'Mama don't allow me, sure gonna shake 'em on down..'
23 months after Houses Of The Holy and a year that in Jimmy Page's words 'didn't happen', Led Zeppelin return with a new 2 elpee set on their own new record label Swan Song. And to kick things off they raid the blues and go groinal.
Custard Pie is an intense strut, formed in rehearsal and as the elpee opener a way of saying hello, we're back. Back in 1970 Jimmy and Robert had jammed a variety of blues numbers that resulted in the 'III' closer Hats Off To (Roy) Harper, among those was Bukka White's Shake 'Em On Down, an insistent blues Booker T Washington ('Bukka') had recorded in Chicago back on September 2nd 1937 at the time he was to be incarcerated at Parchment Farm.
Then the jam on June 10th 1970 produced the blues medley that included Fixing To Die, That's Alright Mama and more. The companion disc outtake gave us Key To The Highway and Trouble In Mind.
The myriad of influences took Led Zeppelin to Custard Pie some 4 years later. If anything, opening Physical Graffiti this way was a confident almost defiant statement of intent. The harsh criticism of Houses Of The Holy had wounded them, dismayed by the myopic press nitpicking and negativity.
This was recorded on February 27th under the working title 'Drop Down Mama', the same day as the work in progress 'Everybody Makes It Through' incarnation of 'In The Light' and the instrumental opening and coda sections of 'Swan Song'.
Sadly the mix wasn't as crisp as many would like, only rectified by recent remastered editions, but even so the crunch and intent was undeniable. Jonesy plays strident clavinet, meaning it could have been possibly recorded at the same time as Trampled Underfoot, and Bonzo lays the beat down as only he can. Jimmy's discordant riff is nasty and insistent, and Robert raids his blues library and colours it all with his most blueswailing harp licks.
Beside anything else, the jaw dropping depth charge fill by Bonzo at 3.39 is worth the price of admission alone. Strangely, or maybe not with all the big Physical Graffiti numbers vying for position, it was thought to have never been played live by Led Zeppelin. Having said that it was run through during both the 1975 and 1977 Tour rehearsals. And interestingly it's mentioned in no less than three different reviews of the opening show of '75 in Rotterdam, which is frustratingly one of the few shows from the year we have (as yet) no recording of.
Robert flirted with it, Jimmy played it on the Outrider tour with John Miles and with the Black Crowes too. It was played at Jason's wedding and half a dozen times on the Unledded tour, but sadly not by Led Zeppelin.
Never released 'officially' on a single, there are (at least) three different Polish Postcard flexi singles out there - with a Deep Purple track (not sure which one) on the flip - and ever harder to find is a 4-track EP of tracks from Physical Graffiti from Taiwan that kicks off with Custard Pie.
Then the jam on June 10th 1970 produced the blues medley that included Fixing To Die, That's Alright Mama and more. The companion disc outtake gave us Key To The Highway and Trouble In Mind.
The myriad of influences took Led Zeppelin to Custard Pie some 4 years later. If anything, opening Physical Graffiti this way was a confident almost defiant statement of intent. The harsh criticism of Houses Of The Holy had wounded them, dismayed by the myopic press nitpicking and negativity.
This was recorded on February 27th under the working title 'Drop Down Mama', the same day as the work in progress 'Everybody Makes It Through' incarnation of 'In The Light' and the instrumental opening and coda sections of 'Swan Song'.
Sadly the mix wasn't as crisp as many would like, only rectified by recent remastered editions, but even so the crunch and intent was undeniable. Jonesy plays strident clavinet, meaning it could have been possibly recorded at the same time as Trampled Underfoot, and Bonzo lays the beat down as only he can. Jimmy's discordant riff is nasty and insistent, and Robert raids his blues library and colours it all with his most blueswailing harp licks.
Beside anything else, the jaw dropping depth charge fill by Bonzo at 3.39 is worth the price of admission alone. Strangely, or maybe not with all the big Physical Graffiti numbers vying for position, it was thought to have never been played live by Led Zeppelin. Having said that it was run through during both the 1975 and 1977 Tour rehearsals. And interestingly it's mentioned in no less than three different reviews of the opening show of '75 in Rotterdam, which is frustratingly one of the few shows from the year we have (as yet) no recording of.
Robert flirted with it, Jimmy played it on the Outrider tour with John Miles and with the Black Crowes too. It was played at Jason's wedding and half a dozen times on the Unledded tour, but sadly not by Led Zeppelin.
Never released 'officially' on a single, there are (at least) three different Polish Postcard flexi singles out there - with a Deep Purple track (not sure which one) on the flip - and ever harder to find is a 4-track EP of tracks from Physical Graffiti from Taiwan that kicks off with Custard Pie.
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