The Night the Hammer Hit

For anyone the work starts at square one. You might have an idea in mind but it takes work. It takes dedication. You bleed your soul out to get it. As a performer or artist you care so much about something you would do it for free. This was the passion the players of the musical revolution of the late 60's and 70's had.

Vietnam was 15 years in. The NFL no longer dwarfed the AFL who had been victorious in a monumental upset in Super Bowl III. Every night Kronkite was a fixture on network television. The Summer of Love was already dated two years. Stanley Kubrick had forever begun a cacophony of "what-ifs" with his masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. Woodstock had shaken the Earth. Technology did not reign supreme like dependency on iphones today but artists were being heard. The world was tilting. American households were changing.

It was January 1970. For this author the thought of my mother about to become a teenager in New York City is enough to think about. My introduction to great music while around Manhattan during childhood a lot I owe a ton of to my dad. From recording a cassette tape with Rush and Steve Miller at 5 for me to seeing Yo Yo Ma in 8th grade, I have always had diversity in sound and from an early age. One experience I have never forgotten is being a 5 year old hearing "Kashmir," a song Robert Plant the lead man of the outfit called "the definitive Led Zeppelin." My father had the radio on in the car pre-podcast days and my musical IQ grew with those kinds of moments. It's strange to picture a time when that band and the gravity they've shaken year after year as a classic rock staple & musical empire were an unknown spin off group. January 8th, 1970 that all changed.

Led Zeppelin or formerly the New Yardbirds were set for the biggest night of their career to date. Contrary to a range of people from pop fans to dead head types (or those who don't like long songs), this would go onto be the best Zeppelin ever. Performances like the critically acclaimed "The Song Remains The Same" would prove crucial for their legacy, but this set reigns supreme. It attracted a sea of fans and the attentions of Jeff Beck, Clapton and even John Lennon.

The opening song had to be more than a bang. Footage from a remastered DVD box set in 2007 shows the boys enter the stage, a quick smirk from Plant and subtle but lively "good evening" dropped, Bonzo jabbing at the eager young crowd stirring them up with a primitive punk rock sounding 5 second solo and it was electric. "Were Gonna Groove" enthralled but put "Dazed and Confused" put listeners in a trance. Midset Bonzo became an icon with an earthquake on drums type solo "Moby Dick". JPJ, I will add plays 28 instruments! The desire these four young men had was palpable but remarkable. Together they seemed untouchable.

Page, already a fixture of radio, pop culture phenomenon and British culture had the wheels turning in his mind. Their road manager Richard Grant, a former pro wrestler deserves loads of credit as well. Every once in a while rock is jumpstarted. Lzzy Hale. Eddie and Wolfie Van Halen. Cobain and grunge. Surely most thought the demise of Paul and John's working relationship would lead to the Stones time to rule with an iron fist. What most forgot was this was a sound they were into for the first time. Even with Sabbath. Zeppelin themselves almost two years old, it was warp speed.

Sabbath had their own impact after their iconic shows like 1970 in Paris. Deep Purple would slay live a few years after in support of "Machinehead" churning out numerous memorable live performances. One included the infamous flare gun incident, spawning the Machinehead rock staple "Smoke on the Water". Iconic performances to be.

In a 2003 Guitar World interview, Page was quoted saying "Albert Hall was a massive gig for us, and we really wanted to do the best we could. It was a magic venue. It was built in Victorian times, and you in there thinking about all the musical history that has preceded you. On top of that, it was something of a homecoming for John Paul Jones and I, because we had both grown up around there. So we were all really paying attention to what we were doing".

Led Zeppelin had an original formula and without something like Instagram to aid them, a show at a venue like The Royal Albert Hall meant everything for exposure. "Local shows" were still in churches back then and not in breweries or on Zoom. Led Zeppelin had a formula and without something like Instagram to aid them, a show at a venue like The Royal Albert Hall meant everything for exposure. It even lead to the Rah Pedal!

Reverb.com wrote
"The Catalinbread RAH was named after Led Zeppelin's 1970 performance at the historic Royal Albert Hall, so named for Catalinbread's effort to capture the sound of that show in a pedal" They go onto say "At this performance Jimmy Page expressed himself masterfully with a broad pallet of tones and GIANT dynamic range. Of course this has a lot to do with Page’s playing technique and Gibson Les Paul. His backline amps, custom Hiwatt heads into Marshall cabinets filled the entire hall with a cornucopia of colors at levels ranging from a mouse whisper to rave ups louder than a jumbo jet taking off only inches over your head".

Over time, this band, while certainly supremely talented would attract controvery too. Rock stars whether a polished version of the schoolyard, Frankie Valli jukebox tunes or raw and gritty like Aerosmith's debut album were just being introduced. The world hadn't seen anything like the image of a David Bowie or festivals like Woodstock and the Pop Festival. Does it excuse the conduct of some performers? That is an entirely different conversation. The Beatles jumpstarted the revolution but Zeppelin was the original rock machine. They blended the quiet Link Wray cool with a punk attitude and sound. We must give them that.