This song, coming from the Jimmy Page era of the group, had the guitar tuned like a sitar to get its unique sound. A few years after its release, the lineup of the band was once again changed and no original members were left. Jimmy Page and his new band-mates Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones decided they needed a name change and Led Zeppelin was born. This song became a staple at their live shows.
The future sound of Led Zeppelin can definitely be heard throughout this song.
The Yardbirds - White Summer (1967)
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Lyrics:
(instrumental)
I'd say that would be one of the earliest examples of de-tuning in rock music. Tuning your guitar way down low makes it very easy to push down on the strings, causing that sitar-esque sound.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree completely about "White Summer" having a whiff of Led Zeppelin, even though it sounds to me like The Yardbirds were going for something more Indian or maybe Middle-Eastern than Led Zeppelin's forays into ancient English pastoralism.
(That reminds me: Didn't Jimmy Page and Robert Plant do a Middle-Eastern kind of thing in the 80's or 90's?)
If Page & Plant were doing any middle-eastern sounding music in the '80s or '90s, I definitely missed it. I may have to look into it to see if there's something of value to add to my collection. :)
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