Becoming Led Zeppelin

In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, four gifted British musicians took center stage as the biggest rock band in the world – Led Zeppelin. Born in 1968 out of their predecessors, the Yardbirds, the quartet of lead singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham took the US and UK by storm with their unique fusion of hard rock tinged with blues, folk and supernatural influences. The band subsequently became the first group to unseat the Beatles from the top of the music charts – quite a feat, even if the Beatles were on the verge of breaking up at the time – and released a string of blockbuster LPs that eschewed the typical “singles” approach previously employed by other artists, a shift perfectly timed to cater to the emerging “album rock” format of many underground and independent FM radio stations. Their origin story is now brought to life in writer-director Bernard MacMahon’s documentary feature, chronicling how Led Zeppelin came together and running through the time of their ascendancy as the premier rock band of a new decade. The key to appreciating this film, however, is understanding a key word in its title – “becoming.” The filmmaker specifically focuses on the careers of the four musicians before they came together as Led Zeppelin and what happened during the newly formed band’s infancy, amassing a following that exploded over the course of roughly two years. In recent interviews with Plant, Page and Jones, as well as excerpts from a previously unreleased archive conversation with Bonham (who died in 1980), viewers learn about their diverse upbringings, their various musical influences, the impact of a volatile and radically changing culture at the time and their respective performance careers prior to the group’s formation, largely as studio session musicians. Through these dialogues, audiences can see how these elements came to characterize them both individually as artists and collectively as Led Zeppelin. This material reveals a number of interesting tidbits about the band and its members, such as Jimmy Page’s work as a session guitarist on the theme song to the James Bond film “Goldfinger” (1964), as well as the little-known source of the renamed group’s new moniker, a suggestion made by drummer Keith Moon of The Who. Diehard fans are sure to appreciate the meticulous level of detail presented here, though casual followers and the unfamiliar might just as easily see it as overkill. That’s especially true given that the film’s narrative feels like it stops short of its potential. Wrapping up the picture early on in the band’s career may leave some viewers disappointed, especially since the film pays no attention to the group’s later (and perhaps better-known) work, such as details about their classic cuts on subsequent albums. Consequently, some might see this film as being “incomplete,” almost as if it were the first installment of a longer production, such as the kind of documentary miniseries that one might view on PBS or one of the cable network music channels. Nevertheless, there are also qualities that make this a stand-out work, such as showcasing the arguably underrated virtuosity of the band’s four members, musicians whose talents likely haven’t been regarded as highly as they maybe should have been over the years. It also makes clear how the band was more than the sum of its parts, how each of these performers came together to create something greater than just the fusion of four individual talents. And, for those who grew up during the period of the band’s birth (as I did), this offering truly is a finely constructed piece of nostalgia, one that definitely tugs at highly personal memories of a remarkable time that hasn’t been repeated since. So, when considered in total, “Becoming Led Zeppelin” is probably best viewed as a mixed bag that some will likely worship as much as they do the band itself, while others may find it a modestly engaging, albeit “unfinished” introduction to one of the most monumental rock bands of all time. And, in that sense, then, the picture might be best typified by a paraphrase of one of Led Zeppelin’s iconic song titles – what is and what will never be.

I grew up in an home where folk music reigned, and a bit like with those folks at the Newport Folk Festival who recoiled in disgust at Bob Dylan’s shift from acoustic to electric, my parents wouldn’t give this band house room in their collection. Therefore, save for the odd rendition of “Whole Lotta Love” or “Stairway to Heaven” I knew precious little about this band when I watched this documentary. It starts by introducing us to each of the members, and rather poignantly uses an interview with the late John Bonham as all four take us through their own musical influences before they met and make musical history. There’s some serious archive research gone into this film providing an astonishing array of material from not just those who inspired these men but of some of their own early appearances. There’s an especially enjoyable scene from London’s Roundhouse theatre where, already having had success in the USA, they perform to a bemused collection of Londoners - some with their fingers in their ears! I didn’t love all of their music, and as one journalists quoted here declared - they can be a bit self indulgent. So what, though? That old adage about serving others best when you serve yourself springs to mind. If you can’t enjoy making music your own way, you can’t expect others to enjoy listening to it - and that search for a musical style that resonates with an audience is clearly important to these blokes. Interestingly, after fifty-odd years, they still appear to respect each other and look back fondly not just on their days touring and making music, but also display a touching affection for their lamented drummer who’s comments elicit a genuine emotion from Messrs Plant, Page and Jones. It features very little by way of noises-off comments, instead focussing on the band’s own insightful narration as well as plenty of actuality material - including some long form performances from their gigs up until the release of “Led Zeppelin II” where our history rather abruptly concludes. These are three erudite and engaging men who who have clearly lived life’s ups and downs fully and energetically, and emerged remarkably sanely out the other side of a music industry that they refused to be consumed by. There music won’t be to everyone’s taste, but as a history of an industry, a band and a genre-busting style of rock this is an easy film to absorb for two hours.