We often hear of bands being championed as “the next Led Zeppelin” because of their sound and style, but there’s one ’90s bands whose early career trajectory surprisingly mirrors Led Zep’s in a lot of ways.
First off, there is one very key element of Led Zeppelin’s career that doesn’t match up with our ’90s band. While Led Zeppelin’s career came to a halt after the death of drummer John Bonham, this band has had the fortune of not experiencing such a tragedy within their immediate ranks. Its members, though, had gone through a similar experience before forming a new band whose career took off.
So who is that band? We’re talking about Pearl Jam.
Key Led Zeppelin + Pearl Jam Members Tasted Success With Other Bands First
One key element that both Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam share is that it wasn’t the first go around for either band.
Jimmy Page had first been an in-demand session musician and then briefly succeeded with The Yardbirds prior to that band’s dissolution and his decision to form a new group. So his prior experiences helped him to navigate exactly what he was looking for when it came time to put together his new group.
Though they never reached the heights of The Yardbirds, both Green River and Mother Love Bone are thought of highly in the evolution of what would become the breakout grunge sound of the ’90s. Both of those bands featured guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, and many thought Mother Love Bone would be the band that would hit it big. Sadly, singer Andrew Wood’s death ahead of the band’s debut album release left Gossard and Ament looking to start fresh. With plenty of experience behind them, they were primed for bigger things and Pearl Jam catapulted them to superstardom.
Mother Love Bone, “Crown of Thorns”
Hit Albums, But Not as Many Hit Songs for Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam
While Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam have both authored a wealth of timeless songs, it’s the albums that have the bigger success story when it comes to the charts.
Led Zeppelin released six albums between 1969 and 1975, with all of them eventually reaching six times platinum or greater. They were essentially untouchable in the rock space until the back half of the ’70s decade when the sales started to wane a tad.
But as great as Led Zeppelin’s albums were, the band never really struck it as big on the rock radio charts as you might think with their singles.
“Whole Lotta Love” was their lone Top 10 hit at No. 4, while “Immigrant Song,” “Black Dog,” “D’yer Mak’er” and “Trampled Under Foot” all cracked the Top 40 from the first six albums.
That’s not to say Zeppelin didn’t get radio airplay (they sure do today!), but the focus was clearly more on the albums than the singles.
Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love”
READ MORE: 10 Best God-Tier Rock Songs of the 1970s
Albums weren’t being turned around as quickly in the ’90s, but Pearl Jam were equally as untouchable in the first half of their decade as well. Ten, Vs. and Vitalogy all placed No. 2 or No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and each has surpassed the five times platinum certification mark by the RIAA.
But much like Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam’s album sales would wane a bit in the decade’s back half. Both No Code and Yield still maintained high chart positions, but their overall sales didn’t meet the bar set by the early records.
And much like Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam put their focus more on the records than the singles.
After “Even Flow” and “Jeremy” had made the band MTV stars, they rebelled against their popularity by refusing to make videos and keep the focus on the songs. “Daughter” and “Dissident” still cracked the Top 10 and the band still got radio airplay, but the overall chart positions didn’t match what you might think for such a big band.
Pearl Jam, “Even Flow”
Led Zeppelin + Pearl Jam Alter Sound After a Few Years
Eventually, every band has to mix it up a little bit and a change in sound was destined for both Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam.
By the mid-’70s, Led Zeppelin were on top of the rock world, but had also treaded some well established ground. With 1976’s Presence, the group was dealing with a rushed schedule as Robert Plant healed from injuries sustained in a car accident. The band phased out keyboards and acoustic guitar for the most part and leaned into some of their bluesier roots.
The album was met with mixed reviews, yielded just one single (“Candy Store Rock”) and the group didn’t tour in support of it. Though a bit of a commercial disappointment, the album has garnered some retroactive praise amongst fans.
In Through the Out Door, released in 1978, saw a bit of a commercial rebound for the group who seemed to deliver a more accessible album. “Fool in the Rain” and “All My Love” made fine additions to the catalog and the group saw a bit of a career resurgence.
Led Zeppelin, “Fool in the Rain”
As for Pearl Jam, they began to see the tipping point of grunge and adjusted accordingly.
But that didn’t necessarily mean fans were ready to join them just yet.
After the huge success of their first three albums, 1996’s No Code only managed to hit the platinum mark, while “Who You Are” and “Hail Hail” now seem to be the somewhat overlooked hits from that commercial misfire.
Just like Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam rebounded admirably. The 1998 album Yield peaked at No. 2, but was more well-received as the songs “Given to Fly” (which many have compared to Led Zeppelin) and “Wishlist” became established additions with some staying power.
Pearl Jam, “Given to Fly”
Where the Led Zeppelin + Pearl Jam Similarities End
As you can see, there are plenty of similarities in the trajectories of the two bands, though aside from many looking at “Given to Fly” as a “Going to California” nod, there’s little similarity in the sound and style of the two acts.
Drummer John Bonham’s death in 1980 changed everything as well, with Led Zeppelin splitting up 11 years after their debut album, leaving fans with the posthumous Coda album. There has been no true second act for Led Zeppelin, aside from a couple reunion performances and the occasional pairings of the living members in other projects.
Pearl Jam, meanwhile, have had the most steady career of the big grunge bands, retaining mostly the same lineup while having never broken up. They’ve racked up 12 studio albums and continue to be a massive touring draw the world over.
Every Musician Who’s Been in Pearl Jam
Below is a list of all the musicians that have been official members of Pearl Jam since they formed in 1990.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
