Led Zeppelin - The Rain Song (1973)

They were said to be as important to the 1970s as The Beatles were to the 1960s. They were born from the ashes of The Yardbirds and were originally intended by Jimmy Page to be a supergroup featuring Keith Moon, Jeff Beck, and others. Moon said the idea would “go over like a lead balloon” and the group only recorded one song (heard here). What eventually came together was one of rock’s most legendary lineups: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones. With a small twist of Moon’s “lead balloon” comment, Led Zeppelin had just begun.

This ballad comes from the group’s fifth album, Houses of the Holy. The idea of the song came about after former member of The Beatles, George Harrison, commented to John Bonham how the group didn’t have any ballad-type songs. What eventually transpired was music written by Jimmy Page and lyrics penned by Robert Plant. In tribute to Harrison, you can hear that the opening of the song borrows chords from the opening of “Something” by The Beatles, which was written by Harrison.



Led Zeppelin - The Rain Song (1973)

Loading the ABLYAM player...(Might not work on mobile devices)

Lyrics:

It is the springtime of my loving
The second season I am to know
You are the sunlight in my growing
So little warmth I've felt before
It isn't hard to feel me glowing
I watched the fire that grew so low

It is the summer of my smiles
Flee from me, keepers of the gloom
Speak to me only with your eyes
It is to you I give this tune
Ain't so hard to recognize, oh
These things are clear to all from
Time to time

Talk, talk, talk, talk

Hey
I've felt coldness of my winter
I never thought it would ever go
I cursed the gloom that set upon us
But I know that I love you so
Aw, but I know that I love you so

These are the seasons of emotion
And like the wind, they rise and fall
This is the wonder of devotion
I see the torch we all must hold
This is a mystery of the quotient- quotient
Upon us all- upon us all a little rain must fall

Just a little rain, oh
Ooh, yeah

Timon - The Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane (1968)

Born in 1950, Timon was born under the name Stephen John Murray, would go by the name Timon until his early twenties, and eventually permanently changed his name to Tymon Dogg. He was a big influence on the left-handed John Graham Mellor, teaching him to play guitar right-handed. Mellor, who took the stage name Joe Strummer, was the frontman of the popular punk band The Clash. You can hear Timon singing and playing violin on The Clash song “Lose This Skin,” which he also wrote.

Timon received a year’s salary in advance from Pye Records prior to recording this song. Future members of Led Zeppelin played lead on this track, John Paul Jones on bass and Jimmy Page on guitar. Ex-Peter and Gordon musician, Peter Asher, who was working as a talent scout for Apple Records, played this song for Paul McCartney. McCartney offered to produce a new version of the song for Timon, but Timon declined.



Timon - The Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane (1968)

Loading the ABLYAM player...(Might not work on mobile devices)

Lyrics:

The bitter thoughts of little Jane
Are locked away
And will remain unspoken

Been let down
And kicked around
Been sent away
Without her token, but

She’ll find her place
She’ll find a head to pound on

Never cries
Or even tries
So no one really knows
She wants to die

Been too long
On her own
She’s growing old
She’s growing cold, but

She’ll find her place
She’ll find a head to pound on

Peter’s playing with his trains
And Sally kissed her doll again
Andrew plays at wild cowboys
But little Jane- she’s got no toys, but

She’ll find her place
She’ll find a head to pound on

Beck, Page, Jones, Moon, & Hopkins – Beck’s Bolero (1966)

Although they never officially became a group, this collection of musicians did manage to get together long enough to record one song together, heard below, in 1966. The “group” was composed of: Jeff Beck of The Yardbirds (and later The Jeff Beck Group); Jimmy Page of The Yardbirds (and later Led Zeppelin); John Paul Jones, a session musician (and later of Led Zeppelin); Keith Moon of The Who; and Nicky Hopkins, a session musician keyboardist who had worked frequently with The Rolling Stones.

Keith Moon arrived to the session wearing a disguise so nobody would know he was playing with somebody other than The Who. John Entwistle, also of The Who, was scheduled to play bass until he had to back out and was replaced by John Paul Jones.

Later released as the B-side to Jeff Beck’s single, “Hi Ho Silver Lining,” this song was originally supposed to be only the beginning of the guys work together. Planning to record a full album, they failed to locate a lead vocalist after being denied by Steve Mariott of The Small Faces. Combined with contractual obligations, the album never happened and this was the only song recorded. The history of this song is quite interesting, and can be read in more detail, on Wikipedia, here.



Beck, Page, Jones, Moon, & Hopkins – Beck’s Bolero (1966)

Loading the ABLYAM player...(Might not work on mobile devices)

Lyrics:

(instrumental)

Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man (1968)

A life full of interesting stories and occurrences, this Scottish man taught John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles a finger picking guitar technique that resulted in the songs “Dear Prudence,” “Blackbird,” “Julia,” and “Mother Nature’s Son.” Sometimes thought of as a Bob Dylan copycat, he was often inspired by his future wife (and ex-girlfriend to Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones), Linda Lawrence.

This song was written in honor of his friend, Mac MacLeod, who was in a Danish hard rock band called Hurdy Gurdy. He thought the song was a lot more psychedelic and harder than the material he was used to putting out and wanted to give it to Jimi Hendrix when his manager, Mickie Most, insisted he release it himself. John Paul Jones, soon of Led Zeppelin fame, played bass on the song.



Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man (1968)

Loading the ABLYAM player...(Might not work on mobile devices)

Lyrics:

Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I'm opening my eyes to take a peep
To find that I was by the sea
Gazing with tranquility

'Twas then when the hurdy gurdy man
Came singing songs of love
Then when the hurdy gurdy man
Came singing songs of love

“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy,” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy,” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy,” he sang

Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity

'Tis then when the hurdy gurdy man
Comes singing songs of love
Then when the hurdy gurdy man
Comes singing songs of love

“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy,” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy hurdy gurd”
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy,” he sang

“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang
Here comes the roly-poly man
He's singing songs of love
“Roly poly, roly poly, roly poly poly,” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy,” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy,” he sang
“Roly poly, roly poly”…