2007 is definitely a watershed moment in post-Led Zeppelin history. Not only do we have a one-off gig by the remaining members of the band, but there’s a new ‘Best Of’ compilation, Mothership coming up for release. The biggest news of all is that the band have finally succumbed to releasing their music via digital downloads.

This is a big deal for Led Zeppelin. Remember, this is a band who refused to release singles in the UK and who thought that their albums should be experienced as a complete package.

Now, people will be able to buy selected tracks individually. I hesitate to say ‘fans’, because any self-respecting fan will have the entire back catalogue anyway! Imagine buying The Rain Song without having Over The Hills And Far Away. Or Stairway To Heaven not being preceded by The Battle Of Evermore.

Call me old-fashioned, but I’m not comfortable with that. However, if it gets Led Zep’s music out there to a new generation of fans, I’ll hold my tongue. On the positive side, if Stairway is available to purchase as a single track, it could feasibly make it into the UK singles charts for the first time ever. I’d buy an extra copy just for that reason.

More On The Zeppelin Downloads

The quotable quote from Jimmy Page was:

?We are pleased that the complete Led Zeppelin catalog will now be available digitally. The addition of the digital option will better enable fans to obtain our music in whichever manner that they prefer.?

This move by the band will see their music distributed via services like iTunes, although the scarier notion is that the songs will now be available as ringtones. Props to Rolling Stone for the line “Because no cell phone is complete if it?s not screaming out the opening lines of ?Black Dog? when it rings”.