Page "Led Zeppelin" Paragraph 12

On 14 October 1968, the band announced the new name and played their first show at the University of Surrey ( at its original Battersea Park location, not at Guildford ) on 25 October ; this was followed by a short British tour.

Richard Cole organised their first North American tour at the end of the year, and would become a major figure in the touring life of the group.

The first show was in Denver on 26 December 1968, followed by other East Coast dates before they moved to California to play Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The eponymous debut, Led Zeppelin, was released in the US during the tour on 12 January 1969.

The UK release date was 31 March 1969.

According to Steve Erlewine, its memorable guitar riffs, lumbering rhythms, psychedelic blues, groovy, bluesy shuffles and hints of English folk, made it " a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal ".

Plant received no credit for his songwriting contributions, said to be because of his being under contract to CBS Records.

The album eventually peaked at number 10 on the Billboard chart and number 6 in the UK.