The Beatles had largely quit touring by the time Led Zeppelin made their stage debut on September 7, 1968. A seventeen-year-old boy clutching his mother’s camera was among the crowd that night at Copenhagen’s Gladsaxe Teen Club. His disappointment quickly set in when he saw a sign announcing “The New Yardbirds” instead of the Yardbirds jam, which was what he had been hoping to see. Who were these impostor wannabes, and how could the Gladsaxe have the audacity to pull off a stunt like this?
It was Jimmy Page he recognized when The New Yardbirds appeared. The young Dane knew nothing about the legendary John Paul Jones, John Bonham, or Robert Plant. Less than three years later, The Beatles parted ways as a group, never mind performing live. Led Zeppelin was the next big thing, trying to capture the culture with their loud style. Furthermore, it’s a boisterous sound that even The Beatles’ former members would applaud.
When George Harrison saw the band perform live for the first time, he was amazed. When “The Quiet One” first saw them, he declared, “Fu*k Me!” and thus made his nickname a misnomer. Regarding The Beatles’ wild three-hour performance, he exclaimed, “We were on for 25 minutes and could get off in 15!”. Additionally, John Lennon was also a bit of a fanboy.
Led Zeppelin was quick to herald the band when they first appeared. He stated, “You know, I just think it’s either something I like or don’t like or it’s heavy or it’s light,” in an interview with Hit Parader around the time of their first successes. “I enjoy rock or heavy music. I’m fond of Led Zeppelin. “I don’t know much of what they’re about,” the speaker later added. However, Jimmy Page is an extremely talented guitarist.
John Bonham responded as follows when questioned about Led Zeppelin’s victory in the Melody Maker poll of the greatest British band to form after The Beatles split up:
Both the children and the music are evolving. I believe that the audience these days is more diverse than just children, as evidenced by the variety of people that attend concerts. They’re probably coming to hear you play, in my opinion. not merely to observe you and what you are.
Later on, Bonham said, “We’ve mentioned The Beatles a few times, so I remember going to see them a few years ago. To gaze upon them, that was. You were listening to something that didn’t bother you. What you’re playing is who you are not today.
Although Harrison would stay close to Led Zeppelin, John Lennon would leave the band in the years that followed and rarely comment on the group. Harrison once said to John “Bonzo” Bonham, “The problem with you guys is you never do ballads.” Jimmy Page overheard this conversation and told biographer Brad Tolinski the story. Page promised, “I’ll give him a ballad,” and got to work writing one of the greatest “I’ll-show-you” songs ever recorded.
Page went on, “I wrote ‘Rain Song,’ which is on Houses of the Holy.’ In fact, as you can see, I even quote ‘Something’ in the first two chords of the song”. Since Page also wrote the song under the working title “Slush,” this nod to Harrison was less of an homage and more of a lighthearted jab.
Because rock ‘n’ roll is so intricate, following Harrison’s advice and displaying a sensitive side paid off. Legendary producer Rick Rubin once told Rolling Stone Magazine, “It defies classification,” about the song “Rain Song.” The guitar has such elegant, lovely detail, and the triumphant feel of the drums is contrasted with sadness and melancholy, strength, and power. This music is one that I could listen to all day.
