Jimmy Page Avoided Disaster When He Picked Led Zeppelin’s Name Over 1 of These Terrible Names
Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin with one major goal in mind: to make epic guitar-based music. The band almost never performed on TV, but there was a chance Led Zeppelin could have been introduced with a terrible name since Page cared more about the music than the band’s moniker.
Jimmy Page quickly formed Led Zeppelin when his previous band fell apart
Page rejected two invitations to join the Yardbirds in the mid-1960s. He preferred to learn more about recording technology as a session musician than join one of England’s most popular bands. Yet he eventually joined the group as a bass player before taking over as the lead guitarist.
A combination of managerial pressure and rigorous touring led the Yardbirds to fall apart despite Page’s best efforts to keep them together. The guitarist didn’t want to go back to session work, so he gathered Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones and formed Led Zeppelin within weeks of the Yardbirds folding.
Page was so obsessed with his new band’s music that he possibly considered at least two terrible names before choosing Led Zeppelin.
Page might have considered two terrible monikers before settling on Led Zeppelin’s name
Page served as the creative force behind Led Zeppelin. He formed the band, wrote much of the music, produced the records, and played lead guitar. The music was far more important to Page than marketing and publicity.
Still, we’re thankful Page settled on the Led Zeppelin name instead of two terrible titles he might have considered. Per Led Zeppelin FAQ author George Case:
“Jimmy Page and his manager, Peter Grant, had already rejected Mad Dogs and Whoopee Cushion as names for Page’s nascent band, although Page later claimed he would have christened it as casually as The Vegetables or The Potatoes, such as was his preoccupation with the group’s sound.”
Page would have flippantly named his band The Potatoes when it formed since he cared more about the music that what the group was called. Led Zeppelin might have seemed to be a strange name in 1968, but it aged like fine wine. The burning blimps on the first two albums visually communicated the band’s intent to burn down musical conventions. The juxtaposition of the name of a (misspelled) heavy metal alongside an airship instantly stood out. Led Zeppelin chose an Icarus-like winged man for its Swan Song record label, furthering the idea of taking flight.
Decades later, we still get the Led out. Imagine an alternate universe in which two albums that altered the musical landscape were titled The Potatoes I and II. Can you imagine rushing out to buy Physical Graffiti by The Vegetables? Or the untitled fourth album by the same group? Or seeing concert posters with a giant potato lying in the dirt?
Seeing Led Zeppelin perform was like torture for Queen guitarist Brian May. Music fans would have been in the same boat if radio DJs had to introduce The Potatoes’ “Stairway to Heaven” for the past 50 years.
Page’s focus on the music led to him considering names such as The Vegetables or The Potatoes over Led Zeppelin. We’re thankful he resurrected a moniker that was uttered as a joke years before Zep formed.
The rumored origins of Led Zeppelin’s name
Page thankfully ditched at least two terrible potential band titles and chose Led Zeppelin name instead. Yet that moniker wasn’t his creation.
The Who bassist John Entwistle said he came up with the name shortly before Led Zeppelin formed. However, a conflicting story, and one Page has backed, states that The Who drummer Keith Moon originated the title during a recording session with Page and Jeff Beck.
Even after Page moved on from two terrible band names and settled on Led Zeppelin, the band billed itself as The Nobs for one show. A hysterical person with the last name von Zeppelin took exception to the band’s name and the image of a burning blimp on the front of the first album.
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