Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is one of the most renowned bands from the seventies. The members, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones, created a sound that blended rock, folk, blues and psychedelic to create one of the most influential sounds of the decade, and beyond. Led Zeppelin is most known for their groundbreaking studio albums “Led Zeppelin IV”, “Houses of the Holy” and “Physical Graffiti”, but they had tremendous success in their earlier years, too. From 1969 to 1979, Led Zeppelin dominated the rock world, selling over 300 million records worldwide and touring like no other band.
Exploring the past we can look at the sales of their albums, beginning with their album “Led Zeppelin” released in 1969 with sales ballooning to 8 million albums by the end of the decade. In 1971 Led Zeppelin’s fourth album “Led Zeppelin IV” was released that boosted sales to 23 million albums, and in 1971 “Houses of the Holy” achieved gold certification with 6 million albums sold. Rolling Stone ranked Led Zeppelin’s fourth album as the 14th greatest album of all time while “Houses of the Holy” and “Physical Graffiti” were ranked at number 55 and 117 respectively.
Led Zeppelin converted many of their albums into musical tours by becoming a powerhouse of the touring industry in the 70s. The physical manifestation of their albums was experienced by many, thousands of fans flying overseas and hundreds of thousands buying tickets to their sold out concerts. Led Zeppelin actively toured throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, and their concerts became mythical, with critics noting the band’s intense charisma on stage. Every Zeppelin concert sparked a party atmosphere, a sense of musical abandon, that unified the crowds and created an exquisite musical experience.
Led Zeppelin’s Influence on Music
Led Zeppelin’s influence on music was immense, inspiring countless bands throughout the seventies and beyond. Heavy metal and hard rock bands received significant inspiration from Led Zeppelin’s work, with many citing Led Zeppelin as their most influential band. Additionally, their exploratory approach to music paved the way modern progressive rock, and their influence stands in almost every corner of the rock world. Zeppelin’s ambitions to push the boundaries musically and lyrically changed the rock landscape, motivating modern musicians to think outside of the box.
The band mixed musical elements such as folk, rock, electronic, funk, blues, progressive and Indian music creating a unique sound. Led Zeppelin was known for taking risks with their music as demonstrated in their experimentation with traditional and electric instruments as well as their ambitious compositions featuring creative rhythmic structures, unconventional song lengths and thrilling improvisations.
In every way Led Zeppelin was a powerhouse during the 70s, and their legacy lives on with generations of fans, musicians and critics, all recognizing the tremendous impact their music had on the decade and beyond. Today, Led Zeppelin stands as one of the biggest bands of all time, leaving their mark in the annals of rock history.
Legacy in Modern Music
The influence of Zeppelin is still felt in modern music. All time favorites including “Whole Lotta Love”, “Stairway To Heaven” and “Immigrant Song” have been covered by countless other bands who wanted to pay tribute to the Zeppelin legacy. Led Zepplin’s songs have been heard in various TV shows, movies and video games, making Zeppelin’s music popular again and again over the past half a century.
In addition to core members in groups such as Foo Fighters, Oasis, Bon Jovi, IronMaiden and Van Halen, who all openly preferred Led Zeppelin during the seventies, modern rock bands including Imagine Dragons, Mumford & Sons, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, Muse and Pink Floyd cite Led Zeppelin as their biggest musical influence.
Led Zeppelin has continued to break records with their seventies music. In 2007, Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2014 became the first band to have all albums certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Criticisms of Led Zeppelin
Despite all the praise, Led Zeppelin has not sat well with everyone. The band, who have been compared to the Rolling Stones, continue to face criticism for sexism, with some critics citing their numerous “hits with misogynistic lyrics.” Similarly, the band have faced accusations of plagiarism, with comments on the “borrowings from traditional American blues and folk music” being reused in several Zeppelin tracks.
Led Zeppelin also faced accusations of cultism with rumors of a “dark side” of the band including dark mysticism that was present in some of their songs and lyrics. These claims were unsubstantiated, but the rumors remain to this day.
Reinvention of Led Zeppelin’s Sound in the 70s
Led Zeppelin continued to innovate their sound throughout the 70s, creating a unique brand of rock which birthed the next generation of musicians. The Zeppelin sound, which focused on layers of guitars with a groovy bass line and thunderous drums, became popular among the next wave of bands.
Zeppelin evolved their sound further in the 70s by bringing in diverse sounds and styles. Songs on their 1975 album “Physical Graffiti” made use of a variety of instrumentation including strings, harmonica and keyboards due to the influence of producer Jimmy Page, which led to a much more intricate and diverse sound.
In the latter half of the decade Led Zeppelin was recorded live, which allowed the band to express their vision more honestly, without the need to add perfection through multiple takes. The band began to embrace improvisation, pushing themselves further and responding to the enthusiasm of the crowds. The live sound of the band quickly became fan favorites, with concerts such as Knebworth and the Earl’s Court cementing Led Zeppelin’s place in music history.
Re-emergence of Led Zeppelin’s Music in the 21st Century
Although their reign in the 70’s had ended, Led Zeppelin’s music didn’t disappear following the release of their last album in 1982. In the late 90s and 2000s, their music started to appear again in various projects, from movies, videogames and television shows.
This decade has seen an abundance of remasters and re-issues, with record labels such as Sony and Universal releasing deluxe, special edition box sets of the original albums. Led Zeppelin fans also received a huge treat when in 2007 three of the original members reunited at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert. This was the first time since the John Bonham’s death in 1980 that three members had shared the stage again.
The exposure of Led Zeppelin’s music has renewed interest for their work in the music industry, with the band continuing to influence rock, folk and blues musicians of all ages. Led Zeppelin is slowly becoming more and more popular, and for good reason; their music sounds as fresh today as it did when it was recorded in the 70s.
Conclusion of Led Zeppelin’s Popularity in the 70s
To conclude, Led Zeppelin were one of the most influential bands of the 1970s, successfully combining rock, folk, blues and psychedelic to create an innovative and iconic sound. Their popularity was widespread, selling millions of albums throughout the seventies, touring like no other band and inspiring countless other musicians with their unique composition techniques.
Led Zeppelin’s legend lives on with their music being heard all over the world, and it can be claimed that even though the band has not released music since 1982 their popularity shows no signs of dying. Led Zeppelin’s music is timeless, and their influence in modern music is undeniable. The seventies was a great period for the band and it can be concluded that Led Zeppelin were indeed one of the biggest bands of the era.
