Be Like Led Zeppelin

As a teenager, I got hooked on Led Zeppelin through a Columbia House mail-order deal and played their early albums relentlessly—especially the solos in “Heartbreaker,” “Black Dog,” and “Stairway to Heaven.” Over time, my musical tastes shifted, and I forgot just how incredible the band was—until I watched Becoming Led Zeppelin, Bernard MacMahon’s 2025 documentary. The film, which received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival and earned $13.2 million by May 2025, follows the band’s rapid rise from their formation in 1968 to worldwide fame by 1970.

Though Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had previously collaborated as session musicians, the group’s first time playing together was a rehearsal jam in a small rented space in 1968, where they tested their chemistry with blues standards like “Train Kept A-Rollin’” and “Smokestack Lightning.” Just 44 days later, they were recording their debut album—finished in just 36 hours of studio time. With a modest budget of £1,800 (around $4,300 at the time) and a 4-track recorder, they captured a raw blend of blues, rock, and psychedelic experimentation. Songs like