Led Zeppelin Rock and Roll in Tribute to Their Heroes
Led Zeppelin IV was a turning point for the band. The year was 1971, as well as the group realized that they were considering penning much more than straight ahead rock and roll songs and long, extended blues jams. For some bands, this would have posed a problem, as you will discover from time to time songwriting elements inside a group that are locked into a particular style and are unwilling to move in new directions. Because of these 'creative differences', it was not and continues to be not uncommon for band members to leave and pursue their very own artistic direction. Label pressure to keep on churning out the identical old attempted and true hits can also be a heavy factor when a crossroads like this really is reached.
Fortunately, Led Zeppelin was far from a typical band. In fact, the group found that they were comfortable obtaining multi-part rock epics share the same album side as blistering 12 bar blues rock. For Led Zeppelin Rock and Roll was their method of keeping in touch with their roots even though in the same time stretching their branches to reach for the stars.
The genesis of your song lies within the simplicity of its title. When jamming within the studio, drummer John Bonham kept subjecting the band to the introductory cymbal and snare parts with the Tiny Richard song 'Good Golly Miss Molly'. This prompted guitarist Jimmy Page to retaliate by composing an accompaniment on the spot, and the riff for 'Rock and Roll' was born. The band liked the song so significantly that they promptly decided to record it and incorporate it on the album.
The spontaneity with the song can certainly be felt while listening to it. The track breathes using a life of its own, and could be the great second half of the one-two punch that opens the album, right after the down and dirty blues workout of 'Black Dog'. The fundamental arrangement of the track belies the power of early rock and roll, and for Led Zeppelin Rock and Roll was a way for them to offer new energy towards the past creations in the musical pioneers that had brought them to their present profession stage.
Recorded in 15 minutes, 'Rock and Roll' proves that sometimes the most beneficial music is that which doesn't suffer from agonizing second guessing and endless overdubs. Its position on exactly the same album side as ' Stairway to Heaven ' in no way diminishes the song's stature as one particular of classic rock's shining moments.
