“When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin
(Words/Music: Memphis Minnie, Led Zeppelin, Album: Led Zeppelin IV, Atlantic 1971)
Today, for John Bonham’s birthday, I thought I would post and briefly discuss my favorite Zeppelin drum song. While many would pick “Moby Dick” because of the unaccompanied drum solo or “Rock ‘n’ Roll” for the cool intro and upbeat tempo, for my money it has to be “When the Levee Breaks” because of the massive drum sound the band gets and the solid background Bonzo creates for Page’s reworking of this classic blues song. It also goes along with my theory that a great musician is better when he or she is part of a band as opposed to standing and playing solo. And of all of the the great Zeppelin songs, I think this is the one that would sound the most different if an element was changed (or put in the hands of a lesser musician). I know Page gets a lot of the credit for the band’s musical direction, but in this case, Bonham’s drumming allows this song to happen.
Watch this video clip from It Might Get Loud in which Jimmy Page talks about setting up the drums in the stairwell at Headley Grange to get the huge drum sound on “When the Levee Breaks.”
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(via loveisadeserter)
