AboutChris M. Zangara Expertise I`m not only a Zeppelin collector but I have been collecting Zeppelin - Page(solo) Plant(solo) and Page/Plant for over 18 years. I am truly a lover of Page/Plant music in & out of Zeppelin simply because of the honesty of it all. - I have been studying them for as long as I have been listening to Rock/Blues Music. I look forward to any question and will answer the very best I can - as above all - I am just a fan like you!
Question I just found this and don't have much time, but have many questions to ask. I'm sure over time we will get to know each other quite well. First of all, what is Stairway to Heaven about? What is Kashmir about? and are their any sources of study that you recommend? I find the band to be a great wealth of knowledge, but don't know where the best place to begin would be.
Answer LED ZEPPELIN HISTORY:
There's such a big history behind this band. It would take hundreds of pages to fill in all the history.
But there are some great BIOS out there. I was going to copy and paste a few things but I thought it would be best to give you these web links so you can, not only read the bio's of Zeppelin and it's members, but look at some of the other things these incredible sites have to offer.
The best Zeppelin site out there is Electric Magic. Its address is http://www.led-zeppelin.com. It's got everything!
The next is Tight But Loose. Its daily news updates on the band members are the best thing about this site from England. It's run by Dave Lewis who is probably the best known author on all things Zeppelin and he's a personal friend of the band as well. The address is http://www.linwood.demon.co.uk/index.html
Check these out. What you see will lead you to some great wisdom on Led Zeppelin.
LED ZEPPELIN IV
The depiction on the cover is fictional. Meaning the location could be anywhere. A poor old man is left with nothing as his run down apartment building was torn down to make way for industry. But there was certainly no actual location here.
But the story behind the cover is interesting.
Over the past 30 years perhaps no other album jacket has been dissected more than the one found on the enigmatic untitled fourth Led Zeppelin album.
Jimmy Page says his interpretation of the Led Zeppelin IV cover is that it is a reflection of the music inside: a harsh urban landscape juxtaposed against antiquity. In other words the big city blues of 'Black Dog' versus the Celtic folk of 'The Battle of Evermore'.
Jimmy Page: "I used to spend a lot of time going to junk shops looking for things that other people might have missed. Robert was on a search with me one time, and we went to this place in Reading where things were just
piled up on one another. Robert found the picture of the old man with the sticks and suggested that we work it into our cover somehow. So we decided to contrast the modern skyscraper on the back with the old man with the sticks - you see the destruction of the old, and the new coming
forward.
'Our hearts were as much in tune with the old ways as with what was happening, though we weren't always in agreement with the new. But I think the important thing was we were certainly keeping space...if not going beyond it. The inside cover was painted by a friend of mine. It's
basically an illustration of a seeker aspiring to the light of truth.'"
When asked which figure represents the band: the giver of light or the seeker of truth, Page replies: "A bit of both, I suppose. A bit of both."
THE LOST HEROINE OF BATTLE OF EVERMORE..
Her name was Sandy Denny who was than with the Fairport Convention, one of Roberts' favorite bands at the time.
If you look on the inner sleeve from Led Zeppelin IV, the band even gave her own "symbol."
Unfortunately Sandy died of a brain hemorrhage on April 21st, 1978 after falling down a flight of steps. Very tragic. She was 31. A shame as her voice was one of the best and most moving female voices of her time. Her
last album "Rendezvous" was released shortly before she died and was very spiritual and somewhat foretelling of things to come.
MYTHS OF ZEPPELIN.
Religion. Zeppelin did not reference any sort of religion in their lyrics although some songs can be deemed so. In The Light can be a reference to Heaven or dying but it's not meant to be. The thing about Zeppelin's songs is that, if they were not personal to the band, they were universal.
Stairway To Heaven can be interpreted any of 100 ways and that's why it's as popular as it is. But there is no "specific" reference to any religion in any Zeppelin song. None. Zep were not a political band whatsoever.
Mythology. Plants lyrics stem from old American blues to ancient English and Greek mythology but mostly in the form of legend. Achilles Last Stand mentions the Mighty Arms of Atlas but the song is actually about the call of the road, meaning touring as Led Zeppelin. Again, Plant drops
references here and there, but there is no complete song about a particular figure in mythology. Immigrant Song is Zeppelin putting themselves in the form of Vikings. Over The Hills and Ramble On have Lord of the Rings references which are fictional of course. A lot of the songs
have references to the English countryside and the Welsh plains where Plant and Page grew up as lads. A lot of old Scottish wars happened there.
A lot of history. But nothing can really be pinned down as mythological in Zeps tunes. They wrote mainly about where they were and the feelings they had at a certain point in time. Hence the incredible variety of the band.
So, in hindsight, there's no real "in depth" study on religion or mythology in Led Zeppelin as there's really not enough to go on. But it is interesting how Zeppelin's music can bring out those feelings in people.
Books are harder to find. The most popular is Hammer Of The Gods but the book has been shunned by the band members at it's more of a tale of Zeppelin's debauchery on the road than it is a true biography.
A great book, if you can find it, is called Led Zeppelin In Their Own Words, and The Led Zeppelin Biography by Ritchie York. Another incredible book on Zep is Led Zeppelin-A Celebration by Dave Lewis (who also runs the TBL website mentioned above) and Heaven and Hell, which is a large
hardcover book with incredible pictures.
There's also a book called "Stairway To Heaven" and I highly advise you STAY AWAY from this book. It's written by Zeppelin's ex-road manger Richard Cole and is full of false truths and inaccuracies. It's really a piece of crap and VERY inaccurate.
HIDDEN MESSAGES:
First off, I must say that there are absolutely no backward masking or satanic messages in Led Zeppelin music. I've tried to find it, I've heard radio DJ's try to find it, and lots of other people and no one can find anything conclusive. The most famous rumor is, if you play Stairway To Heaven backwards, you can hear the words "here's to my sweet Satan." I've heard that and it doesn't sound like that at all, unless you really concentrate so you can "fool" your own mind into thinking it does. Both
PAGE and PLANT have both been quoted as saying they were never so immature as to do that and "Why?" they would say; "Where would we have found the time to do something so stupid anyway?"
The rumors became well known as the 70's turned into the 80's and religious folk, mostly Baptist preachers who hated rock and roll of any kind, would search out the "heavy" bands look for these so-called satanic messages.
So, in April 1982 a committee of the California State assembly convened to listen to Zeppelin irate Baptist preachers were all there to listen to, not only Led Zeppelin, but other so-called "heavy metal" & "satanic"
bands. They played the record "Stairway to Heaven backwards, and claimed to here the words "here's to my sweet Satan." Like I've said, it's just not there unless you really push yourself to hear it. I mean c'mon. You
can hear anything in any song if you try hard enough. Y'know?
This is all completely ludicrous of course.
Before that, the rumors were just simple "Zeppelin sold their soul to the Devil" rumors that started in the mid-seventies with the kids. Some fans truly believed that there was no way Zeppelin's incredible success and
rise to fame could have been done only by the 4 musicians themselves. They forget about the 5th member of Led Zeppelin..Peter Grant, their manager.
He was as crucial as any band member in spreading the word about Zep and making deals and such.
Zeppelin were so big because they worked their asses off. They toured and toured, sometimes circling the world and playing three to six USA tours IN ONE YEAR alone! Not to mention their music was astounding and their live shows were the stuff of legend. Even Zeppelin on their worst nights were better than anyone else out there. And that's because they always gave 110%, no matter what. When they ran out of their own songs to play, they would perform Elvis and Beatles songs, James Brown, anything to keep the
crowd on their feet. Sometimes the encores would go longer than the actual shows, as the crowd just would not let them leave. Many shows went over 4 hours with only 45 minutes worth of material!
Zeppelin never needed gimmicks.
Their success was not because of any media, it was word of mouth. Word on the street. This is the most amazing
aspect of Led Zeppelin's career. They beat out The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in album sales and concert attendance time and time again.
As the media stuck to the “hype” angle, the kids on the street knew.. and as word got around, there was no denying Led Zeppelin's draw. This is something you will never see again in music history. Zeppelin, to this
day, are still not given the respect they truly deserve. But don't let the mainstream fool you. Inside the music business, Led Zeppelin are legendary. They still cannot be matched, and the best artists in the world will be the first to admit that.
Led Zeppelin IV (signs)
After the beating Led Zeppelin III took from the press, Jimmy Page,
guitarist and founder of the group, decided the next album would have no
mention of the band on it whatsoever. It would be the music that
mattered. But Page new better. No mention of the band at all, not even on
the inside of the original album release. All that would be visible would
be 4 symbols. Each band member would pick his own symbol to represent
himself.
The feather in the circle for that "one member" is the symbol Robert
Plant, singer, chose. It's a sign of peace taken from an ancient stone
carving.
Here's a rundown of what is known about all 4 symbols:
SYMBOLS:
ROBERT PLANT (vocals)
The feather in the circle is Robert Plants symbol and is an old book
called "The Sacred Symbols of Mu." Robert Plant explains; "My symbol was
drawn from the ancient Mu civilization, which existed about 15,000 years
ago as part of a lost continent somewhere in the Pacific Ocean somewhere
between China and Mexico. All sorts of things can be tied in with the Mu
civilization, even the Easter Island effigies. These Mu people left stone
tablets with their symbols inscribed into them all over the place..in
Mexico, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, China and other places, and they all date
from the same time period! The feather, a symbol on which all sorts of
philosophies have been based and which has a very interesting heritage.
For instance, it represents
courage to many Red Indian tribes...I like people to lay down the truth.
No bullshit. That's what the feather in the circle is all about."
JOHN PAUL JONES (bass/strings/keyboards)
Jones' symbol is the 3 ovals interlocking a circle and is from the same
era thought to represent unity and family. It is also thought to represent
a person who is confident and competent because it was difficult
to draw accurately.
JOHN BONHAM (percussion)
Bonham's symbol is the three interlocking circles. Robert Plant once
stated that he always thought it meant the trilogy; man, woman and child,
but also observed it was also the emblem of Ballantine beer.
JIMMY PAGE: No one knows what it means as he's not told anyone and doesn't
plan to. But I do know it was made by him and is probably a mixture of
three, or more, ancient symbols or runes. In 1987 Robert Plant admitted
".. Jimmy pulled me aside in 1975 and said, 'I'm only going to tell you
this once,' and proceeded to tell me the meaning of his symbol.
"Since than I've forgotten what he said and now Pagey won't tell me!"
The January 2002 edition of Guitar World magazine with Jimmy on the cover,
it explains a bit more about trying to decipher Page's symbol. But it
won't matter because the meaning he has chosen is still a secret.
In 1970, when Page announced to Atlantic records that there would be no
mention of the band on Zeppelin's new album, they were incensed! They said
it would be "commercial suicide!". It just so happens that Zeppelin's 4th
album was not only their most popular, but is still today, the most
popular rock album in the history of Rock and roll. It also spawned the
most requested song of all time, from any artist ever; Stairway To Heaven.
(Zeppelins 4th album is #3 of the all time best classic rock albums ever,
behind The Beatles Revolver and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon).
KASHMIR:
The explanation of this song is remarkably quite simple.
Jimmy Page with Robert Plant were on a "working" vacation and decided to take a jeep and cruise through the African and Moroccan desert where, on the way, they were stopped by numerous armed guards and only made it to the region(s) of TanTan. During this journey, Robert Plant had the lyrics to Kashmir already intact. No member of Led Zeppelin had actually been to Kashmir, however.
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN:
Stairway To Heaven was recorded at Headly Grange in England.
Most of the 4th Album was recorded there.
Headly Grange was a huge, hundred year old mansion that was cold and
drafty and had limited privileges. It was perfect.
Stairway was literally recorded in front of a roaring fireplace with
Robert Plant & Jimmy Page sitting cross-legged on the floor. Jimmy came in
with the intro intact. After a small while of "humming" from Plant, Robert
starting to write the lyrics right then and there.
"Something was moving my pen..." he has been quoted to say on many an
interview.
Jimmy Page admitted that Robert "...had come up with 90% of the lyrics
right there on the spot! We were all stunned..."
The song broke the rules of traditional music recordings of the day as it
actually "sped up" as the song went along. It was also much longer than
the usual "radio friendly" 2-minute format. And it was a true
tour-DE-force in that not only did the tempo speed up, but the emotion
grew throughout the songs acoustic beginning, the intro of John Bonham's
percussion, and the final part where, not only, the band plays at full
force, but Jimmy Page carved his name into rock and roll history with the,
still, best rated guitar solo of all time.
Jimmy Page, again, was the first and only KING of 'light and shade.'
For most solos, Page would lay down 3 different solos while alone in the
studio. He would pick the best out of the 3 and that was it. No 50-100
takes that most bands, even today, still do.
Jimmy chose the first take. He was using his old Telecaster guitar that
he hadn't played since the later days of the Yardbirds and the first few
months with Led Zeppelin.
The song evolved from there and many actual rehearsal tapes have surfaced
in the past year that really reveal the makings of this classic. (If you
would like a copy of some Zep rehearsals, let me know.)
John Paul Jones was present at the living room presentation by Page with
his intro guitar part to Stairway. He thought that the keyboards, with an
Old English flute & strings section, would better suit the folkish
instrumental much better than a simple bass guitar. (JPJ always said the
keyboards were his "main" instrument. He was playing the piano as a child
long before he took up the bass guitar. He was essential in orchestrating
many Led Zeppelin songs including Kashmir and The Rain Song.)
Regarding the meaning of the song? Well, there's no specific meaning
Kevin. The song was written for that purpose.
Before the song became the most requested song on radio history (this
record has never been broken, even 34 years to this day..) housewives were
requesting the song while they waited for their husbands to come home from
work.
The song was requested for weddings and funerals alike.
Robert Plant once stated that the song was "...a women's quest for
spiritual perfection" and ".. a simple wedding song"
Jimmy Page said, more sincerely, that the song has whatever meaning the
listener wants to put to it. It was a song of hope.
Jimmy credits Roberts lyrics while Plant credits Jimmy's magical folk to
rock guitar playing. It's obvious that the song inspired everyone in Led
Zeppelin at the time.
After the tragedy that Zeppelin experienced during their career,
especially Robert Plant (Robert and his wife Maureen were nearly killed in
a car accident in 1975. She suffered a fractured skull and pelvis and
Robert's ankle was crushed. He had to walk for almost a mile before a
fruit truck picked him up and pretty much saved his family. He wouldn't
walk again for 6 months. In 1979 his son had died from a respiratory
infection & in 1980 his childhood friend John Bonham had died and Zeppelin
came to an end.)
After that, it was over for Robert Plant. He refused to sing any Zeppelin
songs while touring to promote his solo work. Eventually, in the late
80's and early 90's he came around and accepted his past. He performed
some Zeppelin songs in concert but NEVER touched Stairway To Heaven. It
would be a kind of sacrilege to play the song without the full band..and
Bonham was dead. Robert has said continuously that Stairway is not his
favorite Zeppelin song. It is Kashmir. It's taken much compromise with
Plant to even get it done during the Live Aid and Atlantic 88 reunions.
Jimmy Page felt the same. Although he describes Stairway as his favorite
(along with Kashmir), he will not play it without, at least, Robert Plant
on vocal. He as played the song in his solo concerts but only as an
instrumental with the audience filling in for Robert. Some very emotional
moments there.
In 1994 on Japanese television Jimmy Page and Robert Plant played a
shortened live version of Stairway To Heaven before a shocked crowd and
talk show hosts. T
They were promoting there No Quarter tour in Japan and did various talk
shows. This show was special and there were about 3 hosts and none of
them spoke English. One female host seemed so overwhelmed by who she was
sitting with, she was out of breath most of the time, grinning from ear to
ear.
Page and Plant went out to sit on 2 stools and asked the audience for any
requests. One shouted "Babe I'm Going To Leave You." Agreed. But Jimmy
Page himself surprised everyone, especially Robert Plant, by strumming the
opening riff of Stairway To Heaven. From there on, the song took shape
and a short but magical version was performed. A truly wonderful moment.
Let's see what happens in the future. On May 27th a DVD/CD set called
"How The West Was One" will be officially released to the public. Will
Page/Plant & Jones reunite. They will all be in New York for the premier.
We'll see.
Hope this helped.
REUNION?
Rumors are spread about a Zeppelin reunion every year. But it is not to
be, and it won't ever be.
First of all, if Page, Plant & Jones get back together in any way, shape
or form, it will not be called Led Zeppelin. Zeppelin died with John
Bonham and all 3 remaining members have continuously said over the years
that the title of Led Zeppelin will never be again.
There ARE some rumors about the 3 remaining members getting back together
for some sort of project but just the other night I heard Robert Plant on
the radio, last week on Rockline, saying he doesn't even know how to get a
hold of John Paul Jones these days. I'm not sure if that was sarcasm or
not, but his answer to a Zeppelin reunion was "maybe for a lunch."
I guess we'll never know until it happens but if it does it will be the
Page/Plant & Jones show, not Led Zeppelin, with Zeppelin numbers and solo
work as well, I'm sure.
I'm just hoping for ANY kind of reunion myself. At least Page/Plant need
to get back together for at least one more project.
Recently, Plant was asked if he would be reuniting with Jimmy Page. His
answer was "I don't see any reason not to."
So, there's hope for something. Let's hope someone finds Jones's phone
number, eh?
PS - LOOK FOR A 3-DVD SET OF LIVE LED ZEPPELIN COMING OUT ON MAY 27TH,
2003. PAGE/PLANT & JONES WILL BE IN NEW YORK FOR A SPECIAL 2 HOUR PREMIERE
ON MAY 27TH. What will become of that? hmmm. Now THAT should perk you up a
bit!
