ABSTRACT

Rock's musical evolution during the late 1960s and 1970s occurred at a time when the music industry expanded rapidly in size and power. Led Zeppelin's self-titled first album was recorded straightaway, during a three-week period just after their return from the final Yardbirds tour. Zeppelin, who initially had respect for Rolling Stone, was distraught and hostile—all the way to the bank. Ellen Sander called Zeppelin one of the finest British bands on tour, adding that "no matter how miserably the group failed to keep their behavior up to a basic human level, they played well almost every night of the tour". At times Zeppelin management and band members acted like infantile gangsters, taking whatever they wanted. At the 1970 Bath Festival a band called the Flock ran later than scheduled, so Grant and the road crew commandeered the stage and halted the show by shutting off the electricity.