Spare Creativity #4: September 1968 - September 1969: They Could Have Had at Least Some Faith

Pictured above: Led Zeppelin, 1969

Following the formation of a new Yardbirds lineup by Jimmy Page and their subsequent tour throughout Scandanavia billed as The New Yardbirds, the band rented studio time at Olympic Studios in London to record what was meant to be their debut album, but by the time they  played at the University of Surrey in Battersea on October 25th, they rebranded as Led Zeppelin due to a cease and desist letter by Chris Dreja stating that Page was only allowed to use The New Yardbirds moniker during the Scandanavia tour.

This name change at the time proved detrimental as the band was subsequently dropped from their contract with Columbia due to them believing the new name didn’t hold as much weight as The Yardbirds name did, which resulted in the album being delayed indefinitely.

“I feel like they could have had at least have some faith in us, but I guess marketability comes first with the industry”

- Jimmy Page, 1969

The band, however, still carried forth with playing live gigs, occasionally finding time in the studio to work on new songs. By the time they got a new record deal with Atlantic Records, they had enough material to fit 2 LPs.

“We could’ve released two separate albums like The Beatles did last year, but we decided on the more risky approach and come straight out of the gate with a whole double album worth of stuff.”

- John Paul Jones, 1969

Led Zeppelin

Disc 1:

01. Whole Lotta Love (5:34) [1]

02. Good Times Bad Times (2:46) [2]

03. What Is and What Should Never Be (4:45) [1]

04. The Lemon Song (6:19) [1]

05. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (6:41) [2]

06. Baby Come On Home (4:29) [3]

07. You Shook Me (6:28) [2]

08. Dazed and Confused (6:26) [2]

09. Thank You [1]

Disc 2:

01. Heartbreaker (4:14) [1]

02. Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) (2:39) [1]

03. La La (4:07) [4]

04. Your Time is Gonna Come (4:34) [2]

05. Black Mountain Side (2:12) [2]

06. Ramble On (4:24) [1]

07. Sugar Mama (2:50) [3]

08. Communication Breakdown (2:30) [2]

09. I Can’t Quit You Baby (4:24) [2]

10. How Many More Times (8:27) [2]

11. Moby Dick (4:21) [1]

12. Bring it on Home (4:19) [1]

Released: September 1st, 1969

Track sources:

[1] - Led Zeppelin II, 1969

[2] - Led Zeppelin, 1969

[3] - Coda 1993 CD Reissue

[4] Led Zeppelin II, Deluxe Edition