Of course, the image itself is pretty iconic too, taken seconds after the zeppelin Hindenburg burned and crashed in Lakehurst, NJ in 1937. In fact, it’s been called “the most famous news photo ever taken.”
Would you believe it was 767 feet long, held 5M cubic feet of gas, and carried 87 passengers and crew?
Led Zeppelin would use an outline of the image in their second album, along with a pic of the band mixed in with some WWI German aviators (who, together, look more like a motorcycle gang).
The idea for the cover came from Jimmy Page, and was executed by George Hardie, of the legendary design firm Hipgnosis.
He’s got 50-some credits to his name, including several more for Led Zeppelin as well as plenty of others (and mostly as art director):
After Hipgnosis, Hardie was a professor of graphic design at the University of Bristol. You’ll see some more of him a little later in this blog.
This was the first album I ever owned (I think I was 12). I still remember every song. And there were some good ones too – “Communication Breakdown,” “Good Times Bad Times,” “You Shook Me” …
What’s interesting about this album is how it was put together. The band had actually been rehearsing for only a month when they entered the studio. Lacking a contract, they paid for everything themselves, spending a mere £2,000 and finishing everything within 36 hours.
The band was the result of the breakup of the Yardbirds, where Jimmy Page had made a name for himself (he’s second from the left):
The band name came from Keith Moon, of the Who, who thought the new group would go over like the proverbial lead balloon.
Parodies? I have a few ...
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