LED ZEPPELIN - OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY

"I live for my dream and a pocket full of Gold

.......Acapulco Gold"

The light and shade, whisper to a thunderstorm dictum ran deep with Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page's vision of their dynamic. The first four LP's are full of examples of slick, precise and deft arrangements, where both power and sensitivity dovetail together seamlessly.

From Babe I'm Gonna Leave You to Ramble On, What Is And What Should Never Be to Gallows Pole, and of course the ultimate light and shade perfection of Stairway To Heaven, Led Zeppelin showed time and time again they were (and remain to this day) so far ahead of the rest. 

In keeping with the positive vibe of the Houses Of The Holy sessions that began in earnest in early April of '72, Jimmy unveiled a winding, seemingly meandering guitar introduction. A distant cousin of his White Summer phrasing and atmosphere, with ringing open strings and use of chiming Dsus4 variations on firstly one then a second acoustic guitar. You can almost hear the sunshine, feel that late spring warmth on your face. 

Although some of the songs were laid down at Stargroves, most of the songs on the finished LP were recorded at Olympic. Over The Hills was recorded on April 16th, as the 'guitar mix backing track' on the companion disc attests, or at least the backing track and some overdubs were. Like much of the album, further mixing was done from the end of June and well into July at Electric Ladyland Studios, New York. A reel dated July 12th shows mixes from that day with the track still under the working title 'Many, Many Times'.

It was recorded live instrumentally, and Jimmy recalls playing it 'all the way through' on electric, later replacing the intro acoustically. As was Led Zeppelin's way it came together quickly, professionally, wonderfully.

From the assorted if fragmentary demo recordings we have, from both the innocent Bron-Yr-Aur baby steps to the compilation cassettes from Headley Grange and Plumpton, we know Jimmy had many ideas, riffs and phrases.  Indeed, songs covering the entire Zeppelin catalogue have some roots and seeds from those 1970 to 1971 sketches.

Over Jimmy's introduction Robert adds a positive if plaintive lyric, searching for love and the good things. Masterfully overdubbed chiming acoustic guitars build the momentum and stir the soul, then Led Zeppelin crunch down. Over the wonderful taut syncopation Robert rises an octave and takes things into the ether.

Lyrically, there is a Tolkien influence in there, from The Hobbit to a 1915 poem by JRR entitled 'Over Old Hills And Far Away'. It's also an old English saying, and am 18th century song that appears in The Beggars Opera. Robert's usual melting pot of lyrics. Of course, live we get the now famous 'Acapulco Gold' ad lib, a nod to the high grade cannabis that would waft onto the stage from various sections of the crowd nightly....

His lyrics begin with 'Many' for the first verses, echoing the working title 'Many Many Times' as shown on the original 'rough mixes' reel tape box. Once again the solo is perfect and unusual. Starting low and with a virtual symphony of guitars underpinning it, it's lyrical and thoughtful. The coda of the section features a brilliant ascending/descending scale from Jimmy and Jonesy as Bonzo strides through in 4/4 and they all meet on cue, perfectly at the end, just like Black Dog. 

After the final verse it winds down to a fade, Jimmy using the sitar like effect of playing on the 6 string of the double neck while the 12 string neck rings in empathy to create a gentle, winsome sound. A few synth notes from Jonesy pull the song back up to an actual end. In truth it's a brilliant song, one of my favourites and will always remind me of summer, positive things and good times.

And in true Zeppelin fashion, the studio version is only the beginning of the story. The live arrangement was set to be similar to the recorded version, extending as was their way during the solo break. Immigrant Song was reaching the end of it's time as a live number and would cease to open shows at the end of the '72 Summer Tour. 

The extended, winding solo, full of assorted rhythm and 60's references thrown in at Jimmy's whim would soon fit into Over The Hills as he duelled with Bonzo while Jonesy provided that unique, brilliant undercurrent. His work on this live shows his ability to do what few bassists can - be percussive and almost metronomic and lyrical and melodic at the same time. Two roles effortlessly rolled together and played as one.

Led Zeppelin were so enthused by their new songs they couldn't wait for the release of the LP to play them live. Indeed Dancing Days had already made a live appearance back in November '71 at Wembley. From the start of the 1972 North American Tour only teased hints of The Crunge and Walter's Walk in the post bow funk section of Dazed And Confused, but as they neared the west coast it all changed. A remarkable show at Seattle on June 19th featured (at least) 4 songs from the sessions, and Over The Hills, though edited on the audience tape was the 4th encore that night.

Come California, and the two shows used for How The West Was Won feature OTH as 3rd track (and again in Tuscon on the 28th by the way) and the version we have officially released is stunning. Short, taut and with Robert in his high voiced glory. 

From then on it was in the set. From the first show in Japan on October 2nd it followed the opening salvo (except Kyoto on October 10th where it was inexplicably played between Stairway and Whole Lotta Love!), and stayed there right through the following UK and European dates.

Come the 9th North American Tour it was always after the 3 song start and was beginning to stretch and groove all the more. Even if Robert couldn't hit the high register of the Houses sessions, the band were more than able to power and groove the song into something special. 

1975 and it was still in place and getting longer. Even on off nights it shone. In Montreal on Feb 6th Robert's voice was in poor shape and Jimmy had a guitar malfunction leaving the rhythm section to rearrange the piece with aplomb, improvising some mighty funk grooves until Jimmy roars back. The essence of live music. 

In 1977 it disappeared for the first leg of the tour, only to pop up again on Broadway at the 3rd Madison Square Garden show on June 10th, replacing In My Time Of Dying. 

They alternated from that point on, played 9 more times we have on tape against 4 more for In My Time. Again, it was longer and a solo showcase now. Check out the Listen To This Eddie night for that Page-Bonham duel! 

Finally, 1979 was it's finale, and once again Jimmy centrepiece with tortured solo's bathed in echo and staccato figures. the last live Led Zeppelin performance was at the 2nd Knebworth show on August 11th and ended with a broken string and flawed coda!

In 1980 it was gone, part of the cull of longer more indulgent live songs, a beautiful and pastoral Rain Song replacing it as the first major mood change in the set.

Aside from the two studio versions on the Houses box set, we have official live versions from the Song Remains The Same remastered version - plus the great footage on the extra disc - and on How The West Was Won. 

As far as filmed versions, we have a brief clip of 8mm cine film from Lyons on March 26th '73. On the North American Tour it appears on the Bonzo's Birthday Party 8mm clips and the home movie outtakes from the first two Madison Square Garden shows.

In 1975 there were more people filming from the audience, so we have clips from Madison Square on Feb 7th (this is from the photographer's pit in front of the stage and has been attributed to a few different shows), Philadelphia Feb 8th, Dallas March 4th and at least two of the LA Forum shows. All the Earls' Court shows were captured professionally and we have near perfect film of the 24th & 25th performances.

1977 sees two of the LA shows - June 22nd & 27th - plus the pro shot Seattle July 17th. In 1979 we of course have the two Knebworth pro shot recordings.

Post zeppelin there have been a few live attempts, but Jimmy's Outrider shows stand out, giving him the chance to loosen his fingers and create that cloud of dissonance.

And it was (very) occasionally played live by Page & Plant too...

And the last version was at the Cafe De Paris on December 7th 1997, which we also have film of to enjoy!

It was a single across many countries, coupled with Dancing Days and The Ocean on at least one occasion. In 1990 it was a promo CD for the Box Set and a promo video was made, featuring Earls Court and Seattle footage over the studio version.

A fantastic song, truly the essence of Led Zeppelin. A mixture of influences and styles and live a different animal again. Wonderful.

LED ZEPPELIN - NO QUARTER

"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....

LED ZEPPELIN - KASHMIR

"Oh let the sun beat down upon my face"

The Pride of Led Zeppelin. That's how Robert once described Kashmir. It is indeed one of the landmark achievements, and an absolute favourite of many including all four members of Led Zeppelin. The ultimate widescreen epic that clocks in at 8.37 yet has absolutely no fat on the bone whatsoever.

Since his youth Jimmy has been a musical conduit, open to all that excited and fascinated, unhindered by labels and fads and what was 'hip' at the time. From the time he first began session work he was always exploring. Using a variety of tunings from open blues tunings for slide work to nodal tunings such as the DADGAD 'drone' tuning also referred to as Dsus4. He was one of the first guitarists in England to import and play a Sitar, exploring alternative tones and Worldwide influences along the way. Years later Jimmy would refer to it as his 'CIA' influences - Celtic, Indian, Arabic. 

Jimmy played Sitar on Chris Farlowe sessions, added bowed guitar to Brian Jones 'A Degree of Murder' soundtrack, played his pear-shaped Vox 12 string to underpin and hold together 'Becks Bolero', he wielded the bow with the Yardbirds. He created a storm on The Mickey Finn's 'Garden Of My Mind'. Always exploring. Texture, mood, dissonance. Nothing was beyond possible.

On April 28th 1967 The Yardbirds were recording the Little Games album in De Lane Lea Studios, London with Mickie Most impatiently producing. Jimmy laid down an instrumental on acoustic called 'White Summer', with tabla drums and oboe added over the next 2 days. It was in that nodal DADGAD tuning. A hypnotic interlude, it's a derivation of centuries old Folk themes including 'She Moved Through The Fair' which was a standard among Folk guitarists from Davy Graham to Padraic Colum. A bare guitar only outtake from the sessions shows the hypnotic quality, the returning of themes with a twist each time. Building with recognition not repetition. This musical idiom was to become very important and relevant to Jimmy Page.

Led Zeppelin's debut included Black Mountainside, again featuring both the DADGAD tuning and tabla drums. Live, it would spring to life amid White Summer as Jimmy's first onstage showcase, bow episodes not withstanding. Obviously a tuning Jimmy was exploring both on and offstage, by the 5th North American Tour he was adding clues to future songs and ideas. A slower, haunting passage quoting Bron-Yr-Aur crops up a handful of times, and on April 17th in Memphis there's the first aural evidence of (just one!) descending scale of Kashmir.

After the tour Jimmy would perform his showcase acoustically on the Julie Felix Show on BBC TV on April 26th. Although dropped from the Zeppelin set by then, on the next US Tour Jimmy would playfully insert White Summer licks into the post bow section of Dazed And Confused. 

By 1972 Led Zeppelin had created an incredibly wide musical palette, and the Bombay sessions beautifully underline their constant search for new moods, textures and dissonance. Exactly a year later they reconvened at Headley Grange to begin work on their 6th studio album. Only a few ideas were explored before the sessions were put on hold while Jonesy took some time to decide his future, but one of them was that hypnotic descending scale we'd heard back in Memphis 3 and a half years earlier and had obviously been explored and expanded over the intervening years.

At first it was just Jimmy and Bonzo, in the stairwell at Headley Grange where the explosive When The Levee Breaks came to life. they obsessively played the riff and bridge over and over, achieving a monumental groove and mood. Already they knew. Already Jimmy had the arrangement, the orchestration, the grandeur in his mind. They recorded a take and began to work on it. Robert had the task of adding to it all lyrically, and he's talked often of the challenge and wanting to create images of the drive from Goulimine to Tantan in the South Sahara Desert.

Apart from pinpoint bass work, Jonesy added mellotron to widen things even more. Jimmy used one of his Danelectro Guitars to provide a chiming yet insistent and dissonant edge, even overdubbing electric 12 string to the descending riffs as the song grew and grew. The decision was made to bring in session musicians to add orchestration and also brass parts, mixing with the mellotron to complete the aural landscape. And to add that touch  of mystery and space Bonzo's drums were fed through an Eventide Phaser.

All this was done before Led Zeppelin paused the LP sessions, the companion disc titled 'Driving Through Kashmir' (various bootlegs of the instrumental outtake call it Driving TO) 'Rough Orchestra Mix' is dated October 25th 1973. The remarkable 5 track studio sessions that surfaced in the mid 1990's includes a long guitar/bass/drum run through without orchestration. In the pauses you can just about hear Robert's vocals leaking through!

Sequenced to end side 2 of the double LP set, it became an instant favourite. Everyone excels, no one takes over and because of that it has a perfect balance and is certainly a moment of high drama. And, as with Stairway, it needed an arrangement to be performed live. Kashmir slotted into a set full of longer numbers than ever before. From the warm up in Brussels on January 12th through to the final Earls' Court show on May 25th it sat 7th song in, rounding off the first hour.

The live arrangement was tricky at first. In 1975 Jimmy played it on one of his Les Paul guitars and Jonesy had to ride the tricky Mellotron journey. Bonzo became an immediate star live, adding increasingly thunderous and powerful fills to the extended coda. the early live versions suffered initially from Robert's flu ridden voice, and the fact the LP wasn't out and it became the 3rd new song audiences would hear every night - apart from the Brussels and first Chicago shows where In My Time Of Dying was replaced with When The Levee Breaks. 

For the first part of the tour some nights the mellotron was out of tune and Robert was hoarse, others it knitted together and was fantastic. It was also played at a faster martial tempo than the studio version and indeed later live arrangements. The subsonic heavy PA systems didn't help either, but as the band performances grew in confidence and quality Kashmir grew and grew. 

In 1977 Kashmir became the show stopping centrepiece of the set. Perfectly placed to take the show onto a new level, Jimmy revived his White Summer/Black Mountain Side showcase, teasing the audience and adding drama and anticipation coming after the long acoustic set. The moment Kashmir kicks in is indeed one of high drama. The arrangement this time is more confident and expansive, Jonesy's mellotron less troublesome and Jimmy now using the Danelectro holding the riff and mood together, almost conducting the piece. Bonzo once again shines and Robert's vocals are immense, augmented with echo and harmonizer to great effect. 

This arrangement would stay for the final tours, Jonesy's new keyboard set up enhancing the huge sound the 4 of them managed to always conjure with consummate ease. Bonzo sounded better than ever in Kashmir now, free from the energy sapping burden of his solo. Listening to or watching any live version, it truly IS the Pride of Led Zeppelin. 

Of course, some nights it almost fell apart. The For Badgeholders Only LA 23rd June show and Zurich 29th June 1980 gig are two such examples. But, as I've said many times, there's still magic in the air.

Aside from the myriad of bootleg versions on audio, we have the basic pre-orchestra and vocal demo. And the 1980 Tour Rehearsal from the Victoria Apollo. Aside from the two studio versions on the deluxe edition of Physical Graffiti, there are no released audio versions of Kashmir. The O2 show is the closest. On film we have some cine clips from 1975 - Dallas March 4th and the 3 LA March 24/25/27 shows plus the final two Earls' Court shows pro shot.

In 1977 there are cine clips from Chicago April 10th, Birmingham May 18th, LSU May 19th, Maryland May 30th, Madison Square June 11th, LA June 26th & 27th plus the pro shot Seattle show on July 17th. From then on we have both Knebworth shows pro shot (the first night features on 'DVD') plus some cine film too. The 1980 shows where it's captured are Cologne, Rotterdam and Munich.

Of course it opened the set at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show, but that's hampered by a mixture of no keyboards coming through the PA, some missed and repeated lyrics and Robert's shirt...

After Led Zeppelin Jimmy teased a few riffs during his Danelectro solo in Midnight Moonlight with the Firm and on the Outrider tour. The low point came with some Coverdale/Page versions that shows at the very least there is only one Robert Plant! The ultimate versions by way of both a tribute and culmination of Jimmy and Robert's fusion dreams came with the Unledded Project. I was lucky enough to be at both recordings at LWT Studios and they were indeed magical. The second night - the performance featured on the resultant LP and DVD - was particularly stunning, one I'll never forget. 

Opening up the song with lighter floating instrumental passages for the Moroccan musicians to shine and add even more drama was a touch of genius, making the return to the main themes even more overwhelming. From that point on it became the obvious highlight of the Unledded World Tour. And of course, we have the final version from the O2 which exceeds just about any expectation  any of us could have. Jason gave the ultimate tribute to his dad with a sterling, emotive performance right down to the final gong crash as Kashmir once again took us there.

In February 1975 Jimmy was interviewed with William Burroughs for Crawdaddy magazine, during which they spoke about the Zeppelin New York show Burroughs witnessed from the middle of the front block. They spoke of Moroccan Tribes using repetitive riffs and drums to not only frighten their enemies but to induce a trance like state and move to a higher level of consciousness. Burroughs said he recognized the repetition and power in Led Zeppelin's  music and the higher state the audience 'as one' were elevated to. 

Along with the obsessive riffing and percussion on In My Time Of Dying, Kashmir represents that hypnotic glory, the pinnacle of power and celebration where all the elements and parts came together to create one irresistible, relentless whole. It not only transcends Led Zeppelin's music but popular music as a whole to become something unique and magnificent. Timeless and without peer.  

LED ZEPPELIN - SINCE I'VE BEEN LOVING YOU

"I've been working from seven, baby - to eleven every night"

Led Zeppelin's 4th North American Tour concluded after 3 shows at San Francisco's Winterland ballroom on November 6th to 8th 1969. They knew that things were on the rise and had momentum. There was no chance to let up, to relax. A January UK Tour was already on the horizon, with further dates across Europe before the return to their own land of milk and honey in March.

Their own internal musical evolution had been swift and startling, managing to offer complete focus on both their wild and improvisational live performances and powerful, studios recorded work. II had managed to both add a heavier crunch to their sound and material in between more visceral and widescreen aural arrangements on What Is And What Should Never Be and Ramble On. 

Aside from the lift off boogie of Bring It On Home and the sexually charged groinal grind of The Lemon Song, there was little in the way of open, sweet blues on II. The live set included their Lemon Song pastiche at the end of the usually frantic How Many More Times medley, but the weight of blues in the set usually fell on their Willie Dixon cover I Can't Quit You Baby. It was played after the opening bluster, and remained their and in the set through to early 1970 where it survived the European dates and even the opening North American shows in Vancouver and Denver (possibly Seattle, Portland and Salt Lake City too) but was gone when Zeppelin hit the LA Forum. 

So they needed their own blues, something distinct and as original as a real blues song could be. Probably conceived and rehearsed in November and December, Since I've Been Loving You was unveiled on the January 1970 UK Tour. Bristol on January 8th is the first recorded version we have, although it was almost certainly played the previous night at the Birmingham Town Hall, the opening show of the tour. 

A lovely, gentle blues in C, it featured Jonesy on Hammond organ and the next step of the Page-Plant call and response passion play that would evolve so much over the years. Behind it all Bonzo stood true and firm, adding a deft and incredibly potent structure with a perfect mixture of light snare riffs and that insistent and more than occasionally squeaky depth charge bass drum.  

The Bristol performance is really a tentative framework with working lyrics and riffs, a newborn taking those first steps and learning those first words. Sadly absent from the recordings of the next much celebrated show at the Royal Albert Hall, we have 14 more live recordings before Led Zeppelin laid down the definitive studio take. You can hear the song evolve in that time, and by the time it was placed half a dozen songs into the set during the 5th North American Tour it was dramatic and becoming a highpoint. 

The wonderful 'first recording' on June 5th in Olympic No.1 may be very different from the take on III, but the version we all now and love is certainly the definitive one. Taking the live dynamics of I Can't Quit You Baby alongside one off live performances like Buddy Guy's Sitting And Thinking (Fillmore West 27-4-69), the addition of John Paul Jones on Hammond Organ and bass pedals is a revelation. 

The fact Jonesy gets a songwriting credit is testament to his input and influence here. We also have a couple of remarkable bootleg anomalies. The released version with a much rawer vocal eq and a few extra ad lib screams behind Jimmy's iconic solo that were edited from the final mix, and an isolated vocal only track of the first half of the song.

The two live versions we have immediately after the studio session - Bath June 28th and especially Berlin July 19th - are the most similar to that take, and from then on it became a pivotal part of the set, evolving and growing night after night. Already considered a live showcase, it was placed after the restful acoustic set for the 6th North American Tour. 

From the spring of 1971 it had obviously become more dramatic as the sound of the band grew, and from Belfast on March 5th right up until the Tuscon show on June 28th 1972 it remained in the opening part of the show. There are so many fantastic versions from this time, not least because Robert is in his highest and most dramatic voice, duelling against Jimmy's ever changing and chameleon like guitar licks and phrases. The famous bootlegs and official releases - BBC, Berkeley 14-9-71, How The West Was Won - are all stunning and unique, and how about Montreux 7-8-71, Orlando 31-8-71, Tokyo 24-9-71, Brisbane 29-2-72 or the two Nassau shows? All different, all unique, all Led Zeppelin.

In Japan Misty Mountain Hop was added to the show, and linked with SIBLY by way of a frenetic, breathless guitar interlude, the one we all know and love from the movie. By now Jonesy was using electric piano to add a more open sound, lighter and more tactile than the sometimes dated hammond organ undercurrent. This back to back segue remained a highlight of the set right up until the end of the '73 shows, becoming a highly dramatic set highpoint featuring Robert's best Janis Joplin pleading against Jimmy's ridiculously frenetic and charged guitar blasts and nuances. The final tour version from July 29th is the pinnacle of this arrangement and intent, and even the edited and tweaked movie/soundtrack version is one of the finest Led Zeppelin moments to these ears, let alone the drama of the visuals in the movie!

In 1975 the aural landscape had changed for Zeppelin, and a more muscular driving approach was preferred. But every now and again,  when the swagger and belief returned to the set (and band) it made 3 sudden appearances. Nassau on St Valentine's Day was the first (recorded) performance of the tour, then the Seattle 21-3 and final LA marathon. 1977 saw a dramatic return, and a full night after night recall. By now a drama of almost Shakesperean proportions, Jimmy's less fluent playing gave it a more open feel, the call and response now so dramatic and unique each line became a drama in itself. Jonesy and Bonzo punctuated and juxtaposed mood and intensity at will. Proof positive of the unique animal Led Zeppelin had become, total empathy and an 'esp' level of musical connection and understanding.

For the final Led Zeppelin shows in 1979 and 1980 SIBLY had muh more relaxed and almost serene feel. The call and response was by now three and even four way, an extension of the perfect harmony that had instrumentally blossomed in No Quarter (and obviously before then in Dazed And Confused) onstage. 

Jimmy's solo was extended to double length too, with a hushed Tea For One segment adding to the pathos and drama before Bonzo brought it all back up for the finale. Sometimes it felt they were playing a stadium, others a sleazy bar or a Jazz club. No matter. The evolution of such a song, such an arrangement, is pure Led Zeppelin. Those last versions have a sad melancholic feel, sometimes tired too. 

Post Zeppelin Robert would throw lines in during the 83/4 Tour, but no former Zep member would attempt it until the Unledded reunion. Then, with a great Ed Shearer string arrangement that owed a lot to Jonesy's various embellishments and crescendo's, the Unledded Tour brought it back. One of the highlights of the sessions for me, with a different feel again. More reflective, less histrionic.

A beautiful song, a pretty blues as I've heard it described. One of the many paths and avenues explored to great effect by Led Zeppelin, and certainly a cornerstone of their greatness. 

Obviously never a single, it does appear on a Brasilian EP included with the magazine 'Rock Espetacular'...

LED ZEPPELIN - BLACK COUNTRY WOMAN

'But that's alright, I know your sister too'

Home from Australia, the final leg of their first true 'World Tour', Led Zeppelin reflected on their achievements and used the experiences for inspiration for their next recordings.

No Quarter (original tentative arrangements had been run through during the solstical sessions for 'Untitled' at Headley Grange in late 1970) was the one new track laid down the previous December, the day after their astonishing Starkers Ballroom Bournemouth show to be exact.

Come April, several tracks were recorded at Olympic Studios No.1  (No Quarter also stands out as being the only 'Houses Of The Holy' track laid down at Island Studios). Apart from the 8 songs to be released on 'Houses Of The Holy', the incredibly fruitful sessions yielded at least 4 more songs.

In May, after these formal recordings the band esconsed themselves at Stargroves, a manor house situated in East Woodhay, Hampshire, owned by one Mick Jagger at the time. There they continued to work using the Rolling Stones Mobile recording truck.

In this relaxed atmosphere, the supremely confident Led Zeppelin sat in the garden and recorded 'Black Country Woman'. A laidback country blues, Robert dusted down his harmonica and weaved his tale of the never ending, doubting, nagging Black Country woman while the rest of the band swung simply and convincingly behind. Bonzo in particular laid down an irresistible groove, most likely from inside Stargroves with the mics fed in from the mobile truck.  

The start is notable for the aircraft flying overhead and Eddie Kramer's 'Shall we roll in Jimmy?' question to which Robert interjected 'Nah, leave it on'. At the coda Robert adds the (sadly edited) refrain 'never ending, nagging, doubting woman blues'. Simple yet fantastic blues. From the deep south via West Bromwich and Stargroves.

Never a set staple, it did make a shock, unique appearance at the chaotically brilliant Seattle Coliseum second night on June 19th. After that, although it's possible to have been played another night on the 8th US Tour, it was not seen again until the resurrected acoustic set in 1977 on the Magick trek.

This time it was a short edited version, used as a prelude to acoustic set closer Bron-y-Aur Stomp. It did give Robert the chance to wheelout his best Ral Donner impersonation, often teasing the crowd with hints of Dancing Days, Surrender, Cincinnati Fireball, Rawhide, That's Alright Mama, Goin' Down South and Mystery Train. Amazing how relaxed they were amid 20,000+ and some firecrackers!

Performed at every complete show on the tour, 33 versions (at least) survive on bootleg. Plus we have the pro-shot Seattle Kingdome footage from July 17th, giving us the chance to see Jonesy and his upright bass.

It was never performed live again. Post-Zeppelin, Robert dusted it down during his Now & Zen renaissance, and it stayed a part of his live set until the Unledded reunion with Jimmy. Robert also continued to perform it with Alison Krauss and his various other projects too.

Not a single it was however the b-side to the lead single from Physical Graffiti, 'Trampled Underfoot' and as such there are affair few 7" variations, including the (at least) 5 differing pressings of the limited UK single from the DC1 'standard' single - there are 3 variations of that to the very rare (discovered in the 90's) SSK 19403 pressing where (so far) there are at least 2 variations.