How'd you get hooked on Led?

[Geezer]

How'd you get hooked on Led?

Kashmir (11.08.79). Enough said.

[aen27]

I thought I had written mine, but here it is. My uncle in Ohio was a high school teacher in the late 70s and he also had a band in which he played the guitar. Les Paul was even one the guitars. Between his students and that he played himself, I remember him talking about Zep and Jimmy when I was very little. To be clearer, I must have been 4-5. Knowing more about them, it was in their dark scary period of the late '70s. I was fascinated by them as well as a little scared. I thought they were American other than Jimmy. I also loved the riff to Kashmir and thought it was a brand new song. I also remember hearing 'The Rain Song, " and the line 'this is the mystery of the quotion,' stuck with me. Fast forward to 1995 as I was beginning to be fastened by the Swinging London period and saw Blow Up when I was in College. I knew that Jimmy, Jeff and Eric were all in the Yardbirds and "Stroll On" was soon my favorite scene. In late March 2006, I was also hearing more and more about Jimmy, how frail he was and interesting..and dark. Also I was fascinated when Mitch Mitchell says in his book that he saw Jimmy playing with the Bonzo Dog Band at the Experience club in LA. I got the '90s documentary on the Yardbirds and was getting more and more fascinated by Jimmy and began looking at this site when it was still Electric Magic. A friend happened to give me a gift card to Newbury Comics for my birthday, and I used it to buy the first album, the 2003 DVD and the orginal DVD of SRTS. I fell in love with the album insistantly and remembered Dazed and Confused from when I was little. When I watched SRTS, I wasn't sure what to think of Robert's voice, but was fasincated with everything about Jimmy. I fell in love with him, I think watching Since I've Been Loving You." By May, I was absolutely hooked by them and have been ever since.

Edited November 22, 2012 by aen27

[Melcórë]

I've listened to (or at least heard) Led Zeppelin throughout the entirety of my life, either via my dad, or from Q107, the (semi-)local "classic rock" radio station.

When did I really get into the group, though? Hard to say...I know I started to listen to their music with more focus and enjoyment as I was exiting primary school and starting high school, but at the time I was beginning Grade 9, I probably dug The Stones a little more thanks to Hot Rocks. If memory serves me right, the moment when I became convinced of their superiority (and my fanatacism) was sometime in that first year of high school - I distinctly remember listening to and loving the first album through headphones, and then being absolutely blown away by the second, and by the time I reached the fourth album, I was hooked, and have never looked back.

My favourite memory as related to listening to Zeppelin, though, would be the first time I heard Physical Graffiti played in full - not just "Trampled," or "Kashmir," but actually listened to the entire album. The variety of the music included on that LP continues to astound me; every little nuance of the album, from song choice to the artwork...it just impacted me on a much greater level than any other music has.

[ksgemini]

Never had a chance to see them...wasnt allowed to go to concerts in HS... FM radio and a girlfriend that had a few of their albums and I was hooked 76/77ish Ok Jr HS...Followed Plant really closely after that some misses... but I played Principle of Moments to death and love most of the solo years...always had tough time with Shaken N stirred

[2112]

I've been hooked on LZ since the early 70s. My older cousins used to listen to Zep, Sabbath, and Queen constantly when I was a kid, and it just sort of stuck with me.

[MonkeyOnMyBack]

Born in 1967, I was just coming of age musically when we lost Bonzo. It was the fall of 1980 when I really started listening to LZ, and didn't fully appreciate at the time the signficance when he died. Two memories from that time.. I remember going back to my junior high school library over and over to re-read the little blurb in Rolling Stone about his death. For some strange reason, I also remember that we had a subscription to People Magaine (ha ha) and I wondered who these guys were when that issue arrived.

Anyway, as I moved into the early 80s, my obsession fully developed. I started with LZ4, then LZ1, then LZ2, and soon acquired the entire catalogue. I remember the magical moments of CODA being released, Robert Plant coming in concert so I could actually see him, followed by Jimmy Page and the Firm. Of course, when the 3 of them played Live Aid in 1985, I remember dancing around in my front yard afterward in celebration and re-watching the VHS until I wore it out. Even then, I started hoping for a reunion... and of course, regardless of ANY concert I have attended since, I watch as it starts, just imagining how much better it would be if Bonzo and the boys were starting the show with Rock and Roll, a la The Song Remains The Same.

I have seen Robert again (at Red Rocks, which was awesome) and Robert/Jimmy together, and have followed every move since religiously. I remember leaving work early during the O2 concert so I could go home and follow online blogs as each song was played. You could say I'm pretty hooked. I have many other bands that I love and enjoy from multiple genres, but nothing will ever surpass my obsession with, and affection for, Led Zeppelin. They are a part of my life and always will be.

[racerrr]

It was an August day in 1980, I was 13 years old, and hanging out with my best friend at his house. My friend's older brother was cleaning out the interior of his car and he had In Throught The Out Door playing on 8 track. That was the first time I ever heard Zeppelin (I guess that unlike most diehards, that's the reason I love In Through The Out Door). It sounded pretty dang good to me. The next day, I walked to K-mart and bought it. The next week, I bought Led Zeppelin 2, and so on and so on. I was at church one Sunday when my cousin came up and asked if I had heard that Led Zeppelin's drummer had died. And of course after that the rest is history. It's a shame i'll never get to see them live, but they were just a tad before my time.

P.S.: I've bought the complete 1968 thru 1979 catalog on 8 track, cassette, and compact disc.......LOL.

Edited November 27, 2012 by racerrr

[blackfootyankee]

I first got hooked when I was a kid learning guitar. The first song I learned on the guitar was Stairway; that did for me.

Many, many years later, as a bass player for hard rock bands, Jones became my god; making my overall love for Zeppelin limitless. I had all of Jones' lines down and they greatly influenced my own bass "voice" as I mature as a musician. I always played with that same blues-rock feel and I never diverted from it. The result?

I became a bad-ass on the bass all because of my love of Zeppelin and, in particular, Jones' exquisite lines.

Edited November 30, 2012 by blackfootyankee

[henrybonzo]

b84a213d5f2221db04f398e112e02807

[ledded1]

I just heard Communication Breakdown in 1969, that was it really, a turning point in a 12 year old boys musical likings,and future life.

[henrybonzo]

I just heard Communication Breakdown in 1969, that was it really, a turning point in a 12 year old boys musical likings,and future life.

jealous of folk like you man, you were there for the best of it all! im not looking though rose tinted nostalgic glasses, the 60's showed the human race that equality and purpose are there to be enjoyed, now its big brother, endless war and fucking shit music dominating modern culture!

[Charles J. White]

I heard Kashmir and it sucked me in

[the body electric]

The year was 1972. My mother and I lived near what we then called the "river bottom" in North Tempe. One day one of our longhair stoner neighbors came over to our apartment and began talking with me about music. I told him what I liked. He looked at me with a knowing smile, and said “I have something you should listen to.” He came back with an album, and on the cover was some old guy carrying a load of sticks on his back. He placed the needle on the vinyl. He said “The first song is called Black Dog.“ I was a budding young drummer who was weaned on Ringo.

This was not Ringo.

We smiled at each other. He left and I never saw him again.

Months later, I spent the summer with my uncle in San Jose, Costa Rica. He was the conductor of their symphony orchestra. I spent one weekend at the house of some Ministry of Culture bigwig who was also my uncle’s girlfriend. I was hanging out with her son, who was around 17. Carlos asked me what type of music I listened to back home. I told him.He looked at me with a knowing smile, and said “I have something you should listen to.” He took me into their wood-paneled study, and brought out an album with funny-looking people on the brown cover.

Later, fans would nickname it The Brown Bomber.

“The first song is called Whole Lotta Love.”

Before placing the needle on the vinyl he paused. This drove me wild with anticipation. “There is one thing I have to tell you that is very important." My heart was pounding. He looked at me like he was about to share the deepest of secrets. He chose his words carefully and was almost whispering, as if someone might overhear us.

“The opening sound of this song is a 1959 Gibson Sunburst Les Paul played through a Marshall stack.”

I began to salivate.

I closed my eyes and winced. He dropped the needle and cranked it. My nervous system went haywire. I tilted my head to the side like a Cocker Spaniel reacting to a dog whistle only I could hear. I saw colors. I began to drool. I felt like one of the apes discovering the black monolith in "2001: A Space Odyssey."

The music was a revelation. The wood paneling took a hammering. The Theremin section before the guitar solo sounded to me that day, at age eight, like Formula One race cars racing around an oval track. Forty years later whenever I hear this song I see the same oval track.

In The Light since 1972.

Trampled Under Foot. My life with Led Zeppelin.

http://petedelorean.tumblr.com/

Edited December 2, 2012 by petedelorean

[scythe]

Peer Pressure. I tried listening to them once, with friends. I wasn't sure if I liked them, but I listened again. So I was listening to them almost every weekend. Then it became an everyday thing...now I'm listening to them two, three sometimes four times a day!!

[Kepi]

Hey all,

first post here. Thanks for sharing. I love to read your stories so keep them coming. Isn't it amazing which kind of impromptu impact the music had and still has on so many people? Actually my story is insofar not that different to most of yours. I already apologise for probably being a bit lengthy... :-)

I was born in 1967. I discovered my first bits of music via a friend of the family who came from Pakistan and who introduced me into indian music when I was just about 7 years old. I still enjoy indian music to this day.

In 1977 Elvis died. My dad loved his music and one rainy sunday in october he invited me to join him for the "Aloha from Hawaii"-show on TV. Within a few songs I developed a love for that blues, r&b and rock`n roll and I decided I wanted more of that. Not necessarily Elvis but that sort of music in general. So I asked my parents to buy me a radio. I got one, it had a tape player included and my dad gave me some tapes and showed me how to record from the radio. I quickly tuned into the local FM station and started to listen to all kinds music from Village People via Kate Bush to Frank Zappa and way beyond. I had no prejudices and tried absolutely everything. I still do. In February 1978 I heard my first LZ track which was Stairway. Although I was just 10 years old, didn't understand one english word and was still quite inexperienced in music I immediately knew this was very special. And I instinctively KNEW this band had much more to offer. The quality of that song just told me. What irritated me was that the local radio station wouldn't play any other song from Led Zeppelin. They made it look like this was a so called "one hit wonder". But I just KNEW it wasn't. The radio station was quite ignorant of the band to say the least. So for the next 7 years that was the only song I knew. I grew up on the countryside, no record stores around. But the curiosity and desire to hear more from this band never ceased.

Fast forward to 1985 and Life Aid. I was 17. It was rumored there would be a Zeppelin reunion. And guess what, from all the great people that would show up at this 24 hour concert it was THIS I was interested in the most. So I waited patiently (actually I almost didn't dare to go to the bathroom because I was so scared I could miss it... ;-)). It took about 12 hours, but then they came onstage. I sat in front of the TV, watched them playing Rock`n Roll and instantly decided I had to have all their albums. It was a simple as that. It felt like a revelation. Call it enlightenment. I was familiar to rock and hard rock meanwhile but never ever did anything sound like THIS. I remember thinking: Wow, this is how music should be played! Incredible excitement, goose pimples included. I sort of exploded. Woah!

I then started to buy the albums and as I knew I would get them all anyway I decided to do it properly: I started with LZ 1 and went on chronologically. I did it slowly, one album per month or so. What can I say. I was completely overwhelmed. The quality and the diversity of the material both knocked me off. There were songs for each mood you could be in. And I still remember my feelings, my excitement, the pure joy, laughing, crying, all kinds of emotions when listening to certain songs for the first time. Sometimes almost being scared to death because of the intensity as I wasn't used to this. I realised music could be so much more. Remember that words from HOTH "Let the music be your master, will you hear the masters call?" I did. I gradually learned to slip into the music, let go and totally melt into it. It was (and still is) pretty much like having sex. I never knew any other band that could provoke such a feeling. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to discover it. Led Zeppelin will always have a very special place in my heart.

When I see these guys nowadays I instantly hear music. Give me the name of a band member and I hear music. Not a certain song but the feeling of music. Like it is pouring out of their skin. They don't even have to play a note. (Well, of course I prefer them to play MANY notes....;-) I still listen to their music every now and then and always enjoy it. And they also gave us tremendous live music which is sometimes - or more often - even better than the studio versions. So with all the additional live material that's around it definitely never ever gets boring.

Do I have a favorite song? No chance. They are all beloved members of the `family`.

[Sue Dounim]

Ashamedly, Mothership was how I got pulled in.

[ZeppMan93]

I was going through a huge collection of CDs (back in the day lol) I had on a rotating shelf, I picked the biggest CD case I saw and looked at the cover. It had a Zeppelin going over a crop circle. It was the Led Zeppelin Remasters album. I listened to the first song, I was immediately hooked. Before then I didn't really listen to music a lot. That was my introduction to music, a pretty good one I must say.

[viper007]

Remember it like yesterday!

I was 12 years old in 1976. A friend of mine has just bought "II" and started with side 2, Heartbreaker.

Never heard anyting like it and the rest is history....

[SozoZoso]

Ashamedly, Mothership was how I got pulled in.

Same here!

I must admit I'm a more recent one, got hooked about 5 years ago while going through a rough time with a illness (which is long term ) One day when I was feeling a bit like my old self, went for a drive, glorious sunshine and Kashmir blasting (on repeat) and that was it. Totally hooked

I know that is gonna sound cheesy, but they have helped me with the bad times

[jb126]

Same here!

I must admit I'm a more recent one, got hooked about 5 years ago while going through a rough time with a illness (which is long term ) One day when I was feeling a bit like my old self, went for a drive, glorious sunshine and Kashmir blasting (on repeat) and that was it. Totally hooked

I know that is gonna sound cheesy, but they have helped me with the bad times

Hello SosoZoso, it is not cheesy, and not uncommon. Sorry you are not feeling well.

[Patrizia]

My brother got me hooked when I was 14. He brought home Led Zeppelin I and said "you gotta listen to these guys." Then he dropped the needle and I listened and I liked what I heard. I was like "yea these guys are good!!" Then the next song played, then the next, the next and that was it. I was in LOVE. My first love. By far my favorite album. I can still remember the look on my brothers face when he came storming down into the basement with the album in his hands as though he stumbled across a secret that no one should know about but him and I...as though it was a matter of life or death at that very moment....as though nothing else mattered but this one thing. Listening to that album forever changed my life. The rest of the Zeppelin albums that I obtained over the years were all just an added bonus to my Zeppelin journey. None can even come close to such a musically gifted band. Long live the mighty Zeppelin.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Patrizia

[ZEPFAN17]

From the very first time I heard them I was instantly hooked for life. Led Zeppelin I and everything in between to now and never looked back. Greatest band of all time back then,now and always.

[fishhead]

early 70's, I was probably 8yrs old, and my Uncle had Led Zep II, but none of the other albums. LZII was all I knew, except I did hear people talking about a song called Stairway to Heaven (But did not know where it could be found or heard and radio was not that great/accessible yet)..... Dec 75, my uncle buys me Physical Graffiti. Then I eventually got the back catalogue and was conscious of the releases of , Presence, TSRTS and ITTOD when they came out......

Back then there was very little to know about the band, especially when you were a kid. The odd Cream or Hit Parader mag but not much else. There was however, a book written by Ritchie Yorke that I remember finding at the North York library in Toronto. Finding that book was like finding buried treasure.

Its amazing now to read/see all the stuff on the band and hear all the boots and outtakes. I really enjoy it, but I am glad that when I was a kid, all I had were the songs, and the album jacket. I know my thoughts about the guys and the band were made up by my imagination.

Edited December 11, 2012 by fishhead

[Dallas Knebs]

Immigrant Song

Older sister and her friend defiantly bought it upon its release as a single 45 and played it relentlessly for days and weeks any time parents were not at home. Years go by and similar happens. I am out on my own in the world and a lack of alternative keeps me close. To me, alternatives are noise, some better than others- all with a shelf life- just noise. LZ to me is timeless.

[Dante_Cubit]

Alright. I guess I'll bump this back to the top. This is my early history with LZ.

Back in the mid-Seventies, I was big into KISS, as were all of my friends. I got a KISS magazine once, and one of the ads mentioned another fan magazine you could buy that featured a band called, "Led Zeppelin." I'd never heard of them before. They seemed to look like hippies with none of the cool costumes that KISS had. The magazine said something like, "Which Band Is Better: KISS or ZEP?" And I thought, who is this band that people are comparing to KISS? I just dismissed it in my mind and continued with my KISS listening.

Through this time, I had never heard FM rock radio. My parents gave me an AM radio in the early Seventies, and that's where I listened to most of my music. (For you kids, that means listening to a lot of "light" Top 40 Seventies music.) Led Zeppelin was never played on the AM stations I listened to, so I was woefully ignorant of their existence except for that one ad I saw in the magazine. To me, they seemed like a niche-band. Something I probably wouldn't like. One day I received an FM radio from my parents, and I finally discovered the Album-Oriented-Rock radio format popular at that time. It was around 1978 or so when I first started listening to hard rock FM radio constantly, and it was the first time I got to hear Led Zeppelin's music. I liked it, but it didn't really sink its hooks into me until I heard one song... Black Dog

It's difficult to explain to people who didn't live in the Seventies, but guitar rock was king. And everyone always argued about which guitar player was the greatest. Around the mid-Seventies, the contenders would have been guitarists like Ace Frehley (of KISS,) Pete Townsend (of The Who,) Steve Howe (of Yes,) Eric Clapton, Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones,) etc. Every hard rock band seemed to try to one-up each other with riffs and arrangements. But when I heard the first riff of "Black Dog," I was blown away, and Jimmy Page was my new guitar god. It made me giddy with delight, and I thought it was the greatest rock song I had ever heard. (Not realizing that it was about six or so years old at that point.)

So, I went to a record store, found the album "Black Dog" was on, and I begged my Mom to buy it for me. She did, and thus was my baptism into Led Zeppelin.

A few years later, in middle school, Zep was all I could think about. I distinctly remember my local rock station in L.A., KMET 94.7, doing a contest where the grand prize was an all-expenses paid trip to see Led Zeppelin play in Chicago in November of that year during their next world tour. The year was 1980. I was too young to be entering into contests, but I just imagined how great it would be to see Led Zeppelin live.

Then, the radio broke the news that John Bonham was dead. I was numb. The news was surreal. And I remember going to school soon after learning of his death. I sat in a history class, and tears began to stream down my face. That's how Led Zeppelin meant to me then, and my love for the band has only grown since then. To this day, I have seen a ton of bands, a ton of great performances, and had a great time, but my one regret is that I will never see my all-time favorite band live in concert. That's why I am here, in a way. To fill that gap in my heart.

EDIT: Typo.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Dante_Cubit