33 Things You Should Know About… Led Zeppelin

12. They were their own opening act.
Zeppelin became famous for marathon sets that passed the three-hour mark; “No Quarter” alone could last 30 minutes. “We just really enjoyed playing,” Jones says. And they don’t think it was excessive. “If I’d been in the audience,” Page says, “it wouldn’t have been enough.”

13. They didn’t like singles.
After their record company released “Immigrant Song” and “Whole Lotta Love” against their wishes, Zeppelin blocked the release of further singles, only recently agreeing to make their music available on iTunes. “Unlike today, when everything seems to be done song by song,” Jones says, “there was drama and tension and a story to be told.”

14. Led Zeppelin IV isn’t called Led Zeppelin IV.
The title of the third-biggest-selling album of all time is widely known as four unpronounceable symbols — said to each be chosen by a band member — but it’s also known as Four Symbols, IV or Zoso by fans and irritated record-store clerks. “Names and titles do not mean a thing,” Page explained. “What matters is our music.”

15. They’re still not bored of “Stairway to Heaven” …
Plant has described their signature tune as “pompous,” but Jones reckons, “It’s still good. I was doing one of the great bass parts of all time. Unfortunately, it was under one of the great guitar solos of all time.”

16. … and there are no hidden messages.
Page’s fascination with occultist Aleister Crowley inspired rumors of a curse on the band, as well as a Baptist minister’s claim that they’d buried satanic messages in the “Stairway” mix. “I didn’t pay attention to what anybody wanted to read into the music,” Page says defensively. “My lifestyle had nothing whatsoever to do with it.”

17. They love country living.
In 1970, Page and Plant retreated to Bron-Yr-Aur, in Wales, to write their third album. “There was no electricity,” Page remembers. “We had cassette recorders and acoustic guitars. When we got there we were like, [sighs] ‘Ah, God, the countryside.’”

18. Jones almost became a choirmaster (kind of).
In 1973, the bassist joked about leaving to teach the choir at Winchester Cathedral. “It wasn’t serious,” he clarifies. “I got tired and emotional, and I felt that not enough consideration was being given to holidays. It resolved itself pretty quickly.”

19. They had their own Starship.
That was the name of the opulent private jet — complete with bar and fireplace — the band used for its mid-’70s tours. On the ground, their favorite hangout was the Hyatt West Hollywood, rechristened the “Riot House,” where they allegedly raced motorcycles in the halls, ejected TVs from windows and entertained groupies. Looking back, Page said, “I was thinking that I should be in either a mental hospital or a monastery.”

20. They hung with the King.
In 1974, they were invited to meet Elvis in Los Angeles. “He was shy,” Page recalls. “We were certainly shy. Then John Bonham said, ‘What was that hot rod that you drove in Loving You?’ And that was it — we were all musicians and lads together.”

21. The Song Remains the Same shouldn’t be at the top of your Netflix queue.
Their 1976 concert movie took three years to complete and became notorious for fantasy sequences in which the band acted out Celtic myths and scenes from tarot cards. “Robert’s and mine ended up like the Horse of the Year show,” says Jones with a wince. “I do like Bonzo’s,” he adds, which showed the drummer drag-racing and spending time with his family. “It was just so him.”

22. 1977 was a terrible year.
In July ’77, Bonham and Grant were arrested for assaulting a staffer at the Oakland Coliseum. Three days later, Plant’s young son died suddenly of a respiratory infection. “There’s nothing on the planet to equal that kind of grief,” Plant said recently. “It still makes me shudder.”