Journalist anticipated how the music press would stop criticizing the group after the quartet conquered the United States, where they became the third best-selling band in history
Despite currently being recognized as one of the most important rock groups in history, Led Zeppelin he didn’t have the love of the music press when he started. The band was heavily criticized in several different outlets, but one positive review in particular pointed out how all of this would soon change and the future of the genre would be shaped by them.
OZ magazine was a countercultural publication created by the British Felix Dennisone of the few public defenders of the group in the late 60s. Not only was it normal to criticize the band that emerged from the ashes of the Yardbirdsit was fashionable to do so. Even so, the creator himself wrote a review of Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album in the March 1969 edition and was full of praise for the work.
Dennis wrote the following about the Led Zeppelin album (via Far Out Magazine):
Every now and then an LP comes out that resists immediate and easy description or classification. This is because it is clearly a paradigm shift in rock that only time is capable of providing an adequate perspective on the future. (Bringing It All Back Home (1965) by Bob Dylan, Younger Than Yesterday (1967) from The Byrds, Disraeli Gears (1967) from Cream, Are You Experienced? (1967) by Jimi Hendrix and Sgt Pepper (1967)). This Led Zeppelin album is like that.”
However, the most important part of the text is the prediction made by Felix Dennis about the group’s fate. While most of the English press still treated them as jokes, he saw success on the horizon, along with a change of tone on the part of the same media that criticized them. Near the end of the text, the author wrote:
Of course, as a consequence of this album we will lose the group to the United States and certainly within a month the letters section of Melody Maker will have the headline – ‘Is Page BETTER than God?!!’ – and the BBC Negotiations will begin regarding a feature film… but there is something more to it. There’s an expression that no one uses anymore (at least since we stopped doing stupid things with our hair, gave our grandmothers’ necklaces back, got rid of the kaftans and incense). This expression precisely sums up Led Zeppelin’s debut album. Remember good vibes?”
The change in tone of the press
Led Zeppelin quickly became one of the most popular bands on the planet after the release of their debut album, with tours across Europe and the United States solidifying their live reputation. However, despite their resounding public success, they were still heavily criticized.
The change in tone on the part of the press only occurred completely after the album known as IV (1971), which contains their best-known song, “Stairway to Heaven”. Led Zeppelin’s success from that point on was undeniable, but Felix Dennis’ prediction proved particularly incisive regarding the band’s relationship with the US.
To date, the group has sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, with more than half of that total coming from the American market. In terms of units in the United States, they are the third most successful band in history, behind only the Beatles and the Eagles. IV also occupies fifth place on the list of most popular albums in the country, having received 24 platinum records.
That’s not to say the UK didn’t care about them. Led Zeppelin’s first eight albums topped the UK charts, but at this point their success on the other side of the Atlantic made everything else pale in comparison.
Collaborated: Pedro Hollanda.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
