'Babe, babe, babe, babe, babe, babe, babe, baby, I done wanna leave you'
The album 'Led Zeppelin' was not only ground breaking but rule breaking too. The sheer urgency and power grabbed everyone's attention, but what is often lost amid the bombast and urgency is the craftsmanship, the unfathomable maturity, the confidence. Of all the 9 tracks on Zeppelin's debut, my vote for the most progressive, forward thinking and downright breathtaking piece goes to 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You'.
Originally, American Folk Singer Anne Loeb (later to marry and become Anne Bredon) is generally credited with the earliest known version. Alternative versions credit it to Janet Smith and Anne Briggs (another pseudonym Bredon was known by). On 'Led Zeppelin' it was credited as 'Traditional, arrangement Jimmy Page'. By the time we got to the Remasters set the credit had changed to Bredon/Page/Plant. Whatever agreement had been reached over the years to provenance of the song, it certainly has a tangled history.
Jimmy knew of it from as early as 1963 when it appeared on Joan Baez 'In Concert Part 1' elpee, and Jimmy himself recalls performing it live with Marianne Faithful in the mid '60's. Baez had heard and based her version on the Janet Smith version and attributed hers as 'traditional, arrangement Joan Baez'.
The Plebs, Mark Wynter, The Association and Quicksilver Messenger Service all released completely different versions of it before Jimmy invited a 19 year old Robert Plant down to his boathouse in Pangbourne and suggested they could do something with it, citing the Baez version as a basic template.
The Plebs, Mark Wynter, The Association and Quicksilver Messenger Service all released completely different versions of it before Jimmy invited a 19 year old Robert Plant down to his boathouse in Pangbourne and suggested they could do something with it, citing the Baez version as a basic template.
After the monumentous first rehearsal in Gerrard Street, The New Yardbirds honed their act in Pangbourne before the initial Scandinavian dates. Although no audio confirmation exists, fan reports suggests Babe I'm Gonna Leave You was premiered at some point over these shows.
Returning to blighty, the next stop was Olympic Studios in Barnes. This would have been one of the first songs they tackled, as the recording session dated September 27th features takes 8 and 9. Captured on the 'Olympic Gold' bootleg CD, this is amazing stuff. It's worth noting that some of the myriad of bootlegs featuring these takes - alongside the take 1 backing track of You Shook Me - date this as September 20th.
How early this all was is confirmed by the fact the original 1" 8 track reel came with a blue sticker proclaiming 'The Yardbirds - RAK Management'. above the track and recording detail. Late last year Jimmy confirmed this, saying he didn't want anyone to know the name Led Zeppelin until he and they were ready.
Raw and without overdubs, the sheer adrenalin and enthusiasm of these two takes is unbelievable, just 3 instruments and one voice. And what a voice. Robert almost shreds his vocal chords right at the birth of the band, soaring and yelping over and around Jimmy's acoustic guitar figures.
Set against this, the released version is somewhat more controlled, but Jimmy's vision and imagination took it somewhere else again. From the bucolic, understated acoustic beginning Robert sets out his plans of wanderlust with more 'baby's' than a mothercare convention. The guitar bridge is almost flamenco, Jimmy's Harmony Sovereign H1260 acoustic resonates beautifully between the taut rhythm section.
The genius here is the soaring slide link between the acoustic prelude and the soon to be patented Zeppelin lift off. The brutal descending riff, underpinned with blats of Telecaster crunch, is topped by Robert's 'baby' crescendo's. Chicago (nee Chicago Transit Authority) took the riff and intention for their '25 or 6 to 4' top 5 US smash. Jimmy has an acoustic solo interlude in the middle, one of very few times he's showcased his acoustic solo skills on record.
Live, it was probably played from the off. The earliest bootlegged performance is the Whisky, LA on January 5th. Performed on Telecaster by Jimmy, it lacks the drama and panache of the studio version and doesn't really hit home as a live track. 5 live versions exist from the 1st US Tour, then we have the Danish TV and Beat Club broadcasts in March. It was captured 4 times on the 2nd US Tour and just twice on the 4th.
After that nothing. The lack of decent PA sound probably hastened its' exit from the set, not working as well as other tracks live. The lack of live performances of Ramble On are more than likely due to the same constrictions. It was auditioned during the Manticore rehearsals for the 11th Magick US Tour in '77 but didn't make the cut.
Post Zeppelin, Robert revisited it in 1992 with Fairport Convention and then added it to his live repertoire for the Fate of Nations World Tour. It was then added to the Walking Into Clarkesdale set, giving Jimmy a showcase for some extended stringbender solo figures. Check out the final P & P live show from Paris on December 10th 1998 for Amnesty International. Robert then resumed performing it with Strange Sensation.
Never completely comfortable live without either Jimmy's acoustic guitar or the required balance and quality of sound, it remains a clear highlight of the 'Led Zeppelin' debut, and alongside 'Dazed And Confused' is the only significantly overdubbed and built in the studio track from that early burst of energy and composition.
On film, the outstanding version we have is fro the TV-Byen 'Danish TV' broadcast, cleaned and served up (almost) complete on 'DVD'. There's also the bizarre Radio Bremen/Beat Club mime from March 27th, both unsatisfactory and uncomfortable for band and audience alike.
With Zeppelin's refusal or at least reluctance to release singles, the lack of worldwide releases of assorted tracks is understandable. However there are the following pressings of Babe I'm Gonna Leave You in existence:-
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You/Dazed And Confused (Atlantic EP 1019)
US Promo 7", classed as an EP due to both tracks exceeding 6 minutes in length. Circulated in 1969, this is now extremely hard to find. Comes in a nice promo sleeve.
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You/How Many More Times (Atlantic 2019 003)
Greek pressing. Classed as a single, even though the version of How Many More Times is the full 8.30 edit. Not sure of release date, but again a long lost pressing.
The other great curio/collectable is the Led Zeppelin/Dusty Springfield promo elpee TL-ST-135 that features 4 tracks from each artist. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is one of the 4 Zeppelin tracks featured, as track two amid Good Times, Bad Times, Your Time Is Gonna Come and Communication Breakdown.
The 4 Dusty tracks are from her classic 'Dusty In Memphis' elpee. Also, if you're REALLY lucky (or obsessive)the original hand typed white label advance promote the first elpee is another glorious collectable.
Finally, virtually every Led Zeppelin (and Yardbirds for that matter) track has been 'pressed' on Polish and/or Russian flexi postcards. One sided, usually with tourist or flower style photo's, they may play and even if they do may be either very edited versions or not Led Zeppelin at all.....
The genius here is the soaring slide link between the acoustic prelude and the soon to be patented Zeppelin lift off. The brutal descending riff, underpinned with blats of Telecaster crunch, is topped by Robert's 'baby' crescendo's. Chicago (nee Chicago Transit Authority) took the riff and intention for their '25 or 6 to 4' top 5 US smash. Jimmy has an acoustic solo interlude in the middle, one of very few times he's showcased his acoustic solo skills on record.
After that nothing. The lack of decent PA sound probably hastened its' exit from the set, not working as well as other tracks live. The lack of live performances of Ramble On are more than likely due to the same constrictions. It was auditioned during the Manticore rehearsals for the 11th Magick US Tour in '77 but didn't make the cut.
Post Zeppelin, Robert revisited it in 1992 with Fairport Convention and then added it to his live repertoire for the Fate of Nations World Tour. It was then added to the Walking Into Clarkesdale set, giving Jimmy a showcase for some extended stringbender solo figures. Check out the final P & P live show from Paris on December 10th 1998 for Amnesty International. Robert then resumed performing it with Strange Sensation.
Never completely comfortable live without either Jimmy's acoustic guitar or the required balance and quality of sound, it remains a clear highlight of the 'Led Zeppelin' debut, and alongside 'Dazed And Confused' is the only significantly overdubbed and built in the studio track from that early burst of energy and composition.
On film, the outstanding version we have is fro the TV-Byen 'Danish TV' broadcast, cleaned and served up (almost) complete on 'DVD'. There's also the bizarre Radio Bremen/Beat Club mime from March 27th, both unsatisfactory and uncomfortable for band and audience alike.
With Zeppelin's refusal or at least reluctance to release singles, the lack of worldwide releases of assorted tracks is understandable. However there are the following pressings of Babe I'm Gonna Leave You in existence:-
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You/Dazed And Confused (Atlantic EP 1019)
US Promo 7", classed as an EP due to both tracks exceeding 6 minutes in length. Circulated in 1969, this is now extremely hard to find. Comes in a nice promo sleeve.
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You/How Many More Times (Atlantic 2019 003)
Greek pressing. Classed as a single, even though the version of How Many More Times is the full 8.30 edit. Not sure of release date, but again a long lost pressing.
The other great curio/collectable is the Led Zeppelin/Dusty Springfield promo elpee TL-ST-135 that features 4 tracks from each artist. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is one of the 4 Zeppelin tracks featured, as track two amid Good Times, Bad Times, Your Time Is Gonna Come and Communication Breakdown.
The 4 Dusty tracks are from her classic 'Dusty In Memphis' elpee. Also, if you're REALLY lucky (or obsessive)the original hand typed white label advance promote the first elpee is another glorious collectable.
Finally, virtually every Led Zeppelin (and Yardbirds for that matter) track has been 'pressed' on Polish and/or Russian flexi postcards. One sided, usually with tourist or flower style photo's, they may play and even if they do may be either very edited versions or not Led Zeppelin at all.....
No comments:
Post a Comment