Led Zeppelin formed in London in 1968 — Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham — and wrote the template for hard rock and heavy metal, selling over 300 million records before Bonham's death ended the band in 1980. Led Zeppelin IV (1971) and Physical Graffiti (1975) are cornerstones of any rock collection. Explore Led Zeppelin vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Led Zeppelin formed in London in 1968 around Jimmy Page (formerly of the Yardbirds). They emerged from Page's New Yardbirds project. The classic lineup of Page, Plant, Jones, and Bonham was assembled in late 1968 and remained intact until Bonham's death. They signed with Atlantic Records and released their self-titled debut Led Zeppelin in 1969. Their multiple landmark albums across the 1970s established them as one of the foundational hard rock and heavy metal bands. They founded their own Swan Song Records label in 1974, with the label also releasing material by Bad Company, the Pretty Things, and others. John Bonham died of asphyxiation due to alcohol on September 25, 1980 at age 32, ending the band's active lifetime. The surviving members have reunited for occasional one-off performances - most notably the 2007 Celebration Day concert at the O2 Arena in London (with Bonham's son Jason on drums). They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Their sales total exceeds 300 million records worldwide.
Led Zeppelin's sound is foundational to hard rock and heavy metal as recognized genres - combining hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, and rock with Page's foundational guitar work, Plant's distinctive high-pitched vocal delivery, John Paul Jones's multi-instrumentalist contributions (bass, keyboards, mandolin), and Bonham's foundational drumming approach. Their drawing on blues, folk, and Middle Eastern musical traditions alongside heavy electric rock established a template that influenced virtually all subsequent hard rock and heavy metal.
Original Atlantic and Swan Song pressings of the Led Zeppelin catalog are foundational items in rock collecting. Multiple anniversary editions, audiophile reissues (Mobile Fidelity, Acoustic Sounds Atlantic series), and the comprehensive 2014-2015 Jimmy Page-supervised remasters have been released.
Listeners new to Led Zeppelin typically start with Led Zeppelin IV (1971) or Physical Graffiti (1975).
