Overview
In this lesson, we will consider the genres of hard rock and heavy metal, which emerged in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. The genre of hard rock grew out of the psychedelic rock tradition as well as the British blues revival movement. Like psychedelic rock, it focused on loud, distorted electric guitars. Like the blues, it was riff-based. The “hardness” of hard rock came from an emphasis on the bass guitar as well as on the bass drum. Heavy metal was an important outgrowth of hard rock. Also riff-based, heavy metal tended to have darker themes compared to hard rock.
Objectives
- Identify the defining musical characteristics of hard rock
- Identify the defining musical characteristics of heavy metal
- Identify the important predecessors and early examples hard rock music and musicians
- Identify the defining musical characteristics of Led Zeppelin’s style
- Identify the early examples of heavy metal in the United Kingdom and in the United States
Led Zeppelin continued
Dixon sued Led Zeppelin, and with the money he earned in his settlement, he started an organization called the Blues Heaven Foundation. The goal of the Blues Heaven Foundation was to help blues musicians recoup royalties from other artists' recordings of their songs.
In 1971, Led Zeppelin released their fourth album. They did not give it a title, but it is usually called Led Zeppelin IV (in keeping with the formula established by their first three albums) or ZoSo, which was a symbol that Page included in the design of the album. All of the songs on the album were written by the members of the band except "When the Levee Breaks ♫," which is a cover of a song by female rural blues musician Memphis Minnie. This album also contains "Stairway to Heaven ♫," which is not only Led Zeppelin's most popular song, but also one of the most popular rock songs ever written. The opening acoustic guitar melody of "Stairway to Heaven ♫" is reminiscent of music from the Renaissance period. The guitar is soon joined by recorders. A recorderend-blown wooden instrument popular during the Renaissance period that was also used by Led Zeppelin on the song “Stairway to Heaven” is an end-blown wooden instrument that was popular during the Renaissance period as well. Plant's voice joins this instrumental texture for the first two minutes of the song. Then, electric guitar, electric piano, and bass supplement the acoustic instruments. The drums do not join until over four minutes into the song. Eventually, "Stairway to Heaven ♫" segues into a hard rock final section, complete with a screaming, blues-influenced electric guitar solo performed by Page and the distinctive wailing vocal style of Plant. The eight-minute song concludes with Plant's unaccompanied articulation of the song's title, "She's buying a stairway to heaven." Although it was never released as single, "Stairway to Heaven ♫" is regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest rock songs ever written.
Led Zeppelin toured and performed extensively during the 1970s. They were one of the most popular live rock acts of the decade, and they sold more tickets than any other rock group, including the Rolling Stones. A 1976 concert in Pontiac, Michigan drew over 75,000 fans. In 1980, Bonham died of complications due to alcohol abuse. The three remaining members of Led Zeppelin elected to dissolve the band rather than attempt to replace Bonham with another drummer.
