Led Zeppelin After Being Left

Led Zeppelin

After being left with the remains of the Yardbirds in 1968, guitarist Jimmy Page recruited bassist John Paul Jones with whom he had played alongside on Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" in an effort to form a new Yardbirds. The Yardbirds' front man Keith Relf and James McCarty left the band and left Page and fellow band mate and bassist Chris Dreja with the rights to the name and with the obligation of fulfilling the band's upcoming tour. Page wanted to replace Relf with Terry Reid who could not do so due to his commitment to Procol Harum but directed Page to see his friend Robert Plant who was singing for Hobbstweedle. Page asked Plant to join the Yardbird after he heard him sing at which time, Dreja left the band and Jones joined them. John Bonham, who played with Plant in The Band of Joy, was recruited as a drummer to replace Dreja. The group performed the remaining engagements of the Yardbirds in late September 1968 as the "New Yardbirds." By the next month, they changed the band's name to Led Zeppelin as a suggestion from the Who's Keith Moon, who had got the name from fellow band mate John Entwistle who wanted to use the name for his backup band. The name change was seen as appropriate as they were no longer in any way the Yardbirds, new or otherwise. They wanted to play the blues in a way that was yet to be done by any other band ("Led Zeppelin").

The History

Led zeppelin got signed with the United States' Atlantic Records and started recording their debut album which was released in early 1969 along with a tour of the United States. Their tour began in the United States as they felt that they would be looked upon as the old Yardbirds in England. Their first payment was low, playing a show for only $200 but that changed as they got hot. Led Zeppelin, their album, topped the U.S. top ten and they toured non-stop for the entire year in America and England. Their second album, Led Zeppelin II was recorded on the road and released on 22 October, 1969 and spend seven weeks on the number one slot. This was a powerful statement as it had passed the Stones new album, Let it Bleed and knocked the Beatles' Abbey Road from the number one spot after just two months of its release (keno). They kept touring through 1970 and also found time to record their third LP and Led Zeppelin III was released in October of the same year. Led Zeppelin III was a bit mellow in comparison to their first two albums. In December of 1970 they started recording their fourth album and their sessions lasted till the next summer due to several factors like the band wanting the album to remain untitled, they wanted nothing written on it and no texts or credits anywhere on the album itself or on its outside or inside sleeves. They wanted their music to the talking but were talked out of it by their label and there were credits added to the albums inside paper sleeve, but it had nothing to help in identifying the album or its distributers on the front cover. It became known unofficially as Led Zeppelin IV and due to its powerfulness; it did manage to reach number two on the charts. Stairway to Heaven was one of the songs in the album and became the band's best song ever and also rock's best song ever.