LED ZEPPELIN - THANK YOU

"If mountains crumble to the sea, 

there will still be you - and me"

Amid the live bombast of Led Zeppelin in 1969, it was easy to forget or at least downplay the subtlety and craft of their music. If Jimmy's 'light and shade' dictum originally manifested itself in the groundbreaking arrangement of 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You' and the journeyman tale of 'Ramble On', there was yet to be a pure, simple love song in the Zeppelin cannon. 

'Thank You' was probably rehearsed on the road, as an acoustic idea, and is another milestone in the burgeoning Page/Plant songwriting relationship. Robert and Jimmy have both noted it was the first song Robert wrote all the lyrics for. This may be slightly stretching the truth, but it's certainly one of the first. 

After the basis of the melody was established during the 2nd US Tour, the final structure was rehearsed in early June. The companion disc backing track was done on June 25th at Morgan Studios, Willesden (the same day as Living Loving Maid), among the final sessions for II. Only 'Bring It On Home' was yet to be recorded. 

It's a wonderful song. Subtle and light, it highlights both Robert's songwriting maturity and how his voice was becoming stronger and more adaptable. Although that 'unnerving' primeval wail that Jimmy once referred to is still there in abundance, here he keeps it in check and sings beautifully. Lyrically, it's for Maureen, an ode to their love and union (they'd only married the previous November 9th) and is personal and heartfelt. Live it was eventually transformed into an epic nod to Zeppelin's ever growing legion of fans and an emotional highpoint of many shows. Of course in 1972 they would compose 'The Ocean' especially for those that flocked in their millions to the 'Houses Of The Holy'.

Musically, it's incredibly well structured. Jimmy uses his Vox 12-string (previously he'd played it on 'Beck's Bolero') to great effect while Jonesy doubles on bass and Hammond Organ. Bonzo is suitably light and lyrical on drums, and only Jimmy is credited with backing vocals. His acoustic solo is the icing on the cake for me, one of his finest and largely unnoticed. And in a nod towards his experience of session work, arrangements and placing and order on an album, Jimmy adds a false fade out before the last Hammond swirl glides back to end side one. Perfect.

Once 'II' hit the shops 'Thank You' was to be augmented into the live show. From the start it was preceded by a John Paul Jones solo on Hammond. Now headliners with (almost exclusively) no opening act, the show was a 2 hour plus 'evening with', affording them the chance show all different aspects of the band live. 

The first live version we have is from Bristol on January 8th 1970, although it would certainly have been played on the first night of the tour in Birmingham the day before. Sadly the Royal Albert Hall show from the 9th only has a tiny clip of the audio of this on one of the menu's on 'DVD'. The official site lists it as 3rd encore, which is strange as it remained a solid part of the set throughout 1970 and only became an encore the next year.

Early live versions are pretty close to the studio version, even if Jimmy is already extending the solo. The main other difference is the length and style of Jonesy's showcase. He would sometimes throw in classical pieces or joking riffs like the Sailor's Hornpipe, as it became a precursor to the grandeur of No Quarter. 

The two shows at Madison Square Garden on September 19th are the last performances as part of the main set. One of the most famous versions is the BBC Paris Studios from April 1st, missing from all the early bootlegs and only appearing - without Jonesy's prelude - when a copy of the master reel began circulating in the mid 1980's. From then on it was played as an extra encore, a treat if you will when multiple curtain calls were demanded, becoming more and more epic and bombastic along the way.

In 1971 we have recordings from LA 21 & 22/8, Orlando 31/8, Madison Square 3/9 (great version), Toronto 4/9, Boston 7/9 and Rochester 11/9 during the US Tour. There are 3 epic versions in Japan - the famous Osaka 29/9 springs to mind - and just one on the 1971 UK Tour from Manchester on November 24th. 

In 1972 it becomes even scarcer but my lord, the versions are epic!. Sydney on Feb 27th has one of Jonesy's finest solo's as it closes the epic show. The Montreal Forum performance on June 7th is also longer than before. 

But two of the most famous versions are to come. In Seattle on June 19th it's the 2nd encore, with a high spirited Jonesy leading the band into Let's Dance and Louie Louie before a Thank You that blows everything out! The next is up there too, from LA on the 25th. Sadly missing from How The West Was Won, Louie Louie and Everyday People again pepper Jonesy's showcase before a particularly powerful and muscular version. And then, in Nagoya on October 5th Jonesy brings us the traditional Japanese tune 'Sakura Sakura' ('Cherry Blossom') as a show stealer and closer.

Back home in the UK it appears three times before Xmas (Newcastle/Cardiff/Ally Pally) and only once after at Southampton University where Jonesy's Mellotron solo (he'd switched to the Mellotron since the Japanese Tour) is longer than ever, as is the fantastically recorded performance that follows. With luck, this show will be the next officially unearthed from the vaults. 

And after that Thank You only appears twice - as the closing number of the last night of each of the 'two tours' of North America in 1973. And they're both brilliant! The legendary '3 Days After' show and the grandest, most epic performance at the final Madison Square Garden show on July 29th. 

After that it was gone. Jonesy would transfer his spotlight into the ever expanding No Quarter and the set was filling up with epic numbers for Jimmy to indulge in.

Post-Zeppelin, the Unledded reunion afforded a great version during the LWT recordings, Jimmy using his b-bender to great effect and Robert rekindling the tambourine sketch. I remember the version to open the Paris 1995 show as being stunning. The LWT version was released as a promo CD, and the one 7" pressing was as the flip to Whole Lotta Love in Japan