Things, and several others. Physical Graffiti, a double album released in February of 1975, was the band's first release on Swan Song. The album was an immediate success, topping the charts in both America and England. Led Zeppelin launched a large American tour in 1975, but it came to a halt when Robert Plant and his wife suffered a serious car crash while vacationing in Greece. The tour was canceled and Plant spent the rest of the year recuperating from the accident.
Led Zeppelin returned to action in the spring of 1976 with Presence. Although the album debuted at number one in both America and England, the reviews for the album were lukewarm, as was the reception to the live concert film The Song Remains the Same, which appeared in the fall of 1976. The band finally returned to tour America in the Spring of 1977. A couple of months into the tour, Plant's six-year-old son Karac died of a stomach infection. Led Zeppelin immediately canceled the tour and offered no word whether or not it would be rescheduled, causing widespread speculation about the band's future. For a while, it did appear that Led Zeppelin was finished. Robert Plant spent the latter half of 1977 and the better part of 1978 in seclusion. The group didn't begin work on a new album until late in the summer of 1978, when they began recording at ABBA's Polar studios in Sweden. A year later, the band played a short European tour, performing in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Austria. In August of 1979, Led Zeppelin played two large concerts at Knebworth; the shows would be their last English performances.
In Through the Out Door, the band's much-delayed eighth studio album, was finally released in September of 1979. The album entered the charts at number one in both America and England. In May of 1980, Led Zeppelin embarked on their final European tour. In September, Led Zeppelin began rehearsing at Jimmy Page's house in preparation for an American tour. On September 25, John Bonham was found dead in his bed — following an all-day drinking binge, he had passed out and choked on his own vomit. In December of 1980, Led Zeppelin announced they were disbanding, since they could not continue without Bonham.
Following the breakup, the remaining members all began solo careers. John Paul Jones returned to producing and arranging, finally releasing his solo debut, Zooma, in 1999. After recording the soundtrack for Death Wish II, Jimmy Page compiled the Zeppelin outtakes collection Coda, which was released at the end of 1982. That same year, Robert Plant began a solo career with the Pictures at Eleven album. In 1984, Plant and Page briefly reunited in the all-star oldies band the Honeydrippers. After recording one EP with the Honeydrippers, Plant returned to his solo career and Page formed the Firm with former Bad Company singer Paul Rogers. In 1985, Led Zeppelin reunited to play Live Aid, sparking off a flurry of reunion rumors; the reunion never materialized. In 1988, the band re-formed to play Atlantic's 25th anniversary concert. During 1989, Page remastered the band's catalog for release on the 1990 box set Led Zeppelin. The four-disc set became the biggest-selling multi-disc box set of all time, which was followed up three years later by another box set, the mammoth ten-disc set The Complete Studio Recordings.
In 1994, Page and Plant reunited to record a segment for MTV Unplugged, which was released as No Quarter in the fall of 1994. Although the album went platinum, the sales were disappointing considering the anticipation of a Zeppelin reunion. The following year, Page and Plant embarked on a successful international tour, which eventually led to an all-new studio recording in 1998, the Steve Albini-produced Walking Into Clarksdale. Surprisingly, the album was met with a cool reception by the record-buying public, as Page and Plant ended their union shortly thereafter, once again going their separate ways (Page went on to tour with the Black Crowes, while Plant resumed his solo career). Further Zeppelin compilation releases saw the light of day in the late '90s, including 1997's stellar double-disc BBC Sessions, plus Zep's first true best-of collections — 1999's Early Days: The Best Of, Vol. 1 and 2000's Latter Days: The Best Of, Vol. 2.
