Music vocabulary
- debut album
- the first album
- guitar riffs
- a sequence of repeated notes or chords played on a guitar. It is usually played at the beginning of a song and throughout it.
- psychedelic blues
- a style of blues music influenced by 60s culture
- deep grooves
- strong rhythms that make you want to dance
- English folk music
- traditional music from the UK normally played on an acoustic guitar
- hard rock
- loud rock music
- heavy metal
- rock music often with dark lyrics and aggressive playing… and long hair
- blues rock
- a mixture between the blues and rock
- folk rock
- folk music played on electric guitars with rock influences
- acoustic numbers
- songs played on acoustic guitars
- avant-garde music
- experimental and unconventional music
- studio albums
- albums recorded in a room or building and not live
Britain has produced a great amount of great bands, singers and musicians. Music-lovers around the world know about Coldplay, Oasis, Elton John and The Rolling Stones. So, it is hard to say who is the best but one British group was recently honored as such.
If you recognise the names Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant or John Bonham then you know which band was chosen. These musicians were part of the blues rock band called Led Zeppelin who wrote some of the best rock songs in the history of music.
In a recent awards ceremony, Led Zeppelin were given the title of The Best Band Ever. To understand why, have a look at this video with a selection of their best songs:
For many fans, Led Zeppelin’s debut album was their best. It was simply called Led Zeppelin. What made it so revolutionary at the time were the amazing guitar riffs, and psychedelic blues and deep grooves. They also incorporated English folk music. As a result, they created a new mix of hard rock and some argue created heavy metal. That record is still popular today with rock fans of every age.
Their following albums featured more blues rock, folk rock and avantgarde musicic as they blended styles as well as acoustic numbers. The released several more studio albums and later some live ones. Sadly, when their drummer died they split up but occasionally reformed for occasional performances.
Led Zeppelin facts
1)Led Zeppelin was first called The New Yardbirds during their first gigs.
2)Robert Plant co-wrote several songs on their first album but was not credited because of legal reasons.
3)Led Zeppelin rarely performed on TV. They claimed the sound quality was too poor.
4)Led Zeppelin are one of only 2 bands with 5 diamond albums. That means they sold more than 10 million copies.
5)Led Zeppelin’s manager was a great businessman. He made sure that the band got 90% of the money from concert ticket sales. Normally bands only got 10%
Led Zeppelin have always been an amazing live band. For many fans, their live recordings are far better than their studio albums.
This is a trailer for a new live concert where the remaining members reformed:
What’s your favourite Led Zeppelin song and why? (Tell us in the comments section below)
