Album
Led Zeppelin
Becoming Led Zeppelin
(label)
19 February 2025 (released)
19 February 2025
Becoming Led Zeppelin is the first authorized film of this most legendary band. It is another unexpected chapter added to the Zep story. With the success of Get Back and the sheer joy of seeing our Liverpudlian heroes young, gorgeous and inspiring, so the idea of seeing Robert, Jimmy, John and John Paul as Youngbloods getting to grips with the heavy rock circus, that was about to take off in general and for them specifically, is just a must.
I hate watching trailers or spoilers so I had no idea how the film started and where it would be going. In the first half hour, the boys are to be found growing up in a post second world war Britain and each one’s musical journey that led to Led is outlined. It’s a very traditional way to do music documentaries, always interesting, amazing images of London in the 50’s and 60’s but nothing new.
The film takes off from mid 1968 when things conspire and they get together; first rehearsals, the making of the ‘Led Zeppelin’ album, the American tours in 1969 with the second album being written in hotel rooms and then recorded in various cities during the tours; the tail being the defining Royal Albert Hall concert in 1970, at which point they were the biggest band in the world.
It’s worth the price of a ticket for two main reasons. Firstly the music; remastered for the screen with Jimmy Page’s oversight sounds fantastic; the songs always amazing thanks to all its component parts; and secondly the voice over parts with John Bonham. In fact it’s probably the reason why the rest of the band decided to give it the go ahead in the first place as watching them, I assume, listening to his spoken words for the first time, with the camera rolling (the Bonham voiceover coming from an unaired interview apparently, speaking about early Led Zep) is quite enough in itself as their faces and demeanor remonstrate love, nostalgia and regret.
But what a band! Those first two albums still able to resonate some 56 years later especially given the ever increasing dull musical landscape of today.
Director Bernard MacMahon has managed to scour archives, pester photographers and tv stations to get exciting clips previously unseen and even if his documentary speaks to fans more than the casual observer it keeps to a fast pace and tells a good story.
A detailed documentary of the following years would not be amiss seeing what happened after but I rather enjoyed this rendezvous with the gang and would urge any fan to find a good quality cinema and go see.
I hate watching trailers or spoilers so I had no idea how the film started and where it would be going. In the first half hour, the boys are to be found growing up in a post second world war Britain and each one’s musical journey that led to Led is outlined. It’s a very traditional way to do music documentaries, always interesting, amazing images of London in the 50’s and 60’s but nothing new.
It’s worth the price of a ticket for two main reasons. Firstly the music; remastered for the screen with Jimmy Page’s oversight sounds fantastic; the songs always amazing thanks to all its component parts; and secondly the voice over parts with John Bonham. In fact it’s probably the reason why the rest of the band decided to give it the go ahead in the first place as watching them, I assume, listening to his spoken words for the first time, with the camera rolling (the Bonham voiceover coming from an unaired interview apparently, speaking about early Led Zep) is quite enough in itself as their faces and demeanor remonstrate love, nostalgia and regret.
But what a band! Those first two albums still able to resonate some 56 years later especially given the ever increasing dull musical landscape of today.
Director Bernard MacMahon has managed to scour archives, pester photographers and tv stations to get exciting clips previously unseen and even if his documentary speaks to fans more than the casual observer it keeps to a fast pace and tells a good story.
A detailed documentary of the following years would not be amiss seeing what happened after but I rather enjoyed this rendezvous with the gang and would urge any fan to find a good quality cinema and go see.
