Atlantic 8236
Producer: Jimmy Page
Track listing: Whole Lotta Love / What Is and What Should Never Be / The Lemon Song / Thank You / Heartbreaker / Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) / Ramble On / Moby Dick / Bring It on Home
December 27, 1969
7 weeks (nonconsecutive)
With its 1969 self-titled debut, Led Zeppelin knocked the rock world on its backside with an innovative mix of hard rock and heavy blues. Led Zeppelin rose out of the ashes of the Yardbirds, a seminal British blues-rock group whose lineup at various times boasted the talents of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and finally Jimmy Page. Previously a session player, Page joined the Yardbirds in 1968, just as the band began to disintegrate. Undaunted, the young guitar whiz opted to recruit his own lineup, dubbed the New Yardbirds. John Paul Jones, a bassist/keyboardist also known for his session work, was first to sign on. The vocalist spot was filled by Robert Plant, a blues singer from Birmingham, England, who in turn suggested drummer John Bonham, who had played with Plant in the Band of Joy, to round out the quartet.
The group soon adopted a new moniker inspired by a joke by the Who’s drummer, Keith Moon, who suggested the mix of hard rock and heavy blues would go down like a lead balloon. Instead, Led Zeppelin, which featured a photo of the Hindenburg on the cover, soared up the Top LP’s chart. The album, recorded three weeks after the band formed, was released on January 12, 1969. It climbed to number 10 and the band hit the road to play in front of its growing legion of fans in America.
Rather than waiting until they finished their maiden voyage to America, the members of Zeppelin opted to write and record most of the band’s second album while they were on tour. “It was recorded every spare moment that we were on the road,” says John Paul Jones. “We literally wrote the album on the road and whenever there were a couple of hours between shows, we booked a studio and went in and recorded. It had great spontaneity and urgency.”
Some of the tracks, such as “Whole Lotta Love,” were spawned from Zeppelin’s explosive live shows. In concert, the band played extended versions of its songs, such as the Led Zeppelin epic “Dazed and Confused,” allowing plenty of room of improvisation and the creation of new songs. “We were very hot,” says Jones. “We realized that it was going to be a very successful band. We were getting across, we were doing what we wanted, and we were very free. It was a very exhilarating time.”
Led Zeppelin was so brazen, in fact, that it borrowed heavily from some of its blues heroes without feeling the need to share songwriting credits. “The Lemon Song” was inspired by Howlin’ Wolf’s “The Killing Floor,” and “Whole Lotta Love” was based on a Willie Dixon song. Nearly 20 years after band acknowledged the fact with an out-of-court settlement.
Yet there was much more to Led Zeppelin than a bunch of borrowed blues riffs. The band’s instrumental and no-holds-barred approach paved the way for nearly every hard rock band to follow. Led Zeppelin II eventually became known as the quintessential heavy metal album. Aside from Jimmy Page’s incredible guitar and inventive riffing, there was Bonham’s drumming, notably showcased on “Moby Dick.” Says Jones, “He used his hands as well as sticks. That’s what he used to do on stage. He started off with his hands and then he would use sticks. On occasion there would be blood all over the drums.”
Led Zeppelin II made it to Number One in its eighth week on the chart. Fittingly, it was the last Number One of the ’60s, and the album it dislodged from the peak position was the Beatles’ Abbey Road. Although Abbey Road would return to the top spot for three more weeks, the ’60s were indeed over. The revolutionary Fab Four sounded tame compared to the mighty Led Zeppelin.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of December 27, 1969
1. Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin
2. Abbey Road, The Beatles
3. Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones
4. Live in Las Vegas, Tom Jones
5. Willie and the Poor Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival