A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

Episode 180: “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, Part Two — “Inspiration is What You Are to Me”

Host: Andrew Hickey
Date: September 30, 2025

Overview

In this densely researched and characteristically wry episode, Andrew Hickey continues the story of Led Zeppelin, focusing on the band’s creation and the making of their groundbreaking debut album, Led Zeppelin. Hickey goes deep into the personalities, influences, and business strategies that defined the supergroup’s origins. The episode covers pivotal choices around art and commerce, the formation of the classic lineup, their early artistic direction, detailed breakdowns of individual album tracks (and their often-murky songwriting credits), and the band's rapid ascent—both artistically and commercially. Hickey also critically interrogates Led Zeppelin’s notorious history of plagiarism and excess, setting up the context for their future career.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jimmy Page’s Strategic Choices: Art vs. Commerce

• Initial Vision: Page wanted “full control” and conceived the band both as artistic vehicle and a “major, major success.” (00:54)
• Quote, Hickey:
  “Page, who from the start was going to be the leader of this band, had to make a simple choice between art and commerce.” (00:30)
• The late-60s American rock scene offered commercial routes without hit singles, allowing bands like Led Zeppelin to thrive via FM radio and large venues, as opposed to the fast-moving UK singles market. (03:34–04:42)

2. Forming the Band: Recruitment and Lineup

• Page’s Frustration: Difficulty finding the right singer or drummer. Approached several (BJ Wilson, Ainslie Dunbar, Clem Cattini for drums; Danny Hutton, Steve Winwood, Terry Reid for vocals), but initial picks fell through. (05:56–08:59)
• Robert Plant’s Entry: Recommended by Terry Reid, Plant impressed Page and Dreja at a gig with his band Obz Tweedle. Plant’s blues passion, folk influences, and perseverance despite early setbacks are explored at length. (10:11–19:32)
• Plant on Blues:
  “When I first heard Preaching Blues and Last Fair Deal Gone Down by Robert Johnson, I went, this is it.” (12:23)
• John Bonham: Plant recommends his old friend. Bonham’s reputation as a powerful and occasionally undisciplined drummer, his economic motivations, and his eventual agreement after financial inducement are highlighted. (26:05–29:35)
• Final Lineup: Chris Dreja leaves; John Paul Jones, restless as a session musician, joins after encouragement from his wife. His musical expertise is praised by Dreja. (31:28–33:14)
• Quote, Dreja:
  “At that point, he was a better bass player than Jimmy was a guitar player. And of course he understood music. There was no way I was going to interface myself between him joining the band…” (32:56)

3. Musical Influences and Artistic Aims

• Page sought to merge heavy rock with acoustic folk stylings, drawing on the dynamics of session playing, influences from Bert Jansch, Davy Graham, and American bands (Pentangle, Incredible String Band), and the extended jams of the US “heavy music” scene. (04:42–05:47, 17:41–21:16)
• Plant’s influences included blues greats and West Coast US acts like Love, Buffalo Springfield, and the Incredible String Band:
  “All that music from the west coast just went bang and there was nothing else there for me after that.” (21:16)

4. Business Savvy and Power Dynamics

• Super Hype, Page and Grant’s company, ensured Page’s creative and financial control. Early on, the other members were effectively his employees, not equals. (01:31, 29:35)
• Mickey Most: Early management/production entanglements resolved via Grant’s cunning ("Grant told Most that he had been given only a short time to live…Most agreed..."). (36:17)

5. Recording the First Album: Led Zeppelin

• Rapid Sessions: Nine days at Olympic Studios with engineer Glyn Johns (officially producer: Page). Sessions yielded innovations, notably Johns’ accidental stereo drum technique. (39:28–41:18)

• Songwriting Credits Controversies:
  Hickey meticulously dissects the complex and sometimes dubious songwriting credits across the album, detailing cases of honest mistakes, radical reinterpretations, and outright plagiarism, along with the subsequent legal and financial ramifications:

  • “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (miscredited—now co-credited to Anne Bredon and Page) (45:54–48:42)
  • “You Shook Me” (originally Willie Dixon; Led Zeppelin's version caused friction with Jeff Beck) (49:46–51:14)
  • “Dazed and Confused” (lyrics and arrangement borrowed from Jake Holmes; Led Zeppelin only amended credits following lawsuit) (54:29–55:26)
  • “Black Mountain Side” (Page’s arrangement owed to Bert Jansch, who never sued) (59:25–60:46)
  • “Communication Breakdown” (supposedly derived from Eddie Cochran’s “Nervous Breakdown,” but similar only in concept) (61:31–62:29)
  • “I Can’t Quit You Baby” (properly credited to Willie Dixon) (62:29–63:07)
  • “How Many More Times” (elements borrowed from Howlin’ Wolf and other blues artists, plus additional references) (63:48–67:56)

• On Credits:
  “Possibly more so than Page. Indeed, the first Led Zeppelin album is a fascinating example of how credits don’t always tell the full story about who did what, and also of how there’s a continuum from totally original through totally plagiarised, with songs falling everywhere on that continuum.” (41:45)

• Songwriting Attribution and Financial Stakes:
  John Paul Jones reflects on credit disputes:
  “Zepton was really a partnership between four people….it makes it seem like it was a Lennon-McCartney situation where they wrote everything … That’s so far from the truth, it’s ridiculous.” (67:56)

6. Breaking America: Touring, Critical Reception, and Economics

• After the album, the band focused on the US, signing to Atlantic based on Dusty Springfield’s recommendation.
• They revolutionized concert economics, demanding and eventually receiving up to 90% of box office receipts. (74:27)
• Early tours as support acts led to them blowing away headliners and a rapid rise to stardom.
• Critics in the UK and US (notably Rolling Stone) initially panned them, branding the group's success as all hype and no substance. (77:03–77:20)
• The first album's artistic and commercial impact sets the stage for a more original, powerful second album.

7. Led Zeppelin II and Rise to Superstardom

• Led Zeppelin II marked an artistic leap, with tighter Page/Plant songwriting and more overt originals but still plenty of “lifts,” especially from Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf (“Whole Lotta Love,” “The Lemon Song,” “Bring It On Home,” “Moby Dick”).
  • Dixon and Wolf only received credit and compensation after legal action. (87:57–89:43)
• The band’s notorious behavior begins to escalate along with fame—Hickey addresses the early roots of their reputation for excess, groupie abuse, and disturbing incidents, while noting that some stories are exaggerated or unreliable, and others all too real. (82:24–87:28)
  • Hickey on covering the band's reputation:
    “The appalling behaviour of Page and Banham particularly has become part of Led Zeppelin's history in a way that would make it irresponsible of me not to cover it.” (82:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Page’s reputation for loving money:
  “If you want to bump off Jimmy Page, all you have to do is throw tuppence in front of a London bus.” (Peter Grant, as cited by Hickey, 01:22)

• On the impact of US FM radio and big venues:
  “It was now possible for a particular kind of band to make a great deal of money by playing America without a hit single at all.” (03:35)

• Plant’s artistic epiphany:
  “Now I was sobbing to Arthur Lee. Arthur Lee would continue to be one of Plant's biggest vocal influences throughout his career.” (21:16)

• On Bonham’s reputation and Page’s early band management:
  “Bonham would either be more restrained or he would be both out of the band and out of the nearest window.” (34:18)

• The infamous division of musical roles and credit:
  “Bonham and Jones became the new band's secret weapon. Page as the guitar hero and Plant as the frontman got all the attention. But almost every musician…talks about the rhythm section.” (34:56)

• On Led Zeppelin’s debts owed to others:
  “...there’s a continuum from totally original through totally plagiarised...” (41:45)

• On the infamous “mudshark” episode and misogyny:
  “Sadly, a lot of what went on was not consensual... Jimmy Page has been documented in multiple sources as having a predilection at this time for girls who were significantly under the age of consent...” (83:31–84:30)

• On Led Zeppelin’s economic impact:
  “Led Zeppelin were the first band to make it possible to become really rich from live performance.” (74:48)

• On the changing of the guard in rock:
  “The 60s were over and there was a new group at the top, and they had managed to do something that was both artistically satisfying and incredibly lucrative.” (91:01)

Timestamps for Crucial Segments

• 00:30–04:42: Page’s dilemma — folk vs. heavy rock, US vs. UK markets
• 05:47–10:11: Early attempts to recruit musicians
• 10:11–21:16: Robert Plant’s background, influences, and struggles
• 21:16–29:35: Origin of Band of Joy, Plant and Bonham partnership
• 31:28–34:56: Formation of classic lineup, Dreja’s departure, Jones arrives
• 36:17–38:19: Peter Grant out-manoeuvres Mickey Most, group’s new artistic freedom
• 39:28–41:18: Recording of Led Zeppelin I; Glyn Johns’ drum miking innovation
• 41:45–67:56: Track-by-track breakdown of Led Zeppelin I, controversies over songwriting credits
• 74:27–77:03: US tour strategy, Atlantic Records deal, shifting concert economics
• 77:24–91:01: Creation and impact of Led Zeppelin II, legal battles over credits, musical originality vs. plagiarism, rise to superstardom, and future burnout

Final Thoughts

Hickey closes by acknowledging the band’s achievement in creating something that was “both artistically satisfying and incredibly lucrative,” while foreshadowing future episodes that will explore the consequences of their success and excess. This episode offers a detailed, nuanced exploration—part musical analysis, part business history, part cautionary tale—of how Led Zeppelin became the template for a new era of the rock superstar.