Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wednesday Music #7

For the music-themed Wednesday wallpapers, I have decided to do some Led Zeppelin. Why, you may ask? Well, I was listening to a lot of electronic music lately (honestly, not just dubstep! haha), and I was really getting into it; but then I realized something. I had done so at the expense of all of my other music tastes! So, to reintroduce some good ol' rock 'n roll, I threw in some Led Zeppelin. Few bands are more deserving of a Wednesday Music spot than they, and so I hope you enjoy this set of high definition wallpapers:

[Click to Enlarge]

Jimmy Page?

The band-members' symbols

A lead zeppelin

A Led Zeppelin

LED ZEPPELIN!

The name of Led Zeppelin has come to mean so much in the music industry, both as a band of greatness and a name of legend, that it is hard to believe they were not always known by that particular moniker -- though their previous one was short-lived. In the beginning, way back in the year of 1968, they were known as the New Yardbirds (but that did not last very long!).

After a bit of trouble with the ownership of the name "New Yardbirds," (the previous project name, "The Yardbirds," played their final gig at the Luton College of Technology in England) rumor has it that they decided to change their name to "Lead Balloon," but their manager suggested they change the first word to "Led" as some might pronounce the first word similarly to "leed." Taking it to the next level, they decided to change "Balloon" to "Zeppelin," effectively cementing the name that is now known worldwide.

This band eventually reached 111-and-a-half million certified sales in the U.S., making it the second best-selling band in the country (right after the Beatles). Some have even gone as far to claim that the band was perhaps the greatest rock 'n roll band to ever have existed, and perhaps it is true. After all, who does not know Led friggin' Zeppelin?

Led Zeppelin has not always been so appreciated, though. In fact, one time back in 1970, during their inception as a band, they ran into a snag with using the Zeppelin name, according to this article:

"Led Zeppelin's 1970 European tour ran into a snag right as it started. Countess Eva von Zeppelin,  a descendent of Zeppelin Aircraft founder Ferdinand von Zeppelin, was none too pleased that a rock & roll band was using her family name. "They may be world famous," she said. "But a couple of shrieking monkeys are not going to use a privileged family name without permission." She threatened to sue them, putting their February 28, 1970 Copenhagen gig in jeopardy. Zeppelin manager Peter Grant talked her into a meeting with the band, and she almost was appeased after discovering they were actually nice young men – until she caught a glimpse of the cover of their debut LP, which shows the Hindenburg bursting into flames. Rather than attempt further damage control, Grant and Jimmy Page decided simply to change the group's name to the Nobs for the one show. The show went off without a hitch, a lawsuit never surfaced and the publicity around the incident actually helped the young band get their name out."

Well, ain't that some s#!t right there?

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