Jimmy Page Paid for Led Zeppelin’s 1st Record

The rock band Led Zeppelin was formed by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones,
and John Bonham. Led Zeppelin was officially formed in 1968. In 1969, the band
released two albums, Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II. Page, the guitarist of Led
Zeppelin, paid for the creation of the band’s first album in order to keep creative
control. Led Zeppelin | Chris Walter/WireImage How Led Zeppelin was formed For a
few years in the 1960s, Page played in another group called the Yardbirds. After
other members left the Yardbirds, Page found himself without any bandmates. He
recruited Plant as a vocalist, Bonham as a drummer, and Jones as a bassist and
keyboardist. Bonham was a longtime friend of Page at the time, and Plant was
recommended by another singer named Terry Reid. While Jones did not know Page
before joining Led Zeppelin, Jones asked to join after being persuaded by his wife.
“I answered a classified ad in Melody Maker,” Jones told Cameron Crowe in a 1975
Rolling Stone piece. “My wife made me.”  When the four first began performing
together, they performed under the name the New Yardbirds to finish up the
Yardbird’s unfinished tour. However, the band then became known as Led Zeppelin.
RELATED: Dave Grohl Felt Like He Was in a Waking Dream, Asking Led Zeppelin to Jam
With Foo Fighters at Wembley Stadium Jimmy Page paid to make Led Zeppelin’s first
album The album Led Zeppelin was released in 1969. While it was distributed by
Atlantic Records, the band primarily recorded the album independently. In a 1969
interview with Guitar World, Page explained that he “wanted” complete “artistic
control” of the album. “That’s true. I wanted artistic control in a vise grip,
because I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these fellows. In fact, I financed
and completely recorded the first album before going to Atlantic. It wasn’t your
typical story where you get an advance to make an album — we arrived at Atlantic
with tapes in hand,” Page explained. RELATED: Led Zeppelin Members Liked 1 Hall
& Oates Album So Much They Brought It From Motel to Motel The band recorded the
album within ’30 hours’ While speaking with Guitar World, Page also revealed that
Led Zeppelin recorded their first album in just “30 hours.” “The other advantage to
having such a clear vision of what I wanted the band to be was that it kept
recording costs to a minimum. We recorded the whole first album in a matter of 30
hours. That’s the truth. I know because I paid the bill [laughs],” Page said. While
this might seem like a short amount of time, Page thinks that recording Led
Zeppelin was actually a breeze because of the band’s formation and background. “But
it wasn’t all that difficult because we were well-rehearsed, having just finished a
tour of Scandinavia, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do in every respect. I
knew where all the guitars were going to go and how it was going to sound —
everything,” Page told Guitar World. Just months later, the band released a second
studio album called Led Zeppelin II. RELATED: Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant Says Old
Rock Bands Look ‘Decrepit’

Jimmy Page Once Said Led Zeppelin’s Debut Album Came Together in an Astonishing
Amount of Time

Unlike some of their contemporaries, Les Zeppelin arrived on the music scene fully
formed and ready to rock. Some bands take time to build a following and achieve
album sales success. The first album Zeppelin played on wasn’t theirs, but when
they slapped their name on Led Zeppelin I, fans were ready and waiting to hear it.
It was an impressive opening salvo, and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page once said
the debut album took almost no time to put together. Jimmy Page performing during
the first Led Zeppelin concert in 1968 | Jorgen Angel/Redferns Jimmy Page put Led
Zeppelin together and started recording the debut album almost immediately It
didn’t take long for Page to grab the title of guitar legend.  He started as an
anonymous session guitarist, but his ascension to lead guitarist happened quickly.
He got a last-minute call to play bass in the Yardbirds, an established group in
England. Then he shifted to lead guitar in 1966, but the band disintegrated by mid-
1968.  Page wasn’t without a band for long. He synced up with vocalist Robert
Plant, who ensnared John Bonham to play drums. The trio became a quartet when Page
looped in multi-instrumentalist and arranger John Paul Jones on bass.  It took
almost no time for Page to go from the Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin. It took even less
time for Led Zeppelin to crank out their debut album. Page once said ‘Led Zeppelin
I’ took 30 hours to make because the band recorded during studio downtimes With the
four members in place, Zep didn’t waste any time charting its course. After gigging
around Scandinavia and rehearsing a few times, Led Zeppelin entered the studio to
make their debut album. All told, it took a little over a day of work to make
Zeppelin’s classic album. Page summed up the creative process in a sit-down at the
Fender guitar factory (via YouTube): “We have a rehearsal in London, and then I get
them to my house to rehearse everything we’re going to need for a set and
everything we’re going to need for ‘Led Zeppelin I.’ So when we went in the studio,
we were going in on the downtime of the studio. The first [session] was at 11:00 at
night, then the second one was at 10:00 at night. And you know, it’s definitely the
downtime. We were going in there, and collectively, the whole album was done in 30
hours.” Jimmy Page on how Led Zeppelin recorded their debut album When Page says 30
hours, he’s not just talking about recording the music on Led Zeppelin I. That
includes editing and mixing the album into a finished product.  The album famously
depicts the Hindenburg disaster on the cover, and the image works on multiple
levels. It shows a zeppelin exploding, just as the band was about to explode onto
the music scene. And the flames could also represent a band recording its debut as
if the studio were ablaze. Zeppelin’s debut album was a statement of purpose and a
microcosm of everything that came later RELATED: Why Led Zeppelin Dismissed Claims
‘You Shook Me’ Was Too Much Like Jeff Beck’s Version  Led Zeppelin I landed in the
United States in January 1969. The Recording Industry Association of America
certified it gold six months later. The album’s sales were impressive, and so was
how Led Zeppelin I’s nine songs telegraphed the rest of their career.  “Good Times
Bad Times” and “Communication Breakdown” predate the casual, catchy rock of later
cuts such as “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Houses of the Holy.” The instrumental “Black
Mountain Side” proved Zep weren’t all about volume. They displayed that gentle side
later on songs such as “Going to California,” “The Rain Song,” and “Bron-Yr-Aur.” 
Album closer “How Many More Times” showcased the band’s ability to stretch what is
essentially a simple blues song into something otherworldly. That tactic resurfaced
on “The Lemon Song,” “When the Levee Breaks,” and “In My Time of Dying.”  We didn’t
even mention the plaintive yet muscular “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” which Page said
was the key track.  Led Zeppelin I was a fully formed debut album, and it all came
together in 30 hours from start to finish. For more on the entertainment world and
exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel. RELATED:
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The 8 Led Zeppelin Albums, Ranked

Led Zeppelin albums are unlike anything else you'll ever hear. It is beyond rare to
be spoiled by this degree of general consistency in music. Robert Plant on vocals.
Jimmy Page on guitar. John Paul Jones on bass and keys. John Bonham on drums. This
cast of stars undoubtedly made their mark on rock & roll. This month in 1979,
Led Zeppelin released their last studio album, In Through the Out Door. In honor of
the legendary group's impact, we'll be ranking their whole catalog of studio
albums. Studio albums refer to bodies of music that are created in a studio
environment, not live recordings from tour or compilations. Led Zeppelin has more
albums in general, but just 8 studio-recorded projects. By no means is the worst
album on this list bad at all; this is all relative to one of the greatest rock
bands of all time. So without further ado, let's get started. Table of Contents Led
Zeppelin IV Led Zeppelin II In Through the Out Door Houses of the Holy Led Zeppelin
Physical Graffiti Led Zeppelin III Presence 1. 'Led Zeppelin IV' Image credit:
Atlantic Records Release Date: November 8, 1971 Hits: Deep Cuts: Context: Led
Zeppelin's 4th studio album, released by Atlantic Records. In what's arguably their
most masterful display of musicality, Led Zeppelin makes the incredibly difficult
look easy. As they're nearing the end of their relationship with Atlantic Records,
they've got their trademark sound down-pat. However, there's a lot of creative
surprises that show just how far they've come since their first album in 1969. 2.
'Led Zeppelin II' Image credit: Atlantic Records Release Date: October 22, 1969
Hits: Deep Cuts: Context: Led Zeppelin's 2nd studio album, released by Atlantic
Records. Story continues If "Stairway to Heaven" wasn't on Led Zeppelin IV, this
album would've stood a great shot at our number one spot. This album is oozing with
classics; it's hard to discern between hits and deep cuts on this one. 3. 'In
Through the out Door' Image credit: Swan Song Records Release Date: August 15, 1979
Hits: Deep Cuts: Context: Led Zeppelin's 8th and final studio album, released by
Swan Song Records (how appropriate for their goodbye, right?). On their final
album, Led Zeppelin put the cherry on top of the 7 albums they'd released prior. In
Through the out Door is a top-notch display of both musicality and outside-the-box
thinking, and is the final proof of Led Zeppelin's evolution over the decade (1969-
1979). 4. 'Houses of the Holy' Image credit: Atlantic Records Release Date: March
28, 1973 Hits: Deep Cuts: Context: Led Zeppelin's 5th studio album, released by
Atlantic Records. This album was the final studio-recorded project that Led
Zeppelin released with Atlantic Records. While on paper, they were still in the
same spot as before, their sound on Houses of the Holy tells a much different
story. 5. 'Led Zeppelin' Image credit: Atlantic Records Release Date: January 12,
1969 Hits: Deep Cuts: Context: Led Zeppelin's 1st studio album, released by
Atlantic Records. What a way to start. This is one of the most iconic entrances of
all-time in rock music. Nearly every song is memorable, which is not easy to come
by. Their understanding of music history up to that point, combined with their
innovative skillsets, adds up to an unforgettable body of music. 6. 'Physical
Graffiti' Image credit: Swan Song Records Release Date: February 24, 1975 Hits:
Deep Cuts: Context: Led Zeppelin's 6th studio album, released by Swan Song Records.
While Physical Graffiti sounds like a bit of a reach, it makes a lot of sense why.
This is their first album apart from Atlantic Records, after a storied career of
hitmaking. It's safe to say they had plenty of creative freedom on this one, which
bred tracks like "Kashmir" and "Trampled Under Foot." 7. 'Led Zeppelin III' Image
credit: Atlantic Records Release Date: October 5, 1970 Hits: Deep Cuts: Context:
Led Zeppelin's 3rd studio album, released by Atlantic Records. Outside of "Stairway
to Heaven," "Immigrant Song" might be one of the greatest songs to come from this
timeless band. Can you imagine the sensation of putting this record on a turntable
in 1970 -- and the first thing you hear is "Immigrant Song"? Crazy. Also,
"Tangerine" is a slept-on hit that you NEED to listen to. 8. 'Presence' Image
credit: Swan Song Records Release Date: March 31, 1976 Hits: - Deep Cuts: Context:
Led Zeppelin's 7th studio album, released by Swan Song Records. While Presence is
somewhat underwhelming compared to the rest of the band's catalog, it feels like a
passion project of theirs. The group wasn't necessarily aiming to make hits or
satisfy any fans with this one. Regardless, true Led Zeppelin fans are bound to
love this one.