New York Song

There is a train that leaves the station heading for your destination, but the price you pay to nowhere has increased a dollar more...

Sometimes introduced as "The New York Song," the lyrics of "Celebration Day" record Robert Plant's impressions of New York City on Led Zeppelin's 1971 US concert tour.

The song is the third track from the band's 1970 "Led Zeppelin III" album. "Celebration Day" was almost left off the album, because an engineer erased the beginning parts of John Bonham's drum track by mistake. In order to save the track and be included in the album, the Moog synthesizer from the end of the previous track, "Friends," was used to mask over the edit.

In an interview with Guitar World magazine in 1993, Jimmy Page described how it all happened:

... the rhythm track in the beginning of "Celebration Day" was completely wiped by an engineer. I forget what we were recording, but I was listening through the headphones and nothing was coming through. I started yelling "What the hell is going on!!" Then I noticed that the red recording light was on what used to be the drums. The engineer had accidently recorded over Bonzo! And that is why you have that synthesizer drone from the end of "Friends" going into "Celebration Day", until the rhythm track catches up. We put that on to compensate for the missing drum track. That's called "salvaging." [laughs.]

"Celebration Day" was often performed live in Led Zeppelin concerts between the years 1971 and 1973.

The song was also recorded and included on Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same" soundtrack, which was released in 1976. However, the film did not include this song, but in 2007, when the DVD of the film was reissued, the live cut of "Celebration Day" was finally added. The reissue of the album now also contains this version of Celebration Day, instead of the 1973 U.S. tour version, which was the one originally included in the 1976 album.

"Celebration Day" is a dizzying mixture of Jimmy Page guitar riffs that create a whirlwind of hypnotic sound.

There's about three or four riffs going down on that one, isn't there? Half was done with a guitar in standard tuning and the other half was done on slide guitar tuned to an open A, I think. We put that together at Headley Grange. Because we rented the Rolling Stones' mobile recording studio, we could relax and take our time and develop the songs in rehearsals... I do not remember too much about that song other than that and what I told you earlier about the opening being erased. I used to play the whole thing live on my electric 12-string. -- Jimmy Page.

Led Zeppelin Celebration day
Uploaded by Rock-90s

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Photo credit: onefinancialgroup

Swinging on the gallows pole

What did you bring me my dear friends to keep me from the gallows pole?

The song exists in many forms, but all versions tell a similar story. Led Zeppelin's version is based on a traditional blues song called "Gallis Pole," popularized by Leadbelly.

Gallows Pole is about a man trying to delay his death, and repeatedly tells the hangman to "hold it a little while" hoping that friends and family will rescue him.

This is a unique Led Zeppelin song in that it features a banjo. Although he had never played the instrument before, Jimmy Page wrote this song on a banjo that he borrowed from John Paul Jones.

I just picked it [the banjo] up and started moving my fingers around until the chords sounded right, which is the same way I work on compositions when the guitar's in different tunings. -- Jimmy Page.

The song speeds up as it goes along, bringing us faster and faster towards the grim conclusion:

Your brother brought me silver, your sister warmed my soul, but now I laugh and pull so hard and see you swinging on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole... swingin' on the gallows pole...

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Photo credit: ORK1

Ramble on

It was crazy really. We were writing the numbers in hotel rooms and then we'd do a rhythm track in London, add the vocal in New York, overdub the harmonica in Vancouver and then come back to finish mixing at New York. -- Robert Plant.

Yes, Led Zeppelin jumped through all the hoops just to get their second album recorded. It was hectic, it was crazy, it was exciting!

The album, simply called Led Zeppelin II, was released in 1969 and contains materials that are somewhat similar to their debut album but with a more refined touch. This album eventually became more widely acclaimed than the first.

Led Zeppelin II was recorded during a much-traveled period after the group finished three US and four European concert tours from January to August 1969. The band was all over the UK and US, separately recording, mixing and producing each song at various studios. There was one particular studio in Vancouver that had an eight-track set up and didn't have proper headphone facilities.

The band, especially Jimmy Page, was so impressed with recording engineer Eddie Kramer's previous work with Jimi Hendrix. Led Zeppelin II would be the band's first teamup with Kramer. The reason for the second album's success can be attributed in no small part to Page and Kramer's tireless efforts in the control room.

That part of "Whole Lotta Love" where everything is in jumble was the result of Page and Kramer turning every knob here and there.
This work served as a precedent to the hard rock music of the 70's. Here, guitar-based riffs define the songs and serve as the refrain. Such arrangements were unheard of at that time where the emphasis was on vocal chorus or verses.

Led Zeppelin II was one of the band's most important work. It was a turning point that helped usher in the era of modern rock music.

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Photo credits:

1. celsoescadarosa
2. kdog334455
   

The day the music died

We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.
--Led Zeppelin--

He was regarded by many as the greatest rock drummer of all time, but he never lived to see the day when his name would be etched side by side those of rock's greatest musicians.

The day was September 25, 1980. The news travelled fast: John Bonham's dead! The powerhouse that drove the Led Zeppelin sound is gone... forever.

What happened? How can he just go like that? It was a day no hardcore Led Zeppelin fan will ever forget.

Born on May 31, 1948, John Henry Bonham at the early age of ten was already serious about drumming. A childhood friend of Robert Plant, John Bonham was the drummer of a group called Band of Joy, where he'd put his drum set in front of the stage so he would get as much attention as Robert.
After refusing to play with Joe Cocker and Chris Farlow, John Bonham joined Led Zeppelin.

Just before his death in early 1980, John Bonham fell off his stool while performing with Led Zeppelin on stage. This was already an indication of the extent of his substance abuse.

On that fateful day, John Bonham, at Jimmy Page's home, downed an uncountable amount of vodka. John, who during that time had also been taking a drug to curb heroin addiction, was laid down to sleep face up instead of down. This caused him to choke on his own vomit and die.

John Bonham was a sight to behold performing live, as he would yell as loud as he could while beating the drums to give it that extra edge.

Robert Plant said that what made John Bonham such a great drummer was that he "didn't not overplay." It was what he kept back that made him so good.

Back in the 80s the question echoed: Who could replace John Bonham?

There was only silence...

Every Led Zeppelin fan knew that John Bonham was one of a kind.

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Photo credits:

1. turkey_dah
2. ZoSozd
   

Led Zep tour barren without Plant

Reports say that Led Zeppelin is planning a tour in 2009 and even releasing a new album. However, Robert Plant who seems to have other things in mind has so far been the holdout regarding these ideas.

No doubt, Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands that ever rocked the world. But what makes them special?

Is it John Bonham's thunderous drum patterns? Robert Plant's primeval wail? John Paul Jones' bass playing and beautiful keyboard melodies? Or Jimmy Page's great guitar riffs?

While individually they are great musicians, it is their unique chemistry together that sets Led Zeppelin apart. If you listen to each of their solo efforts, you'd notice rightaway that none of them could equal the greatness and intensity of all four of them playing together as a band.

Rumor has it that having found a new singer, the group (Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham) is reportedly planning to go on tour with or without Robert Plant.

Will the band still be Led Zeppelin? Will it's essence as a band still be the same? How do you think would fans react to that? This will certainly change the band's chemistry.

With Jason taking over his father's place as drummer, the chemistry's intact, since Jason's got most of it.

But without Robert, things will be completely different. What will become of Led Zeppelin? Only time will tell.


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Photo credit The_Magician

Heavier headstock for better sustain

There are several things you can do to increase your electric guitar's sustain. You can add distortion, compressor, add or increase feedback, or even mess with your equalizer. However, there's a more natural way of doing it, and that is by adding weight to your headstock.

Many claim this is a myth, probably because they haven't tried it. Well I have, and known firsthand that it works.

So, why and how does it work? When you play your electric or acoustic guitar, your strings vibrate, making the body and neck resonate as well. The lesser the density or mass of the material, the greater the tendency for it to vibrate.

The vibrations coming from the body and neck of your electric guitar, and those coming from the strings tend to cancel each other out. (Your physics teacher can explain this better.)

The "noisier" your guitar's body and neck are, the less sustain you will get from your strings. If you don't believe me, why don't you do the same thing I did -- experiment!

My first experiment though was nothing short of barbaric. When I first heard about this theory I quickly looked around for something that would instantly add mass to my headstock. The first thing I found was a vise grip!

It was a heavy tool, and the sustain I got from my guitar was awesome. It was like my electric guitar could scream forever.

Wait! I'm not telling you to use vise grip.

You can experiment with a couple of replacement tuner buttons: one lighter and the other heavier than the one that's currently installed on your electric guitar. Which set of tuner buttons do you think will help you achieve the best sustain? Let your ears decide.

Alternatively, you can use lead tape. The kind that golf and tennis players use to alter the swing weight of their equipment. Just stick the lead tape on and evenly around the sides of the headstock. Now, play your guitar and hear the difference.

There's actually a product called "Fat Head," which is a sheet of bell brass that wraps neatly around your guitar's headstock. I was unable to find this product online -- I'll keep on trying though. However, your local custom guitar shop might be willing to manufacture and install a similar accessory for you.

There are a couple of things that you'll immediately notice after adding mass to your headstock:

• You get a crisper, clearer tone from your guitar; and
• a killer sustain.
  

Try it. It really works.

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Photo credit: sofus99

Raised sand weighs Plant down

Zepmen Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham (son of deceased drummer John Bonham) are working together on new tracks intended for a new Led Zeppelin album. However, the band's lead singer Robert Plant is not in this picture.

Where is he?

This was the man who welded blues and metal together into intricate rock masterpieces. Robert Plant was and still is an explorer, and loves the challenge of conquering new musical territories.

When I was a kid it was all I could have wished for to be involved in something that was so ground breaking and different. -- Robert Plant

Now, Robert is onto something new -- something totally unrelated to Led Zeppelin.

With his successful collaboration with American singer and violin virtuoso Alison Krauss, it seems Robert Plant is ready to become, if he isn't already, a country bluegrass star himself.

Robert plant was further quoted saying:

When I met Alison and we started opening up our capacities, she taught me so many things which were coming from such a different angle it was great to be able to learn. I'm up for it you know.

The question remains: Will Led Zeppelin be making a new album?

Jimmy Page has hinted that nothing will happen until Robert Plant has finished touring and working with Alison Krauss on the Raising Sand project.

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Photo credits:

1. cttv
2. ManyInnocentWords