October 17, 1968 in the south of England the name of the British band Led Zeppelin was synonymous with excess no one took the music further or got as close to their fans no other band generated the heat, the rhythm either on stage or in anyone else's mind and no other band experienced as many triumphs and tragedies and no other band sold as many records
But there are also many rumors and myths about the enigmatic band Led Zeppelin. However, these speculations did not come about alone with the tragic death of their drummer John Bonham and several personal misfortunes among the members that led to the band's dissolution. Several began to look more closely at certain passages in their history, for example, Jimmy Page's purchase of the former home of occultist Alistair Brownlee and a fascination with tarot and all things occult. What truth is there in all this?
As I already said, Led Zeppelin formed in the early 1970s and revolutionized music for many. Considered the fathers of metal, there was no doubt that their skill on their instruments placed them almost as rock gods. However, with all their success, countless controversies have surrounded the band, from plagiarism to links to Satanism. Perhaps for a time, these could have been just rumors, but it was known that Jimmy Page's great interest in the occult was little more than superficial. The Led Zeppelin guitarist's fascination with the mystical began very early in his life, strongly influenced by the blues. One of those great idols was the American Robert Johnson, who has his own dark myth surrounding him. Unparalleled talent.
The story goes that one day Johnson found himself between two highways, Highway 49 and Highway 61 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and at that intersection, he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for immense skill on the guitar. Although more than his fascination with Johnson Page, he fell in love with another famous occultist, Alistair Brownlee, the guitarist admits to not having fully understood what this work was trying to convey, but his curiosity was piqued. At age 15, and in his early 20s, he began reading and researching more about Alistair Brownlee and other ancient magicians. But who is this mysterious Alistair Brownlee? Born in England in 1875, he was nicknamed "The Most Sinister Man in the World." He was an occult scholar, magician, and writer. He is known for having experimented with ancient knowledge to perform rituals with spirits and demons.
It all came to a head when Page decided to buy the house on Bolt Corner, an old house in the United Kingdom where Alistair Brownlee had lived for years and performed several rituals within the complex.
In 1970, Jimmy Pages bought the house, although before Crowley, the place already had a macabre history, as it is said that right on its foundations stood a church that burned down, killing all the parishioners inside. Crowley evidently chose this house for these characteristics, which made it energetically useful for his purposes. After Crowley, the house had other owners, one of the most recent in the 1960s, an army officer who committed suicide in one of the rooms.
This mystery could bring much more attention to the band and their music. Although, analyzing Zeppelin more deeply, it remains doubtful whether Page truly believed in what he studied. A very clear example is the symbols the band used to define each member. An idea that came from Jimmy Page himself, where he urged the members to choose their own symbol. These were taken from the Book of Signs, a collection of magical and ancient symbols from around the world. Bassist John Paul Jones's symbol was a Celtic symbol representing the trinity. Vocalist Robert Land chose the Feather of Truth, derived from the Egyptian goddess.
But tragedy struck, and on September 25, 1980, John Bonham died from vomit aspiration after consuming large amounts of alcohol. Without him, the band decided to disband that same year, issuing a statement stating that they could not continue without their drummer. John Robert and Jimmy reunited. Once, in 1985, at a charity concert in the United Kingdom, where Jason Bonham, John's son, also took his place, as planned.
The concert was more for John Bonham than for them. However, there is no doubt that the formal reunion was largely prevented by Robert Plant. Robert still performs his famous Zeppelin songs with his band on his solo project. For many, however, it remains a mystery why this enormous band hasn't managed to reunite one last time. Many believe that Robert simply doesn't want to relive those years of excess and tragedy. Meanwhile, Jimmy Page, despite being one of the greatest musicians of his generation, couldn't get over the tragedy.
