The truth behind the Led Zeppelin legend
In the early 1970s, rock’n’roll debauchery reached its peak. And no band scaled that peak as eagerly as Led Zeppelin. Mick Wall reveals the truth behind the legends and gossip
If the first four years in the life of Led Zeppelin had been about empire-building, the next four (1972-75) would find them overseeing their kingdom with all the splendid pomp and inherent arrogance of pharaohs. Zep were now self-made millionaires so famous they hid behind armed guards, employed their own drug-dealers and flew by private jet. They were also at their creative zenith, taking their music far beyond the bounds of most other rock groups.
Indeed, only the Stones matched them at this time for musical promiscuousness, as both groups toyed, variously, with funk, reggae, country, West Coast . . . Arguably, Zep went even further, allowing jazz, synthesizers, folk, doo-wop and Asian raga influences to seep into their signature sound. They went further in terms of on-the-road…