Iggy Pop and Led Zeppelin emerged on the rock music scene around the same time — so he had a chance to witness the iconic band evolve. Speaking with Rick Rubin during a recent episode of the producer’s Broken Record podcast, Pop reflected on his observations and revealed the secret behind Zeppelin’s organic sound in their early years.
“Led Zeppelin also didn’t want to use [that] — there were these two tiny dressing rooms next to the stage; [and] they didn’t want to use that,” the singer said. “So, they used the manager’s office and walked through the crowd to get on stage. But, in those days, when Jimmy Page hit his guitar, the sound you heard was coming out of his amp. It was not miked through a PA.”
“In those days, at an average ballroom, the PA would be used only for the vocals,” he recalled. The rocker then continued, “And there’d usually be one mic placed under the snare drum on the battering side of the bass drum to collect everything. That was about it. So, it was a more organic sound, and it was great if you were in the right spot.”
Back when he played with the Stooges, Iggy Pop had a chance to share the same stage with many other acts, and Led Zeppelin was one of them. During the shows at Grandy Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, he noticed that the bands could connect with the audience better as the venue had a low proscenium and close quarters.
According to Iggy, this was why the audience could hear the music better. He also recalled that Jimmy Page’s guitar sound wasn’t miked through a public address system, so the fans listened to his guitar playing right through his amp. As the rest of the sounds were also coming through one mic near the drum kit, Iggy believes this created a more organic sound.
