Many people believe that Led Zeppelin was one of the most influential rock bands to ever take up a guitar. They were founded in 1968 by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. Their guitar-heavy, blues-infused style caught on with listeners all over the world.
Of course, radio play was crucial to Led Zeppelin’s ability to reach listeners throughout the globe. When the band first gained popularity in the 1970s, radio play was one of the best ways to be noticed. It became essential that bands have this as a result. Some were even prepared to breach the law in order to have well-known musicians play their tunes.
However, Led Zeppelin took a somewhat different tack. The band had a unique sound that made listeners eager to hear them, thus radio stations were eager to play them. Their problem stemmed from the length of their songs; several of them were considerably longer than five minutes, which radio stations were unable to air.
Zeppelin stuck to their position much like radio stations did. The band understood that their ability to create an atmosphere in their songs a result of masterful musicianship and time was one of their primary draws.
Because it takes so long for us to arrive, the payoff at the conclusion of “Stairway To Heaven” feels almost as if we have climbed there as listeners. The same is true of the jaw-dropping solo in “Whole Lotta Love,” which was expertly preceded by Robert Plant’s famous vocal and had a protracted bridge with a pick dragging across strings. Let’s just say that Led Zeppelin wasn’t prepared to give in on the run time. The band, stuck for ideas, came up with a novel one. To make things go properly, they had to appear as though they were making mistakes.
The song is 8:28 in duration, not the 3:30 indicated on the back of the record. Because of this, radio stations were far more inclined to play the music since they were led to believe that it was shorter than it was. The band utilized the song to finish many of their performances because it became one of their hits.
The duration of a song is still strictly regulated by radio stations nowadays, but since music is now digital, it is difficult to misrepresent its length. Therefore, musicians will need to come up with more inventive ways to have their songs played if they wish to create an environment akin to that of Led Zeppelin.