On this day in 1968, the band that would come to be known as Led Zeppelin played together for the first time

The members had known each other for a while, but it was the dissolving of the Yardbirds that freed up Jimmy Page to assemble a new band. The Yardbirds were still booked for several shows and so former guitarist Jeff Beck authorised Page and the band to play as “The New Yardbirds”.

Assembling in a small rehearsal room below a record store on Gerrard Street in London, the band barely fit in the room filled wall-to-wall with amplifiers. The group debated what to play before deciding on an old Yardbirds song called “Train Kept  A Rollin’”. The chemistry was reportedly felt instantly and they blasted through the song. All of the members recall being excited by the rehearsal and the new bands prowess.

After more rehearsals, the band performed together for the first time on September 7th in Denmark. Soon after they began work on their first album, based on their live material. The album was finished within 9 days, and the band were forced to change their name to Led Zeppelin due to a lawsuit. The name change would prove to be no obstacle as their first album quickly shot into the top 10 in both the US and the UK.