Led Zeppelin Follow Up

Following Led Zeppelin's dissolution, the first significant musical project by one of its members was the Honeydrippers, which Robert Plant initially formed in 1981. The group, featuring Jimmy Page on lead guitar, along with studio musicians and friends of the pair, including Jeff Beck, Paul Shaffer, and Nile Rodgers, released its only album in 1984. Robert Plant focused on a different direction from Zeppelin, playing standards and in a more R&B style, highlighted by a cover of "Sea of Love" that peaked at number three on the Billboard chart in early 1985.

The studio album Coda – a collection of Zeppelin outtakes and unused tracks – was issued in November 1982. It included two tracks from the Royal Albert Hall in 1970, one each from the Led Zeppelin III and Houses of the Holy sessions, and three from the In Through the Out Door sessions. It also featured a 1976 John Bonham drum instrumental with electronic effects added by Jimmy Page, called "Bonzo's Montreux".

On 13 July 1985, Page, Plant, and Jones reunited for the Live Aid concert at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, playing a short set featuring drummers Tony Thompson and Phil Collins, and bassist Paul Martinez. Collins had contributed to Plant's first two solo albums while Martinez was a member of Plant's solo band. The performance was marred by a lack of rehearsal with the two drummers, Page's struggles with an out-of-tune guitar, poorly functioning monitors, and Plant's hoarse voice. Page described the performance as "pretty shambolic", while Plant characterised it as an "atrocity".

The three members reunited again on 14 May 1988, for the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert, with Bonham's son Jason on drums. The result was again disjointed: Plant and Page had argued immediately prior to taking the stage about whether to play "Stairway to Heaven", and Jones' keyboards were absent from the live television feed. Page described the performance as "one big disappointment" and Plant said "the gig was foul".

The first Led Zeppelin box set, featuring tracks remastered under Jimmy Page's supervision, was released in 1990 and bolstered the band's reputation, leading to abortive discussions among members about a reunion. This set included four previously unreleased tracks, including a version of Robert Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues". The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Led Zeppelin Boxed Set 2 was released in 1993; the two box sets together contained all known studio recordings, as well as some rare live tracks.

In 1994, Page and Plant reunited for a 90-minute "UnLedded" MTV project. They later released an album called No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded, which featured some reworked Led Zeppelin songs, and embarked on a world tour the following year. This is said to be the beginning of a rift between the band members, as John Paul Jones was not even told of the reunion.

In 1995, Led Zeppelin were inducted into the United States Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. Jason and Zoë Bonham also attended, representing their late father. At the induction ceremony, the band's inner rift became apparent when John Paul Jones joked upon accepting his award, "Thank you, my friends, for finally remembering my phone number", causing consternation and awkward looks from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Afterwards, they played one brief set with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, with Jason Bonham on drums, and then a second with Neil Young, this time with Michael Lee playing the drums.

In 1997, Atlantic released a single edit of "Whole Lotta Love" in the US and the UK, the only single the band released in their homeland, where it peaked at number 21. November 1997 saw the release of Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions, a two-disc set largely recorded in 1969 and 1971. Page and Plant released another album called Walking into Clarksdale in 1998, featuring all new material, but after disappointing sales, the partnership dissolved before a planned Australian tour.

The year 2003 saw the release of the triple live album How the West Was Won, and Led Zeppelin DVD, a six-hour chronological set of live footage that became the best-selling music DVD in history. In July 2007, Atlantic/Rhino and Warner Home Video announced three Zeppelin titles to be released that November: Mothership, a 24-track best-of spanning the band's career; a reissue of the soundtrack The Song Remains the Same, including previously unreleased material; and a new DVD. Zeppelin also made their catalogue legally available for download, becoming one of the last major rock bands to do so.

On December 10 2007, Zeppelin reunited for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena in London, with Jason Bonham again taking his father's place on drums. According to Guinness World Records 2009, the show set a record for the "Highest Demand for Tickets for One Music Concert" as 20 million requests were submitted online. Critics praised the performance and there was widespread speculation about a full reunion. Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham were reported to be willing to tour and to be working on material for a new Zeppelin project. Robert Plant continued his touring commitments with Alison Krauss, stating in September 2008 that he would not record or tour with the band. "I told them I was busy and they'd simply have to wait," he recalled in 2014. "I would come around eventually, which they were fine with – at least to my knowledge. But it turns out they weren't. And what's even more disheartening, Jimmy used it against me."

Jones and Page reportedly looked for a replacement for Plant; candidates including Steven Tyler of  Aerosmith, and Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge. However, in January 2009, it was confirmed that the project had been abandoned. "Getting the opportunity to play with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham was pretty special," Kennedy recalled. "That is pretty much the zenith right there. That was a crazy, good experience. It's something I still think of often ... It's so precious to me."

A film of the O2 performance, Celebration Day, premiered on October 17, 2012 and was released on DVD on November 19. The film grossed $2 million in one night, and the live album peaked at number 4 and 9 in the UK and US, respectively. Following the film's premiere, Jimmy Page revealed that he had been remastering the band's discography. The first wave of albums, Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, and Led Zeppelin III, were released on June 2, 2014.

The second wave of albums, Led Zeppelin IV and Houses of the Holy, were released on October 27, 2014. Physical Graffiti was released on February 23, 2015, almost exactly forty years to the day after the original release. The fourth and final wave of studio album reissues, Presence, In Through the Out Door, and Coda, were released on July 31, 2015. Through this remastering project, each studio album was reissued on CD and vinyl and was also available in a Deluxe Edition, which contained a bonus disc of previously unheard material (Coda's Deluxe Edition would include two bonus discs).

Led Zeppelin's music was rooted in the Blues. The influence of American blues artists such as Muddy Waters and Skip James was particularly apparent on their first two albums, as was the distinct Country blues style of Howlin' Wolf. There were tracks structured around the twelve-bar blues on every studio album except for one, and the blues directly and indirectly influenced other songs both musically and lyrically.

The band were also strongly influenced by the music of the British, Celtic, and American folk revivals. Scottish folk guitarist Bert Jansch helped inspire Jimmy Page, and from him he adapted open tunings and aggressive strokes into his playing. The band also drew on a wide variety of genres, including World music, and elements of early Rock and roll, Jazz, Country, Funk, Soul, and Reggae, particularly on Houses of the Holy and the albums that followed. The material on the first two albums was largely constructed out of extended jams of blues standards  and folk songs.

This method led to the mixing of musical and lyrical elements of different songs and versions, as well as improvised passages, to create new material, but would lead to later accusations of plagiarism and legal disputes over copyright. Usually the music was developed first, sometimes with improvised lyrics that might then be rewritten for the final version of the song. From the visit to Bron-Yr-Aur in 1970, the songwriting partnership between Page and Plant became predominant, with Page supplying the music, largely via his acoustic guitar, and Plant emerging as the band's chief lyricist. John Paul Jones and John Bonham then added to the material, in rehearsal or in the studio, as a song was developed. In the later stages of the band's career, Jimmy Page took a back seat in composition and Jones became increasingly important in producing music, often composed on the keyboard. Robert Plant would then add lyrics before Page and Bonham developed their parts.

Early lyrics drew on the band's Blues and Folk roots, often mixing lyrical fragments from different songs. Many of the band's songs dealt with themes of romance, unrequited love and sexual conquest, which were common in Rock, Pop and blues music. Some of their lyrics, especially those derived from the blues, have been interpreted as misogynistic. Particularly on Led Zeppelin III, they incorporated elements of mythology and mysticism into their music, which largely grew out of Robert Plant's interest in legends and history. These elements were often taken to reflect Jimmy Page's interest in the occult, which resulted in accusations that the recordings contained subliminal satanic messages, some of which were said to be contained in backmasking; these claims were generally dismissed by the band and music critics. The pastoral fantasies in Plant's songwriting were inspired by the landscape of the Black Country region and J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. Susan Fast argues that as Plant emerged as the band's main lyricist, the songs more obviously reflected his alignment with the West Coast counterculture of the 1960s. In the later part of the band's career Robert Plant's lyrics became more autobiographical, and less optimistic, drawing on his own experiences and circumstances.

According to musicologist Robert Walser, "Led Zeppelin's sound was marked by speed and power, unusual rhythmic patterns, contrasting terraced dynamics, singer Robert Plant's wailing vocals, and guitarist Jimmy Page's heavily distorted crunch". These elements mean that they are often cited as one of the originators of Hard rock and Heavy metal and they have been described as the "definitive heavy metal band", although the band members have often eschewed the label. Led Zeppelin, together with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid- seventies".

Part of this reputation depends on the band's use of distorted guitar riffs on songs like "Whole Lotta Love" and "The Wanton Song". Often riffs were not doubled by guitar, bass and drums exactly, but instead there were melodic or rhythmic variations. Page's guitar playing incorporated elements of the blues scale with those of eastern music. Plant's use of high-pitched shrieks has been compared to Janis Joplin's vocal technique. Robert Christgau found him integral to the group's heavy "power blues" aesthetic, functioning as a "mechanical effect" similarly to Page's guitar parts.

While noting Plant "hints at real feeling" on some of their acoustic songs, Christgau believed he abandoned traditional blues singing's emphasis on emotional projection in favour of vocal precision and dynamics: "Whether he is mouthing sexist blues cliches or running through one of the band's half-audible, half-comprehensible ... lyrics about chivalry or the counter-culture, his voice is devoid of feeling. Like the tenors and baritones of yore, he wants his voice to be an instrument—specifically, an electric guitar." John Bonham's drumming was noted for its power, his rapid rolls and his fast beats on a single bass drum; while John Paul Jones' basslines have been described as melodic and his keyboard playing added a classical touch to the band's sound.

"At some deep level, Led Zeppelin's music is about the relationship between humanity and technology. Philosophically, the band prefers humanity pure and simple, but in practice it must realize its humanity technologically. That seems truer than most good-time pastoral fantasies." —Robert Christgau, 1972

Led Zeppelin have been widely viewed as a Hard rock band, although Christgau regarded them as Art rock as well. According to popular music scholar Reebee Garofalo, "because hip critics could not find a constructive way of positioning themselves in relation to Led Zeppelin's ultra-macho presentation, they were excluded from the art rock category despite their broad range of influences. Christgau wrote in 1972, the band could be considered art rock because they "relate to Rock and roll not organically but intellectually", idealising the "amplified beat" as "a kind of formal challenge". Unlike their contemporaries in Jethro Tull and Yes, who use "the physical compulsion of beat and volume to involve the mind", Led Zeppelin "make body music of an oddly cerebral cast, arousing aggression rather than sexuality." As such, along with other second-generation English hard rock bands like Black Sabbath and Mott the Hoople, they can attract both intellectuals and working-class youths in "a strange potential double audience."

Years later, In Through the Out Door's "tuneful synthesizer pomp" further confirmed for Christgau they were an art rock band. Jimmy Page stated that he wanted Led Zeppelin to produce music that had "light and shade". This began to be more clearly realised beginning with Led Zeppelin III, which made greater use of acoustic instruments. This approach has been seen as exemplified in the fourth album, particularly on "Stairway to Heaven", which begins with acoustic guitar and recorder and ends with drums and heavy electric sounds.

Towards the end of their recording career, they moved to a more mellow and Progressive rock sound, dominated by Jones' keyboard motifs. They also increasingly made use of various layering and production techniques, including multi-tracking and overdubbed guitar parts. Their emphasis on the sense of dynamics and ensemble arrangement has been seen as producing an individualistic style that transcends any single music genre. Ian Peddie argues that they were "... loud, powerful and often heavy, but their music was also humorous, self-reflective and extremely subtle".

Many have considered Led Zeppelin to be one of the most successful, innovative, and influential bands in the history of rock music. Rock critic Mikal Gilmore said, "Led Zeppelin, talented, complex, grasping, beautiful and dangerous, made one of the most enduring bodies of composition and performance in twentieth-century music, despite everything they had to overpower, including themselves".

Led Zeppelin have influenced Hard rock and Heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath,  Rush, Queen, Scorpions, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, and Megadeth as well as progressive metal bands like Tool and Dream Theater. They influenced some early Punk rock and Post-punk bands, among them the Ramones, Joy Division and The Cult. They were also an important influence on the development of Alternative rock, as bands adapted elements from the "Zeppelin sound" of the mid-1970s, including The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. Bands and artists from diverse genres have acknowledged the influence of Led Zeppelin, such as Madonna, Shakira, Lady Gaga, Kesha, and Katie Melua.

Led Zeppelin have been credited with a major impact on the nature of the music business, particularly in the development of album-oriented rock (AOR) and stadium rock. In 1988 John Kalodner, then-A&R executive of Geffen Records, remarked that In my opinion, next to The Beatles they're the most influential band in history. They influence the way music is on records, AOR radio, concerts. They set the standards for the AOR-radio format with 'Stairway to Heaven,' having AOR hits without necessarily having Top 40 hits. They're the ones who did the first real big arena concert shows, consistently selling out and playing stadiums without support. People can do as well as them, but nobody surpasses them.

Andrew Loog Oldham, the former producer and manager of The Rolling Stones, commented on how Led Zeppelin had a major influence on the record business, and the way rock concerts were managed and presented to huge audiences. In 2007, they were a featured artist in the stadium rock episode of the BBC2/BBC Worldwide/VH1 series Seven Ages of Rock.

The band have sold over 200 million albums worldwide according to some sources, while others state that they have sold in excess of 300 million records, including 111.5 million certified units in the United States. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Led Zeppelin are the third-highest-selling band, the fifth highest selling music act in the US, and one of only four acts to earn five or more Diamond albums. They achieved eight consecutive number-ones on the UK Albums Chart, a record for most consecutive UK number-one albums shared with ABBA. Led Zeppelin remain one of the most bootlegged artists in the history of rock music.

Led Zeppelin also made a significant cultural impact. Jim Miller, editor of Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll, argues that "on one level, Led Zeppelin represents the final flowering of the sixties' psychedelic ethic, which casts rock as passive sensory involvement". Led Zeppelin have also been described as "the quintessential purveyors" of masculine and aggressive "Cock rock", although this assertion has been challenged. The band's fashion-sense has been seminal; Simeon Lipman, head of pop culture at Christie's auction house, has commented that,

"Led Zeppelin have had a big influence on fashion because the whole aura surrounding them is so cool, and people want a piece of that". Led Zeppelin laid the foundation for the big hair of the 1980s Glam metal bands such as Mötley Crüe and Skid Row. Other musicians have also adapted elements from Led Zeppelin's attitude to clothes, jewellery and hair, such as the hipster flares and tight band T-shirts of Kings of Leon, shaggy hair, clingy T-shirts and bluesman hair of Jack White of The White Stripes, and Kasabian guitarist Sergio Pizzorno's silk scarves, trilbies and side-laced tight jeans.

Led Zeppelin have collected many honours and awards throughout the course of their career. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Among the band's awards are an American Music Award in 2005, and the Polar Music Prize in 2006. Led Zeppelin were the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and four of their recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. They have been awarded five Diamond albums, as well as fourteen Multi-Platinum, four Platinum and one Gold album in the United States, while in the UK they have five Multi-Platinum, six Platinum, one Gold and four Silver albums. Rolling Stone named Led Zeppelin the 14th-greatest artist of all time in 2004.

In 2003, Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list included Led Zeppelin at number 29, Led Zeppelin IV at number 66, Physical Graffiti at number 70, Led Zeppelin II at number 75, and Houses of the Holy at number 149. And in 2004, on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, Rolling Stone included "Stairway to Heaven" at number 31, "Whole Lotta Love" at number 75, "Kashmir" at number 140, "Black Dog" at number 294, "Heartbreaker" at number 320, and "Ramble On" at number 433.

In 2005, Jimmy Page was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his charity work, and in 2009 Robert Plant was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to popular music. The band are ranked number one on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and Classic Rock's "50 best live acts of all time". They were named as the best Rock band in a poll by BBC Radio 2.

They were awarded an Ivor Novello Award for "Outstanding Contribution to British Music" in 1977, as well as a "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 42nd Annual Ivor Novello awards ceremony in 1997. The band were honoured at the 2008 MOJO Awards with the "Best Live Act" prize for their one-off reunion, and were described as the "greatest rock and roll band of all time".

In 2010, Led Zeppelin IV was one of ten classic album covers from British artists commemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail; they were unveiled by Jimmy Page. Led Zeppelin were named as 2012 recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors.

Led Zeppelin (1969)

Led Zeppelin II (1969)

Led Zeppelin III (1970)

Untitled album (1971) (commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV)

Houses of the Holy (1973)

Physical Graffiti (1975)

Presence (1976)

The Song Remains the Same (1976) live

In Through the Out Door (1979)

Coda (1982)

BBC Sessions (1997) live

How the West Was Won (2003) live

Celebration Day (2012) live

Robert Plant – Lyricist, Vocals, Harmonica, Tambourine, Choirs (1968-1980) (1985) (1988) (1995) (2007)

Jimmy Page – Songwriter, Producer, Rhythmic guitar, Solo guitar, Acoustic guitar, Theremine, Banjo, Dulcimer, Pedal steel, Guizmotron, Choirsors (1968-1980) (1985) (1988) (1995) (2007)

John Paul Jones – Composer, Arranger, Bass, Acoustic guitar, Mandolin, Keyboards (Piano, Electric piano, Hammond organ, Synthesizer, Mellotron), Double bass, Beak flute, Low pedal, Choirs (1968 -1980) (1985) (1988) (1995) (2007)

John Bonham – Drums, Percussion chaim (1968 - 1980) †1980

 

Tony Thompson – drums (1985) †2003

Phil Collins – Drums (1985)

Paul Martinez – Bass (1985)

Jason Bonham – Drums, percussion, backing vocals (1988, 1995, 2007)

Michael Lee – Drums (1995) †2008

Tony Thompson Drums (Live AID, July 13, 1985), † November 12, 2003

Phil Collins - Drums (Live Aid, july 13,1985)

Jason Bonham - Drums, Percussion, Choirs (40th anniversary Atlantic Records, May 14,1988, Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1995, concert O2 Arena, December 10,2007)

Michael Lee - Drums (Introduction to Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, 1995), † November 24, 2008

Steven Tyler - Presenter (Introduction to Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, 1995)

Joe Perry - Presenter (Introduction to Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, 1995)

Joey Kramer - drums (Introduction to Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, 1995)

Albums

The Honeydrippers: Volume One (1984)

 

Original lineup (1981)

Robert Plant – vocals

Andy Silvester – guitar

Kevin O'Neill – drums

Ricky Cool – harmonica

Jim Hickman – bass

Keith Evans – saxophone

Wayne Terry – bass

Robbie Blunt – guitar

 

Lineup (1984)

Robert Plant – vocals

Jimmy Page – guitars

Jeff Beck – guitars

Paul Shaffer – keyboard

Nile Rodgers – guitar, co-producer

Wayne Pedzwater – bass

Dave Weckl – drums

Brian Setzer – guitar (guest appearance)

Keith "Bev" Smith – drums