LedZepedia

The dark lord rides

2010-01-31T15:15:00.014+08:00

"Sing as you raise your bow; shoot straighter than before. No comfort has the fire at night that lights the face so cold."

It is an intoxicating cocktail of musical statement, an unbelievable mixture of complex yet straightforward artistic expression.

The album has broken all boundaries and has transcended both time and space.

If you were Jimmy Page what title would you give it?

Well, Jimmy decided not to give this album a title after the lukewarm reaction Led Zeppelin III got in late 1970. Jimmy Page instead featured four hand-drawn symbols on the album's inner sleeve as well as record label.

Each of these symbols represents a band member.

Jimmy Page claimed to have created his "ZoSo" symbol himself and never told the public about its meaning.

John Bonham chose the three interlocking rings symbol, which represents the relationship of the woman, man and child, but which also happens to be Ballantine beer's logo.

John Paul Jones' symbol is a single circle intersecting three vesica pisces and has been seen on the cover of a book about the Rosicrucians, a religious cult in the middle ages. This represents a person who has both confidence and competence.

Robert Plant's symbol is a writer's emblem. It makes use of the feather of Ma'at, the Egyptian goddess of justice and fairness. Robert once said that the symbol came from the ancient Mu civilization.

With regard to the album not having a title, Jimmy was quoted as saying

"[w]e decided that on the fourth album, we would deliberately play down the group name, and there wouldn't be any information whatsoever on the outer jacket. Names, titles and things like that do not mean a thing."[1]

Not having a title has made the album pretty hard to identify. Even though the band members say that it would be improper to name the album it's commonly known to fans as Led Zeppelin IV. Other names for the album like Four Symbols, The Fourth Album, The Runes Album and ZoSo also popped up.

Led Zeppelin IV was recorded at Headley Grange in Hampshire, Island Studios in London and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. The album is a successful marriage between Led Zeppelin's hard rocking second album and their third album's folkish sound.

The album showcases Led Zeppelin's subtlety as well as restraint in contrast to their stadium-filling grandstanding and thereby confirming their rock gods status.

I rate this album 10/10. Those who disagree may post their comments. :-)

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Photo credit:
Wolfzeppelin
youhearmetalking

New York Song

2008-11-16T13:10:00.013+08:00

There is a train that leaves the station heading for your destination, but the price you pay to nowhere has increased a dollar more...

Sometimes introduced as "The New York Song," the lyrics of "Celebration Day" record Robert Plant's impressions of New York City on Led Zeppelin's 1971 US concert tour.

The song is the third track from the band's 1970 "Led Zeppelin III" album. "Celebration Day" was almost left off the album, because an engineer erased the beginning parts of John Bonham's drum track by mistake. In order to save the track and be included in the album, the Moog synthesizer from the end of the previous track, "Friends," was used to mask over the edit.

In an interview with Guitar World magazine in 1993, Jimmy Page described how it all happened:

... the rhythm track in the beginning of "Celebration Day" was completely wiped by an engineer. I forget what we were recording, but I was listening through the headphones and nothing was coming through. I started yelling "What the hell is going on!!" Then I noticed that the red recording light was on what used to be the drums. The engineer had accidently recorded over Bonzo! And that is why you have that synthesizer drone from the end of "Friends" going into "Celebration Day", until the rhythm track catches up. We put that on to compensate for the missing drum track. That's called "salvaging." [laughs.]

"Celebration Day" was often performed live in Led Zeppelin concerts between the years 1971 and 1973.

The song was also recorded and included on Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same" soundtrack, which was released in 1976. However, the film did not include this song, but in 2007, when the DVD of the film was reissued, the live cut of "Celebration Day" was finally added. The reissue of the album now also contains this version of Celebration Day, instead of the 1973 U.S. tour version, which was the one originally included in the 1976 album.

"Celebration Day" is a dizzying mixture of Jimmy Page guitar riffs that create a whirlwind of hypnotic sound.

There's about three or four riffs going down on that one, isn't there? Half was done with a guitar in standard tuning and the other half was done on slide guitar tuned to an open A, I think. We put that together at Headley Grange. Because we rented the Rolling Stones' mobile recording studio, we could relax and take our time and develop the songs in rehearsals... I do not remember too much about that song other than that and what I told you earlier about the opening being erased. I used to play the whole thing live on my electric 12-string. -- Jimmy Page.

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Photo credit: onefinancialgroup

Swinging on the gallows pole

2008-10-14T18:32:00.008+08:00

What did you bring me my dear friends to keep me from the gallows pole?

The song exists in many forms, but all versions tell a similar story. Led Zeppelin's version is based on a traditional blues song called "Gallis Pole," popularized by Leadbelly.

Gallows Pole is about a man trying to delay his death, and repeatedly tells the hangman to "hold it a little while" hoping that friends and family will rescue him.

This is a unique Led Zeppelin song in that it features a banjo. Although he had never played the instrument before, Jimmy Page wrote this song on a banjo that he borrowed from John Paul Jones.

I just picked it [the banjo] up and started moving my fingers around until the chords sounded right, which is the same way I work on compositions when the guitar's in different tunings. -- Jimmy Page.

The song speeds up as it goes along, bringing us faster and faster towards the grim conclusion:

Your brother brought me silver, your sister warmed my soul, but now I laugh and pull so hard and see you swinging on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole...

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Photo credit: ORK1

Ramble on

2008-10-05T19:54:00.013+08:00

It was crazy really. We were writing the numbers in hotel rooms and then we'd do a rhythm track in London, add the vocal in New York, overdub the harmonica in Vancouver and then come back to finish mixing at New York. -- Robert Plant.

Yes, Led Zeppelin jumped through all the hoops just to get their second album recorded. It was hectic, it was crazy, it was exciting!

The album, simply called Led Zeppelin II, was released in 1969 and contains materials that are somewhat similar to their debut album but with a more refined touch. This album eventually became more widely acclaimed than the first.

Led Zeppelin II was recorded during a much-traveled period after the group finished three US and four European concert tours from January to August 1969. The band was all over the UK and US, separately recording, mixing and producing each song at various studios. There was one particular studio in Vancouver that had an eight-track set up and didn't have proper headphone facilities.

The band, especially Jimmy Page, was so impressed with recording engineer Eddie Kramer's previous work with Jimi Hendrix. Led Zeppelin II would be the band's first teamup with Kramer. The reason for the second album's success can be attributed in no small part to Page and Kramer's tireless efforts in the control room.

That part of "Whole Lotta Love" where everything is in jumble was the result of Page and Kramer turning every knob here and there.
This work served as a precedent to the hard rock music of the 70's. Here, guitar-based riffs define the songs and serve as the refrain. Such arrangements were unheard of at that time where the emphasis was on vocal chorus or verses.

Led Zeppelin II was one of the band's most important work. It was a turning point that helped usher in the era of modern rock music.

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Photo credits:

The day the music died

2008-09-25T18:25:00.006+08:00

We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.
--Led Zeppelin--

He was regarded by many as the greatest rock drummer of all time, but he never lived to see the day when his name would be etched side by side those of rock's greatest musicians.

The day was September 25, 1980. The news travelled fast: John Bonham's dead! The powerhouse that drove the Led Zeppelin sound is gone... forever.

What happened? How can he just go like that? It was a day no hardcore Led Zeppelin fan will ever forget.

Born on May 31, 1948, John Henry Bonham at the early age of ten was already serious about drumming. A childhood friend of Robert Plant, John Bonham was the drummer of a group called Band of Joy, where he'd put his drum set in front of the stage so he would get as much attention as Robert.

After refusing to play with Joe Cocker and Chris Farlow, John Bonham joined Led Zeppelin.

Just before his death in early 1980, John Bonham fell off his stool while performing with Led Zeppelin on stage. This was already an indication of the extent of his substance abuse.

On that fateful day, John Bonham, at Jimmy Page's home, downed an uncountable amount of vodka. John, who during that time had also been taking a drug to curb heroin addiction, was laid down to sleep face up instead of down. This caused him to choke on his own vomit and die.

John Bonham was a sight to behold performing live, as he would yell as loud as he could while beating the drums to give it that extra edge.

Robert Plant said that what made John Bonham such a great drummer was that he "didn't not overplay." It was what he kept back that made him so good.

Back in the 80s the question echoed: Who could replace John Bonham?

There was only silence...

Every Led Zeppelin fan knew that John Bonham was one of a kind.

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Photo credit: turkey_dah

Led Zep tour barren without Plant

2008-09-23T20:17:00.007+08:00

Reports say that Led Zeppelin is planning a tour in 2009 and even releasing a new album. However, Robert Plant who seems to have other things in mind has so far been the holdout regarding these ideas.

No doubt, Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands that ever rocked the world. But what makes them special?

Is it John Bonham's thunderous drum patterns? Robert Plant's primeval wail? John Paul Jones' bass playing and beautiful keyboard melodies? Or Jimmy Page's great guitar riffs?

While individually they are great musicians, it is their unique chemistry together that sets Led Zeppelin apart. If you listen to each of their solo efforts, you'd notice rightaway that none of them could equal the greatness and intensity of all four of them playing together as a band.

Rumor has it that having found a new singer, the group (Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham) is reportedly planning to go on tour with or without Robert Plant.

Will the band still be Led Zeppelin? Will it's essence as a band still be the same? How do you think would fans react to that? This will certainly change the band's chemistry.

With Jason taking over his father's place as drummer, the chemistry's intact, since Jason's got most of it.

But without Robert, things will be completely different. What will become of Led Zeppelin? Only time will tell.

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Photo credit The_Magician

Heavier headstock for better sustain

2008-09-20T23:59:00.015+08:00

There are several things you can do to increase your electric guitar's sustain. You can add distortion, compressor, add or increase feedback, or even mess with your equalizer. However, there's a more natural way of doing it, and that is by adding weight to your headstock.

Many claim this is a myth, probably because they haven't tried it. Well I have, and known firsthand that it works.

So, why and how does it work? When you play your electric or acoustic guitar, your strings vibrate, making the body and neck resonate as well. The lesser the density or mass of the material, the greater the tendency for it to vibrate.

The vibrations coming from the body and neck of your electric guitar, and those coming from the strings tend to cancel each other out. (Your physics teacher can explain this better.)

The "noisier" your guitar's body and neck are, the less sustain you will get from your strings. If you don't believe me, why don't you do the same thing I did -- experiment!

My first experiment though was nothing short of barbaric. When I first heard about this theory I quickly looked around for something that would instantly add mass to my headstock. The first thing I found was a vise grip!

It was a heavy tool, and the sustain I got from my guitar was awesome. It was like my electric guitar could scream forever.

Wait! I'm not telling you to use vise grip.

You can experiment with a couple of replacement tuner buttons: one lighter and the other heavier than the one that's currently installed on your electric guitar. Which set of tuner buttons do you think will help you achieve the best sustain? Let your ears decide.

Alternatively, you can use lead tape. The kind that golf and tennis players use to alter the swing weight of their equipment. Just stick the lead tape on and evenly around the sides of the headstock. Now, play your guitar and hear the difference.

There's actually a product called "Fat Head," which is a sheet of bell brass that wraps neatly around your guitar's headstock. I was unable to find this product online -- I'll keep on trying though. However, your local custom guitar shop might be willing to manufacture and install a similar accessory for you.

There are a couple of things that you'll immediately notice after adding mass to your headstock:

You get a crisper, clearer tone from your guitar; and
a killer sustain.

Try it. It really works.

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Photo credit: sofus99

Raised sand weighs Plant down

2008-09-14T10:19:00.018+08:00

Zepmen Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham (son of deceased drummer John Bonham) are working together on new tracks intended for a new Led Zeppelin album. However, the band's lead singer Robert Plant is not in this picture.

Where is he?

This was the man who welded blues and metal together into intricate rock masterpieces. Robert Plant was and still is an explorer, and loves the challenge of conquering new musical territories.

When I was a kid it was all I could have wished for to be involved in something that was so ground breaking and different. -- Robert Plant

Now, Robert is onto something new -- something totally unrelated to Led Zeppelin.

With his successful collaboration with American singer and violin virtuoso Alison Krauss, it seems Robert Plant is ready to become, if he isn't already, a country bluegrass star himself.

Robert plant was further quoted saying:

When I met Alison and we started opening up our capacities, she taught me so many things which were coming from such a different angle it was great to be able to learn. I'm up for it you know.

The question remains: Will Led Zeppelin be making a new album?

Jimmy Page has hinted that nothing will happen until Robert Plant has finished touring and working with Alison Krauss on the Raising Sand project.

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Photo credits:

Airship of lead takes off

2008-09-13T05:18:00.001+08:00

Right from the start, Led Zeppelin already had a well defined and unique sound. It was centered mostly around heavy, distorted electric blues taken to an extreme.

However, their sound can't be described as raw. Despite Led Zeppelin's heavy, powerful sound, the key to the band's attack was subtlety.

The group utilized an array of tempo, shades and texture that resulted in such multi-layered music even from the very beginning of their career.

After the Yardbirds broke up in 1968, Jimmy Page set out to find replacements for the missing band members as he still had certain obligations to fulfill.

John Paul Jones, who was an amazing bass player, got in contact with Jimmy first. Jimmy got a tip about a singer from Birmingham who sang for a band called Hobbstweedle, and in August 1968, Robert Plant accepted Jimmy's offer and joined the band.

However, the band still needed one more member -- a drummer. Upon Robert Plant's recommendation, John Bonham, Robert's childhood friend, became their new drummer.

The band intially called themselves The New Yard Birds and finished the Yardbirds concert schedule.

Later on, the band's name changed to Led Zeppelin, after Keith Moon of The Who made a jest saying that the band would go over "like a lead zeppelin."

The band signed a contract with Atlantic Records and released their first album "Led Zeppelin," in February 1969. The album was recorded within 30 hours, and in just a couple of months reached Billboard’s Top Ten.

Led Zeppelin's debut album went on to gross more than £3.5 million, just short of 20,000 times more than their reputed initial investment of £1,782.

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Photo credits:

Bron yr Aur revisited: A rock pilgrimage

2008-09-07T15:29:00.016+08:00

... was the first time I really came to know Robert. Actually living together at Bron-Yr-Aur, as opposed to occupying nearby hotel rooms. The songs took us into areas that changed the band, and it established a standard of travelling for inspiration... which is the best thing a musician can do. -- Jimmy Page

Bron yr Aur is a quaint cottage in South Snowdonia, Wales. It was here where Led Zeppelin retreated to write songs for "Led Zeppelin III." Bron yr Aur means literally "golden breast" or "breast of gold" in Welsh, but a more appropriate translation would be "hillside of gold."

In 1994, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant returned to Bron yr Aur for their reunion called "No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant unledded."

Bron yr Aur is the "mystical" cottage where Led Zeppelin composed timeless songs, though the cottage had neither running water nor electricity. Those with the band at that time included Robert Plant's wife Maureen and their 18-month-old daughter Carmen, Jimmy Page's girlfriend Charlotte Martin as well as Led Zeppelin roadies Clive Coulson and Sandy MacGregor.

Among the songs written by the band at Bron Yr Aur in 1970 were "Over the Hills and Far Away," "The Crunge," "The Rover," "Bron-Yr-Aur," "Down By The Seaside" and "Poor Tom."

During Page and Plant's Unledded reunion in 94, Robert told the audience that Jimmy's daughter, Scarlet, was conceived "about half an hour" after "That's The Way" was written at Bron-Yr-Aur.

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Photo credits:

The Song Remains the Same

2008-09-07T10:07:00.007+08:00

Obviously we were committed to putting this album out, although it wasn't necessarily the best live stuff we have. I don't look upon it as a live album... it's essentially a soundtrack.

As far as (Led Zeppelin's) studio recordings went, every single one of them has a certain ambiance, certain atmospherics that made them special. When it came to the live shows, we were always trying to move things forward and we certainly weren't happy leaving them as they were. The songs were always in a state of change. On Song Remains the Same you can hear the urgency and not much else. The live shows were an extension of the albums.

These were the words of no less than Led Zeppelin guitar god Jimmy Page.

Dismissed by the band members themselves as a disappointment on its first release, Led Zeppelin's soundtrack album The Song Remains the Same is one of those 70s records that has aged well and survived its reputation -- becoming more valuable with the passage of time.

Released on September 28, 1976, the album's sleeve design shows a dilapidated movie house at Old Street film studios in London, which Led Zeppelin used for rehearsals before the band went into tour in 1973.

During this time, the band has matured. Satisfied with their status as rock overlords, they have settled and no longer sounded hungry. However, the sheer scale of their sound remained.

This was a time when Led Zeppelin's only concern was pleasing themselves, and they did so only because they could. Imitators tried to do the same, but nobody could capture that big monstrous sound that only Led Zeppelin can.

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Photo credit: pauluk61

Robert Plant buys bootleg Led Zeppelin

2008-08-23T18:12:00.015+08:00

Photo credit: wayupnorthtonowhere

He's the last person on earth you'd expect to buy bootleg copies of Led Zeppelin's work. But, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant does. However, Robert refuses to pay full price for the items.

The legendary rock singer loves to go around town looking for shops that sell illegal copies of Led Zeppelin recordings. Threatening the vendors that Jimmy Page is gonna come after them, ensures that he gets the ones he likes for half the price.

Here's an excerpt of an interview with Robert Plant:

Robert: I’ve got all the symptoms of a major cocaine overdose, but in fact what it is causing it is seeing all this great New Orleans funk, Barrington Levy, dub and soul gathered in one fantastic place. They are also near another shop selling Led Zeppelin bootlegs on vinyl which are very nice too. I bought two copies of the Paris Theatre show, from London in 1972.

Interviewer: But Robert, you're the lead singer. You shouldn't have to buy Zeppelin bootlegs -- don't you just claim 'em?

Robert: Well, they looked a bit sheepish. When they tried to charge me full price I said , 'Don't do that or I'm gonna send Jimmy Page round?'.

The one that got away

2008-08-17T21:17:00.007+08:00

Photo credit: diplomaticpermission

With his unique tone, phrasing and playing style, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy page has greatly contributed in shaping the sound and style of today's hard rock guitar, making him one of the most influential musicians over the past 50 years.

During the early days of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page played a three-pickup 1960 Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” equipped with a Bigsby vibrato arm. Jimmy relied heavily on this guitar, and used it a lot with the Yardbirds up until Led Zeppelin's '70 tour when it was stolen, at an airport, on their way to Canada.

Photo credit: ToastedSoul

Jimmy issued an ad in Rolling Stone, but the guitar was never recovered. Jimmy now sadly refers to that beauty as "the one that got away."

The Black Beauty has this serial number on it: 06130. If you happen to get your hands on this axe, have a heart and return it to Jimmy.

The master craftsman's voice

2008-07-24T23:22:00.019+08:00

A revolutionary and passionate inventor, Larry Lashbrook is ranked among the world's best luthiers. Starting as early as 1964, while still a senior High School student, Larry had accumulated more than 40 years of experience setting up, repairing as well as building and hand crafting custom guitars.

Larry has worked with a countless number of professional guitarists, most specially, Yngwie Malmsteen with whom he has worked with for almost 20 years.

During the early years, Larry began by simply copying the popular instruments at that time, such as the Gibson 335 and Les Paul style solid bodies. Later on he incorporated his own designs and ideas as he introduced new hardware and materials. He even devised his own set-up technique.

Larry's passion for building guitars coupled with his innovative mind eventually led to a steady stream customers. When Larry moved out of his parent's home and into his new abode in 1972, he was already a Master Luthier.

Larry is not the type of craftsman who would simply follow traditional designs. He is a revolutionary at heart, and so he began building a truly original guitar, one that is not only beautiful and plays well, but offers rich and varied tones with added functionality not found in other guitars. And so began his lifelong quest -- to build the ultimate guitar.

Today, this self-taught Master Luthier believes that he has realized his dreams. The beautiful ergonomic light weight design and the flawless tone of Lashbrook guitars reflect the master craftsman's soul.

Strat versus Les Paul

2008-06-24T00:12:00.003+08:00

Gibson Les Paul (photo credit pedrovaladez)

In the battle of electric guitars, there is none that is hotter and more fiery than the one raging between the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul. These two, since the 1950s, are the most coveted electric guitars by hard rock warriors. There are hundreds of other guitars for sure - you have the Rickenbacker, the Danelectro, the Telecaster and SG. Some of them are fine guitars, but many are just for show rather for playing. Go to a guitar store, take a look around and you'll see that a lot of the guitars being sold today are just imitations or copies of either the Strat or Les Paul.

So, what's so special about the Stratocaster and the Les Paul anyway? Why are all the other guitars being left out? The answer to these questions is really simple: All the great guitarists, except for a few, have chosen to play either one of these two guitars and dismissed the others. Guitars such as the Rickenbacker and the Danelectro have some sort of aesthetic appeal on stage, but that's it. Tonally, they sound flat and have a pretty narrow range.

To be fair, Telecasters and SGs are also great guitars. A number of rock guitarists play the telecaster. Musicians such as Keith Richards, Steve Cropper and Bruce Springsteen have proven that the Tele is a great rhythm guitar. A few like Roy Buchannon, Danny Gatton, and Albert Collins (dubbed the 'Master of Telecaster') have demonstrated that the Telecaster can also be a good lead guitar. However, despite having the capability of producing a fine sound, the Telecaster has a fairly limited tonal range, unlike the Strat and Les Paul.

What makes the Strat and Les Paul sell? Although both guitars sound very different from each other, they do share something in common: a wide tonal range that suits a myriad of styles and musical applications. They both feel great, and practically sing in your hands.

So who plays the Stratocaster? Well, to name a few we have Jimmy Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Ritchie Blackmore. Take note that although these guitarists play the same instrument, each of them sounds unique, thanks to the Strat's tonal versatility.

The Strat sound can be described as twangy, somewhat "sharp." The harder you press the strings, the more she gives. Basically, the Stratocaster is a screamer. However, Eric Clapton can produce a fat, chunky sound with his Strat, and Jeff Beck can produce a smooth and jazzy sound with it.

The Les Paul sound on the other hand has been described as fat, mellow, woody, and chunky. Owing its fat sound mainly to its double coil humbucking pickups, the Les Paul is ideal for rock, jazz, blues, and heavy metal.

I remember my first experience with a Les Paul when I was fifteen. The guitar felt like it was playing itself, yet at the same time I felt like the Les Paul became a part of me, and the sustain was just unbelievable!

In my own experience, because of its concave neck and its general feel, the Les Paul is best suited for lightning fast solos, and the incredible sustain will add a killer touch to your sound.

Slash, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Ace Frehley, Frank Zappa, Peter Frampton, and Zakk Wylde are all Les Paul players. It is notable that Peter Frampton can bring out a clear, bell-like sound from his Les Paul. But of all the Les Paul players, no one can beat Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin for bringing out that big heavy metal sound and creating those hot guitar licks that Led Zeppelin is so famous for.

So now which one is it, the Strat or the Les Paul? I'll make it easy for you. If you want to sound, more… or less, like your favorite guitarist, choose the guitar that he plays.

Led Zeppelin Join Foo Fighters at Wembley

2008-06-09T20:05:00.014+08:00

Tonight playing here at Wembley Stadium is an honour and if we didn't take advantage of this opportunity we'd be crazy. We knew from the beginning this wasn't going to be another outdoor show, we have been planning this for six months so we would like to welcome Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones onstage.

The crowd went wild as Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl made this announcement on June 7, 2008 at the Wembley Stadium in London.

Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones surprised the audience who were not expecting the duo as they joined Foo Fighters during the latter's second night performance at Wembley.

Led Zeppelin's lead guitarist Jimmy Page and bass player John Paul Jones made their appearance for the encore of Foo Fighters' concert.

The team-up was Led Zeppelin's first gig since the band made a bigtime comeback concert in December 2007 at the O2 Arena.

For you Queen fans, in case you didn't already know, you'd be delighted to learn that the gig we're talking about here also marked the 8th month after Queen and Foo Fighters played together in London. I'm sure this story is covered in someone else's blog :-).

At Wembley, however, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant was absent as he was busy working on his solo tour.

During the encore Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl played the drums while Foo drummer Taylor Hawkins sang the lead lines on Rock ‘n’ Roll. The two Foo members switched back for the next number Ramble On before the concert ended with Best Of You.

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Foo Fighters' picture courtesy of Photobucket

The legendary Stratocaster lives on

2008-05-17T15:43:00.049+08:00

Here is a classic electric guitar that hasn't undergone any major change in more than fifty years, and remained one of the most cherished guitars even among the young hard-rocking musicians of today.

When Leo Fender first thought of a guitar that would be a fitting successor to the "old fashioned" Telecaster, he envisioned one with a futuristic touch that is perfect in many ways.

As its principal designer, Leo Fender produced the first Stratocaster in 1954. Here at last was a brand new electric guitar with innovative and futuristic design that came in a myriad of colors.

Yngwie Malmsteen playing his famous scalloped-neck Stratocaster.
Photo credit: 8wilson

However, to Leo's disappointment, most Telecaster and Esquire players at the time didn't catch on, and preferred their old trusty axes over the new and flashy Stratocaster.

Indeed, Leo Fender produced an electric guitar with features and qualities that made it way ahead of its time. It has taken quite a while before some serious musician declared: "Hey! This is a pretty cool piece of equipment!"

Ultimately, the Stratocaster became Leo Fender's most successful design. Some of the evolutionary features of this guitar include:

a plastic pickup cover that eliminates feedback,
a higher cutaway that makes playing high notes easier,
a body contour that makes this electric guitar comfortable to hold and play, and
a revolutionary whammy bar design.

Photo credit: photobucket

To date, no one has yet come up with a better design for the Stratocaster than what has been laid down by Leo Fender way back in the fifties. The Stratocaster has remained the instrument of choice for many guitarists today, and will undoubtedly continue to be so for many years to come.

Ledzepedia categories

2008-05-14T06:17:00.050+08:00

Welcome! Within the pages of LedZepedia, you will find a wealth of musical information ranging from rock legends, such as Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, to musical instruments like hot electric guitars and cool drum sets. Have fun!

Biographies/History	Musicians' Lounge
Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page John Bonham John Paul Jones Robert Plant	Stratocaster Les Paul Les Paul vs. Stratocaster

Tall cool one

2008-05-07T23:09:00.025+08:00

Photo credit: 8wilson

He was easily the most popular member of the band: the outspoken guy, the guy with the blond hair, the frontman, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.

Known for his powerful style and wide vocal range, Robert Plant embodied folk and blues passion to the fullest.
Photo credit Shimmerschein
Growing up in the area west of Birmingham, Robert plant as a young boy attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Stourbridge.

His father who was hopeful that someday Robert would pursue an accounting career never saw that day, because Robert, instead, took the path to becoming a musician.

Robert Plant's early influences were mainly rooted in blues. Traditional blues artists such as Robert Johnson and Sonny Boy Williamson were among his favorites.

Robert Plant's life took a big change in 1968 when he met guitarist Jimmy Page who was in search of a lead singer for his new band.

Robert Plant brought his childhood friend John Bonham as drummer. Now with John Paul Jones, who was already working with Jimmy Page in the studio, Led Zeppelin was complete.

Probably the most influential rock singer in his time, Robert Plant's voice reached the four corners of the Earth. His unmistakable high-pitched primeval wail inspired a countless number of painfully inferior imitators.

But nobody, and nobody can sing like Robert Plant.

Still waters run deep

2008-05-07T11:20:00.051+08:00

John Paul Jones tuning his bass guitar (photo credit: xillbill)

He was the most underrated member of Led Zeppelin, yet he had a solid musical foundation, musical versatility and the desire to experiment.

After all, he was an arranger, song writer, keyboard player, guitar player, and above all, a helluva bass player.

John Paul Jones has mastered both the bass guitar and the keyboard, a unique combination of talents that earned him the reputation of being the most versatile member of Led Zeppelin.

In the studio, playing the keyboard and the bass guitar was easy, since he can always overdubb the bass parts later on. However, doing these arrangements onstage proved a difficult task, even for one as talented as John Paul Jones.

John would often, during these live performances, play the keyboard with both hands, and then play the bass parts simultaneously with his feet on the bass pedals.

Fender bass pedals (photo credit theresadobbs)

One of John Paul Jones' most popular Keyboard pieces was "No Quarter." Sometimes, when he feels like it, he would introduce lines from classical pieces in the middle of the song.

Always the quiet one in the group, John Paul Jones' professionalism has always ensured that whatever exorbitance he encountered on the road would never interfere with his performance.

It's not like he wasn't having fun when the rest of Led Zeppelin were, let's just say that he was more discreet about it.

Truly, still waters run deep.

God of thunder

2008-05-02T09:55:00.030+08:00

One of the distinguishing attributes of what we know as the Led Zeppelin sound comes from the heavy and explosive drumming style of John Bonham, a mixture of creativity and thunderous energy that often left the audience in awe and on the edge of their seats.

Photo credit ImageShack

John Bonham's drumming style, unmatched even today, is still the most imitated and sampled by musicians the world over.

If it weren't for John Bonham, Led Zeppelin "wouldn't have been half as good," as surviving members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones would repeatedly say.

One of John Bonham's best performances was his half-hour-long drum solo "Moby Dick" that really showcased his talents as a drummer. This made imitators and fans alike wonder: how the heck did he make it sound so easy?

To this day, John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham, after his tragic passing on September 25, 1980, remains in the hearts and minds of countless Led Zeppelin and hard rock fans.

Surely, there can be only one... god of thunder!

The Led Zeppelin experience

2008-04-30T21:49:00.047+08:00

They were the definitive rock band of the 70s. Officially formed on September 1968, the English heavy metal group had fused together different musical elements from blues, folk, funk, Celtic, classical, Indian, Arabic, pop, Latin, reggae, and country, to create the sound that was uniquely theirs.

No, they weren't concerned about the charts, the top 20 or things like that, and they didn't care about what others thought of them, after all they were pioneers in uncharted territory.

No words can completely describe Led Zeppelin's music or the power that it wields. Jimmy Page's heavy guitar riffs; Robert Plant's powerful voice; John Paul Jones' rhythmic bass and classically inspired keyboard melodies; and John Bonham's thundering drums, all added up to the intoxicating brew.

Led Zeppelin inspired an entire generation. They were icons in their own rights. Rock gods, as they were called. No other rock band has ever enjoyed this type of following.

Almost 30 years have passed since John Bonham's death and the disbanding of Led Zeppelin. Many bands have come and gone, but to this day, the music of Led Zeppelin still resounds -- LOUDLY!

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Photo credit: 8wilson

The making of a Led Zeppelin fan

2008-04-29T07:43:00.024+08:00

Jimmy Page Playing a double neck Gibson electric guitar.

The crowd was cheering, and the stage was rumbling, a dizzying mixture of lights and sound. Then, from behind the smoke, I saw a man, armed with a double-neck electric guitar, a vision that changed my life forever.

He was the best guitar player I've ever seen or heard. He was everything I wanted to be. And from the moment he started playing, I was mesmerized. He was playing in a style that seemed impossible.

I watched carefully how he played. I wanted to learn his style, his technique, to be like him, but man, I couldn't keep up with him, even by just watching; he was playing at lightning speed!

Yeah, there was nobody like Jimmy Page. Every wail, moan, and roar of his guitar tells a story. He was the ultimate guitarist -- a kick@$$ guitar god!