Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant Went to Sex Clubs With ABBA — Or Did He?

Led Zeppelin and ABBA made very different music, however, that didn’t stop members of both bands from getting along. In fact, Robert Plant says the men from ABBA once had a wild evening out with Led Zeppelin. Here’s a look at why these legendary musicians met in the first place — and the album that resulted from Led Zeppelin working in ABBA’s studio.

Why ABBA wanted Led Zeppelin to work at their studio

During an interview with Loudersound, Jimmy Page revealed it was no accident that his band worked at ABBA’s studio, known as Polar Studios. “They contacted me,” he recalled. “The studio was only known for ABBA and they wanted an internationally known rock group to record there, and would Led Zeppelin consider it. We had a chat and they said they’d be generous with studio time. We went out there in December [’78], I think. It was biting cold, snow everywhere…”

Page said the studio was state-of-the-art. However, it lacked any ambiance. Page said the members of Led Zeppelin used a machine to create some ambiance but he did not elaborate about what machine they used and how it changed the vibe of the studio. 

Jimmy Page reveals what it was like meeting members of ABBA

In addition, Page revealed what it was like when he met the two men in ABBA: Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. “I met Björn when I was setting up,” he said. “I don’t think the others had got there then. He gave me a guitar, which was very sweet. A day later I met Benny. Björn was the blond one? Benny was the one with the beard and the keyboard, yes? [Laughs] He was very interested in John Paul’s new toy. At the time Benny was still married to Frida [Lyngstad]. So we all went out to a club together one night. They were nice people.”

How wild did Led Zeppelin’s time with ABBA get?

According to BlabberMouth, Robert Plant said his time with the men of ABBA wasn’t always squeaky-clean. He said he once went to a sex club with the two of them to watch live performances. Supposedly, Ulvaeus and Andersson did this to get away from their wives. Around this time, Ulvaeus and Andersson were having relationship problems — and these problems would culminate in the breakup of their band. However, a spokesperson for ABBA said Plant’s story is false.

The classic Led Zeppelin album that resulted from all this

Regardless, Led Zeppelin did work in ABBA’s studio. The resulting album was In Through the Out Door. The album includes classic tracks like “All My Love,” “In the Evening,” and “Fool in the Rain.” The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. ABBA’s studio was now part of the history of two important bands. It might seem odd that Led Zeppelin worked in ABBA’s studio, however, the results were commercial dynamite.