Led Zep - heads up

Posted by: Kevin-W on 15 August 2012

Next month (6th September) a new book on the mighty Zeppelin is published and I've been lucky enough to get a sneak read.

It's called "Trampled Underfoot: The Power and Excess of Led Zeppelin" and is easily the best book I've ever read on this extraordinary group. It's a very weighty tome (almost 650 pages), has some great previously unseen photos and it's beautifully written and edited. It's also a rather dark book in many ways, with one member in particular coming out of it badly - despite his astonishing gifts.

This doesn't mean that it's another "Hammer of the Gods" because it celebrates the group's talent and achievements more than it spotlights the decadence and thuggery that sometimes followed the band around.

This is the blurb from Faber & Faber:

A unique look at the history, adventures, myths and realities of this most legendary and powerful of bands, it is a labour of love based on hours of first-hand and original interviews. What emerges is a compelling portrait of the four musicians themselves, as well as a fresh insight into the close-knit entourage that protected them, from Peter Grant to Richard Cole to Ahmet Ertegun, giant figures from the long-vanished world of 1970s rock.

Featuring many rare and never before seen photographs, it is also the first book on Led Zeppelin to cover such recent events as their triumphant 2007 O2 Arena gig and Robert Plant's Grammy-winning resurgence of recent years.

For the better part of a decade, Led Zeppelin was the greatest group on the planet, eclipsing records set by Elvis and the Beatles. Artistically and financially, they were the apex of the genus Hard Rock in all its glory.

Barney Hoskyns meticulously tracked down everyone involved with the band during its early years, at the height of its power, and during its dramatic decline. This is the inside story of what went on behind the music, lifting the lid on the parties, the fights, and the unmitigated, unapologetic bad behaviour of rock gods at the pinnacle of world stardom.

If you're a Zephead - or even if you're just curious - I can't recommend it highly enough for your library.

PS - In the interests of "journalistic integrity" should declare an interest: I know the author (and he is a MASSIVE fan of the group). And, before you ask, I'm not his agent!

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by fatcat

Originally Posted by JamieL_v2:

Fatcat, I don't get the point of this, yes Led Zeppelin wee influenced by others before, as have been a great many bands, Oasis for instance.

Jamie

It was just a reply to the claim Robin Trower was unoriginal. Led Zeppelin or good, but no better than other rock bands of the same era.

Just read the "blurb from Faber & Faber" in the OP, it's ridiculous. I can imagine it being read by that deep voiced bloke who does the over the top voice overs for film adverts. It's over the top.

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by Kevin-W

Originally Posted by fatcat:

Originally Posted by KRM:

Led Zep had 7 UK and 6 US number one albums in the '70s. T Rex and David Cassidy had one each in the UK (excluding '60s reissues). Neither of the latter made much impact in the States, but were popular with British teenyboppers at the time - step forward Fatcat!

Keith

But how many No.1 singles did they have. Or doesn't that matter.

None, but then again they didn't release any in the UK. What's your point?

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by Tony2011

Originally Posted by KRM:

They didn't release any singles.

That's incorrect. They released quite a few. Stairway, as pointed out by Jason, has never been released as a single. Do your homework.

Tony

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by fatcat

Originally Posted by Jasonf:

Originally Posted by fatcat:

Originally Posted by KRM:

Keith

But how many No.1 singles did they have. Or doesn't that matter.

No, 1´s do not matter, they were an album band and refused to release Stairway to Heaven as a single and yet it has become the most requested rock song on radio..................thats astounding is it not?

Not really. Just proves my point, there are far better songs that most of today's rock fans haven't heard.

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by FangfossFlyer

For me I am old enough to have seen them in 1970 and boy was it exciting then and playing their albums I can stili feal it.

I saw Page and Plant back in the 90's and it was also great.

But since then Robert Plant has really flowered and I have seen him quite a few times since and what a gig he did in Liverpool with The Strange Sensations a few years back and also this year in London.

So for me I have had some great experiences listening to the Zep and especially Plant in recent years

And if the neighbours are away and I crank up the volume I am back in 1970 ...... Maybe sad but it's true!

Richard

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by Noogle

I think you can argue about degree, but Led Zep were a truly legendary band in every sense of the word.

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by fatcat

Originally Posted by Kevin-W:

What's your point?

They didn't have many No'1 singles. Or is it only No.1 albums that count. Convenient that.

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by Kevin-W

Originally Posted by fatcat:

It was just a reply to the claim Robin Trower was unoriginal.

Then why didn't you save yourself a lot of bother (and making yourself look silly) by just refuting my claim that RT was unoriginal? How does slagging off LZ do that?

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by KRM

To be fair, Fatcat is right that Led Zeppelin (and Pink Floyd) have been through the "boring old fart" thing and have re-emerged as gods. Other bands who were big at the time have not been quite so lucky. We all have our personal favourites who have either been forgotten or remain tragically unfashionable.

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by fatcat

Originally Posted by Kevin-W:

Originally Posted by fatcat:

It was just a reply to the claim Robin Trower was unoriginal.

Then why didn't you save yourself a lot of bother (and making yourself look silly) by just refuting my claim that RT was unoriginal? How does slagging off LZ do that?

Have I slagged off the Zep. I think not.

Off to play my recently cleaned copy of Twice removed from yesterday.

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by VladtheImpala

I enjoyed LZ more when I was young because I was ignorant of the source of much of their material - I just thought they made a righteous racket! I didn't actually own many of their albums until much later - like most, we used to swap albums amongst our circle of friends. What turned me against them, or left them behind is that I grew out of their music and started listening to other things (plus I actually paid to see The Song Remains The Same in the cinema!).

When I could afford to, I bought all their albums - mainly to re-discover what I'd liked in the first place. I've done the same thing more recently with other music I was mad on as a teenager - Be Bop Deluxe re-masters and, yes, the Robin Trower re-issues! To be honest, I can't recapture the feeling and was disppointed.

The whole argument about sales being an indicator of talent/musicality/adrenaline is specious. I'm sure we can all think of artists who WE think are brilliant but the rest of the world doesn't seem to notice.

LZ were undoubtedly successful by most measures, with the help of ruthless management. But that acheivement is tarnished in my eyes - they were in a position to help less financially successful artists (and knew from where they borrowed) but chose to keep the material rewards of success for themselves.

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by KRM

No, you slagged off the book (which you haven't read) and suggested that they weren't that big in the '70s (which isn't true). However, if your wider point is that they have been reinvented as being beyond criticism, then I think I get it. However, the reason they have achieved this status is that they really were very good, both on LP and live (but not on Top of the Pops because they didn't release any singles).

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by Guido Fawkes

Here are the Small Faces from early 1966 (It is on their first album) ... anybody reminded of another song when listening to this or another singer when hearing the great Steve Marriott.

Led Zeppelin were a great band, along with lots of other hard rock outfits such as Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster and others. Robin Trower was the guitarist for Procol Harum, another great band, whose immensely popular Whiter Shade of Pale sounded similar to the early Reflections of Charles Brown by Rupert's People.

All the best, Guy

Posted on: 15 August 2012 by Jasonf

Hmmm, love that Small Faces track.

Posted on: 16 August 2012 by Gale 401

Led Zepps record company did use to press 45s of there songs.
Mostly just for use in college and uni juke boxes in the 70s.
Stu

Posted on: 16 August 2012 by Steve J

Hi Stu,

I wasn't aware of that but they never officially released any singles in the UK until 1997 when a maxi single of Whole Lotta Love was released to coincide withe the CD release of their albums. Singles were released in the USA and other countries but not the UK.

According to Record Collector the only juke box issue with a pushed out centre was also Whole Lotta Love and released in 1997 as well.

This is becoming a bit anorakish now.

ATB

Steve

Posted on: 16 August 2012 by Kevin-W

Swan Song (via Atlantic) also pressed up a number of singles of "Trampled Underfoot" in '75. Peter Grant found out and had them withdrawn after only a few had got out. They're quite valuable now.

Posted on: 16 August 2012 by Steve J

Yes Kevin there were actually many test pressings and withdrawn issues worth up to about £500 but there were no official releases until 1997.

ATB

Steve

Posted on: 16 August 2012 by Redmires

LED Zep reform

Posted on: 16 August 2012 by Gale 401

Originally Posted by Redmires:

LED Zep reform

Where is Jimmy page?

That is clever.

Posted on: 16 August 2012 by Guido Fawkes

I had Immigrant Song/Hey Hey What Can I Do as a single, but not sure what happened to it.

Posted on: 16 August 2012 by Gale 401

Originally Posted by Guido Fawkes:

I had Immigrant Song/Hey Hey What Can I Do as a single, but not sure what happened to it.

You didn't leave it on that Nottingham when you through it out by any chance?

HiFi Dave might have a copy but you cant listen to it.

Stu

Posted on: 20 August 2012 by anderson.council

Originally Posted by Gale 401:

Originally Posted by Guido Fawkes:

I had Immigrant Song/Hey Hey What Can I Do as a single, but not sure what happened to it.

You didn't leave it on that Nottingham when you through it out by any chance?

HiFi Dave might have a copy but you cant listen to it.

Stu

I've still got my copy. Bought at a record fair in Edinburgh - I think it had been in a jukebox because the hole in the middle is bigger than just a turntable spindle diameter. Hasn't been played in in the last 20 years.