Led Zeppelin 1 released on Atlantic Records in 1969, value first pressing £1,500, second pressing £200.

FOLLOWING the demise of his former band The Yardbirds, Jimmy Page, who was a well known session guitarist who had played on over 50 recordings, decided to form a new band, writes MICHAEL BROOKS. This consisted of Robert Plant as lead singer, John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards with John Bonham on drums. Initially calling themselves the New Yardbirds, because of copyright issues they were refused permission to use that name. One account for their new name was made by Keith Moon of The Who, when discussing their prospects, remarked they would either go on to become a huge success or go down like a "lead balloon". The group dropped the 'a' in lead and the word balloon was replaced by zeppelin.

In the late sixties, Atlantic Records began to take an interest in British progressive rock acts, and it was Dusty Springfield who suggested to the head of Atlantic that they should sign the newly formed band Led Zeppelin; she knew Jones who had backed her in concerts before. Largely on Dusty's advice, and without having ever seen them or heard their music, the record company signed a deal of $143,000 with them. At the time, that was the biggest deal of its kind for a new band.

Unlike most rock bands, Led Zeppelin shunned publicity, they refused to appear on television, give interviews or release photographs of themselves. By wishing to remain anonymous they created an aura of intrigue and mystery which led to fans flocking to see them. They became one of the first rock bands to fill giant arenas. In 1973 at Tampa Bay, Florida, they played to 56,000 fans, breaking the record set by The Beatles at the Shea Stadium concert in 1965. They continued to break box office records around the world and in 1975 they were named as the world's number one band outselling the Rolling Stones. Despite their success, they were not immune to tragedy: drummer John Bonham died in 1980 following a bout of heavy drinking.

Their biggest selling album was Led Zeppelin IV, which featured one of their best known songs Stairway To Heaven. The album sold 23,000,000 copies.

In 1988 at the 40th anniversary concert celebrating Atlantic Records, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page reunited for a performance with John Bonham's son Jason on drums. Led Zeppelin leave a legacy of music that continues to provide inspiration to successive generations of musicians.