Jimmy Page Directed by Bernard MacMahon Read More
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Be there for the start of arguably the world’s greatest rock ‘n roll band--
That’s the premise and it’s confirmed in the title of Becoming Led Zeppelin, the new two-hour music bio that opened exclusively in IMAX theaters this weekend. Starting this coming Friday, it will expand to more traditional screens and we hope, an eventual home release.
This has been long in the making, as guitarist Jimmy Page remains under tight control of the band’s legacy and after hearing many proposals, agreed to work with Irish/English documentarian Bernard MacMahon, previously known for his multi-part chronicling of early roots music, American Epic.
First announced in 2019, a work-in-progress print was screened back in Sept 2021 at the Venice Film Festival, and the end result finally hit nationwide screens after a three-and-a-half year wait following that preview.
The story is told without narration, and is instead driven by recent interviews with Page, singer Robert Plant, and bassist John Paul Jones, and an unearthed early interview from drummer John Bonham, heard here publicly for the first time. Add to that, some photos and film clips also never before seen, and It’s a delight for the diehard fan and helps bring further life into the story for anyone more casual.
The film traces the four musicians back through their respective childhoods – Page picking up the guitar early and joining bands, Jones the product of a set of stage parents and creatively inclined from a young age, and Page and Bonham growing up in the Midlands trying to find their own way.
Still teenagers, Page and Jones would go on to become in-demand session players in London (both even contributed to the James Bond theme, “Goldfinger” sung by Shirley Bassey), with Page then joining, and soon becoming the lead guitarist of The Yardbirds after Jeff Beck quit.
With that band disassembling, Page already clearly envisioned his next plan (to be initially named The New Yardbirds), convincing Jonesy to give up his stable session work to be in a band and recruiting Plant and Bonham from their own Band of Joy (and despite Bonham’s wife’s incessant misgivings apparently).
The resulting foursome met in a basement rehearsal space, first jamming on the jump blues classic, “Train Kept a Rollin’” and all knew they had something special and never heard before- a magical combination of blues-infused muscle rock and folk, inspired by American soul, the early R’nR of Little Richard and Elvis, the jazzy skiffle of Lonnie Donegan, and the numerous early American Blues pioneers that so many UK artists of the day admired.
Taking on a name from a disparaging comment by The Who’s drummer, Keith Moon, the band set about to conquer the world, starting slowly in Scandinavia and even making themselves a big name in America, before building any sizable UK fame.
The 1969 Danish TV footage most fans have seen (and was included in the band’s own 2012 DVD release), is given fresh life and immense volume in the IMAX format, and new clips from the Roundhouse in London and the band’s first UK festival in Bath, were all welcome additions.
The band said goodbye to their families and began their initial US Tour on the day after Christmas 1968 playing with Vanilla Fudge in Denver and built-up word of mouth and increasing ticket demand, for every show following.
Synced and restored 8mm footage from the Texas International Pop Fest and Atlanta Pop Fest show the band’s explosive live stage presence, and even recording/rehearsal footage from London’s Olympic Studios provided a rare glimpse into how they recorded their first album playing live (in just 36 hours over a few weeks), rather than mixing individual performance tracks.
It’s charming to see the three surviving members smile wryly hearing their drummer comment from beyond the grave, and seeing some the footage that we’re also seeing, for the first time, The performances shine with as much picture restoration as possible, and an audio soundtrack that booms the limits of the IMAX system.
It’s a satisfying beginning, but sadly only that- the film ends as the decade of the 1960s does, with the band well on its way, and just having released its even heavier second studio album. So, it seems to be a chapter one (of three or four?) and the ‘ten years gone’ of what’s ahead- seven more groundbreaking studio albums to the band’s untimely end, will all have to wait.
Becoming Led Zeppelin is a worthy first course, to document the roots and early era of the legendary band. We just hope we can see the rest of the story similarly and properly presented, in our lifetime (or that of Page, Plant, and Jones’).
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| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com |
Extremely good foundation, for more to come
Hopefully
Posted by: Dave Stevenosky | 02/11/2025 at 04:35 PM