2024-02-28

Wednesday, February 28th, 2024

Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world.

— Jane Addams

MUS106 Lecture: Led Zeppelin

• Led Zeppelin
  • most popular band of the 70s
  • focused on creating albums instead of singles (like The Beatles & Beach Boys)
    • 8 studio albums
    • 16 singles
  • ”biggest band in the world”
  • signed by Atlantic Records (then bought by Warner), which moved beyond soul and extended into rock
  • band name changes: Yardbirds → New Yardbirds → Led Zeppelin
  • only member of remaining in band was Jimmy Page, had to regroup band
  • The Yardbirds: blues originalist, improv, live
  • legendary live shows
  • Led Zeppelin IV
    • (sometimes referred to Zoso, which is the symbol for Jimmy Page)
      • the only guest singer for Led Zeppelin also had a symbol
    • gatefold record (2 LPs)
    • interesting, cryptic cover & inner sleeves
      • wanted to do something different (had some critics for previous 3 albums)
        • outer: city on the left, wall with painting on right
        • no title or band name on record, lots of empty space
        • inner: inner mirror image
      • sold 23 million units—marketing genius
  • musical traits
    • heaviness (like led/lead)
      • “When the Levee Breaks” (1971)
        • first track
        • rent, lived there, and recorded the album at Headley Grange
        • track opens with heavy drumming by Bonham; recorded with 2 mics
        • length: 7’08” (1’25” intro w/o vocal)
    • lightness
      • ”The Battle of Evermore” (1971)
        • lyrics that references Tolkien novel
        • guest singer: Sandy Denny (the only guest singer on a Led Zeppelin album)
        • acoustic (1/3 of Zeppelin songs are acoustic)
    • virtuosity
      • each band member is a master of their instrument
      • ”Dazed and Confused” (1968)
        • masterclass in guitar extended techniques (Jimmy Page)
          • used a violin bow to play a tele
        • drawn from Jimi Hendrix’s practice of using feedback
        • Robert Plant simply has a great range
        • drum’s Bonhamness
    • complexity
      • ”The Crunge” (1973)
        • rhythmic complexity
        • Zeppelin meets James Brown
        • A-section has a meter of 9/8, mixed meters
        • some psychedelics elements
      • ”Kashmir” (1974)
        • hemiola (simultaneous melodies with both simple triple meter and a complex duple)
          • briefly switches to 4/4, then switches back 1/3 on overlap (“elision”)