Guitarist Jimmy Page of the Yardbirds and bassist John Paul Jones were young schooled London session players. Singer Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham were talented but untested English Midlands musicians whose raw musicianship and earthy feel were a surprisingly effective contrast.

Together the four redefined the limits of rock music while magnifying its visceral power, its reckless abandonment and, yes, some of its faults. Led Zeppelin I received a surprising number of negative reviews from music critics, igniting a debate on whether white musicians could play Afro-American Blues without negatively exploiting the originators, a debate which would dog Led Zeppelin for their first four now-iconic albums.

On January 17, 1969 Led Zeppelin thundered onto the world stage with its debut album and songs "Communication Breakdown", "Good Times, Bad Times", "Dazed and Confused", and "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" displaying great musical diversity, dynamics, and sounds previously unheard in rock, electrifying the masses (if not rock critics) and selling north of 10 million copies in the U.S. alone.