Post by erik on Feb 10, 2024 19:27:20 GMT -5
LED ZEPPELIN II (Led Zeppelin; Atlantic; 1969)
From the time they were formed in England after the demise of The Yardbirds in 1968 until their disbandment in 1980, Led Zeppelin, consisting of drummer John Bonham, lead vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist John Paul Jones, were arguably the premier band when it came to the form of rock that came to be known as Heavy Metal. Taking the blues influences of The Yardbirds (where Page had been a member late in the group’s existence) and then amping up the volume, they were among the loudest rock bands out there for much of the 1970’s, with decibel levels at their concerts often reaching past 100. They often borrowed from many blues artists; but on other occasions, they would also temper their high-volume sledgehammer style with elements of British folk music and, every once in a while, even American rockabilly and country-and-western music.
Their early 1969 self-titled debut Led Zeppelin was a sizable album smash on both sides of the Atlantic; but it was their second album, Led Zeppelin II, released on Atlantic Records on October 17, 1969, that made them hard-rock superstars. Although they were never quite comfortable with being labeled a “Heavy Metal” band, they managed to be quite successful in that form. But unlike a lot of other bands in that form that came after them, and this was well into the 21st century, the group’s intense rock sound also had considerable structure to it, often tempered with the aforementioned outside influences.
This was certainly the case with Led Zeppelin II. Although they never fully endorsed the release of any of their songs as “singles” per se (instantly making them pioneers in the burgeoning movement towards Album Rock in the 1970’s), Atlantic nevertheless managed to furnish an edited version of the album’s opening track, “Whole Lotta Love” (based on bluesman Willie Dixon’s song “You Need Love”) to AM Top 40 radio in the United States; and with audiences already having familiarized themselves with the monstrous sound of the band during their tours of America in 1969, the song, following its release in late November 1969, managed to reach #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart at the end of January 1970, making it easily one of the loudest records to ever get that high on the Hot 100 in history. A follow-up single, a medley of “Heartbreaker” and “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just A Woman)”, reached #65 in April 1970, by which time the band had won the support of American and British fans, if not the critics.
As an album, Led Zeppelin II, dislodged the Beatles’ Abbey Road from the top of Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart on December 27, 1969, and held that spot for five non-consecutive weeks during the first two months of 1970. Thirty years after its release, in November 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America certified it as having sold twelve million copies, making it perhaps the most commercially successful album of its type ever. They continued to have success until 1980, when Bonham died on September 25th of that year due to alcohol poisoning. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Class of 1995.
From the time they were formed in England after the demise of The Yardbirds in 1968 until their disbandment in 1980, Led Zeppelin, consisting of drummer John Bonham, lead vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist John Paul Jones, were arguably the premier band when it came to the form of rock that came to be known as Heavy Metal. Taking the blues influences of The Yardbirds (where Page had been a member late in the group’s existence) and then amping up the volume, they were among the loudest rock bands out there for much of the 1970’s, with decibel levels at their concerts often reaching past 100. They often borrowed from many blues artists; but on other occasions, they would also temper their high-volume sledgehammer style with elements of British folk music and, every once in a while, even American rockabilly and country-and-western music.
Their early 1969 self-titled debut Led Zeppelin was a sizable album smash on both sides of the Atlantic; but it was their second album, Led Zeppelin II, released on Atlantic Records on October 17, 1969, that made them hard-rock superstars. Although they were never quite comfortable with being labeled a “Heavy Metal” band, they managed to be quite successful in that form. But unlike a lot of other bands in that form that came after them, and this was well into the 21st century, the group’s intense rock sound also had considerable structure to it, often tempered with the aforementioned outside influences.
This was certainly the case with Led Zeppelin II. Although they never fully endorsed the release of any of their songs as “singles” per se (instantly making them pioneers in the burgeoning movement towards Album Rock in the 1970’s), Atlantic nevertheless managed to furnish an edited version of the album’s opening track, “Whole Lotta Love” (based on bluesman Willie Dixon’s song “You Need Love”) to AM Top 40 radio in the United States; and with audiences already having familiarized themselves with the monstrous sound of the band during their tours of America in 1969, the song, following its release in late November 1969, managed to reach #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart at the end of January 1970, making it easily one of the loudest records to ever get that high on the Hot 100 in history. A follow-up single, a medley of “Heartbreaker” and “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just A Woman)”, reached #65 in April 1970, by which time the band had won the support of American and British fans, if not the critics.
As an album, Led Zeppelin II, dislodged the Beatles’ Abbey Road from the top of Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart on December 27, 1969, and held that spot for five non-consecutive weeks during the first two months of 1970. Thirty years after its release, in November 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America certified it as having sold twelve million copies, making it perhaps the most commercially successful album of its type ever. They continued to have success until 1980, when Bonham died on September 25th of that year due to alcohol poisoning. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Class of 1995.