The Rover (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "The Rover" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| from the album 'Physical Graffiti' | ||
| Released | February 24, 1975 | |
| Recorded | 1972 | |
| Genre | Hard rock | |
| Length | 5:44 | |
| Label | Atlantic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Page/Plant | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |
| 'Physical Graffiti' track listing | ||
| "Custard Pie" (1) |
"The Rover" (2) |
"In My Time of Dying" (3) |
"The Rover" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is the second track on their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. "The Rover" was originally meant to be an acoustic piece, being written at Bron-Yr-Aur in 1970 and then recorded during the Houses of the Holy sessions in 1972. However, it was decided to hold the track off the Houses of the Holy album, and it eventually saw its way onto Led Zeppelin's next studio album Physical Graffiti. By this time it had obtained a distinctly heavier feel, with several studio overdubs having been laid by Jimmy Page in 1974.
The track opens with a drum beat from John Bonham, and throughout the song, Page plays a distinctive riff using a Phase Shifter effect. "The Rover" was never played live, although the band played the opening bars as an introduction to "Sick Again" throughout their 1977 US concert tour.
[edit] Trivia
- "Rover" is old British slang for a wanderer. The lyrics are fitting to this definition.
- This began life as an acoustic piece. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant started writing it in 1970 at Bron-yr-Aur, the cottage in Wales they went to after a brutal US tour.
- Led Zeppelin recorded this at the Houses Of The Holy sessions. They didn't use it on that album, so they remixed it for Physical Graffiti.
- Led Zeppelin never played this live, but during their 1977 tour of the United States, the band would often use the opening riff to segue into "Sick Again."
- The intro is very close to the Kinks track "Wicked Annabella" from their Village Green album.
[edit] Sources
- Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
- The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
| Led Zeppelin |
|---|
| Jimmy Page · Robert Plant · John Paul Jones · John Bonham |
| Discography - (Category) |
Studio albums: Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin II · Led Zeppelin III ·  (Led Zeppelin IV) · Houses of the Holy · Physical Graffiti · Presence · In Through the Out DoorLive albums: The Song Remains the Same · BBC Sessions · How the West Was Won |
| Films |
| The Song Remains the Same · Led Zeppelin DVD |
| Other |
| Peter Grant · Richard Cole · Swan Song Records · The Yardbirds · XYZ · The Firm · Page and Plant · Strange Sensation · Bootlegs ∙ Concerts ∙ Songs |
