LED ZEPPELIN - DARLENE

'Got a pink carnation and a pick up truck, 

saving it all for you'

When I sat and really listened to In Through The Out Door, still in the wake of the Knebworth shows, I remember having a feeling that the track selection, notably on side two, could have done with a bit of fun, a lift. As forward thinking and at times devastating Carouselambra is, from that point on things go a bit down key so to speak.

And then came Coda. Too short for sure, but featuring three of the missing pieces of the puzzle that In Through The Out Door presented. After the strident start of side two with Ozone Baby, Darlene really hits the spot. A perfect example of tight but loose Led Zeppelin in the studio, the almost taken for granted sophistication between instruments, the use of restraint and space to enhance and accentuate the power they had constantly at their fingertips, is palpable.

It has a great groove, Jonesy doubling on bass and some great boogie piano while Jimmy adds some lovely stringbender aided licks and fills. Robert unfolds his dreams of Darlene to the point where his voice breaks and Bonzo kicks em all up the backside as only he can. 



And as Luis Rey so brilliantly observed, Jimmy's solo is really similar to the one he played as a session man on the Carter Lewis single Somebody Told My Girl, recorded on October 24th 1963 and released on Oriole as the B-side to You Momma's Out Of Town

When it kicks into the faster riff there's a feeling of throwing off the chains and just playing, letting go. The studio outtake shows they could have gone on all night. My fave ad-lib is Roberts nod to Don McLean's American Pie, itself a nod to those carefree days of his youth in the late 50's.

Recorded on November 16th, it was never to be played live and not released until 1982 on Coda. It also has a part in one of the great 'lost' rarities, the Knebworth single.

Was it ever pressed? I have my doubts, but am sure it was earmarked to be a single with Wearing And Tearing. It got as far as having a catalogue number assigned - SSK 19421 - as Led Zeppelin and Peter Grant mulled over a single to either be released or given away at the Knebwoeth shows. Of course, we do have a counterfeit pressing that's been circulating on and off over the last few years...

For me, it's a hidden gem, tucked away on Coda and for us faithful to enjoy. And also to sit back, hear the joy that pours out of those grooves and with some sadness reflect on what might have been.