Led Zeppelin in its original context

[Kayte]

(Hopefully I've put this in the right section of the board... Please move if not, moderator. )

Led Zeppelin is obviously still really relevant, and they probably will be for generations to come. However, we can learn a lot from the first generation to really love Zep, especially since they were the ones who made them rich and famous. So please -- talk to us whippersnappers, old timers. (I mean "old timers" with all due respect.) Fill us in on how Zeppelin fit in with the social and historical context of the time. For example:

• Was a Led Zeppelin concert different back then from a concert nowadays? And how so?
• What Zep songs do you remember being played on the radio? All of 'em?
• Was The Song Remains the Same in a theater near you and did you see it?
• Did the kids talk about Zep a lot at school? Hang their pics up in their lockers? Draw ZOSO all over everything?
• What did your parents think? Was it "noise" to them? Evil? Stupid?
• Where did you hear news about Zep? Was it primarily the radio, magazines, newspapers? Which magazines?
• What was the other music of the time like? Why did Zep stand out?
• Did the cultural impact of the Vietnam War have anything to do with Led Zeppelin's popularity or timing?
• Hippies. How did they figure in? Were they more of a 60s or 70s phenomenon? Did hippies like Zep?
• Did you ever get the sense that Zep was selling out at any point? Do you remember people getting mad when their sound changed over the course of the years?
• When the surviving Zeppelins began to work solo, what did you think? Especially in regards to Robert's solo career, Coverdale-Page, The Firm, etc.
• If Zep were coming to your town, was everyone talking about it?
• What were the reactions people had when they heard about the big tragic events in Zep history? Especially Bonham's passing?
• What about modern British history? How did Zeppelin factor into that? Why were the kids listening to blues over there? When the Zeppelins were younger (like, little kids in the 50s,) were the effects of World War II still lingering? What was the economy like? In America, we stopped rationing right after the war, but was that true in Britain?
• If I recall correctly, Jonesy and Jimmy are from the London area and Robert and Bonzo are from the Birmingham area. How are those two regions different culturally? Different accents? Different outlooks? How do they see each other? Does one region look down on another region?
• Zeppelin seemed irritated at the limited airplay they got in Britain. How did they get famous over there? Were they more of an underground thing? Did a lot of kids know about them?

There are tons of other questions, but these are just ideas or guidelines to get you thinking. So if you feel like spinning some yarns, please do so! So many of us only know Led Zeppelin as a band that we were just too young to see live.

[leddy]

(Hopefully I've put this in the right section of the board... Please move if not, moderator. )

Led Zeppelin is obviously still really relevant, and they probably will be for generations to come. However, we can learn a lot from the first generation to really love Zep, especially since they were the ones who made them rich and famous. So please -- talk to us whippersnappers, old timers. (I mean "old timers" with all due respect.) Fill us in on how Zeppelin fit in with the social and historical context of the time. For example:

• Was a Led Zeppelin concert different back then from a concert nowadays? And how so?
• What Zep songs do you remember being played on the radio? All of 'em?
• Was The Song Remains the Same in a theater near you and did you see it?
• Did the kids talk about Zep a lot at school? Hang their pics up in their lockers? Draw ZOSO all over everything?
• What did your parents think? Was it "noise" to them? Evil? Stupid?
• Where did you hear news about Zep? Was it primarily the radio, magazines, newspapers? Which magazines?
• What was the other music of the time like? Why did Zep stand out?
• Did the cultural impact of the Vietnam War have anything to do with Led Zeppelin's popularity or timing?
• Hippies. How did they figure in? Were they more of a 60s or 70s phenomenon? Did hippies like Zep?
• Did you ever get the sense that Zep was selling out at any point? Do you remember people getting mad when their sound changed over the course of the years?
• When the surviving Zeppelins began to work solo, what did you think? Especially in regards to Robert's solo career, Coverdale-Page, The Firm, etc.
• If Zep were coming to your town, was everyone talking about it?
• What were the reactions people had when they heard about the big tragic events in Zep history? Especially Bonham's passing?
• What about modern British history? How did Zeppelin factor into that? Why were the kids listening to blues over there? When the Zeppelins were younger (like, little kids in the 50s,) were the effects of World War II still lingering? What was the economy like? In America, we stopped rationing right after the war, but was that true in Britain?
• If I recall correctly, Jonesy and Jimmy are from the London area and Robert and Bonzo are from the Birmingham area. How are those two regions different culturally? Different accents? Different outlooks? How do they see each other? Does one region look down on another region?
• Zeppelin seemed irritated at the limited airplay they got in Britain. How did they get famous over there? Were they more of an underground thing? Did a lot of kids know about them?

There are tons of other questions, but these are just ideas or guidelines to get you thinking. So if you feel like spinning some yarns, please do so! So many of us only know Led Zeppelin as a band that we were just too young to see live.

WOW great question or questions. I am from the generation just after Zeppelin being born in 1966 I was 2 when they formed, 14 when they finished, so most of the questions I cannot answer as I got into them in 1981 at 15 years of age a year after they split in 1980. There will be many on here who were old enough to see them, Knebby was at well you can guess where.

I can being from England tell you though in the 70's as a kid I remember the music of Queen but not Zeppelin because Queen released singles but Zeppelin didn't so they didn't get airplay...thats cool though and as such wehter we like it or not Queens music is more in the national Pysche because of that, but Zeppelin are held in high regard now in the music circles because they didchange popular music, they moved the blues forward and not just keeping it firmly in the past like say Clapton did.

I can also answer the question what it was like when they went solo in the early 8o's . AS you can imagine discovering Zeppelin was a trully wonderful experience but also frustrating as I just missed out on seeing them. So in 1982 when Plant released his first album Pictures at eleven was very exciting for me as the 80's was unkind to Zeppelin and it was the height of uncool to like them then, it wouldn't be untill 1990 after the release of Remasters that the new generation would reapraise their body of work and then it was cool again to like Zeppelin.

To go and see Plant in 1983 for the first time (which was the beginning of many)was great then The Firm and Jimmy on his Outrider tour was also really great if again very uncool in the 80's to like it...but who cares. they were all great concerts andIi dont think I have ever seen a duff concert solo wise by any of them over the last 25/30 years. I have to say though I loved the Page/Plant gigs in the 1990's but was dissapointed and still am with Walking into Clarksdale album, I am a big fan of Coverdale/Page album, to me its the best Page stuff after or since Zeppelin.and also finally seeing the reformed Zeppelin in 2007 was the end of a life long journey following them (well not the end as we now have TCV,BCC and Planty doing his stuff).

Anyway hope that answered a few questions but wait o hear from the guys who saw them first time round

[c4plant]

(Hopefully I've put this in the right section of the board... Please move if not, moderator. )

Led Zeppelin is obviously still really relevant, and they probably will be for generations to come. However, we can learn a lot from the first generation to really love Zep, especially since they were the ones who made them rich and famous. So please -- talk to us whippersnappers, old timers. (I mean "old timers" with all due respect.) Fill us in on how Zeppelin fit in with the social and historical context of the time. For example:

• Was a Led Zeppelin concert different back then from a concert nowadays? And how so?
• What Zep songs do you remember being played on the radio? All of 'em?
• Was The Song Remains the Same in a theater near you and did you see it?
• Did the kids talk about Zep a lot at school? Hang their pics up in their lockers? Draw ZOSO all over everything?
• What did your parents think? Was it "noise" to them? Evil? Stupid?
• Where did you hear news about Zep? Was it primarily the radio, magazines, newspapers? Which magazines?
• What was the other music of the time like? Why did Zep stand out?
• Did the cultural impact of the Vietnam War have anything to do with Led Zeppelin's popularity or timing?
• Hippies. How did they figure in? Were they more of a 60s or 70s phenomenon? Did hippies like Zep?
• Did you ever get the sense that Zep was selling out at any point? Do you remember people getting mad when their sound changed over the course of the years?
• When the surviving Zeppelins began to work solo, what did you think? Especially in regards to Robert's solo career, Coverdale-Page, The Firm, etc.
• If Zep were coming to your town, was everyone talking about it?
• What were the reactions people had when they heard about the big tragic events in Zep history? Especially Bonham's passing?
• What about modern British history? How did Zeppelin factor into that? Why were the kids listening to blues over there? When the Zeppelins were younger (like, little kids in the 50s,) were the effects of World War II still lingering? What was the economy like? In America, we stopped rationing right after the war, but was that true in Britain?
• If I recall correctly, Jonesy and Jimmy are from the London area and Robert and Bonzo are from the Birmingham area. How are those two regions different culturally? Different accents? Different outlooks? How do they see each other? Does one region look down on another region?
• Zeppelin seemed irritated at the limited airplay they got in Britain. How did they get famous over there? Were they more of an underground thing? Did a lot of kids know about them?

There are tons of other questions, but these are just ideas or guidelines to get you thinking. So if you feel like spinning some yarns, please do so! So many of us only know Led Zeppelin as a band that we were just too young to see live.

My first concert was Aerosmith in '75.I was anxiously awaiting for the Mighty Zep to come to town as my parents were finally letting me go to concerts(mind you I was barely 15).When they finally did,much to my dismay my parents flatly forbid me to go!!!!!!!!!!!!I was furious!!!!

I'm sure it was due to the posters they saw in my room of Robert!!!(lol)!!!My room was plastered with posters of all the latest bands.....Aerosmith,(I;m embarrased to say David Cassidy),and of course various ones of Zep and Robert alone.Can't say I remember any others though my room was wall to wall posters.I do remember that both mom and dad asking about Robert....wasn't he kind of old for me to like and boy was he hairy!!!!I think they secretly saw what I liked about him and were kind of scared for me to go....all the rumors of their behavior was leaking out even to the parents!! I didn't talk to my parents for 2 weeks!!! Sadly that was the last time they were in my town prior to John's death..........even more tragic to a young teenage mind.....I don't think I really ever got over that one!!!!! Mind you I had even gone to the extent of stenciling the entire lyrics for Stairway to Heaven on my closet doors much to the amazement of both my parents and friends.......My feelings for Led Zeppelin and Robert were obvious...I think that also scared my parents......Get this!>>>>>they actually let me go to Black Sabbath instead!!!! They viewed them not so harmful to a young mind....I guess!!!?????To this day my kids think that is a pretty funny mix up!!!Little did my parents really know................

My girlfriend and I saw TSRTS 2 times...the first time I was so mesmerized by RobertI had to go again to actually see there was a story line????

We listened to Communication Breakdown,Black Dog,Immigration Song,Misty Mountain Hop...and of course Stairway the most on the radio....we quickly bought up any new music Zep was putting out......I remember it being a cool thing that ITTOD had multiple covers and we all thought for sure Robert's son was on the cover of Houses of the Holy!!!We were both puzzled and intrigued as to the meaning of the symbol on the Presence album.......No matter ...we were like sponges eager and waiting for Zep to throw us anything to soak up!!

I do remember that anytime we heard of a concert or get together with Robert and Jimmy,we were ever so anxious like children at Christmas waiting to hear if they would indeed form some kind of"Zep" band,though like older children awaiting Christmas we knew there was no Santa and that there never could be another Zep.

A little unsure and critical of Robert's direction due to that knowledge ....we eventually warmed up to him and his new directions whatever that might be.....always eager to hear that classical moan and wail!!!

Hey...just like today!!!!

[ally]

This is not meant as a shot or a slight but what a question..questions !!! Good ones though I'll get back to you in about a month maybe two

[Janet]

I don't recall any connection between hippies, Vietnam protests and Zep but I was a little kid in the 60's. There were a lot of bands that got more airplay than Zeppelin in the 70's. I remember Elton John, Wings, Three Dog Night, Eagles among others, being very popular. You mainly heard Zep on FM album rock. I remember when PG came out and thinking Kashmir was an interesting road for the band to take. I remember hearing D&C, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song on AM radio, and almost all of LZ IV, HOTH and lots of PG on the FM. After that, I don't remember ever hearing anything from Presence or ITTOD.

I never had the chance to see Zep live, my parents were very strict and would never have allowed it, and in the late 70's we were more into punk. Stairway was played at my high school prom, and we were so tired of it, it took 30 years for me to be able to listen to it again.

We had to buy magazines like Circus to read about rock music, and half the time we couldn't make out the lyrics at all.

[ally]

I don't recall any connection between hippies, Vietnam protests and Zep but I was a little kid in the 60's. There were a lot of bands that got more airplay than Zeppelin in the 70's. I remember Elton John, Wings, Three Dog Night, Eagles among others, being very popular. You mainly heard Zep on FM album rock. I remember when PG came out and thinking Kashmir was an interesting road for the band to take. I remember hearing D&C, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song on AM radio, and almost all of LZ IV, HOTH and lots of PG on the FM. After that, I don't remember ever hearing anything from Presence or ITTOD.

I never had the chance to see Zep live, my parents were very strict and would never have allowed it, and in the late 70's we were more into punk. Stairway was played at my high school prom, and we were so tired of it, it took 30 years for me to be able to listen to it again.

We had to buy magazines like Circus to read about rock music, and half the time we couldn't make out the lyrics at all.

Nice to see an honest post and I commend you for it

I just want to add that in the beginning, it truely was a live thing. By that I mean, most who saw the band live in the late 60's early 70's will remember it as an experience not just a concert.There was and still is no way to explain the experience to people who did not have a chance to see the band stripped down and exposed. For me personally, the live experience was far more important than the albums. The lack of airplay and the lack of credability afforded the band by most radio stations was a source of aggrevation but at the same time, I think it hardened the fan. However, you, are absolutely correct with your assesment of Zeppelin in the 70's. Even though they had a monsterous following, it wasn't a mainstream following. Maybe like you, that's why many of us could indentify with the punk movement. If nothing else, it's food for thought

[Janet]

Nice to see an honest post and I commend you for it

Thanks but now that I think about it, I do recall hearing "All of My Love" and "In the Evening" in the late 70's.

Shortly after that I got into Greek and Middle Eastern music and thankfully missed a lot of horrid 80's pop! I want younger people to know that there was a lot of music out there ( as there is now ) and most of it will happily be forgotten, but the mighty Zep will never crash!

[ally]

Thanks but now that I think about it, I do recall hearing "All of My Love" and "In the Evening" in the late 70's.

Shortly after that I got into Greek and Middle Eastern music and thankfully missed a lot of horrid 80's pop! I want younger people to know that there was a lot of music out there ( as there is now ) and most of it will happily be forgotten, but the mighty Zep will never crash!

No, they won't but IMHO, if their legacy means anything, it will be about openning doors to a world of music and musicians that many would have previously disgarded. By doing so, they openned the door to the future as well. Nothing like a good teacher

[Aquamarine]

What about modern British history? How did Zeppelin factor into that? Why were the kids listening to blues over there? When the Zeppelins were younger (like, little kids in the 50s,) were the effects of World War II still lingering? What was the economy like? In America, we stopped rationing right after the war, but was that true in Britain?

Yes, the effects of WWII were definitely still lingering into the 50s. Rationing ended in the early 50s, for instance, and although I'm younger than any of the band, I can remember the war being talked about almost every day as being totally present in people's minds, and that was true for years.

As for why kids were listening to the blues--I think it was a combination of factors. The Beatles covered people like Barrett Strong ("Money") and assorted Motown songs, Dylan was emerging (and very popular in Britain in the early 60s and covering songs like "House of the Rising Sun," there was a backlash against slick singers like Frankie Avalon and such, Elvis was sadly becoming one of them, and then the Rolling Stones appeared and introduced blues to the masses (having recognized the extent to which it was at the heart of a lot of the best of rock and roll); around that time a lot of blues greats started touring Britain because they suddenly had an audience (Bukka White, Son House, John Lee Hooker, etc. etc.), and lo, the British Blues Boom! I think it was essentially a reaction against prefabricated pop. A lot of folk clubs also started featuring blues singers.

[slave to zep]

Yes, the effects of WWII were definitely still lingering into the 50s. Rationing ended in the early 50s, for instance, and although I'm younger than any of the band, I can remember the war being talked about almost every day as being totally present in people's minds, and that was true for years.

As for why kids were listening to the blues--I think it was a combination of factors. The Beatles covered people like Barrett Strong ("Money") and assorted Motown songs, Dylan was emerging (and very popular in Britain in the early 60s and covering songs like "House of the Rising Sun," there was a backlash against slick singers like Frankie Avalon and such, Elvis was sadly becoming one of them, and then the Rolling Stones appeared and introduced blues to the masses (having recognized the extent to which it was at the heart of a lot of the best of rock and roll); around that time a lot of blues greats started touring Britain because they suddenly had an audience (Bukka White, Son House, John Lee Hooker, etc. etc.), and lo, the British Blues Boom! I think it was essentially a reaction against prefabricated pop. A lot of folk clubs also started featuring blues singers.

kayte, i will try and reply to your questions soon, but i just had to make mention of aquamarine changing her profile pic! oh no! robert has been replaced!

[ally]

Yes, the effects of WWII were definitely still lingering into the 50s. Rationing ended in the early 50s, for instance, and although I'm younger than any of the band, I can remember the war being talked about almost every day as being totally present in people's minds, and that was true for years.

As for why kids were listening to the blues--I think it was a combination of factors. The Beatles covered people like Barrett Strong ("Money") and assorted Motown songs, Dylan was emerging (and very popular in Britain in the early 60s and covering songs like "House of the Rising Sun," there was a backlash against slick singers like Frankie Avalon and such, Elvis was sadly becoming one of them, and then the Rolling Stones appeared and introduced blues to the masses (having recognized the extent to which it was at the heart of a lot of the best of rock and roll); around that time a lot of blues greats started touring Britain because they suddenly had an audience (Bukka White, Son House, John Lee Hooker, etc. etc.), and lo, the British Blues Boom! I think it was essentially a reaction against prefabricated pop. A lot of folk clubs also started featuring blues singers.

AKA: A backlash of White Clean And Neat.

BTW regarding WW2, you've just described my upbringing

[Reggie29]

(Hopefully I've put this in the right section of the board... Please move if not, moderator. )

Led Zeppelin is obviously still really relevant, and they probably will be for generations to come. However, we can learn a lot from the first generation to really love Zep, especially since they were the ones who made them rich and famous. So please -- talk to us whippersnappers, old timers. (I mean "old timers" with all due respect.) Fill us in on how Zeppelin fit in with the social and historical context of the time. For example:

• Was a Led Zeppelin concert different back then from a concert nowadays? And how so? Yes 3 Hours+ and much safer.
• What Zep songs do you remember being played on the radio? All of 'em? WLL, LLM, HB, IS, SIBLY, TTW, R&R, BD, GTC, STH and WTLB, KMIR and so on quite regularly since day one, except during the '90's, no hide nor hair of them then!
• Was The Song Remains the Same in a theater near you and did you see it? Yes, first time @ midnight with a 10000 watt sound system crankin' it out. Mixed feelings about that night. I was involved in a mototcycle accident on the way home and spent a few hours in the ER stoned off my head with Led Zeppelin still ringing in my ears and running through mind!
• Did the kids talk about Zep a lot at school? Not much, most of the kids were into pop and because of an embargo on import records, Led Zeppelin II was released before LZI so there wasn't much music, particularly UK rock n roll, being released.
• Hang their pics up in their lockers? No, lockers were only for the rich kids!
• Draw ZOSO all over everything? Tried to draw all of them!
• What did your parents think? Was it "noise" to them? Evil? Stupid? My parents were okay with it and quite liked it except it was always played TOO BLOODY LOUD!
• Where did you hear news about Zep? Was it primarily the radio, magazines, newspapers? Radio and magazines. Which magazines? Creem, Circus, Circus Raves, NME, Melody Maker, Rolling Stone, Go-Set, Juke.
• What was the other music of the time like? Same as everywhere else, Stones, Beatles, Sabbath etc. Why did Zep stand out? They had the same impact as The Beatles when they arrived, everybody was doing some of the same things only they did them better.
• Did the cultural impact of the Vietnam War have anything to do with Led Zeppelin's popularity or timing? IMO no, they both happened around the same time and the music wasn't political and the anti-war factions didn't grasp them like say Bob Dylan, so the only connection is that as Vietnam was slowly coming to an end and by the time it ended and Zep peaked everyone was in a good headspace musically for a few years.
• Hippies. How did they figure in? Were they more of a 60s or 70s phenomenon? Did hippies like Zep? Same as before, it all happened in the same era. Mid '60's - late '70's. There are still hippies around today, so yeah. Who wouldn't like Zep!?
• Did you ever get the sense that Zep was selling out at any point? Do you remember people getting mad when their sound changed over the course of the years? No, some are a bit miffed about the Cadillac commercials but that was 30 odd years after they disbanded. I've always admired the way whilst sticking to their roots they weren't afraid to experiment and explore new and world music.
• When the surviving Zeppelins began to work solo, what did you think? Especially in regards to Robert's solo career, Coverdale-Page, The Firm, etc. It's about time! I pretty much like all of their solo and collaboration material and if you analyse each of their respective works individually the old formula is still there, where they dare to be different but the roots are still apparent. Robert Plant IS Robert Plant, enough said.
• If Zep were coming to your town, was everyone talking about it? They only ever toured here once and there was a buzz about the place. What were the reactions people had when they heard about the big tragic events in Zep history? Especially Bonham's passing? Very sad day indeed. While it didn't have as great an impact as Lennon death, I think every music lover would've felt a sense of loss for a great drummer.
• What about modern British history? How did Zeppelin factor into that? Don't know. Why were the kids listening to blues over there? Well they weren't listening to it in the US for a start. There was always blues music in Oz but it was the English who showed even the Americans how good the music was. When the Zeppelins were younger (like, little kids in the 50s,) were the effects of World War II still lingering? What was the economy like? In America, we stopped rationing right after the war, but was that true in Britain? I think it was the same all over, the war had a terrible impact on everyone, everywhere in the world and while they as kids may not have been greatly affected, their parents certainly were.
• If I recall correctly, Jonesy and Jimmy are from the London area and Robert and Bonzo are from the Birmingham area. How are those two regions different culturally? Different accents? Different outlooks? How do they see each other? Does one region look down on another region? Think, Prince John and Robin Hood!
• Zeppelin seemed irritated at the limited airplay they got in Britain. How did they get famous over there? Were they more of an underground thing? Did a lot of kids know about them? Over here there was a lot of hype in the mags about this shit hot session guitarist and former Yardbird forming a band but it wasn't until 2 years later that we actually got to hear them.

There are tons of other questions, but these are just ideas or guidelines to get you thinking. So if you feel like spinning some yarns, please do so! So many of us only know Led Zeppelin as a band that we were just too young to see live.

Cheers.

[ally]

^^^^

Reggie...I think I'll just let you do my post's for me

[spidersandsnakes]

Did you ever get the sense that Zep was selling out at any point? Do you remember people getting mad when their sound changed over the course of the years?

NEVER....and I repeat NEVER did Led ZEp sell out on their philosophy and sound.....UNLIKE many overrated bands out there today (e.g. Pink Floyd, The Wall period;);)

[spidersandsnakes]

<LI>Did the kids talk about Zep a lot at school? Hang their pics up in their lockers? Draw ZOSO all over everything?<LI>

There was NOT a single day that us students at OF High SChool in Australia didn't talk about Zep....even the chix got into the conversation esp when Robert Plant was being "analyzed", hehehhe

[spidersandsnakes]

<LI>When the surviving Zeppelins began to work solo, what did you think? Especially in regards to Robert's solo career, Coverdale-Page, The Firm, etc.<LI>

Very good query man:). I don't deny saying I don't like 85% of Robert's work solo.....it just wimps out with respect to Zep's sound....he only got back into the saddle when he collaborated with Alison Krause:)

[leddy]

I also remember in about 81 after geting into them, not knowing what they looked liked (days before internet) and saw an advert for the film TSRTS in a tiny little cinema nearby for one night only...I think that was the first time I saw what they looked liked properly untill I saw it,it was exciting watching the film on the big, well biggish screen for the first time. I didn't even relaise they were on the front cover on LZ II for a good while...doh

[BUK]

What an interesting opportunity to reminisce you've provided. Thank you.

• Was a Led Zeppelin concert different back then from a concert nowadays? And how so?

Yes. In the sense that most people, were not bombarded with imagery and sound constantly every day like it is today. I likened it to a farmer in mediaeval Europe going to Notre Dame Cathedral for the first time when the largest thing he's ever seen was an oak tree. You were just gobsmacked with the immensity of it all.

First concert was Iron Butterfly when I was 14 at a local highschool. Missed the Zeps '73 tour; I was kinda sheltered and naive for most of highschool. I saw Zep first in '75 when I was 20, weeks before PG was released. They played many songs from the LP and I heard songs like Kashmir and IMTOD LIVE first. They were so far above most acts at the time live that it was incomparable.

• What Zep songs do you remember being played on the radio? All of 'em?

Early on, Whole Lotta love, and the Immigrant Song in their AM versions cut through the crap. AM radio was all over the place stylistically in those days. I grew up in the far out suburbs of NYC so NY radio was pretty accessible. When FM kicked in it was a whole other world. The first REAL dominance of radio by Zep began with PG. That premier and subsequent airplay marked them as wholly different, and DJ's across the board recognized it. I do remember awakening to Hotdog off of ITTOD at 6:00 am as the first song played in NYC on WNEW FM. It was weird waking from a dream to an unheard Zep tune.

• Was The Song Remains the Same in a theater near you and did you see it?

I was at Syracuse University, with a bunch of non-Zep fans for the premier there. All they did was talk about how annoying it was to look at Roberts "junk" on the big screen. I thought the music was incredible! I had expectations that it would win an oscar or something. I told you I was a bit naive.

• Did the kids talk about Zep a lot at school? Hang their pics up in their lockers? Draw ZOSO all over everything?

Not in high school. My best bud and I wrote in Stairway as our prom song but I suspect that we were the only ones. The first I heard of Zep was in St. Agnes grammar school, 8th grade. Our nun used to bring in albums for us to talk about the lyrics of the "now" music as a way to relate to us. My classmate kathy brought in the first Zep album. It sounded like a ripoff of Iron Butterfly to me. I could not grasp the primacy of Zep compared to Iron Butterfly and viewed them as a copy of IB. Later in freshman year, in art class, Leslie (a senior burnout dude) would put on Zep II and regale us with drug addled stories. It was then that I began to grasp their appeal. I write about some old stories here: http://bukworx.blogspot.com/2006/09/my-first-concert.html

• What did your parents think? Was it "noise" to them? Evil? Stupid?

My Dad had a kinipshin fit when he found out that I had spent $3.00 on an Iron Butterfly concert and repeated the berating when I paid a scalper $100 for my '77 tour Zep tickets at the Garden. it was beyond their comprehension and has remained so.

• Where did you hear news about Zep? Was it primarily the radio, magazines, newspapers? Which magazines?

Like I said, 8th grade music appreciation class. The AM radio for the second album. Rolling Stone did a nice article on the '75 tour but for the most part disdained them.

• What was the other music of the time like? Why did Zep stand out?

The AM stations funneled all styles of pop music from sappy traditional pop, to Mowtown, to Bubblegum, to Cream, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Zep was more epic, dangerous and sexy. Characteristics that very few bands could even trade in.

• Did the cultural impact of the Vietnam War have anything to do with Led Zeppelin's popularity or timing?

The war was virtually over as Dancing Days busted out of the FM airwaves in '74. It was a mini postwar boom. Time to party for the sake of indulgence. Zep fit perfectly.

• Hippies. How did they figure in? Were they more of a 60s or 70s phenomenon? Did hippies like Zep?

Zep was by and large too much to digest while tripping. MUCH too intense!

• Did you ever get the sense that Zep was selling out at any point? Do you remember people getting mad when their sound changed over the course of the years?

The press was pissed that Zep was so popular. They did not "make" Zep so they could not "break" them. They constantly denigrated their primal nature and the pure joy and revelry of their spirit. They missed the nuance and grace in the music while mocking the hippie dippy lyrics. Robert wrote as almost a second generation of the whole Haight Ashbury SF scene. The writers were all first generation beats for the most part and Zep was too common for their tastes. As far as hubub about changing sound, Zep made it part of their core to constantly evolve. They lost listeners with each album, but gained new ones as they constantly pushed forward. In time those that left came back, drawn to their incredible talent and brazenness.

• When the surviving Zeppelins began to work solo, what did you think? Especially in regards to Robert's solo career, Coverdale-Page, The Firm, etc.

LOVED each iteration! Always craved the possibility when I would experience a Zep moment. They were few and far between.

• If Zep were coming to your town, was everyone talking about it?

There was precious little info about them in the main news. Only word of mouth brought the opportunity to participate before it was all sold out. At least, that was my experience, not being too hip or involved in the scene. In '75 I heard about tickets the night before they were released. I went to the Ticketron outlet in a nearby town at 5 AM only to arrive upon a riot of a thousand people with cops and such. They closed without opening, so I high-tailed it to a nearby mall to buy a lottery ticket for an opportunity to buy two tickets. I was too late but met an high school acquaintance who wanted to borrow ten dollars to buy a second ticket because he had a lottery number. Obviously I was gonna be the guy he went with or no loan. They were no where near as popular as say the Stones were; at least in the local establishment media. It was mainly word of mouth. Nothing like today.

• What were the reactions people had when they heard about the big tragic events in Zep history? Especially Bonham's passing?

We were crushed, especially since a US tour was inevitable. I had tickets for the last tour when Robert's son died.

I can't really speak to the local English impact.

Thanks for letting al old geezer pontificate.

[missytootsweet]

Where did you hear news about Zep? Was it primarily the radio, magazines, newspapers? Which magazines?

Although I'm a bit embarassed to admit it here, in 1972 I was still a Donny Osmond fan. That all changed in 1973 when I began junior high. I met a girlfriend who asked me if I had heard of the band Led Zeppelin? I told her I knew "Dancing Days" and liked it (this was played quite a lot on AM radio in '73). She insisted I come to her house after school and listen to their new album "Houses of the Holy".

I did go and listen and immediately I had a new favorite band. I went out and got the album the very next week. A pivotal moment for me since this was my crossover from bubblegum pop to real rock.

In the 1970's it seemed like everyone's parents were getting divorced including my own. But whenever I got mad at my step-parent(s), I would go to my room and crank up my Penn Crest dept. store stereo as loud as I could and listen to "The Rain Song" or "No Quarter" and all would be good again.

I got my second Zeppelin album for X-mas 1974 from my older step-sister along with 2 other albums. I got Led Zeppelin "IV", Yes "Fragile" and Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon". Quite the trifecta wouldn't you say? But it was Led Zeppelin that stayed at the top of my list. The interesting lyrics, the wonderful melodies, Robert Plant's alluring vocals....

I was at the June 1977 Tampa concert (field seating, but who cares I was there!) and waited hours for the band. Unfortunately, this was the show where the band had to leave after playing only 2 or 3 songs due to the heavy rain. No reschedule either. The next day the St. Pete Times had a story about 80,000 fans and rioting and so on, but I don't recall any of that. I only remember being so disappointed that the freakin rain never let up. Well, I figured for sure I would catch them next tour in my area. That was not to be after September 1980.

Now after 30 years (and going back to listen to their earlier work), I have re-discovered just how GOOD this band was. missy

[MadScreamingGallery]

There are tons of other questions, but these are just ideas or guidelines to get you thinking. So if you feel like spinning some yarns, please do so! So many of us only know Led Zeppelin as a band that we were just too young to see live.

Hi Kayte, interesting list of questions! I don't have time to respond right now but I'll be back later and I will try to answer a couple of them for you. The idea that we "outgrew" Zep and considered ourselves "too cool" for Zep at one point, is something that my friends and I recently talked about so maybe I'll add that too. I'm part of the first generation of LZ fans, although I have close friends who are a few years older than me who were at the very first U.S. Zep concerts (I didn't attend my first until the early '70s). Yes, they were and in many ways still are hippies and I still admire and look up to them. Rather than "old timers", we refer to ourselves as "Zep vets", although one of my friend considers us all part of the same "cosmic tribe."

• What about modern British history? How did Zeppelin factor into that? Why were the kids listening to blues over there? When the Zeppelins were younger (like, little kids in the 50s,) were the effects of World War II still lingering? What was the economy like? In America, we stopped rationing right after the war, but was that true in Britain?

The most interesting details I've recently read about this, about being a child in post-WWII England, were in Keith's autobiography, "Life." During my LZ years, the mother of one of my closest friends was from England and she was referred to as a "war bride" because she married a U.S. serviceman who was stationed in England. As many times as we begged her to talk about England (because we wanted to know all about this place where LZ came from) she never talked about it - I think she left it all behind - maybe her experiences during the war were so horrific she wanted to forget about them and focus on her new life.

[Deborah J]

Kayte, what a great thread you have created here

Was a Led Zeppelin concert different back then from a concert nowadays? And how so?

Yes! It was truly like the gods of rock were coming to town. If you had a ticket you had to tell everybody!!My first concert was 1973 (I had a cool Mom). I was not even 13 yet if you can imagine, but it was New Orleans and all that city did at that time was party. When those four took the stage it was basically strap yourself in and get ready for the journey!! They were raw, powerful and absolutely beholding on stage!! You just knew it was special. I think today that kind of emotion just does not exist for the most part.

What Zep songs do you remember being played on the radio? All of 'em?

Who doesn't remember STH, but I am one that still feels that that song is IMHO the absolute best song/melody that has ever been written/played. WLL, GTBT and a few other, but I honestly was not a huge radio fan, more so after FM became popular, but overall I listened to albums on my little turntable until my Mom bought a stereo and I discovered headphones!!

Was The Song Remains the Same in a theater near you and did you see it?

Yes and it was fabulous. At that time we did not have the internet, DVD's and so on...so to see our band on the big screen was awesome! I am smiling right now just thinking about those times.

Did the kids talk about Zep a lot at school? Hang their pics up in their lockers? Draw ZOSO all over everything?

Those of us that were the true fans, the ones that got it from the beginning, yes we did. We would sit for hours listening to the albums. It was a great time. I don't remmeber any drawings except a few on our book covers.

What did your parents think? Was it "noise" to them? Evil? Stupid?

I was with my Dad (who loved to party and loved music).. I was with him in the French Quarter as I grew up in the area and my Dad was in a bar and I was sitting on the sidewalk just outside the large open french shutters that the bars have...anyway I hear "I Can't Quit You Babe" and I jumped up and asked my Dad to ask the DJ who it was. Well, that was it for me. My parents divorced when I was 11. But I had the coolest Mom. She let me buy my first album, hang the posters all over my room, go to concerts. See, she loved Elvis so I grew up listening to Elvis a lot. So my Mom understood and would sit and listen to music with us and well, if you really listen to the lyrics you could let the music in your soul. I know if she were alive today she would love Roberts new music.

Where did you hear news about Zep? Was it primarily the radio, magazines, newspapers? Which magazines?

I would guess radio, but usually a friend, neighbor or a cousin would hear or read something and share it. I hated the magazines as most of them literally blasted them in the eary days. It was aweful at some of the things that were written by complete idiots!!

What was the other music of the time like? Why did Zep stand out?

God, we had Bad Company, Pink Floyd, Yes, Clapton, ELP, Dylan, The Stones and so on. And I did see them live...but Led Zeppelin live was just a completely different experience. It's hard to explain except to say you were just in awe. They were like animals on the stage, wild and beautiful.

Did the cultural impact of the Vietnam War have anything to do with Led Zeppelin's popularity or timing?

I think their popularity was due to the music. Really can't think of any other reason..the music was and still is the best IMHO.

Hippies. How did they figure in? Were they more of a 60s or 70s phenomenon? Did hippies like Zep?

I think more of a 60's phenomenon, but whether you were a hippy or a business person, you either got the music or you didn't.

Did you ever get the sense that Zep was selling out at any point? Do you remember people getting mad when their sound changed over the course of the years?

NEVER!! The fact that their music was so diverse is why IMHO the music will always stand the test of time. I think the ones that got mad because they changed things up just didn't get it.

When the surviving Zeppelins began to work solo, what did you think? Especially in regards to Robert's solo career, Coverdale-Page, The Firm, etc.

I love it. I have always thought that these men were so talented individually that they could do whatever they set their minds to do. I still wished Jimmy and Paul would do something again. I have personally loved Roberts solo career, but he is my favorite vocalist, so it only makes sense. Also loved Page/Coverdale. And JPJ, well the man is just an absolute musical genius. Thunderthief is still one of my favorites!

If Zep were coming to your town, was everyone talking about it?

Those of us that loved our music and concerts..hell yes!!

What were the reactions people had when they heard about the big tragic events in Zep history? Especially Bonham's passing?

Both the loss of Roberts beautiful son and the death of Bonham..when first hearing the news I remember you went from shock to dismay to sadness. I also had tickets to New Orleans 77. You know the old saying "You don't know what you have until you lose it"...we knew what we had from the beginning. We loved the joy and emotion that this music brought us, so how could we not care about them as human beings. I know for me, now 41 years later I still am bothered when anyone states anything mean about them...they gave so much of themselves at a large cost and I am so truly grateful for the music and the memories.

Thanks for letting another woman of a certain age share her thoughts

[Aquamarine]

kayte, i will try and reply to your questions soon, but i just had to make mention of aquamarine changing her profile pic! oh no! robert has been replaced!

He's just having a breather, Slave to Zep, while another of my heroes takes an airing.

[leddy]

Love reading topic, are you doing a project for Uni or something ??

[slave to zep]

He's just having a breather, Slave to Zep, while another of my heroes takes an airing.

oh that's a relief!

must say i prefer the robert pic though .....

[slave to zep]

(Hopefully I've put this in the right section of the board... Please move if not, moderator. )

Led Zeppelin is obviously still really relevant, and they probably will be for generations to come. However, we can learn a lot from the first generation to really love Zep, especially since they were the ones who made them rich and famous. So please -- talk to us whippersnappers, old timers. (I mean "old timers" with all due respect.) Fill us in on how Zeppelin fit in with the social and historical context of the time. For example:

hi kayte. here is my little 2 cents worth

• Was a Led Zeppelin concert different back then from a concert nowadays? And how so?[
  
  i never got to go to a zep concert. i live in australia, and they only toured once, in 72. i was only 10 then, and hadn't yet heard of them
  
  *]What Zep songs do you remember being played on the radio? All of 'em?
  
  i can't remember any songs on the radio, but i lived in a small town and we only ever had the radio tuned to a local am station for local news etc. i guess they would have played stairway and a few others though.
  
  
• Was The Song Remains the Same in a theater near you and did you see it?
  
  amazingly, YES! i did see it, and was just mesmerized the whole way through. i had only just been into them for a couple of years and as leddy said, it was the first time i actually saw them all.[
  
  *]Did the kids talk about Zep a lot at school? Hang their pics up in their lockers? Draw ZOSO all over everything?[
  
  well, us cool kids did seriously, most of the kids i knew were mad over abba and sherbet ( a local oz band ). i tried to educate as many as i could but ... i even presented a project on them in music ckass one day. i read a bit of background profile to the class and hung up a couple of posters. i played them kashmir, trampled under foot and stairway ( we only were allowed to play 3 songs each ) the whole class just sat there stunned. i think they thought i was on drugs and that the zep boys were all aliens ...
  
  *]What did your parents think? Was it "noise" to them? Evil? Stupid?
  
  they wouldn't have known who the hell they were. i just got told to turn down my bloody record player all the time
  
  
• Where did you hear news about Zep? Was it primarily the radio, magazines, newspapers? Which magazines?
  
  i knew very little about zep. the odd magazine would appear in my little local newspaper, and i would try and buy it if it had anything about zep. my walls were plastered with zep and many other bands/artists.
  
  
• What was the other music of the time like? Why did Zep stand out?
  
  there was some great music around at the time. i was into pink floyd status quo, ac/dc ,steely dan, fleetwood mac ... too many to mention. there was a lot of crappy stuff around too, of course. you have to remember that disco reigned supreme for a long time ....
  
  
• Did the cultural impact of the Vietnam War have anything to do with Led Zeppelin's popularity or timing?
  
  sorry, i was to young/naive/ignorant to realise what was going on in regard to this
  
  
• Hippies How did they figure in? Were they more of a 60s or 70s phenomenon? Did hippies like Zep?
  
  i def wasn't a hippy, again, too young i suupose, but kids who liked zep/floyd etc, were a bit different, imo. we were cool. and i don't mean that in an "up myself" way ... how can i put it? we were more laid back. we had fun. but then again, a lot of the others went on to do better at school than me, and got better jobs. but i feel i am richer for experiencing the greatest music ever made
  
  
• Did you ever get the sense that Zep was selling out at any point? Do you remember people getting mad when their sound changed over the course of the years?
  
  nah, i love all their albums, and i can't imagine what the next one may have sounded like
  
  
• When the surviving Zeppelins began to work solo, what did you think? Especially in regards to Robert's solo career, Coverdale-Page, The Firm, etc.
  
  i am ashamed to say that i lost touch when zep broke up. i didn't hear any of their solo stuff untill the last few years .... via internet. i did hear roberts 2 songs sea of love and big log. i really loved big log, great song.
  
  
  
• If Zep were coming to your town, was everyone talking about it?
• What were the reactions people had when they heard about the big tragic events in Zep history? Especially Bonham's passing?
  
  as i said before, zep only came here once. i was so saddened by the news of karac, and bonzo. devestated actually. but there were only a couple of friends that even knew who they were, much less cared. it was the end of an era for us all.
  
  
• What about modern British history? How did Zeppelin factor into that? Why were the kids listening to blues over there? When the Zeppelins were younger (like, little kids in the 50s,) were the effects of World War II still lingering? What was the economy like? In America, we stopped rationing right after the war, but was that true in Britain?
• If I recall correctly, Jonesy and Jimmy are from the London area and Robert and Bonzo are from the Birmingham area. How are those two regions different culturally? Different accents? Different outlooks? How do they see each other? Does one region look down on another region?
• Zeppelin seemed irritated at the limited airplay they got in Britain. How did they get famous over there? Were they more of an underground thing? Did a lot of kids know about them?

i'll leave all that to the poms

There are tons of other questions, but these are just ideas or guidelines to get you thinking. So if you feel like spinning some yarns, please do so! So many of us only know Led Zeppelin as a band that we were just too young to see live.