Led Zeppelin formed in England in 1968, when former Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page recruited bassist John Paul Jones, vocalist Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham. The band embarked on its first American tour in 1969, opening for Vanilla Fudge, and released its debut, Led Zeppelin, which reached Billboard's Top 10 within two months. Their follow-up, Led Zeppelin II, released in October of that year, was an instant smash that spent several weeks at the top of the charts. Page's heavy riffs and interplay with Jones's rumbling bass and Bonham's bombastic drums lay the groundwork for all metal music. In 1970 the band refined its hard-rock sound with Led Zeppelin III, before releasing its most diverse and acclaimed effort, Led Zeppelin IV, which features the guitar classic "Stairway to Heaven." Led Zeppelin had become one of the largest stadium acts in America and, after the release of Houses of the Holy in 1973, broke tour box-office records across the country. The glory of their success came crashing down when Bonham was found dead on September 25, 1980, after choking on his own vomit after a day-long drinking binge, causing the remaining members to disband the group in December. In 1994 Page and Plant reunited to record the platinum-selling MTV Unplugged session, Unleaded, toured the following year and released Walking Into Clarksdale in 1998.

Reviews

• Led Zeppelin
• Mothership
• The Song Remains the Same
• Led Zeppelin II
• Led Zeppelin III
• Led Zeppelin IV
• Physical Graffiti
• Houses of the Holy
• Presence
• In Through the Out Door
• BBC Sessions
• Coda
• How the West Was Won

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