LED ZEPPELIN - IN MY TIME OF DYING

'All I wanted to do was have some fun, FUN!'

If Whole Lotta Love captures the raw power of Led Zeppelin, embellished and decorated with incendiary sonic baubles, if Stairway to Heaven shows a confident, vibrant band celebrating their growing collaboration and confidence with a fanfare of optimism, if Kashmir is the ultimate grandiose epic mixing global influences with a sense of drama and swagger, then In My Time Of Dying is a microcosm of Led Zeppelin as a primeval force.

Recorded live at Headley Grange on February 15th 1974,  later mixed at Olympic by the late Keith Harwood, this is a remarkable recording. Taking a folk standard, a madrigal transformed into a work chant then into a hand wringing, despairing cry predicting and anticipating impending doom and demise. 

A 'standard' like this has deep roots. Like Gallows ('Gallis') Pole, the inference goes back to the Bible. Without recorded evidence, the earliest version we have is 'Jesus Is Going To Make Up Your Dying Bed' by the Rev J C Burnett in 1927. Blind Willie Johnson also recorded it at the end of the year, and he has his hand in versions of Nobody's Fault But Mine too. Charlie Patton and Josh White also recorded versions, taking differing titles as the song evolved. 

Bob Dylan recorded it on his eponymous debut in 1962 under the 'In My Time Of Dyin'' title, following Josh White's 1940's re title. All of these versions are simple, primitive even. Onstage comments from Robert in 1975 about a 'work chant' refer to the origins while at the same time leading us in the direction Zeppelin had taken the song. 

When Led Zeppelin got together to record their 6th LP, there was a definite feeling of energy, of power, of getting back to what they did best. Confidence was extremely high, the Houses Of The Holy Tour had broken all records and established them at the top of the tree. They had decided to launch their own label, and as such were Kings of all they surveyed. It was all in their own hands. 8 songs were recorded for the next record, but at 53 minutes it was too long for a single album. The decision to add 7 older songs and collate a gargantuan double set was made, and we got Physical Graffiti, possibly the greatest album of all time.

In My Time Of Dying is possibly my favourite Led Zeppelin performance. Captured live, it is quite astonishing. If proof was needed how the performance is ALWAYS far more important than the recording, this is it. The balance between capturing the moment and maintaining sound levels and quality is perfectly achieved here. If you crank up the vinyl or CD you get the feeling of actually being in the room, inhabiting the space with Led Zeppelin as they moved mountains and did what only they could. I've seen (and been on stage with or next to) some of the supposedly heaviest, loudest, most powerful and 'best' groups. Whatever you call them, heavy metal, heavy rock, hard rock... ya da ya da. The bottom line is NOTHING comes within a mile of Led Zeppelin at Headley Grange playing In My Time Of Dying. The intensity, the connection, the groove and the infectious musical hysteria is unique and palpable.

The first time I heard this - on my 14th birthday no less - I was stunned and a bit confused. It took a few listens to get it, to understand. Not the song or the power but the big picture. Was this really only 3 instruments and 1 voice? Live? In one take? Listening to what passes for 'live' Rock now, it's a different world. The connection, the syncopation, the camaraderie is unique. It is what it is. 4 supremely talented musicians playing and having a ball. 

Early rehearsal tapes uncover an intense session obsessively hammering the riffs and arrangement into shape. Jimmy's slide work leads the way while Bonzo powers the point and intensity home as Jonesy underpins it all by both doubling and powering the riffs and sliding effortlessly around and under the melody with consummate ease.

On the released version there's a tension, an edge. The electricity between the four of them is so apparent. The arrangement is perfect, twisting and turning, dovetailing between riffs and time signatures. Always on the edge of implosion and chaos, but always under control. The way Led Zeppelin wielded their power but most importantly knew how NOT to is so important. Again, the large stages were ignored as they shuffled together to get eye contact and make those ad libs, those musical punctuations, those moments of magic.

After Robert's 'oh my Jesus' repetitive calling Jimmy's slide clarion call recalls the troops for an ever intense climax, layer upon layer of power and repetition, mesmerising and focused. As the last phased guitar chord fades Robert is a mixture of pride and relief as he jokely teases his mates with 'cough' as Bonzo splutters and Jimmy muses with a guitar lick. Bonzo's 'that's gotta be the one, hasn't it' is spot on and perceptive. The perfect end to such an adrenalin filled performance. And side one is done. Wow.

This performance, this recording is SO inspiring to me. The best playing out of their skins, creating a performance and moment of such force and gravitas it's almost beyond belief. Awesome. The best. Nothing hurried or compromised in the arrangement, just perfect.  As with any great performance, all of Led Zeppelin are a the top of their game. Jimmy's slide playing is wonderful and incisive. Robert storms the gates of heaven with aplomb. Jonesy adds some incredible fluid runs and melodic fills. Bonzo is for me the star. Incredible, obsessive snare fills, perfectly punctuated licks and fills, and never missing or forgetting the mainstay, the beat.

At this point, Led Zeppelin were unstoppable. As it was recorded live, In My Time Of Dying is an obvious live track. Rehearsed (as was When The Levee Breaks with Jimmy retuning) in November 74 at Ezyhire, it was probably premiered onstage in Brussels on January 11th 1975 but as we have no bootleg from that show the first we have is the following night in Rotterdam on January 12th. 

Not varying much from the studio (albeit live) arrangement, we have 1 warm up and 29 recordings from the 1975 US Tour of the 35 shows played. Footage exists from Philadelphia on February 8th, Dallas March 4th and the first two LA Forum shows. The summer season at Earls' Court featured it every night, with great audience recordings plus pro shot footage of the last 2 nights, including the stunning performance included on 'DVD'. 

In 1977 it was again scheduled as a mainstay to the early part of the set, a powerful kick after the initial burst of Song Remains The Same/Sick Again and Nobody's Fault But Mine. Alternating with Over The Hills And Far Away, it's been captured on bootleg on 22 of the 44 played shows. Cine film clips from Birmingham, Baton Rouge and the 4th Maryland night show the intrinsic power Led Zeppelin could still summon at will. The final live performance is the 4th LA show when they segued into an inspired jam of Little Richard's Rip It Up before the final storming of the gates of heaven.

A long and intense piece, it would have had a future into the 1980's and beyond. Jimmy has resurrected it solo, with Coverdale and the Black Crowes, highlighting his intense yet wandering slide playing. 

At 11.06 its the longest recorded studio Led Zeppelin song, and as such never a single. A Taiwan EP was 'released' but there have been no official singles or EP releases.

The final homage to Led Zeppelin at the O2 show featured a stunning version, although edited for the official set, that once more demonstrated the sheer power and musicality that Led Zeppelin had to make them unique and the best.