In popular music, each decade brings its highs and lows wherein quality exists independently of popularity. A classic song or artist often stands next to something and someone from the same time period best forgotten out of the sheer embarrassment that people should feel for having bought this stuff. For example, the 1970s subjected us to disco, “Feelings,” and “Desiderata.” It apologized for this with Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin’s mix of heavy blues, acidic psychedelia, and pastoral English folk worked seamlessly with lyrical perusals of topics such as Tolkien’s contemporary mythology alongside more standard fare of love and love lost. Channeled through the ferocious guitar of Jimmy Page and soulful wail of Robert Plant’s vocals, with invaluable enablement from John Paul Jones’ bass and keyboard work locked in with John Bonham’s nimble sledgehammer drumming style, at their peak, Led Zeppelin was, indeed, as Plant sang in “Immigrant Song” from the band’s third album, the hammer of the gods.
Based in an era well before social media informed everyone of everything about everyone else whether you wanted to know it or not, Led Zeppelin reveled in creating a mystique about itself that would be impossible to replicate today. The band established an image as musical warriors from a distant time, an unearthly specter unencumbered by societal limitations, as it was not content with merely stretching the boundaries of what was possible but eliminating them altogether.
Multiple books have been written about Led Zeppelin’s history since its end as an active entity following the 1980 death of Bonham from pulmonary aspiration due to excessive alcohol consumption. Aside from a photo-heavy coffee table book, there is no band-authorized biography. Given the band’s deserved reputation for backstage decadence, it is not difficult to understand why the remaining members prefer letting people talk — which they will anyway — than feed the salacious gossip machine. Into this background steps “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” an authorized documentary with full band participation that completely ignores the sex and drugs angle in favor of rock‘n’roll. As it turns out, this is a wise decision.
“Becoming Led Zeppelin” focuses on the band members’ days of youth and musical roots, Zeppelin’s initial formation, and its first two albums with endless touring to support them. It does not attempt to capture the band’s history in full, as the last event mentioned is a January 1970 concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London held shortly after the release of “Led Zeppelin II.” What it does cover is what happened when four musicians from different backgrounds and experiences joined forces to create a synergistic whole that literally changed the world.
The movie highlights the music above all else, with almost all songs played in completion, whether studio or live cuts. The filmmakers have done a superb job restoring grainy footage from concerts and televised appearances to where, when seen in the unforgiving IMAX format, the band is presented in full force even while still feeling its way.
The songs themselves are embedded into the DNA of every Zeppelin fan. “Whole Lotta Love.” “Dazed and Confused.” “What Is and What Should Never Be.” “Heartbreaker / Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman).” The list goes on. Led Zeppelin was never about the empty bombast and strutting poses the critics, who reviled the band throughout its history, accused it of being. A razored rainbow of tones emanating from Page’s guitar led the way. Plant could shift effortlessly between a keening belt and plaintive mourning, always backed to perfection by Jones and Bonham. Led Zeppelin was passion in musical form, the primal cry of civilized men in touch with life’s roots.
The film takes a no-frills approach. No outsiders are waxing poetic, and no one tries to hitch their wagon to Zeppelin’s power. Page, Plant, and Jones speak for themselves in a relaxed manner, knowing no one is trying to push an agenda. The film’s most poignant moments come when the three are shown reacting to a previously unheard interview with Bonham, once more hearing the long-silenced voice of a friend and compatriot. The wistful smiles and faraway glances tell it all. Led Zeppelin were human, after all, something they now unhesitatingly admit.
“Becoming Led Zeppelin” leaves you wanting more. Whether there will be an additional film or two telling the band’s story of the 1970s from their perspective remains to be seen. But at least we have this much. “Becoming Led Zeppelin” is a welcome look back at a time when giants roamed the earth. Those of us who were there are all the better for it.
