Led Zeppelin Began Recording First Album 50 Years Ago This Week

September 25, 1968. Led Zeppelin entered the studio for the very first time to begin work on the debut album ‘Led Zeppelin’.

Jimmy Page remembered the day writing at jimmypage.com,

“So we’re in the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin, and on this day on 25th September 1968 heralds the inception of the epic Led Zeppelin I album: the moment whereby I would be able to manifest the sounds and layers I had heard in my head and also prove my status as a producer.

The group went to Studio No.1, Olympic Studios, 117 Church Road, Barnes, London, SW13, having extensively rehearsed the material for Led Zeppelin I at my house in Pangbourne and we had had the opportunity to perform a good percentage of that material during a few concerts in Scandinavia and the UK to experience our music in a live situation under the clandestine cloak of the Yardbirds. In those days, the studio time was scattered and limited over a few days in September and October, dictated by Olympic’s availability.

Thus, with the aid of my old friend Glyn John’s masterful engineering, at 11pm on Wednesday 25th September 1968, we began our recordings and embarked upon committing this eclectic powerhouse to tape.

Much has been speculated about the initial recordings, so I thought it would be useful to show the worksheet from RAK that gives the dates and times that we were scheduled initially to go in. It makes fascinating reading.”

‘Led Zeppelin’ was a top 10 album in the USA, UK and Australia.

To acknowledge the 50th anniversary the new compilation ‘Led Zeppelin x Led Zeppelin’ was released this week.

“Led Zeppelin x Led Zeppelin” track listing:
01. Immigrant Song
02. Rock And Roll (Sunset Sound Mix)
03. Whole Lotta Love
04. Black Dog
05. Stairway To Heaven
06. Good Times Bad Times
07. Going To California
08. Ramble On
09. Kashmir
10. Over The Hills And Far Away
11. Hey Hey What Can I Do
12. D’Yer Maker
13. When The Levee Breaks
14. All My Love
15. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
16. Heartbreaker
17. Dazed And Confused
18. The Song Remains The Same
19. Fool In The Rain
20. The Ocean
21. What Is And What Should Never Be
22. Houses Of The Holy
23. Since I’ve Been Loving You
24. Misty Mountain Hop
25. Communication Breakdown
26. Thank You
27. No Quarter
28. Trampled Under Foot
29. I Can’t Quit You Babe
30. In The Evening