Editing Led Zeppelin (section)

=== Early years: 1968–1970 ===
Still billed as the New Yardbirds, the band began their first tour of the UK on 4 October 1968, when they played at the [[Mayfair Ballroom]] in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bath |first1=Jo |last2=Stevenson |first2=Richard F. |date=2013 |title=The Newcastle Book of Days |location=Stroud |publisher=The History Press |isbn=9780752468662 |page=280}}</ref> Their first show as Led Zeppelin was at the [[University of Surrey]] in [[Battersea]] on 25 October.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Concert Timeline: October 25, 1968 |url=http://www.ledzeppelin.com/show/october-25-1968 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102222301/http://www.ledzeppelin.com/show/october-25-1968 |archive-date=2 January 2012 |access-date=3 November 2017 |website=Led Zeppelin.com|date=20 September 2007 }}</ref> Tour manager [[Richard Cole]], who would become a major figure in the touring life of the group, organised their [[Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1968–1969|first North American tour]] at the end of the year.{{sfn|Wall|2008|p=94}}{{refn|group=nb|The first show was in Denver on 26 December 1968, followed by other West Coast dates before the band travelled to California to play Los Angeles and San Francisco.{{sfn|Wall|2008||pp=92–93}}}} Their debut album, ''[[Led Zeppelin (album)|Led Zeppelin]]'', was released in the US during the tour on 13 January 1969, and peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' chart;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Led Zeppelin Billboard Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/led-zeppelin-p4739/charts-awards |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906193322/http://allmusic.com/artist/led-zeppelin-p4739/charts-awards |archive-date=6 September 2011 |website=AllMusic}}</ref> it was released in the UK, where it peaked at number 6, on 31 March.{{sfn|Wall|2008|pp=92, 147, 152}} According to [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine|Steve Erlewine]], the album's memorable guitar riffs, lumbering rhythms, [[Psychedelic rock|psychedelic blues]], groovy, [[Swing (jazz performance style)|bluesy shuffles]] and hints of [[Folk music of England|English folk music]] made it "a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal".{{sfn|Erlewine|2011b}}

[[File:Bron-y-aur - geograph.org.uk - 21107 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Bron-Yr-Aur]], near [[Machynlleth]], the Welsh cottage to which Page and Plant retired in 1970 to write many of the tracks that appeared on the band's third and fourth albums|alt=A colour photograph of a stone cottage on a hill]]

In their first year, Led Zeppelin completed four US and four UK [[concert tour]]s, and also released their second album, ''[[Led Zeppelin II]]''. Recorded mostly on the road at various North American studios, it was an even greater commercial success than their first album and reached the number one chart position in the US and the UK.{{sfn|Wall|2008|p=161}} The album further developed the mostly blues-rock musical style established on their debut release, creating a sound that was "heavy and hard, brutal and direct", and which would be highly influential and frequently imitated.{{sfn|Erlewine|2010}} Steve Waksman has suggested that ''Led Zeppelin II'' was "the musical starting point for heavy metal".{{sfn|Waksman|2001|p=263}}

The band saw their albums as indivisible, complete listening experiences, disliking the re-editing of existing tracks for release as singles. Grant maintained an aggressive pro-album stance, particularly in the UK, where there were few radio and TV outlets for rock music. Without the band's consent, however, some songs were released as singles, particularly in the US.{{sfn|Wall|2008|pp=166–167}} In 1969, an edited version of "[[Whole Lotta Love]]", a track from their second album, was released as a single in the US. It reached number four in the ''Billboard'' chart in January 1970, selling over one million copies and helping to cement the band's popularity.{{sfn|Wall|2008|p=165}} The group also increasingly shunned television appearances, citing their preference that their fans hear and see them in live concerts.{{sfn|Welch|1994|p=49}}{{sfn|Wale|1973|p=11}}

Following the release of their second album, Led Zeppelin completed several more US tours. They played initially in clubs and ballrooms, and then in larger auditoriums as their popularity grew.{{sfn|Erlewine|2011a}} Some early [[Led Zeppelin concerts]] lasted more than four hours, with expanded and improvised live versions of their repertoire. Many of these shows have been preserved as [[Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings|bootleg recordings]]. It was during this period of intensive concert touring that the band developed a reputation for off-stage excess.{{sfn|Wall|2008}}{{refn|group=nb|One alleged example of such extravagance was the shark episode said to have taken place at the [[The Edgewater (Seattle, Washington)|Edgewater Inn]] in [[Seattle]] on 28 July 1969.{{sfn|Davis|1985|p=103}}{{sfn|Wall|2008}}}}

In 1970, Page and Plant retired to [[Bron-Yr-Aur]], a remote cottage in [[Wales]], to commence work on their third album, ''[[Led Zeppelin III]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 June 2010 |title=Led Zeppelin at Bron-Yr-Aur |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/history/pages/led-zeppelin-bron-yr-aur.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514164952/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/history/pages/led-zeppelin-bron-yr-aur.shtml |archive-date=14 May 2011 |access-date=16 September 2011 |website=BBC Wales Music}}</ref> The result was a more acoustic style that was strongly influenced by [[folk music|folk]] and [[Celtic music]], and showcased the band's versatility. The album's rich acoustic sound initially received mixed reactions, with critics and fans surprised at the turn from the primarily electric arrangements of the first two albums, further fuelling the band's hostility to the musical press.{{sfn|Wall|2008|pp=208–209}} It reached number one in the UK and US charts, but its stay would be the shortest of their first five albums.{{sfn|Yorke|1993|p=130}} The album's opening track, "[[Immigrant Song]]", was released as a US single in November 1970 against the band's wishes, reaching the top twenty on the ''Billboard'' chart.{{sfn|Yorke|1993|p=129}}

Page played his 1959 Dragon Telecaster until a friend stripped Page's custom modifications and repainted the guitar.<ref>{{Citation| last1 = Fender| last2 = Page| first2 = Jimmy| title = "Dragon" Telecaster (serial no. 50062)| access-date = 15 August 2024| date = 1959| url = https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/754827}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first = Jeff |last=Slate | title =Jimmy Page: "The whole idea of the Dragon Tele was to bring a new life into it - to mix my identity into the actual guitar"| work = MusicRadar| access-date = 15 August 2024| date = 3 July 2019| url = https://www.musicradar.com/news/jimmy-page-the-whole-idea-of-the-dragon-tele-was-to-bring-a-new-life-into-it-to-mix-my-identity-into-the-actual-guitar}}</ref> From 1969 on the [[mahogany]] "Number 1" Les Paul has been Page's main guitar.<ref>{{Citation| last1 = Gibson| last2 = Page| first2 = Jimmy| title = "Number One" Les Paul Standard| access-date = 15 August 2024| date = 1959| url = https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/752453}}</ref>