Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, formed in 1968, consisting of Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin), and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy, guitar-driven blues-rock sound, Led Zeppelin are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock. However, the band's individualistic style drew from many sources and transcends any one music genre. Led Zeppelin did not release songs from their albums as singles in the United Kingdom, as they preferred to develop the concept of "album-oriented rock".
Thirty years after disbanding following Bonham's death in 1980, the band continues to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million certified units in the United States, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. They have had all of their original studio albums reach the top 10 of the Billboard album chart in the US, with six reaching the number one spot. Led Zeppelin are ranked number one on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and Classic Rock's "50 Best Live Acts of All Time". Rolling Stone magazine has described Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the '70s" and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history." Similarly, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes the band as being "as influential in that decade [70s] as The Beatles were in the prior one."
In 2007, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited (along with John Bonham's son, Jason) for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena in London. The band was honoured with the "Best Live Act" prize for their one-off reunion at MOJO Awards 2008, where they were declared the "greatest rock and roll band of all time."
This was one of the first songs prepared for the Led Zeppelin III album. The song was recorded live in the studio with very little overdubbing. John Paul Jones played Hammond organ on the song, using the bass pedals for the bassline. It was the only track from the third album that the band had played live prior to the recording sessions, but was reportedly the hardest to record. One story mentions Jimmy Page taking a break following a series of failed attempts to track the solo. Seemingly unable to get the tone he was craving, he set about a walk around the studio to clear his mind. Sitting outside of the recording area was an unplugged amplifier, which he utilised, and recorded the solo we hear today on the next take. Audio engineer Terry Manning called it "The best rock guitar solo of all time."
Because of the live recording, this is one of a few songs in which one can hear the squeak of John Bonham's bass drum pedal in the studio, the others being "The Ocean", "The Rain Song" and Dancing Days from 1973's Houses of the Holy, "Ten Years Gone" from 1975's Physical Graffiti, and "Bonzo's Montreux" from 1982's Coda and "I Can't Quit You Baby" from the same album. In an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine in 1993, Page made comment of this whilst discussing the remastering of Led Zeppelin tracks:
The only real problem I can remember encountering was when we were putting the first boxed set together. There was an awfully squeaky bass drum pedal on "Since I've Been Loving You". It sounds louder and louder every time I hear it! [laughs]. That was something that was obviously sadly overlooked at the time.