White Summer
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| “White Summer” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| Album | Led Zeppelin Box Set | |
| Released | September 7, 1990 | |
| Recorded | June 27, 1969 | |
| Genre | Folk rock | |
| Length | 8:01 | |
| Label | Atlantic | |
| Writer | 'Jimmy Page' | |
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |
"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page, recorded with both The Yardbirds and, later, with Led Zeppelin.
Contents |
[edit] The Yardbirds version
Page initially recorded "White Summer" for the Yardbirds' final album, Little Games. An alternate take has been released on Cumular Limit. Page performed "White Summer" live with the group, and it also appears on the album Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page, a recording of a concert by the Yardbirds at the Anderson Theatre in New York City on March 30, 1968. Page would play the piece solo or with just percussion accompaniment during Yardbirds concerts.
[edit] Led Zeppelin version
This recording comes from the live BBC broadcast made from the Playhouse Theatre on June 27, 1969, for the pilot of Radio One's In Concert series.[1] Middle Eastern, Egyptian and Indian styles are incorporated into the song, which is played in the DADGAD tuning.
As with most of the live versions of this song, Page dove-tailed the end of it straight into the instrumental "Black Mountain Side", which was a track from Led Zeppelin's first album. "Black Mountain Side" is also based on a traditional folk song. The recording remained shelved for many years, but was eventually included on the 1990 Led Zeppelin Box Set under the combined title "White Summer/Black Mountain Side". The piece was later included as a bonus track on the 1993 boxed set The Complete Studio Recordings.
Jimmy Page often performed "White Summer/Black Mountain Side" at Led Zeppelin concerts as part of the standard set list during 1968-1970 and again on the 1977, 1979 and 1980 tours, segueing it with "Kashmir". He used his Danelectro guitar to play this piece, as shown on the Led Zeppelin DVD which includes his performance of the song at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970.
On April 26, 1970 Page performed the piece on the Julie Felix Show.
[edit] Alleged Davey Graham influence
In 1963, Davey Graham recorded "She Moved Thru the Bizarre," a unique guitar arrangement of the traditional Irish song "She Moved Through the Fair." Graham's version was a complex instrumental piece based loosely on the original that incorporated Indian influences. Page's version, titled "White Summer," is nearly identical to Graham's. The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin releases do not credit the piece's original authorship and history. Apparently irked at the lack of acknowledgment to song and arrangement, Davey Graham approached Jimmy Page at an English music awards ceremony and greeted him with, "Hello Robert", a reference to fellow Led Zeppelin member Robert Plant.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will, "Dylan? I'm not familiar with his work", The Guardian, Friday July 15, 2005
[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
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