Led Zeppelin wasn’t put together in the most natural way possible. When you hear music that is as genre-defining as theirs, you are forgiven for thinking that they had been playing together for years and have taken the time to carve out their sound carefully, but that’s not what happened.
Jimmy Page had been working as a studio guitarist for some time and had a stint in The Yardbirds. His exposure to a number of different genres of music meant that he was ready to start a band that wasn’t afraid to touch upon a number of different genres of music. In pursuing this unique sound, he formed Led Zeppelin, and the members steadily presented themselves.
John Paul Jones gave him a ring after hearing he was starting a band and had nothing else to do. The other members didn’t come quite as easily. Page was scouting for a singer for some time, and it wasn’t until a few failed attempts that he was pointed in the direction of Birmingham to go see Robert Plant. Plant’s voice spoke for itself, and then he put Page on to John Bonham.
This whole journey of finger-pointing and happenstance is an example of the serendipity required when it comes to great music. People often grow up together and are on the same page creatively, to the extent that their sound will always be a perfect reflection of them. Then, there are other occasions when people come together by chance, and it works perfectly. Led Zeppelin is an example of the latter.
Their first jam took place in a small basement room in Chinatown. They played some old Yardbirds songs together, and it became clear that the four of them could come together and make something wonderful. They harnessed this potential and used it to start one of the most important rock bands of all time. Led Zeppelin wasn’t just good; they were responsible for changing people’s attitudes towards rock music and expanding it beyond just one specific sound.
When Jack Black was talking about Led Zeppelin and what people who aren’t devoted fans should do, he said the best thing is to listen to all of their music all the way through and appreciate the variety on display.
“Better than the Beatles, better than the Stones,” he said when discussing the band, “And if you don’t agree with me, that’s because you haven’t done the Zeppelin marathon. It’s when you sit your ass down and listen to all nine Zeppelin albums in a row. The jams of Led Zeppelin are second to none.”
Black certainly has a point, as the beauty of Led Zeppelin lies in how little they allow themselves to be restricted throughout their music. Listening to their albums exposes you to folk, hard rock, heavy metal, acoustic music and blues. It’s a true treat to listen to, and these extremes are available thanks to the band’s work rate, according to Jimmy Page. He picked two particular songs to highlight the diversity within the band.
“The whole work ethic was absolutely superb so we could – did – arrive at things like ‘When The Levee Breaks’, which is so ominous. It’s so dark. It’s so dark that there isn’t a colour to describe it,” he said, “And then you’ve got something that is really caressing, like ‘Going To California’. You’ve got these extremes of music there.”
