The British rock group Led Zeppelin has a history that is much more than sex, drugs and rock and roll; they added Satanism and curses to the mix. Formed in the late 1960s, Led Zeppelin’s founding member, Jimmy Page, was originally part of the group “The Yardbirds.” When he suggested forming a super-rock band consisting of Jeff Beck, Keith Moon and John Entwistle, Entwistle said it would go over like a lead balloon, a term he often used for a “bad gig.” And thus, Led Zeppelin got its name. The “a” was dropped from the word “lead” to prevent people from pronouncing the word as leed.
The members were Robert Plant, John Henry Bonham, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. They released their first album in 1968, but some accounts put it in 1969. The type of heavy guitar sound that their music became known for established them as the first heavy metal band.
From 1971 to 1975, the band would reach it’s highest point of success. Along with the success came extreme excesses of spending. They had a private jet nicknamed the Starship, rented out whole sections of hotels for their stays, destroyed rooms and threw furniture out of the windows. Their drinking and drug use was becoming legendary.
During this time their fourth album was released with no title, it was variously named the fourth album, the untitled album, the four symbols and various other terms. This album included the famous song “Stairway to Heaven”. It was widely reported that you could hear a Satanic chant if you played the song backwards. It sparked the common theory that rock music and Satan worship went hand in hand. Many other well known songs at the time were also played backwards to try and discover hidden meanings and subliminal messages. All of them turned out to be myths and hoaxes.
In 1975 Robert Plant and his wife were involved is a severe car accident in Greece. Robert broke an ankle but his wife faired much worse. She survived but because of the incident Led Zeppelin did not tour in 1976. Because of the no touring that year, Led Zeppelin made a concert film titled “The Song Remains the Same” and released it in October 1976.
1977 was the year that more bad news struck when Robert Plant’s 5 year old son, Karac died of a stomach infection. The story of his death is an interesting one since it was reported that Robert blamed Jimmy Page for his son’s death. He claimed that Page had been playing with the occult and had put a curse on him. Page denied the accusations and Plant recanted the story later. The song “All My Love” was a tribute to Karac.
By 1980 the tours were starting to take it’s toll on the band. 1977 had marked the last year they appeared on tour in the USA. The rest of the tours were in Europe and at home on British soil. In 1980 while on tour in Germany, John Bonham collapsed on stage and was rushed to the hospital. Rumors were rampant as to the cause and drugs to overeating was blamed for his condition. That year would also see the death of John Bonham as a result of his drinking, he was 32.
Now down to 3 members, Led Zeppelin issued a press release that they were disbanding the group. They did not want to continue without their friend Bonham. They briefly reunited for a Live Aid concert in 1985, in Philadelphia, PA. In 1988 they join forces again for a brief concert, this time with Jason Bonham, John Bonham’s son on the drums. The concert was not received very well by critics.
During the years following the break-up of Led Zeppelin there was a rift between Robert Plant and John Paul Jones. In 2002 it was reported that John Paul Jones and Robert Plant had ended their 20 year feud that had kept the band apart for so long.
December 2007 was the reunion benefit concert in London with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham. Both Page and Plant have dropped hints that there might be more concerts like that one in the future.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin
http://www.ledzeppelin.com/
