Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin are two words that is in everyones' vocabulary. They have written the classics, changed their sound, and then written the classics again. Led Zeppelin has mastered the key to interesting music, while producing sounds of who they want to be as a band. Was it their catchy guitar riffs, Robert Plant's smooth and irresistible voice, or the idiosyncrasy of their name that caught everyone's attention? All in all, they are a great band, and they deserved the fame they have been rewarded with during their time of producing music.

 Image Courtesy of Dawn.com

Let's start with the basics.  The band formed together in 1968, consisting of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist John Jones, and the drummer John Bunham. Led Zeppelin got their name after changing it from The New Yardbirds, with the inspiration from Keith Moon. Keith Moon, the drummer for The Who, said that the band would go down like a "lead zeppelin". A zeppelin is a large airship, similar to a blimp. Before officially changing the name, the band agreed to misspell "lead" for "led" so people wouldn't get confused and think of it as "lead" as in "lead singer".

The group was a big, famous, definitive heavy metal band. In their early albums, their guitar-heavy songs were derived from a blues influence, making them stand out against other rock bands with no influence but the other modern bands of that decade. Led Zeppelin also had other influences, such as folk music. You may know them for their all-time-classic hit Stairway To Heaven, where their roots and originality showed through the entire eight minute piece. 

Jimmy Page composed most of the music for their songs, and Robert Plant supplied the lyrics. In their later years, John Jones and his keyboard were the center of the songs, as the band continued to experiment with more modern music and their sound.  Led Zeppelin will always be known for their intriguing music, especially while being one of the bands to make it in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have had as much influence on music in the 70's as The Beatles did in the 60's, being the second-bestselling band in the United States behind the Fab Four.

Now that we have finished with the basics, we can get into the fun part. That one song. 

This song is called Over the Hills and Far Away by (you guessed it) Led Zeppelin. This song is a masterpiece in itself, featuring an acoustic guitar but using both acoustic and electric at the same time. The guitar seems to be heard everywhere today, but this song was written in 1973, making guitar how it is now. And of course, the irresistible Robert Plant sings about a lady who has the kind of love he needs. The entire song is filled with sparkling heavenly greatness, similar to what it's like to eat a caramel-fudge brownie fresh out of the oven with almonds and whipped cream. That is what listening to this one song is like. Heaven. But, the last thing, the chord at the end. That power chord. The only reason the song can be replayed is the chord. It makes you pay attention to the song, and think about what has just been played. Just think, the chord will be left in your head for at least five days, making you want to listen to this song again and again.

Fun Fact: The four symbols in the picture above represent one thing for each member of the band, first one for Jimmy Page, then John Jones, after that is John Bonham, and lastly Robert Plant's symbol.