"They choose the path where no one goes..."
If ever there was a song that confirmed the ever onward, no boundaries evolution of Led Zeppelin, that song is No Quarter. Simply put, there's nothing like it. It's a unique animal, and the bridge between the seismic Rock and 'live' sounding splendour of much of the first albums and the searching progressive intoxications of future compositions, from In The Light to Kashmir, Fool In The Rain to Carouselambra.
Although it fits perfectly as the penultimate track on Houses Of The Holy, taken in isolation it's the one song on the album that veers away from the positive, summer vibe of the sessions. And it's not just the mood of the song that does that. Jimmy's production is unique, almost revolutionary. Unlike the live, open crunch of The Ocean and the widescreen guitar army fanfare celebration of The Song Remains The Same, No Quarter is closed, tight and even sinister.
It feels very much in your face, in your mind. The shimmering, underwater keyboard motif starts the mood, and when Bonzo and Jimmy enter in becomes even more claustrophobic. Heavily compressed, Bonzo punctuates right on the money and Jimmy is minimalist with mantric fuzztones underlying the riff.
When Robert enters it's even more startling. He's whispering into our ear, it's compressed, phased and sped up. Unsettling and unnerving, JUST what Jimmy was looking for. And the lyrics, just like the music, stick out against the positivity of the album. Devils mocking, side by side with death, steel that's bright and true. One of Robert's best set of lyrics for me.
It's really mesmeric, out there. The solo mid section shocks again, with light, jazzy touches from Jimmy with a pure, clean tone as layered harmony fuzztones complement from afar. The return to the main theme and the long, swirling coda open the song and band up, after the subtle Theremin punctuation and confusing, almost cluttered vocal nuances and moans.
It proves more than any song up to this point that any barriers, restrictions were smashed and Led Zeppelin could do whatever they felt. The World was indeed theirs. What misery with No Quarter?! To see how they came to this brilliant musical statement, this unique hybrid, you have to go back to the end of the 'II' tour dates and the preparation of 'III' and new music.
In October 1970 Led Zeppelin reconvened to begin working on new songs. They chose to return to Headley Grange, where some 6 months previously they'd crafted and readied the wonderful wide ranging material for 'III'.
Some of the new material came quickly, easily. Four Sticks was recorded in Island Studios in early November, Black Dog and Stairway a month later along with an early arrangement of Levee. The remarkable rehearsal recordings that came from Jimmy's own aural sketchbook archive highlight the positive vibe - you can see it so clearly on the fantastic cine film clips too - and let us hear a confident and refreshed Led Zeppelin.
Among the recordings is a startling new direction. After initially embellishing and adding texture on You Shook Me and Your Time Is Gonna Come, Jonesy spread his influence further on Thank You, to the point that when it was added to the live set in January 1970 when he was afforded a solo introduction. This evolved from brief and pastoral to something of a Hammond Organ extravaganza by the time the 6th US Tour climaxed in New York on September 19th.
You can hear Jonesy's keyboard beautifully interacting with Jimmy's lyrical themes on the rehearsal arranging of Stairway and it sounds as if Jonesy siezed the moment to bring the shimmering, jazzy motif of No Quarter to the table.
This embryonic kernel is faster than it would later evolve, with rimshot punctuation from Bonzo and a lyric free melody cue from Robert. Jimmy is busy throughout, mirroring Jonesy's Fender Rhodes riff, far from the minimalistic fuzztones on the recorded version, and the riff is not quite complete, the band pausing for Bonzo to syncopate and punctuate. We even get a clear as glass solo from Jimmy before the recording and adventure falls away.
The 1971 Led Zeppelin was a confident and brash animal. Their live show had never been better, stronger or more diverse. John Paul's keyboard contribution onstage was still confined to Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway and Thank You, now an encore with an even more elongated and delightful solo introduction by 'The man from Casablanca' as Robert later quipped.
As 1971 moved into December they were nearing the conclusion of an intense and outstanding UK Tour. On the 2nd they played a remarkable show at Starkers Ballroom, Bournemouth on the south coast. The next day they were in Island Studios (no. 2) where at least 3 takes of No Quarter were recorded. All are instrumental, and include the version that would finally appear on Houses Of The Holy.
We have these 3 outtakes because a box full of master tapes were discovered in the loft of Plumpton Place, years after Jimmy had moved, and found their way into the hands of the man behind Bootleg CD 'label' Scorpio. there were four 2" master reels and four 1/4" tapes, that formed the backbone of Boot CD's Studio Daze, Jennings Farm Blues and One More Daze.
Further mixing was done the following summer of those three takes, at Electric Ladyland Studios in New York.
In 1972 their adventure continued, Jonesy's influence growing all the time. The new material for Houses Of The Holy added more keyboard textures and harmonies than before as Led Zeppelin began to realize there were no boundaries, no limits, no pigeonholes, no quarter.
The 2nd Japanese Tour in October 1972 added The Rain Song to the live set, giving Jonesy a chance to shine, even if the dreaded Mellotron wasn't always the perfect tool for the job. His solo and Thank You were becoming less frequent now, and the last live performance we have is at Southampton University on January 22nd 1973. But by the time Led Zeppelin began rehearsing and planning their 9th North American Tour in April 1973, No Quarter seemed an obvious live number, a brilliant mutation and platform for mood and colour.
From the start of that tour No Quarter would become a set staple. It began tentatively, nervously. Performed at all 34 shows, the earliest we have is the 2nd gig, the record breaking Tampa Stadium show. Some nights it seems a bit out of place, almost as if they're not sure, but within a few shows the new direction and the balance of the set become more and more comfortable. By the time the July dates head for New York and the 'film sharks' are around it's a revelation.
The version featured in the movie and soundtrack, despite the editing, is nigh on perfect. It's the July 28th show at Madison Square Garden, and highlights the confidence and musical interaction and brilliance of Led Zeppelin at this point. Jonesy's 'fantasy sequence' from the movie is perfect. Understated, dark and tongue in cheek. And the music is phenomenal.
1975, and Led Zeppelin were itching to start again. To reconquer the musical World they'd blitzed over 5 years. 18 months off the road was too long, and the new set was heavily focused on the riff based, groinal charge of the new material from Physical Graffiti. Jonesy was more than ever in the spotlight. for the 2nd part of the tour he had a grand piano as part of his live set up, and No Quarter would be introduced at the end of the first hour of the set as a showcase to him and a different, more thoughtful and possibly more inspirational piece than Dazed And Confused, now almost struggling to cope under its' own weight.
Once again, it was played at all of the shows, even if we only have 31 recordings of the 34 played featuring it. The arrangement was now more sophisticated. Theremin blats and sirens filled the halls as Jonesy moved from electric to grand piano (from the start of the 2nd leg), and from there he set the tone of the song, the improvisation, the journey.
Early shows pegged it at 15 minutes, but by the time we reached the tour climax in LA it was double the length and inspiration.
Nassau on Feb 14 is stunning, St Louis 2 nights later too. As the tour rolls into march and towards the West Coast it extends and twists, with so many magic moments and interludes. The Earls' Court performances are a watershed, especially for UK fans. The May 24th performance stands up as on of THE great improvisations in Led Zeppelin's history. Jimmy once commented, when pressed about the fabled 'chronological live LP' that there was a version of this from EC that was a 'winning version'. I remember it so well from the 'Earls Court I' boot LP and decades later the footage...
Thanks to Jimmy's expanded reissue series we have the remarkable and bizarrely named '10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod'. Even more strikingly different to the rest of the Presence sessions than No Quarter was to Houses. It's a beautiful piece, a direct cousin of the live No Quarter mood and structure from the previous tour, but more relaxed and thoughtful, almost a film soundscape.
The 1977 shows leaned heavily on it for the improvisational aspect of the band. Jimmy wasn't Dazed And Confused any more. Again, of the 44 performed shows it was a constant except the aborted Chicago and Tampa gigs. An extra improvisation was added before the normal band entrance, and it could be boogie, strident rock or jazz. As with all improvisations, some nights it was perfunctory and others inspired. It was finally the main source of inspiration and diversity during the show.
As short as 15 minutes, up to nearly 40 during the most indulgent shows. Jonesy was spreading his musical wings, quoting everything from Mary Poppins to Maurice Ravel via B Bumble and The Stingers on any given night. The famous 'Battle Scene' Destroyer 4LP set from Cleveland on April 28th was the first time we heard Nutrocker obliterated by Bonzo's sheer power.
The level of sophistication was high, the 3 instrumentalists almost telepathically knowing what to do, how to weave, to ebb and flow, when to lead and when to augment. The perfect group. Free from any constraints, it truly was a blank canvas. The legendary 'For Badgeholders Only II' bootleg features possibly the finest version of all, a fantastic open audience recording and a unique, startling 3 way improvisation.
It became the highlight of the show for me, the 'go to' track. Even when not inspired, there was - as with Dazed And Confused in the past - always something to inspire and surprise.
When Led Zeppelin returned two years later they were wiser and slightly leaner. The excess of the final US Tour had been curbed a little, yet solo spots remained. No Quarter was cut back, the opening riffs cut so the vocals started almost immediately, and the 4 versions performed in 1979 are somewhat shy and nervous. Only at the 3rd of those - the August 4th Knebworth comeback - does the coda extend and threaten to revive those telepathic moments of yore.
After the August 11th show it was gone as Led Zeppelin attempted renewal with a hard, stripped down set. Laura Ashley blouses were now Brazil football shirts, suits were off the peg and hair was shorter. No Quarter had been the source of live inspiration for Led Zeppelin from certainly 1975, but now it was time to move on. Who could foretell what would have been next?
On film, we have those pro shot shows - The Movie, 2 Earls' Court nights, Seattle '77 and the 2 Knebworth shows. Audience cine film is harder, the length of reels leaving us with some edits, moments. It is included in the LA Forum May 31st '73 Black & White clips and at Kezar two days later.
There's a brief but close edit from the Chicago January 22nd '75 cine bootleg, similarly Dallas March 4th, Seattle on the 17th & 21st and at least 2 of the 3 LA Forum shows that closed the tour. Short clips continue in 1977 with the final 2 shows in Chicago on April 9th & 10th, New York June 10th and the final LA June 27th show.
Post Zeppelin, the most contentious reworking was for the Unledded project. Politics and the rest aside, Jimmy's shimmering, razor edged 12 string treatment worked for me, and there were some stunning live versions throughout the tour for sure.
In 1998 it reverted to the 1973 arrangement, and a perfect excuse for Jimmy to solo, show he still had it. Robert has dabbled with arrangements over the years, and Jonesy too performed it.
And of course we have the ultimate tribute with the O2 (and rehearsal) versions, again based on the '73 succinct arrangement.
However good, different and fine the post Zeppelin versions are, they lack the telepathy, the nuances and the unbelievable musical understanding that made the song and indeed made Led Zeppelin unique. Have a listen to any of the versions here, and you'll know....
Although it fits perfectly as the penultimate track on Houses Of The Holy, taken in isolation it's the one song on the album that veers away from the positive, summer vibe of the sessions. And it's not just the mood of the song that does that. Jimmy's production is unique, almost revolutionary. Unlike the live, open crunch of The Ocean and the widescreen guitar army fanfare celebration of The Song Remains The Same, No Quarter is closed, tight and even sinister.
It feels very much in your face, in your mind. The shimmering, underwater keyboard motif starts the mood, and when Bonzo and Jimmy enter in becomes even more claustrophobic. Heavily compressed, Bonzo punctuates right on the money and Jimmy is minimalist with mantric fuzztones underlying the riff.
When Robert enters it's even more startling. He's whispering into our ear, it's compressed, phased and sped up. Unsettling and unnerving, JUST what Jimmy was looking for. And the lyrics, just like the music, stick out against the positivity of the album. Devils mocking, side by side with death, steel that's bright and true. One of Robert's best set of lyrics for me.
It's really mesmeric, out there. The solo mid section shocks again, with light, jazzy touches from Jimmy with a pure, clean tone as layered harmony fuzztones complement from afar. The return to the main theme and the long, swirling coda open the song and band up, after the subtle Theremin punctuation and confusing, almost cluttered vocal nuances and moans.
It proves more than any song up to this point that any barriers, restrictions were smashed and Led Zeppelin could do whatever they felt. The World was indeed theirs. What misery with No Quarter?! To see how they came to this brilliant musical statement, this unique hybrid, you have to go back to the end of the 'II' tour dates and the preparation of 'III' and new music.
In October 1970 Led Zeppelin reconvened to begin working on new songs. They chose to return to Headley Grange, where some 6 months previously they'd crafted and readied the wonderful wide ranging material for 'III'.
Some of the new material came quickly, easily. Four Sticks was recorded in Island Studios in early November, Black Dog and Stairway a month later along with an early arrangement of Levee. The remarkable rehearsal recordings that came from Jimmy's own aural sketchbook archive highlight the positive vibe - you can see it so clearly on the fantastic cine film clips too - and let us hear a confident and refreshed Led Zeppelin.
Among the recordings is a startling new direction. After initially embellishing and adding texture on You Shook Me and Your Time Is Gonna Come, Jonesy spread his influence further on Thank You, to the point that when it was added to the live set in January 1970 when he was afforded a solo introduction. This evolved from brief and pastoral to something of a Hammond Organ extravaganza by the time the 6th US Tour climaxed in New York on September 19th.
You can hear Jonesy's keyboard beautifully interacting with Jimmy's lyrical themes on the rehearsal arranging of Stairway and it sounds as if Jonesy siezed the moment to bring the shimmering, jazzy motif of No Quarter to the table.
This embryonic kernel is faster than it would later evolve, with rimshot punctuation from Bonzo and a lyric free melody cue from Robert. Jimmy is busy throughout, mirroring Jonesy's Fender Rhodes riff, far from the minimalistic fuzztones on the recorded version, and the riff is not quite complete, the band pausing for Bonzo to syncopate and punctuate. We even get a clear as glass solo from Jimmy before the recording and adventure falls away.
The 1971 Led Zeppelin was a confident and brash animal. Their live show had never been better, stronger or more diverse. John Paul's keyboard contribution onstage was still confined to Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway and Thank You, now an encore with an even more elongated and delightful solo introduction by 'The man from Casablanca' as Robert later quipped.
As 1971 moved into December they were nearing the conclusion of an intense and outstanding UK Tour. On the 2nd they played a remarkable show at Starkers Ballroom, Bournemouth on the south coast. The next day they were in Island Studios (no. 2) where at least 3 takes of No Quarter were recorded. All are instrumental, and include the version that would finally appear on Houses Of The Holy.
We have these 3 outtakes because a box full of master tapes were discovered in the loft of Plumpton Place, years after Jimmy had moved, and found their way into the hands of the man behind Bootleg CD 'label' Scorpio. there were four 2" master reels and four 1/4" tapes, that formed the backbone of Boot CD's Studio Daze, Jennings Farm Blues and One More Daze.
Further mixing was done the following summer of those three takes, at Electric Ladyland Studios in New York.
In 1972 their adventure continued, Jonesy's influence growing all the time. The new material for Houses Of The Holy added more keyboard textures and harmonies than before as Led Zeppelin began to realize there were no boundaries, no limits, no pigeonholes, no quarter.
The 2nd Japanese Tour in October 1972 added The Rain Song to the live set, giving Jonesy a chance to shine, even if the dreaded Mellotron wasn't always the perfect tool for the job. His solo and Thank You were becoming less frequent now, and the last live performance we have is at Southampton University on January 22nd 1973. But by the time Led Zeppelin began rehearsing and planning their 9th North American Tour in April 1973, No Quarter seemed an obvious live number, a brilliant mutation and platform for mood and colour.
From the start of that tour No Quarter would become a set staple. It began tentatively, nervously. Performed at all 34 shows, the earliest we have is the 2nd gig, the record breaking Tampa Stadium show. Some nights it seems a bit out of place, almost as if they're not sure, but within a few shows the new direction and the balance of the set become more and more comfortable. By the time the July dates head for New York and the 'film sharks' are around it's a revelation.
The version featured in the movie and soundtrack, despite the editing, is nigh on perfect. It's the July 28th show at Madison Square Garden, and highlights the confidence and musical interaction and brilliance of Led Zeppelin at this point. Jonesy's 'fantasy sequence' from the movie is perfect. Understated, dark and tongue in cheek. And the music is phenomenal.
1975, and Led Zeppelin were itching to start again. To reconquer the musical World they'd blitzed over 5 years. 18 months off the road was too long, and the new set was heavily focused on the riff based, groinal charge of the new material from Physical Graffiti. Jonesy was more than ever in the spotlight. for the 2nd part of the tour he had a grand piano as part of his live set up, and No Quarter would be introduced at the end of the first hour of the set as a showcase to him and a different, more thoughtful and possibly more inspirational piece than Dazed And Confused, now almost struggling to cope under its' own weight.
Once again, it was played at all of the shows, even if we only have 31 recordings of the 34 played featuring it. The arrangement was now more sophisticated. Theremin blats and sirens filled the halls as Jonesy moved from electric to grand piano (from the start of the 2nd leg), and from there he set the tone of the song, the improvisation, the journey.
Early shows pegged it at 15 minutes, but by the time we reached the tour climax in LA it was double the length and inspiration.
Nassau on Feb 14 is stunning, St Louis 2 nights later too. As the tour rolls into march and towards the West Coast it extends and twists, with so many magic moments and interludes. The Earls' Court performances are a watershed, especially for UK fans. The May 24th performance stands up as on of THE great improvisations in Led Zeppelin's history. Jimmy once commented, when pressed about the fabled 'chronological live LP' that there was a version of this from EC that was a 'winning version'. I remember it so well from the 'Earls Court I' boot LP and decades later the footage...
Thanks to Jimmy's expanded reissue series we have the remarkable and bizarrely named '10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod'. Even more strikingly different to the rest of the Presence sessions than No Quarter was to Houses. It's a beautiful piece, a direct cousin of the live No Quarter mood and structure from the previous tour, but more relaxed and thoughtful, almost a film soundscape.
The 1977 shows leaned heavily on it for the improvisational aspect of the band. Jimmy wasn't Dazed And Confused any more. Again, of the 44 performed shows it was a constant except the aborted Chicago and Tampa gigs. An extra improvisation was added before the normal band entrance, and it could be boogie, strident rock or jazz. As with all improvisations, some nights it was perfunctory and others inspired. It was finally the main source of inspiration and diversity during the show.
As short as 15 minutes, up to nearly 40 during the most indulgent shows. Jonesy was spreading his musical wings, quoting everything from Mary Poppins to Maurice Ravel via B Bumble and The Stingers on any given night. The famous 'Battle Scene' Destroyer 4LP set from Cleveland on April 28th was the first time we heard Nutrocker obliterated by Bonzo's sheer power.
The level of sophistication was high, the 3 instrumentalists almost telepathically knowing what to do, how to weave, to ebb and flow, when to lead and when to augment. The perfect group. Free from any constraints, it truly was a blank canvas. The legendary 'For Badgeholders Only II' bootleg features possibly the finest version of all, a fantastic open audience recording and a unique, startling 3 way improvisation.
It became the highlight of the show for me, the 'go to' track. Even when not inspired, there was - as with Dazed And Confused in the past - always something to inspire and surprise.
When Led Zeppelin returned two years later they were wiser and slightly leaner. The excess of the final US Tour had been curbed a little, yet solo spots remained. No Quarter was cut back, the opening riffs cut so the vocals started almost immediately, and the 4 versions performed in 1979 are somewhat shy and nervous. Only at the 3rd of those - the August 4th Knebworth comeback - does the coda extend and threaten to revive those telepathic moments of yore.
After the August 11th show it was gone as Led Zeppelin attempted renewal with a hard, stripped down set. Laura Ashley blouses were now Brazil football shirts, suits were off the peg and hair was shorter. No Quarter had been the source of live inspiration for Led Zeppelin from certainly 1975, but now it was time to move on. Who could foretell what would have been next?
On film, we have those pro shot shows - The Movie, 2 Earls' Court nights, Seattle '77 and the 2 Knebworth shows. Audience cine film is harder, the length of reels leaving us with some edits, moments. It is included in the LA Forum May 31st '73 Black & White clips and at Kezar two days later.
There's a brief but close edit from the Chicago January 22nd '75 cine bootleg, similarly Dallas March 4th, Seattle on the 17th & 21st and at least 2 of the 3 LA Forum shows that closed the tour. Short clips continue in 1977 with the final 2 shows in Chicago on April 9th & 10th, New York June 10th and the final LA June 27th show.
Post Zeppelin, the most contentious reworking was for the Unledded project. Politics and the rest aside, Jimmy's shimmering, razor edged 12 string treatment worked for me, and there were some stunning live versions throughout the tour for sure.
In 1998 it reverted to the 1973 arrangement, and a perfect excuse for Jimmy to solo, show he still had it. Robert has dabbled with arrangements over the years, and Jonesy too performed it.
And of course we have the ultimate tribute with the O2 (and rehearsal) versions, again based on the '73 succinct arrangement.
However good, different and fine the post Zeppelin versions are, they lack the telepathy, the nuances and the unbelievable musical understanding that made the song and indeed made Led Zeppelin unique. Have a listen to any of the versions here, and you'll know....
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