First Led Zeppelin Stories

[scutly]

Ok so im a 43 guy and have three older sisters. heres how it went.......... 1973 watched oldest sister go see zep and made fun of middle sister with youngest sister for not being able to go. 1975 watched oldest sister and middle sister go see zep a made fun of youngest sister for not being able to go. 1977 watched all three of them bitches go see zep and cried like a baby when all three made fun of me cause i was not able to go. 1980...........all four of us cried like babies.

Edited December 25, 2007 by scutly

[Alice]

The first time I heard them, I was about 6. My parents had many CDs with records of their youth. When we went to Greece (every summer) we were listening to it. On the CD was Stairway to heaven, I loved this song... well and now I'm 13 my dad put some music on the iPod and I listened to Whole Lotta Love and Immigrant Song which I knew from the radio. And then I heard Black Dog, which was my favorite song. I downloaded other music of Led Zeppelin and my father bought me a DVD. in the beginning I didn't like them on stage (so ashamed) and then I began to love them...and now I have every song of them

[Jolby32]

I heard my dad listening to them. I was only 8 at the

time but now only a few years later I am in love with them.

[sam.e138]

i was incredibly drawn to the band as if by force before i even heard them. when i was a kid i seen their tapes and things in stores and would stare at them for hours wanting them i don't know if it was the packaging the song titles or the name of the band but whatever it was i knew i had to get my hands on it.

Just Like Me and Kiss!!

I kind of feel like Zeppelin are in my blood. I was born about 6 months before Led Zeppelin and I don't know how fast he cottoned on to them but I had an older brother who was a fan of at least LZ I - Houses OTH, as I remember sitting staring at the sleeves and playing with the wheel on III especially. I supose I could have gone to Knebworth as an 11 year old but my brother passed on in '77 and my elder sisters were away from home. I wasn't really a fan then anyway although I always felt an affinity for the band.

I remember seeing the notice of John Bonham's death in our local paper and thinking what a shame it was and (in my catholic trained mind) if my Brother would get a chance to meet him in heaven. If there is an afterlife I hope JB, Jimi, Zappa et al are jamming their asses off!

In the mid 80s for a period I had somebody else's TSRTS vinyl in my house and loved it even though it was badly scarred and jumped like crazy, it got returned eventually. It was one of the little treats of Zep for me over the years as i gradually dug deeper then went hog wild on the remastered CDs hearing a pristine copy of that vinyl when i bought my own and the recent re-issue is even better.

Around 88 a friend whom we shall call Broon gave me a tape of I & II and from there it's the usual story of being hit by the music and wanting/obtaining more. That tape gave me another surprise for it was my only copy of those 2 LPs for a while before I heard a vinyl copy of I and discovered that How Many More Times had the whole "Oh Rosie/The Hunter" bit which was missing from the tape Broon originally copied! Is this a common mispressing?

Getting to hear the whole of Physical Graffiti was a treat too, I love that album end to end but for years had a tape that stopped around the first three tracks of the 2nd CD (And this was off vinyl) thanks to the stoner taxi driver who gave me it not being very good at taping.

Thankfully I now own all the stuff I need (The Originals) on CD and am beginning to delve into the 'live' side of Zep.

I got to see Page & plant do their thing in '95 from crap seats in a crap venue, and hopefully, one day I may get my chance to be able to tell people I saw Led Zeppelin too?

[Black Dawg]

I began listening When my brother bought a stereo complete with an Eight track. I then Bought TSRTS sound track and was hooked. IT had to be about 76 when it was released.

[sam.e138]

Ok so im a 43 guy and have three older sisters. heres how it went.......... 1973 watched oldest sister go see zep and made fun of middle sister with youngest sister for not being able to go. 1975 watched oldest sister and middle sister go see zep a made fun of youngest sister for not being able to go. 1977 watched all three of them bitches go see zep and cried like a baby when all three made fun of me cause i was not able to go. 1980...........all four of us cried like babies.

Too sad mate, so close and yet....

[Olipticle]

No real story really uncle was seeing that i could have been listening to beter music at a young age so he introduced me to music and zeppelin alike. And since that day iv loved them so many good memories to the songs.

Wasnt alive to see em back then i wish i could have an had this huge hero story how i met them or something but i dont lol

[Tangerine63]

I was about 13 years old 1993 and me and a friend had our "boyfriends" over.

My friends boyfriend (Derek) brought a CD with him. It was Disk I, of the 4 disk box set released in 1990.

He accidently left it at my house and it was love at first song

I still have that very CD that started it all. Derek, where ever you are!!!

[Pb Derigable]

I listened to Classic Rock station all the time with my father. I liked alot of the songs, but really didnt know the name of the band or song title. I got a Portable Cd player for Christmas. During christmas time the Classic rock station had a tv commercial with albums cover and songs in the backround. Well i went to buy two albums and i knew Money from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was good and i knew the album cover. The Second CD was Led Zeppelin I. I saw that cover on the tv and i heard about Zeppelin. So i bought them both and went home. I played DSOTM first because i knew what was on it for a day. Then i put in LZ I. I knew everysong on there and they were all good. I thought this band is fucking awesome. That CD didnt leave that player for a month until i bought LZ II. and that was fucking awesome.

[Z88]

I started to listen to Led Zeppelin (an other great bands)at a very young age, mainly due to my father. And even at a very young I used to asked him to put them on the stereo, mainly "The Immigrant Song". And them i kind of grew on with their music, and even now, even though a like a hole bunch of bands, they still are my favourite.

Edited January 11, 2008 by Z88

[toleressea]

My first Zep experience was Black Dog as well. It was the summer of 76 I was 10. I grew up in a very small town in the middle of nothing but it was at the beach. We had a juke box on our 85 ft board walk that was loaded with great rock n roll - I loved most of it. But one day while playing pool I heard that "Hey hey Momma" and it blew my mind. My brother was a electrical geek and he had somehow spliced his 8 track player into the juke box and played a new band he just got. It wasnt until much later that I found out why there was no Zeppelin on the juke box - they were dead set against releasing singles. My brother later on became an expert at putting Zeppelin songs on a tape and playing them through the juke box. I have been hooked ever since.

[meme88822]

Mine's a weird story kinda. I noticed the boy at my school that I like has a LZ shirt with the laturn guy on it. So me and one of my frieds were talking and she said I should listen to them bcause she is one of his friends. So I looked up Stairway to Heaven. I didn't like it much at first but after listening to it about five times in a row it grew on me. So the next day when I went shopping I bought Mothership. And I've been listening to them ever sence.

[Ethan]

My first taste of Led Zeppelin was when i was a teenager around the age of 16 but id didnt start to really appriciate them to a few years later when i heard Stairway to Heaven and Tangerine at a friends house. Shortly after i got hold of the Song Remains The Same on DVD and was hooked, hoping to get hold of the long voerdue SE DVD shortly .

[mightyzep247]

Five years ago, when i was 8, i kinda liked music but i listened to shitty stuff like linkin park and POD. It was the summer and we were gonna go away somewhere and i just wanted to go to the baseball hall of fame because i was obsessed with baseball. But my brothers were into music so we took a road trip from new york to cleveland, to the rock and roll hall of fame. I was kinda bored and just kinda looking at stuff. Then my dad stopped me at this station where you can listen to music and he put on the headphones and played Whole Lotta Love and i dropped my jaw and knew i was in love. Later we were walking and in one room i saw and almost touched one of Bonzo's gongs. That was the day i bought my first Zep cd, the Early Days/Latter Days box set.

[aen27]

My story has several parts to it. My uncal had his own band in which he was the guitarist and my aunt was one of the singers. I remember him talking about Jimmy and Zeppelin back when I was around maybe 4 or 5. I was 5 when Bonzo died. I always was watching music shows, then and this was before MTV and VH-1. I can't remember if that is where I heard Kashmir or if it on the radio, but I loved it when I was 5, but I thought it was a brand new song, same with The Rain Song, but I remember hearing about them and Jimmy when I was very young and being a little scared of them.I think it was maybe how their dark reputation looked to a little girl in the late 70's. But I always knew who Jimmy was since. Then in the begining of 2006, after I had gotton into the Bonzo Dog Band via the Beatles and was reading Chris Welch's biography of Vivian Stanshall, in which Jimmy is mentioned. I began to get more and more intrigued by Jimmy and his career. The Bonzos had opened of Zeppelin in San Franscio, and the Yardbirds scene was already my favorite scene in Blow Up. I had read the Zeppelin part of Pamala's book Rock Bottom, in which she talked about how fraglie Jimmy was. I had also found a copy of Oz that had Vivian Stanshall on the cover with Germaine Greer, it also has maybe one of the reviews of the first album and how fun it is. I bought the Yarbirds documentary from early '90's. I cautiously was leading up to Zeppelin without really realizing it. Finally, using a gift card my friend had gotten me for my birthday, I bought the first album, the 2003 DVD, and SRTS. I started playing the album when I got home and it was --like I saw before--love at first song and just went on from there.

Edited January 13, 2008 by aen27

[GAC64]

My brother turned me on to Zep in the early 70's alone with Sabbath, Deep Purple, ELP, YES, Genesis, ZZ Top and a host of other great bands. And I have been listening ever since. To this day, it blows me away when I put on a Zep record, and it just lets me know how special they were.

[stonefreelee]

I remember my sister would have her boyfriend over to our (actually my moms') house while my mom was still at work. They would smoke weed and listen to music. I was just getting into the Beatles and I wasn't ready for drugs. I was a late bloomer, having turned 14 in August of 1977.

When he was over I would hear music that was NOT top 40....I would ask who is this, who is that...I had heard the song a couple of times but still didn't know who it was...it started out with this massive drum opening--D'yer M'ker (believe it or not!) my curiousity was piqued...then i heard my (future) brother-in-law play "Over the Hills..." on his acoustic guitar...that riff was amazing, absolutely f--ing amazing...I would always ask, "Who does that?" referring to Dyer Mker and OTHAFA...he would always reply, "George Harrison" every freakin' time...well, with my sisters help, i discovered LZ and the Houses album...from there it was just a matter of backtracking...I evetually went out and bought all the albums up to Presence...that is all that was available then, as most of you know...Hooked like a mug!

I didn't know it then, but LZ wasn't coming back to St.Louis. Nor were they coming back to the US "as they were"....ever.

Summer of '78 i was 14 going on 15. I and my best friend (who was a year younger than me) had tattoo's put on by his cousin...with a sewing needle and india ink...mine said (or should I say "Says") ZeP on my right forearm...yeah, you could say i was hooked...my first tattoo at age 14!

I waited...I remember the news that LZ was going to play the Knebworth festival in Aug. of '79. I remember dreaming of going to that!!! I knew i never would, but boy did i wish!!!!

I remember "In Thru The Out Door" coming out in STL Aug 20th, 1979...RPs' birthday (and my Mom's) and remember going home and hearing that eerie opening for the first time...too bad the album turned out to be (IMO) their low point...was so dsapppointed that they would not tour 'til late '80...I remember hearing on the news in the summer of '80 about their European jaunt...then on the 10th anniversery of the passing of Jimi Hendrix i heard with my own ears the announcement of LZ's impending tour, 1st leg ending with four nights in Chicago...2nd leg to be announced later in the tour...this was a friday after getting home from school...the following friday would hold a nightmare which none of us could foresee...

[therover1991]

Well my dad was always a big Led Zeppelin fan. I remember the day he bought How The West Was Won about four and a half years ago. That album was and still is amazing. I loved the live version of Rock and Roll. One day I found my dad's Zep collection and i listened to a few songs and I was hooked. I took a Zep hiatus for a while then I listened again and I was hooked. I uploaded all the albums to my computer and I always listened. Then when I got to HS i completed the collection my father started and now I am proud to say I own all their albums. I love everyone in a different way. I will never forget the first time i hear Rock and Roll on How the West Was Won. I hope to pass on my love for Led Zeppelin to my children one of these days.

[MightyZep]

I was first introduced to Led Zeppelin by my dad around the time that the Zep DVD was coming out in '03. I remember he was telling me to sit down and watch it with him because it was really good stuff. I remember kinda being pissed off that I had to sit down and watch some old concert footage with him. I wasn't too interested right then (one of the biggest regrets of my life) and I left the room. But, about a year later I had a cousin of mine come to visit and he brought with him Early Days and Latter Days and put the CD in the car we were driving. I kept on telling him that they were "pretty good" (again another mistake) but that they were nothing special. But, he let me borrow the songs anyway and it was around that time that the whole thing clicked. I remember I was cleaning up some crap I had messed up in the kitchen area of my house and decided I was going to put in a CD since I had to clean. Reluctantly I fumbled around for the Led Zeppelin Early Days CD. I think that the first song that really hit me was either the Immigrant Song or Black Dog. It was as if I suddenly had some otherworldy knowledge hit me square in the face. I remember looking up at the CD player and being blown away at how amazing the music was! Even more amazing is that I had passed up Zeppelin twice before, without giving any consideration! I am only glad that I realise now that NOTHING will ever be like Led Zeppelin. No band or any musical force comes close! I'm just glad I was given those extra chances! I've now tried to pass on their legacy to others, and have successful. I remember what music was like before I heard Led Zeppelin: boring

[Chrestus]

I find it rather telling that so many of us list "Stairway to Heaven" as the song that got them interested. Such a tribute to the power of that song, even regardless of its current overplayed status as an icon of popular music.

More interesting though, is "Black Dog." That song is like some weird bridge between satanic stoner heavy metal and classic rock. That riff...and Bob's vocals...its like its underground and mainstream at the same time. (Yes, I called him Bob, bet I'm the first on here to do it. Probably made half a dozen enemies, just with that). Its the bridge between middle-class suburbia and stoner-freak satanic metal-head. Hey, that's no small feat.

[Mountain Hopper]

I was 4 years old when I got ahold of my Mother's led zep albums from high school. The rest is history.

[Mountain Hopper]

I was first introduced to Led Zeppelin by my dad around the time that the Zep DVD was coming out in '03. I remember he was telling me to sit down and watch it with him because it was really good stuff. I remember kinda being pissed off that I had to sit down and watch some old concert footage with him. I wasn't too interested right then (one of the biggest regrets of my life) and I left the room. But, about a year later I had a cousin of mine come to visit and he brought with him Early Days and Latter Days and put the CD in the car we were driving. I kept on telling him that they were "pretty good" (again another mistake) but that they were nothing special. But, he let me borrow the songs anyway and it was around that time that the whole thing clicked. I remember I was cleaning up some crap I had messed up in the kitchen area of my house and decided I was going to put in a CD since I had to clean. Reluctantly I fumbled around for the Led Zeppelin Early Days CD. I think that the first song that really hit me was either the Immigrant Song or Black Dog. It was as if I suddenly had some otherworldy knowledge hit me square in the face. I remember looking up at the CD player and being blown away at how amazing the music was! Even more amazing is that I had passed up Zeppelin twice before, without giving any consideration! I am only glad that I realise now that NOTHING will ever be like Led Zeppelin. No band or any musical force comes close! I'm just glad I was given those extra chances! I've now tried to pass on their legacy to others, and have successful. I remember what music was like before I heard Led Zeppelin: boring

Shame on you.

[MightyZep]

Shame on you.

Why? I finally got it didn't I? Sometimes it just takes awhile for something to sink in. You know??

[Alice]

Mine's a weird story kinda. I noticed the boy at my school that I like has a LZ shirt with the laturn guy on it. So me and one of my frieds were talking and she said I should listen to them bcause she is one of his friends. So I looked up Stairway to Heaven. I didn't like it much at first but after listening to it about five times in a row it grew on me. So the next day when I went shopping I bought Mothership. And I've been listening to them ever sence.

i got that shirt too fro Christmas from my sister

[KaiserSchorsch]

Back in elementary school I only listened to Weird Al Yankovic and Queen (because of Wayne's World). In 7th grade I started listening to disco for some reason, I started listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival and liked it a bit, and then I found In Through the Out Door, the only Led Zeppelin album my dad had on CD. I listened to that album repeatedly and then for my 13th birthday got Early Days/Latter Days, along with AC/DC's For Those About to Rock and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and the Stairway to Heaven Hermit Poster from a close friend (a female too). ITTOD is the first real rock album I ever heard and my 13th birthday's gifts are the root of my musical tastes.