All About Led Zeppelin

In 1968, Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page was in a tight situation. His whole band had quit and he was stuck with the rights to the name and a whole tour he was contractually obligated to do. So he called up session man John Paul Jones and the two set out to find a vocalist and a drummer. They found Robert Plant and John Bonham, and the rest is music history.

The quartet toured under the name "The New Yardbirds" and at the end of the tour, changed their name to Led Zeppelin. The band recorded their debut album in 1968, and it was released in January 1969, peaking at number 10 in the US and number 6 in the UK. It was with their second album that the band acheived superstardom. Led Zeppelin II was released in October of 1969 and a shortened version of "Whole Lotta Love" was released in the US in November and reached the top 5 by January. The album soon shot to number 1 in both the US and UK. Their third album, released in 1970 did the same.

Over the remainder of the 1970's, all other bands would be in the shadow of the mighty Zeppelin. They released seven albums during the decade, all of which reached number 1 in the band's home country of the UK, and five of which reached number 1 in the US, with the other two peaking at number 2. Incidentally, the band's fourth album, which was their only studio album not to reach number 1 in the US during the decade, went on to become the band's best-selling album, and in fact, no album released before it has sold more copies.

Perhaps the best explanation as to why the band's fourth album outsold any album ever released by the Beatles or Elvis Presley is the name of the album's fourth song: "Stairway To Heaven." The single best song in the history of rock and roll, filled with more beauty, power and emotion than anything written or recorded since, it was never released as a single due to the band's unwillingness to edit it for length. Funnily enough (and a testament to the greatness of the song), it is said to be the most requested song in FM history.

The band's popularity reached its peak during 1973. This is known as the year that Led Zeppelin conquered America. "Stairway To Heaven" was the most popular song around, Houses Of The Holy reached number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, and the band's US tour of that year broke all kinds of sales records, including the Beatles' record for largest audience that dated back to 1965. The band did not release any new material in 1974, but 1975 marked the release of their acclaimed double album, Physical Graffiti. The album gained the band the respect of the part of musical community that inexplicably they had not up to that point recevied.

The beginning of the end was a car accident in 1976 that left Robert Plant in a wheelchair for an extended period of time. The band felt that they had to quickly produce a record while they were sidelined from touring, and the album they made was the first of their career that was not a rock classic. Zeppelin didn't release another album until 1979, which turned out to be the last they ever recorded. This was because, in 1980, drummer John Bonham was found dead after suffocating on his own vomit during his sleep. The band subsequently announced their breakup.

Led Zeppelin's music has and always will live on. With the possible exception of the Beatles, no artist gains as many fans with each new generation of music listeners as Zep. This is particularly amazing when no official Led Zeppelin reunion tour has ever taken place. But we can always hope.

1. Led Zeppelin - January 12, 1969

1. Good Times Bad Times (Page/Jones/Bonham)
2. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Anne Bredon/Page/Plant)
3. You Shook Me (Willie Dixon/J.B. Lenoir)
4. Dazed And Confused (Page)
5. Your Time Is Gonna Come (Page/Jones)
6. Black Mountain Side (Page)
7. Communication Breakdown (Page/Jones/Bonham)
8. I Can't Quit You Baby (Willie Dixon)
9. How Many More Times (Page/Jones/Bonham)

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2. Led Zeppelin II - October 22, 1969

1. Whole Lotta Love (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham/Willie Dixon)
2. What Is And What Should Never Be (Page/Plant)
3. The Lemon Song (Page/Plant)
4. Thank You (Page/Plant)
5. Heartbreaker (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham)
6. Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman) (Page/Plant)
7. Ramble On (Page/Plant)
8. Moby Dick (Bonham/Jones/Page)
9. Bring It On Home (Page/Plant)

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6. Led Zeppelin III - October 5, 1970

1. Immigrant Song (Page/Plant)
2. Friends (Page/Plant)
3. Celebration Day (Page/Plant/Jones)
4. Since I've Been Loving You (Page/Plant/Jones)
5. Out On The Tiles (Page/Plant/Bonham)
6. Gallows Pole (Traditional, arranged by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant)
7. Tangerine (Page)
8. That's The Way (Page/Plant)
9. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp (Page/Plant/Jones)
10. Hats Off To (Roy) Harper (Traditional, arranged by Charles Obscure)

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1. Led Zeppelin IV - November 9, 1971

1. Black Dog (Page/Plant/Jones)
2. Rock And Roll (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham)
3. The Battle Of Evermore (Page/Plant)
4. Stairway To Heaven (Page/Plant)
5. Misty Mountain Hop (Page/Plant/Jones)
6. Four Sticks (Page/Plant)
7. Going To California (Page/Plant)
8. When The Levee Breaks (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham/Memphis Minnie)

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5. Houses Of The Holy - March 28, 1973

1. The Song Remains The Same (Page/Plant)
2. The Rain Song (Page/Plant)
3. Over The Hills And Far Away (Page/Plant)
4. The Crunge (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant)
5. Dancing Days (Page/Plant)
6. D'Yer Mak'er (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham)
7. No Quarter (Page/Plant/Jones)
8. The Ocean (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham)

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3. Physical Graffiti - February 24, 1975

DISC ONE:
1. Custard Pie (Page/Plant)
2. The Rover (Page/Plant)
3. In My Time Of Dying (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham)
4. Houses Of The Holy (Page/Plant)
5. Trampled Under Foot (Page/Plant/Jones)
6. Kashmir (Page/Plant/Bonham)

DISC TWO:
1. In The Light (Page/Plant/Jones)
2. Bron-Yr-Aur (Page)
3. Down By The Seaside (Page/Plant)
4. Ten Years Gone (Page/Plant)
5. Night Flight (Jones/Page/Plant)
6. The Wanton Song (Page/Plant)
7. Boogie With Stu (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant/Ian Stewart/Mrs. Valens)
8. Black Country Woman (Page/Plant)
9. Sick Again (Page/Plant)

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7. Presence - March 31, 1976

1. Achilles Last Stand (Page/Plant)
2. For Your Life (Page/Plant)
3. Royal Orleans (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant)
4. Nobody's Fault But Mine (Page/Plant)
5. Candy Store Rock (Page/Plant)
6. Hots On For Nowhere (Page/Plant)
7. Tea For One (Page/Plant)

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8. In Through The Out Door - August 15, 1979

1. In The Evening (Page/Plant/Jones)
2. South Bound Saurez (Jones/Plant)
3. Fool In The Rain (Page/Plant/Jones)
4. Hot Dog (Page/Plant)
5. Carouselambra (Jones/Page/Plant)
6. All My Love (Plant/Jones)
7. I'm Gonna Crawl (Page/Plant/Jones)

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9. Coda - November 19, 1982

1. We're Gonna Groove (Ben E. King/James Bethea)
2. Poor Tom (Page/Plant)
3. I Can't Quit You Baby (Willie Dixon)
4. Walter's Walk (Page/Plant)
5. Ozone Baby (Page/Plant)
6. Darlene (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant)
7. Bonzo's Montreux (Bonham)
8. Wearing And Tearing (Page/Plant)
BONUS TRACKS (included in Complete Studio Recordings)
9. Baby Come On Home (Bert Berns/Page/Plant)
10. Travelling Riverside Blues (Page/Plant/Robert Johnson)
11. White Summer/Black Mountain Side (Page)
12. Hey Hey What Can I Do (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham)

How The West Was Won - May 27, 2003

DISC ONE:
1. LA Drone
2. Immigrant Song
3. Heartbreaker
4. Black Dog
5. Over The Hills And Far Away
6. Since I've Been Loving You
7. Stairway To Heaven
8. Going To California
9. That's The Way
10. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
DISC TWO:
1. Dazed And Confused
2. What Is And What Should Never Be
3. Dancing Days
4. Moby Dick
DISC THREE:
1. Whole Lotta Love (Medley)
2. Rock And Roll
3. The Ocean
4. Bring It On Home

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The BBC Sessions - November 11, 1997

DISC ONE:
1. You Shook Me
2. I Can't Quit You Baby
3. Communication Breakdown
4. Dazed And Confused
5. The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair
6. What Is And What Should Never Be
7. Communication Breakdown (2)
8. Travelling Riverside Blues
9. Whole Lotta Love
10. Somethin' Else
11. Communication Breakdown (3)
12. I Can't Quit You Baby (2)
13. You Shook Me (2)
14. How Many More Times
DISC TWO:
1. Immigrant Song
2. Heartbreaker
3. Since I've Been Loving You
4. Black Dog
5. Dazed And Confused (2)
6. Stairway To Heaven
7. Going To California
8. That's The Way
9. Whole Lotta Love (Medley)
10. Thank You

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The Song Remains The Same - September 21, 1976

1. Rock And Roll
2. Celebration Day
3. The Song Remains The Same
4. The Rain Song
5. Dazed And Confused 6. No Quarter
7. Stairway To Heaven
8. Moby Dick
9. Whole Lotta Love

1. Stairway To Heaven
2. Whole Lotta Love
3. Kashmir
4. Dazed And Confused
5. Immigrant Song
6. Rock And Roll
7. Black Dog
8. Since I've Been Loving You
9. Achilles Last Stand
10. When The Levee Breaks
11. Heartbreaker
12. No Quarter
13. Ramble On
14. Over The Hills And Far Away
15. The Ocean
16. Good Times Bad Times
17. The Song Remains The Same
18. Ten Years Gone
19. Communication Breakdown
20. Trampled Under Foot
21. The Rain Song
22. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
23. Bring It On Home
24. In The Evening
25. Nobody's Fault But Mine
26. Going To California
27. All My Love
28. What Is And What Should Never Be
29. In The Light
30. Misty Mountain Hop
31. Thank You
32. Houses Of The Holy
33. That's The Way
34. Custard Pie
35. How Many More Times
36. The Lemon Song
37. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
38. D'Yer Mak'er
39. Hey Hey What Can I Do
40. The Rover
41. I Can't Quit You Baby
42. The Battle Of Evermore
43. Fool In The Rain
44. Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)
45. Tangerine
46. In My Time Of Dying
47. White Summer/Black Mountain Side
48. The Wanton Song
49. Travelling Riverside Blues
50. We're Gonna Groove