Led Zeppelin the Band, by Zeppelin Expert Chris M. Zangara
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Led Zeppelin the Band, by Zeppelin Expert Chris M. Zangara SOURCE: http://experts.about.com/q/Led-Zeppelin-501/zeppelin-essay.htm An essay on subcultures of America, and I chose the led zeppelin subculture. To explain the culture, its terms, why people are so in love with zeppelin, its history, its boundaries (Thanks to Guitar World's Brad Tolinski for the 'meat' of this 1st passage.) Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham did not invent hard rock. They did, however elevate it to an art form. Unlike many of their lead-footed contemporaries who painted in sludgy, monochromatic fuzz tones, Led Zeppelin created sweeping aural vistas. Every song in the band's catalog packs the wallop of a full-blown three dimensional, four-star rock and roll movie. With guitarist Page in the directors chair, Zeppelin performed brilliantly in bluesy, X-rated features like the orgasmic "Whole Lotta Love," Disney-esque fantasies like the whimsical "The Song Remains The same" and exotic 70mm Epics like "Kashmir" and "Stairway To Heaven." No one in rock before or since has equaled Led Zeppelin's flair for musical drama. Page has famously claimed that the band was designed so it's sound would have "shadow and light." Sorry Jimmy, but even you must know by now that you -- and your other 3 band mates -- lived, breathed and performed in nothing less than Technicolor. LED ZEPPELIN THE BAND: The most wonderful thing about Led Zeppelin is the variety within their music. They broke all the rules of music, as they never stuck to a one certain formula like most other bands of the time. Zeppelin, in their time, were more successful than The Beatles, OR The Rolling Stones but the press just wouldn't allow it. It was The Stones who got all the big press even though Zeppelin were breaking concert attendance records all over the USA and UK. But Zeppelin were "dangerous" and the press early on were just plain scared to promote them. But it wasn't needed. Zeppelin was all about word of mouth by the fans. No musical group in history has become so popular just by people spreading the word. Remember there was no MTV or videos back then. If you wanted to hear them, you had to buy the albums. If you wanted to see them, you had to go to the show. This kind of hard rock (some called it heavy metal but it never was. Zeppelin hated the term. Remember over half of all Zeppelin music was acoustic!) was very new and any Zeppelin concert was not just a concert. It was an event. Nowadays you hear all the Zeppelin copycats all over the airwaves and it all sounds the same. But back in the early 70's..it was new and, some say, scary. If you were lucky enough to get into a live Led Zeppelin show, you were never the same when you came out. 4 people who had a psychic chemistry onstage. They could read each other’s minds. They would break into long improvisations that could turn 1 hour of material into 3 hours of music. The fans didn't know what hit them, and even after 3+ hours, would still clamor for more. During shorter sets at many festival appearances (ex: Texas Pop 1969) where each band would only be allotted about an hour block of time, the crowds just would simply not allow Led Zeppelin to leave the stage. ZEPPELIN'S APPEAL IS UNIVERSAL TO OLD AND NEW PEOPLE AS MOST OF THEIR SONGS CAN BE ABSORBED BY THE LISTENER WITHIN THE OWN LISTENERS IMAGINATION. ALTHOUGH MOST SONGS HAVE A CONCRETE MEANING BEHIND THEM, MOST ONLY KNOWN TO THE BAND MEMBERS THEMSELVES, THEY ARE NOT PUT OUT THAT WAY TO THE PUBLIC. THEREFORE MANY ZEPPELIN SONGS CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE MEANING, DEPENDING ON THE LISTENER'S POINT OF VIEW. WHETHER THIS WAS INTENTIONAL OR NOT, THIS IS SURELY A SIGN OF TRUE BRILLIANCE IN SONGWRITING. ZEPPELIN'S POLITICAL STATURE: Led Zeppelin was never a political band at all really. But they were affected by the USA of the early 70's in that the war in Vietnam was just finishing up and there was a lot of tension. The kids who came to see Zeppelin really let it all out. A Zeppelin show was a place to really forget the daily troubles. The police in some states, though, weren't too keen on that and Zeppelin had a terrible time with the cops and security guards at some shows where the kids just wanted to stand up and cheer and were pushed, shoved and sometimes beaten with clubs. In other countries it was even worse. In Milan, Italy what was thought to be smoke from the audience turned out to be tear gas from the police. A full riot ensued and the stage was stormed. The members of Zeppelin were left hiding in a dressing room back stage, coughing from tear gas, until the riot was over. Many were injured including fans, security and Zeppelin's roadies. In Singapore, the members of Zeppelin were not even allowed into the country because of their long hair! But Zeppelin's music hardly reflected the political nature of the day. The song That's The Way dealt with the prejudice issue and the environment as did the song Down By The Seaside, but that's about it. Zeppelin dealt in mystery, mythology and the blues. Their music was not meant to make any kind of statement politically but to simply take you to another place and time. ZEPPELIN INFLUENCES: The great thing about Led Zeppelin is that each member had very diverse musical tastes. That, besides they uncanny chemistry amongst Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page & John Bonham, was why it's the variety that keeps Zep alive. Their influences come from around the world, mainly folk, Indian/Arabic, country, jazz & the blues. But it was the blues that gave Zeppelin its core. Blind Willie Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and numerous others. But THE most important influence comes from the man who invented the blues and, in turn, the way music has developed since. Robert Johnson first made the Blues popular in the 1920s and 30's in the great Mississippi Delta. He died in 1933. He is the essential inspiration for all rock bands and musicians. But his influence on Led Zeppelin would change the face of rock forever, thanks to the talent of the band and the way they could mold Johnson's songs into completely their own. It's very hard to find anyone in the rock & roll world that is not influenced by Led Zeppelin. Most of whom have tried and failed miserably to "get it right." The 1980s were full of Zeppelin copycat bands whose so-called "mystical" lyrics did nothing to make them at all believable. Heavy Metal came from Zep. But it's a term they hate. I can see why since 60% of Zep's music was acoustic. But, on the other hand, there have been many bands that took that same inspiration and made good with it. But the true spirit of Led Zeppelin seems to have never been captured, as most people still want to turn up the volume and leave it there. Zeppelin was all about light and shade. Soft and heavy but all with substance. And when Plant sang, he meant it. It wasn't an act. It was him. The same for Jimmy Page. The "rockstar" poses of today may seem cliché' but in the 70's when Zeppelin hit the stage, it was new, original and brilliant. It was just who they were. No 'playacting' like you see today. ZEPPELIN ON STAGE: Zeppelin concerts are the stuff of legend. They weren't just shows, they were events. Especially in the early days as no one had heard anything like them. Audiences were left stunned, astonished and, at times, frightened at what they had seen and heard. One of many examples is in Boston in 1969 when the band was only a few months old. The audience wouldn't let them off the stage. They only had 45 minutes of material! But they ended up playing for over 4 hours! After playing and replaying their entire first album, they broke into Elvis tunes, Beatles songs, etc. Anything they could think of to keep the crazed audience on their feet. After the show the crowd and the band were literally exhausted. ZEPPELIN AND DRUGS: There were indeed times that drugs and/or alcohol became a factor. Although 1977 was one of the greatest and most powerful tours musically, there were a few shows during those later years that stand out. Seattle 1977 was one of the last shows and you can see a stark contrast between that show and the last show in LA just a week earlier. Jimmy Page was on heroin at the time and it began to take its toll. His playing was sloppier than ever and he was not as animated as he usually was. He was standing still most of the concert. Also, Page had collapsed at a show in Chicago 1975 after only a few songs. It was stated to be a stomach ailment but insiders think it was more like a reaction to drugs. There's no way anyone would begin to make assumptions if drugs or alcohol affected the lyrics of the songs as they were written. Only Robert Plant would know that.