The 1975 Led Zeppelin Album That Almost Never Was, if It Hadn’t Been for Peter Grant’s Skills in Persuasion

Led Zeppelin was a rare breed of band in that if one member was out, everyone was out. When drummer John Bonham died in 1980, the band parted ways, refusing to continue their legacy without the original lineup. For a brief moment in 1975, the band could have experienced a similar—though, fortunately, far less tragic—shake-up to their four-piece ensemble at the hands of bassist John Paul Jones.

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The English rock ‘n’ rollers were at the top of their game in the mid-1970s, but the immense pressure and rigors of touring life were starting to wear down the bassist. When Led Zeppelin convened at Headley Grange to record their sixth album and Houses of the Holy follow-up, Physical Graffiti, the band had to cut the session short due to Jones falling ill. Or, at least, that’s the story Led Zeppelin told the press.

In a 1975 interview with Rolling Stone, guitarist Jimmy Page explained that they ceded their studio time to Bad Company because “John Paul Jones wasn’t well. Everything got messed up. It took three months to sort the situation out.” But in Dave Lewis’ book, Led Zeppelin: A Celebration, the band’s ever-persuasive and oft-intimidating manager, Peter Grant, told a different story about why Jones suddenly disappeared.

Peter Grant Had to Convince John Paul Jones to Stay During ‘Physical Graffiti’

According to Dave Lewis’ book, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones approached the band’s infamously commanding manager, Peter Grant, and told him he wanted to quit. Jones said he “wanted a change,” and that he had no interest in going back into the studio to make Physical Graffiti. Grant countered with a suggestion to take the rest of the year off, enjoy his holiday, and then revisit the idea in the new year. Ultimately, the mini-vacation worked. Jones felt well enough to return to the band, and by January of 1974, Led Zeppelin was back at Headley Grange.

And it’s a good thing, too. Physical Graffiti contains some of Led Zeppelin’s most iconic tracks, including “Kashmir”, “Trampled Under Foot”, and “Bron-Yr-Aur”. The song topped the charts in both the U.S. and the band’s native U.K. It also reached Top 5 placements in Spain, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Austria, and Finland. In the U.S., Physical Graffiti has a staggering 16-time platinum certification.

So, what was Jones going to do if he had quit the band? Per the rumor mill, Jones was fixing to get a job as the choirmaster of Winchester Cathedral. That comment, he would later claim, was just a joke. “Somebody said, ‘Do you like being on the road?’ I said, ‘No. I saw this advert for a job for the organist out by the cathedral, I’m gonna bide for that. I’m gonna take that. I’m gonna apply for that.’ It was one of those things.”

With the band’s lineup still intact, Led Zeppelin went on to release Presence and In Through the Out Door before John Bonham’s death in 1980. The band released their ninth and final studio album, Coda, which was a compilation of old recordings.

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage