Becoming Led Zeppelin

I went to the cinema to see 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' with my brother and saw it in IMAX. Didn't really know what to expect but I found the experience thoroughly enjoyable. I'm very familiar with their music catalogue and was a bit of a hippy myself in my teens, though post Led Zeppelin in the late 70's and early 80's, so I never saw them live (although I did go to a cinema 'all nighter that included 'The Song Remains the Same' movie!). I don't listen to them much these days but it was great to revisit their first two albums, hear their amazing music again and see the rare footage and listen to them talking nostalgically about those exciting formative days.

One of the things the documentary impressed on me was how stripped down those early performances were. There is hardly any lighting, the stages are often the size of a postage stamp and some the audiences on their first US tour were really tough (check out the kids putting their fingers in their ears - hilarious). This gave me a real appreciation for their dedication to the music as they give it 100% regardless.

So, I know there's been a lot of water under the bridge, and even though Robert, Jimmy and John Paul (and even John posthumously) are interviewed separately for this documentary there's a whole lotta love for the halcyon days of energy and creativity of the sixties. The documentary brings the era alive with some well chosen news reel footage and even rare footage of the band members playing pre-Zeppelin. In regard to this - a special moment is when they are reacting to video footage that they had not seen before - priceless.

On the picky side there is plenty of 'lick and stick' editing going on - you know, putting clips together with music from a different recording and making a less than convincing hash of it - but its a forgivable conceit really (for fans) and worth overlooking to make the most of all the archive material.

All in all we had a great night out at the cinema and I can say with some confidence that if you were ever a fan of the first two Zeppelin albums your gonna love this trip down memory lane - it's a whole lotta rock n roll nostalgia.

Jimmy page has always been something of a (rightful) control freak when it comes to his 'baby', Led Zeppelin; and while their 12 year output is largely untarnished, there have been a few missteps following the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, like the ill-fated Live Aid reunion in 1985, so it's no surprise he, along with Plant and Jones, were initially a little tentative about a proposed 'official' documentary.

On one hand, 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' does live up to its title. This is not a band chronology, but the how and why of it all coming together, from their post-war childhoods to becoming infatuated with American blues, r&b, jazz, and rock music as teenagers. While it doesn't touch on every single influence, there is enough of an overview to get the cultural picture. All three surviving members provide an adequate narrative through new interviews. Although it's Page who is the most lucid and engaged, Plant and Jones are also informative, witty and affable.

Of course, the music does speak for itself, and is given plenty of screen time to do that, presenting live clips of complete songs with original audio. It would be easy to complain that most of these clips were released in 2003 on the 'Led Zeppelin Live' DVD, but they definitely benefit from the Imax treatment. One nice surprise, though, was the inclusion of unreleased footage from the Fillmore West, San Francisco in 1969, among others.

It all seems to add up to an engaging cohesive story, that is, until the director gets a case of montage fever and decides to recycle clips and songs we've already seen, in a ham-fisted way more than a few times, which just comes off as filler, and really cheapens the overall tone of the film.

So, does this film actually do justice to the mighty Zeppelin? It does accomplish its objective in cohesively covering the early years, and keeps us engaged with interviews, unseen clips and photos, but somehow manages to stray without a satisfactory conclusion. Still, I'm glad it exists, but could use a re-edit.

I grew up in an home where folk music reigned, and a bit like with those folks at the Newport Folk Festival who recoiled in disgust at Bob Dylan's shift from acoustic to electric, my parents wouldn't give this band house room in their collection. Therefore, save for the odd rendition of "Whole Lotta Love" or "Stairway to Heaven" I knew precious little about this band when I watched this documentary. It starts by introducing us to each of the members, and rather poignantly uses an interview with the late John Bonham as all four take us through their own musical influences before they met and make musical history. There's some serious archive research gone into this film providing an astonishing array of material from not just those who inspired these men but of some of their own early appearances. There's an especially enjoyable scene from London's Roundhouse theatre where, already having had success in the USA, they perform to a bemused collection of Londoners - some with their fingers in their ears! I didn't love all of their music, and as one journalists quoted here declared - they can be a bit self indulgent. So what, though? That old adage about serving others best when you serve yourself springs to mind. If you can't enjoy making music your own way, you can't expect others to enjoy listening to it - and that search for a musical style that resonates with an audience is clearly important to these blokes. Interestingly, after fifty-odd years, they still appear to respect each other and look back fondly not just on their days touring and making music, but also display a touching affection for their lamented drummer who's comments elicit a genuine emotion from Messrs Plant, Page and Jones. It features very little by way of noises-off comments, instead focussing on the band's own insightful narration as well as plenty of actuality material - including some long form performances from their gigs up until the release of "Led Zeppelin II" where our history rather abruptly concludes. These are three erudite and engaging men who who have clearly lived life's ups and downs fully and energetically, and emerged remarkably sanely out the other side of a music industry that they refused to be consumed by. There music won't be to everyone's taste, but as a history of an industry, a band and a genre-busting style of rock this is an easy film to absorb for two hours.

Thoroughly enjoyed Becoming Led Zeppelin. Keep in mind this is about how the band rose to fame quickly, the old-fashioned way by touring relentlessly. No Internet, just word-of-mouth, kind DJs and radio play. What they achieved the old-fashioned way in less than 15 months was simply amazing. The film reveals how four people who virtually never played together discovered a magic within themselves and the vision Jimmy page had for their future. Never before seen footage and audio clips were awesome. Keep in mind this documentaries about the bands rise to store them early in their Career. Try to see in an IMAX theater or equivalent.

As a Led Zeppelin fan for the past five decades, this was an amazing trip, hearing all the stories of how four incredible artists happened upon each other to make rock history.

With genuine and thoughtful interviews from the survivors of the band and a really sweet and funny interview from the late John Bonham, (a happy voice from the past) this exciting and well crafted doc had wonderful historical footage and photos showing us how Led Zeppelin became Led Zeppelin.

If you can see it in IMAX, it's amazing. Some of the live footage is absolutely fantastic and the sound quality is remarkable.

Overall, this was a really fun ride down memory lane. I just wish I were 10 years older so that I had had a chance to see Zep before John passed.

Definitely a must see for any Led Zeppelin fan!