Jones, Plant and Page, with their working draft of the book, May 2018 (Photo: Dave Brolan, Reel Art Press)
2018 marks Led Zeppelin‘s 50th anniversary and the long dormant band have cooperated on just a handful of projects and events orchestrated by its surviving members–John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant–since the classic rock legends’ break-up in the aftermath of John Bonham’s death in 1980.
On Feb. 21, they announced the Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin book (which arrives Oct. 9) and, on June 8, Jones, Plant and Page shared a photo taken in May 2018 of the trio. The band shared a photo montage on July 3 (see below).
There was an event for the book at London’s National Portrait Gallery on Sept. 24 and Page talked about the band’s start with CBS This Morning, in a segment which aired on Oct. 8.
“The very first rehearsal we did was here in London… where we had maybe an hour or two hours,” he said. “We counted ‘1-2-3-4’ and we were all playing, and we just kept extending this song and jamming on it. And by the end of it, I absolutely guarantee it was a life-changing experience for everybody from that point. That everyone knew that they never played with musical equals [before].
“I knew the way to do it was to have four musicians that were just locked in tight and everyone could be heard on the records, and it wasn’t just about one person, but the overall.”
Watch the entire CBS This Morning segment
Page revealed at the end of a lengthy video interview with the Academy of Achievement in fall 2017 that the group will have releases coming in 2018 to commemorate the golden anniversary. (The conversation took place on Oct. 19 but wasn’t published until Dec. 11.)
The commemorate logo, revealed on September 27, 2018
Page said: “There’ll be Led Zeppelin product coming out, for sure, that people haven’t heard because I’m working on that. Next year will be the 50th year so there’s all manner of surprises coming out.”
Related: We can dream: Led Zeppelin are oddsmakers favorites to play Glastonbury 2019
On Dec. 26, 2017, the band’s social media pages revealed a golden anniversary logo treatment. On Sept. 27, 2018, it was updated.
On Jan. 24, remastered editions were announced for the band’s 2003 release, How the West Was Won, of performances from their 1972 U.S. concert tour.
On June 21 came news of remastered editions of their concert film soundtrack, The Song Remains the Same.
Watch Page’s complete interview; the reference to “Led Zeppelin product” is at the 49:34 mark
On Dec. 21, the band teased a 2018 “official illustrated book” coming from Reel Art Press to celebrate the group’s 50 years. In the briefest of announcements, on the band’s website and social media pages, came this:
The book from Reel Art Press
“Led Zeppelin are pleased to announce that Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones are collaborating with Reel Art Press to publish the official illustrated book celebrating 50 years since the formation of the group. Coming 2018.”
On Feb. 1, further details were revealed: “Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin is the first and only official illustrated book to be produced in collaboration with the members of the band. Celebrating 50 years since their formation, it covers the group’s unparalleled musical career and features photographs of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham on and offstage, in candid moments and in the recording studio. This definitive 400-page volume includes unseen photographs and artwork from the Led Zeppelin archives and contributions from photographers around the world.”
On June 8, they wrote: “There will be regular updates and sneak previews showing the work in progress.” (Since the original announcement, the book has grown from 368 pages to 400.)
Watch a video presentation of the book from Reel Art Press
The official illustrated book: ‘Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin’, coming in October from @ReelArtPress.
The most anticipated book of the year.
The official illustrated book: ‘Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin’, coming in October from ReelArtPress
Posted by Led Zeppelin on Sunday, August 26, 2018
The book arrived Oct. 9. It’s available for order in the U.S. here and the U.K. here.
The band shared a photo montage from their upcoming book, on July 3, 2018
Related: Our inside story of Led Zeppelin’s breakthrough with “Whole Lotta Love”
Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
5 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationWithout doubt,one of the most overated bands of all time. Tuneless. Nowhere near a Beatles/Stones/Clapton. A couple of decent songs and that’s about it.
Get your hearing checked pal…
His opinion. PAL. TROLL.
and his opinion was an ignorant one, PAL. don’t act like a wuss here.
you are f’n insane!! Zeppelin was FAR more talented than the Beatles….the Beatles weren’t a show-off band at all mostly because they had little to show off other than their phenomenal song writing abilities (they were more singer/song-writer type songs)…. Clapton is a genius so I’ll leave that be, and Stones were great as well.. All 3 that you named were great, but to say Zeppelin wasn’t as good is not only an ignorant statement, but a statement that very few will ever agree with because it’s simply not true.