Episode 1 of "Led Zeppelin History", the first in a series of short stories celebrating what happened 50 years ago, when the members of LED ZEPPELIN entered Olympic Studios to record their debut album, can be seen below.
In January 1969, LED ZEPPELIN was unleashed on the world with the release of its trailblazing first LP. Just 10 months later, in October 1969, the band's equally groundbreaking follow-up album "Led Zeppelin II" was released. 50 years later, LED ZEPPELIN remains one of the most important bands in music history whose songs continue to be discovered and embraced by each new generation.
Guitarist Jimmy Page of THE YARDBIRDS and bassist John Paul Jones were young schooled London session players. Singer Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham were talented but untested English Midlands musicians whose raw musicianship and earthy feel were a surprisingly effective contrast. Together, the four redefined the limits of rock music while magnifying its visceral power, its reckless abandonment and, yes, some of its faults.
"Led Zeppelin I" received a surprising number of negative reviews from music critics, igniting a debate on whether white musicians could play Afro-American blues without negatively exploiting the originators, a debate which would dog LED ZEPPELIN for their first four now-iconic albums.
On January 17, 1969, LED ZEPPELIN thundered onto the world stage with its debut album and songs "Communication Breakdown", "Good Times, Bad Times", "Dazed And Confused" and "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" displaying great musical diversity, dynamics, and sounds previously unheard in rock, electrifying the masses (if not rock critics) and selling north of 10 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Page told "In The Studio" host Redbeard why he believes LED ZEPPELIN was so successful from the beginning. "I think everyone was inspired in that band," he said. "I think everyone was a star. There wasn't a weakness there. Every single person was strong.
