Thorgerson later elaborated further on the concept by saying that it represented the power of Led Zeppelin, as their music was “so powerful, they didn’t need to be there”. However, according to Hipgnosis’ Storm Thorgerson – who designed the cover along with George Hardie – “The Object” was intended to represent Zeppelin’s “force and presence”. “There was an enormous amount of adrenaline that we were building up on stage, and just taking it offstage into the land of mondo bizarro.Many fans still believe the curious black obelisk-shaped object Led Zeppelin used for the cover of Presence (referred to simply as “The Object”) was a spoof on the monolith from Stanley Kubrick’s influential 2001: A Space Odyssey. “I was just totally and completely spaced out,” Page admits in the book. “The robbery, the publicity, the nonstop travel, the breakneck schedule, the vast sums of money, the death threats and security, the drugs, the rumors, the push-pull, push-pull, push-pull, the Led Zeppelin phenomenon - the whole thing was becoming too much to handle,” writes Spitz.

The robbery intensified the chaos that was already swirling around Led Zeppelin at the time, with drugs taking their toll on the band.

Grant was arrested and jailed in a cell at 100 Centre St., but before his arraignment, a settlement was reached that allowed the case to be dismissed. Led Zeppelin was once robbed of approximately $200,000 at NYC’s Drake Hotel in 1973. Grant grabbed his camera and smashed it - “doing a bit of damage to its owner’s face as well,” writes Spitz. Indeed, Spitz writes, “In the scheme of things, a loss of $200,000 was pocket change to Led Zeppelin, but it sure didn’t look that way to the outside world.”Īmong those descending upon the Drake Hotel to cover the story was a photographer from The Post. “Jimmy and I just laughed about it,” said frontman Robert Plant, who thought that the theft actually “somehow made sense.” The cash was from the previous two nights of performances at the Garden, as well as for a previous gig.Īt the time, The Post reported that it was “the largest-ever hotel cash robbery in New York City.” The new book “Led Zeppelin: The Biography” is out on Tuesday in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of “Stairway to Heaven.” Penguin Pressĭespite all of the ensuing drama, Spitz notes that the classic-rock legends “didn’t seem too put off” by the robbery. “No less than five sources close to the band told this author that Grant had admitted spiriting the Drake money away,” he writes. Nevertheless, he remained a primary suspect, as did a bellman.”īut Spitz also raises some suspicions about Led Zeppelin’s then-manager, Peter Grant. Cole also said that he had taken and passed a lie detector test. “It certainly looked to the cops like an inside job,” writes Spitz of the case, which remains unsolved. In fact, Cole had the only key to the strongbox. There was plenty for him to worry about.” Led Zeppelin performs at Madison Square Garden during its three-night stand in 1973. Meanwhile, Richard Cole, the FBI’s primary suspect, combed the band’s rooms, scrubbing them of drugs. “To safe-guard the band’s privacy, the musicians were stashed in an apartment on East Eighty-sixth Street … until things cooled down. “New York City police and the FBI moved in to investigate, but so did the paparazzi,” writes Bob Spitz in “Led Zeppelin: The Biography,” out Tuesday in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of “Stairway to Heaven.”

While the Drake transformed into a major crime scene, the band went on to play MSG. the night of the final gig - with only the passports remaining. Richard Cole, the band’s then-tour manager, discovered the theft at 7:30 p.m. Led Zeppelin was worn out and strung out on drugs, with cocaine and heroin being delivered to their hotel, but had to pull it together for these important MSG gigs, where footage was being shot for their 1976 concert film “The Song Remains the Same.” The stacks of hundred-dollar bills - along with everyone’s passports and a few credit cards - had been stored in a safe-deposit box behind the desk at the Drake Hotel on Park Avenue at 56th Street, where Led Zep was staying. Led Zeppelin once had to learn the hard way that the show must go on.īefore the last of a three-night stand at Madison Square Garden in 1973, the band was robbed of a whole lotta cash: approximately $200,000. Newly discovered frog species named after Led Zeppelin Groupie hell: Led Zeppelin molested teen with fish, book reveals Goldman CEO defends DJ’ing habit, admits Barry Manilow a ‘guilty pleasure’ ‘Wayne’s World’ at 30: bitter fights on set couldn’t kill comedy classic

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