Achille’s Last Stand: The Day the Music (Almost) Died
By the mid-1970s, Led Zeppelin had undoubtedly become the biggest band on the planet. They were a veritable force to be reckoned with as they rapidly dominated the music scene, changing it entirely with nearly every move they made. There were whispers that they had made a deal with the devil, signing their names in blood in exchange for fame and riches. They had risen to a god-like status, untouchable by those who could never reach Mount Olympus, shrouded by a haze of mysticism and debauchery. A close brush with death in 1975, the first in a string of unlucky events that would ultimately result in the crumbling of the Led Zeppelin empire, would prove, however, that these gods were only too mortal.
During a brief pause in touring, it was common for the members of Led Zeppelin to find themselves scattered across the globe, and August 1975 was no different. Lead singer Robert Plant, fond of sun and sand, could now be found on the Greek Island of Rhodes, vacationing with his family before the next leg of his tour. Plant and his family were accompanied by his sister-in-law, Shirley, and her husband, Scarlet Page (the four-year-old daughter of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page), and her mother, Charlotte Martin.
The Plant family had rented an Austin Mini to make their way around the island. On August 4th, they took the Mini for a spin, followed closely by another car holding Charlotte, Shirley, and her husband. It was Robert’s wife Maureen that was supposedly behind the wheel. Their two children, Karac and Karmen, sat in the back, little Scarlet Page wedged in the middle. The sun beamed and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as they drove along the Greek coast. Maureen turned the car around a bend, hand over hand as she turned the wheel — but she’d made a severe miscalculation. Tires screeched as the mini careened and drove off the road. Maureen struggled to regain control, fearing for the safety of her family. The children screamed in terror as clouds of dirt rose into the air. The sounds of glass shattering and metal tearing filled the atmosphere as the car slammed directly into a tree.
Robert glanced over at his wife, his leg searing with pain. His heart stopped as his eyes landed on the blood gushing from a gash in her head, her eyes closed as she sat unmoving. Contrary to Robert’s belief, however, Maureen was alive.
Charlotte and Shirley had watched in horror as the accident unfolded and immediately endeavored to help. On an empty Greek road in the middle of nowhere, it would be hours before they flagged down a fruit truck to transport the injured Plant family to the nearest hospital — where they would be greeted by cockroaches scurrying across the tiled floor.
Maureen had sustained a broken pelvis, leg, and a fractured skull and had lost a dangerous amount of blood. Having a rare blood type, Maureen’s sister Shirley was the only available source, and even she could not donate enough blood to stabilize her sister, who was sitting on the brink of death.
Robert had shattered his entire right leg, ankle, and elbow. Karac also had a broken leg, and Carmen, a broken wrist — Scarlet Page, however, escaped unscathed, save for a few bruises. Quick on her feet, Charlotte had found a phone and reached Led Zeppelin tour manager Richard Cole. Cole, well-connected as he was, contacted doctors John Barrette and Mike Lawrence, experts in their respective fields. Cole, Barrette, and Lawrence immediately flew to Rhodes in a private jet that had been converted into a sort of air-ambulance (and contained 8 pints of Maureen’s blood type), hoping to take the Plant family back to London.
The crisis, however, was not over yet. When the rescue team reached the hospital, they were informed that the police had opened up an investigation, curious to determine if any drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident. The Plants, they were told, would not be leaving Greece anytime soon. Richard Cole, however, was not a man who took no for an answer (nor was he a man of peace), and he made the executive decision to take the critically injured Plants, anyway.
Under the cover of night, they slipped the Plant family out of the hospital — Maureen’s IV still attached to her arm as Cole carried her — and whisked them away in an ambulance. They were then flown to London, where Maureen received a life-saving operation, and Robert’s leg was reset — not, however, before he received a grim warning that he would not walk for at least six months. There was no guarantee that he would ever fully recover. This harsh reality could mean the end of Led Zeppelin.
The upcoming leg of the band’s tour was, understandably, put on hold. Robert struggled both physically and mentally on his long journey to recovery over the next year. Robert’s accident would undoubtedly influence the band’s next album, Presence, greatly, as he would find himself confined to a wheelchair for much of the writing and recording process. The vocalists’ ability to overcome this setback, however, is a testament to the sheer talent he possesses. The album would also contain a song entitled “Achilles Last Stand,” a reference to another golden god who had sustained a critical leg injury.
While Robert would eventually recover, although limping from time to time, this would not be the end of the bad luck creeping in on Led Zeppelin.
Two years later, tragedy would strike the Plants again when five-year-old Karac suddenly died from a stomach infection. The current Led Zeppelin tour was completely thrown out the window as Robert flew home to grieve alongside his family. Karac had been the apple of his eye, and he blamed both himself and the band for his death, believing that if he’d been there, Karac would have survived. During this time, Robert considered leaving the band entirely. He considered becoming a schoolteacher, but it was Jimmy Page who would convince him to return to music.
By the time Led Zeppelin regrouped in 1978, Robert was a changed man, and both Jimmy and John Bonham had become embroiled in addiction. Together, with bassist John Paul Jones, they would start on the rocky path to recording what would ultimately become their last album, “In Through the Out Door.”
In 1980, one last tragedy would strike the band. John Bonham was found dead. He had choked on his vomit after doing 40 shots of vodka and was found in the morning by John Paul Jones. This was the final nail in the coffin for Led Zeppelin, who all agreed that they could not go on without their loyal friend and powerhouse drummer. Their legacy, however, is alive and well, fifty-three years after Led Zeppelin’s formation. They are regarded as one of the best and most influential bands in music history. An experimental project conducted by Jimmy Page became an empire of innovation and originality.
