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LONDON - Rock legends Led Zeppelin have performed only a handful of times since splitting in 1980 after the shock death of drummer John Bonham, and by their own admission each occasion was a "shambles".
A reunion concert on November 26 offers the surviving members of one of
pop music's most successful and influential acts an opportunity to remind the world what they can do.
Bass guitarist John Paul Jones and guitarist Jimmy Page said they, together with singer Robert Plant and Bonham's son Jason, got together for a secret session earlier this year to determine whether they should go ahead with the London gig.
"It sounded like we've played this every night for the last three weeks," Jones, 61, said. "If that's the starting point, this is going to be great.
"I want not just to be able to play it and play it well, I want to be able to give a really good performance."
The silver-haired Page, 63, added: "The fact is that to actually be able to play and make this thing pulse, as it sort of did straight away on the first day we got together, that's really something to look forward to in every respect."
A far cry from the rock'n'roll hellraisers of their 1970s heyday, the softly-spoken musicians sought to play down the hype surrounding their reunion.
They also sidestepped questions about whether the show, a charity tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun who died last year, was a stepping stone to a full comeback tour.
"We're just concentrating on this show," Jones said.
When the concert was announced in September, the ticket website crashed several times as millions of fans scrambled for tickets, testament to the lasting appeal of the music.
The creators of hits like "Stairway to Heaven", "Whole Lotta Love", "Communication Breakdown" and "Kashmir" shot to superstardom shortly after forming in 1968, and went on to sell an estimated 300 million albums.
"I suppose the scale of (the reaction) has been somewhat overwhelming," Jones said.
Digital outreach
In addition to the concert, where Led Zeppelin plan to play a 90-minute set, the band recently announced it would release its music online for the first time next month and has entered into a mobile phone deal.
Asked why Led Zeppelin was one of the last "supergroups" to release its catalogue digitally, Page replied: "I think we were too busy to think about it. The time was right."
Reflecting on the way the internet has revolutionised music since the 1970s, Jones said record labels had missed a golden opportunity to harness new technology.
"I think the record companies...just dragged their feet and wasted so much time, energy and money going down a prohibition-type alley where they could have...put all this effort into finding new business models and been at the spearhead of revolution themselves."
Jones said he was braced for inevitable media interest in longstanding reports of a rift between himself and Plant.
"I was probably reluctant to do this for that same reason - it's all going to start again," he said. "It's got nothing to do with the music. The music is what it was all about."
Page recalled an interview he gave to promote a solo album in which the journalist asked repeated questions on what Plant had reportedly said about other band members.
"After about the sixth time, I said: 'Could you tell Robert to shut up so I can get on with my own interview?' We haven't just had a few months of this. This has been years."
Led Zep facts
* Led Zeppelin was formed in 1968, comprising lead singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bass guitarist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham.
* In December that year, the band performed their US concert debut in Denver, Colorado, where they were third on the bill behind Vanilla Fudge and Spirit. The United States was to become crucial to their huge success.
* Led Zeppelin released its first, eponymous, album in 1969, and shortly afterwards "Led Zeppelin II", which together are widely recognised as laying the foundations for hard rock for years to come.
* By the early 1970s, Led Zeppelin were arguably the world's biggest band. Their fourth album, released in 1971, included probably their most famous track "Stairway to Heaven". During this period Zeppelin earned a reputation for rock'n'roll excess on tour. The band has gone on to sell an estimated 300 million albums worldwide to date.
* The band's success was relatively shortlived. The surviving members decided to break up shortly after Bonham, reportedly following a bout of heavy drinking, died in September, 1980. He was 32.
* Page and Plant collaborated after the band broke up, but a reported rift with Jones prevented a reunion by all the surviving members.
* Plant, Page and Jones will perform together in London on November 26, along with Bonham's son Jason on drums, at a charity gig. When the announcement was made, the website selling tickets crashed several times due to huge demand.
* As well as the concert, the band said this week it would make its music catalogue available on the internet for the first time, and has signed up a deal for ring tones and downloads with a US mobile phone carrier. Led Zeppelin will also release a hits CD and a re-mixed version of the soundtrack from the band's three-night stint at Madison Square Garden in 1973.