Zeppelin Was Once Known As The Nobs(for one gig)!!

Many fans know that Led Zeppelin was originally called The New Yardbirds. Few people, however, know that the British band once played a show in Copenhagen as "The Nobs." In England, that's a reference to man's best friend — specifically the one that isn't a dog. So why the onetime name change? It was Led Zeppelin's saucy response to Eva von Zeppelin, the noble granddaughter of Ferdinand von Zeppelin, founder of the Zeppelin airship company. Eva threw a fit over the band using her family's namesake, and even threatened legal action against the band members if they ever performed as "Led Zeppelin" in Denmark. In response, Page decided the band would change its name to "The Nobs" for its show in Copenhagen, citing the whole ordeal as "absurd." The group even tried to pacify the outraged noblewoman in person. "The first time we played we invited her backstage to meet us, to see how we were nice young lads," Page said. "We calmed her down but on leaving the studio, she saw our LP cover of an airship in flames and she exploded! I had to run and hide. She just blew her top." Granted, the cover of the band's self-titled debut does feature a grim illustration of the Zeppelin family's creation plummeting to its destruction, so Eva's displeasure is understandable. Still, it's a good thing "The Nobs" didn't stick. Not only would Zeppelin fans probably have been called "nobheads," but instead of "getting the Led out," we'd all have to "pull our nobs out." No thanks!!

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