Black Mountain Side
Encyclopedia
"Black Mountain Side" is an instrumental by English
rock
band Led Zeppelin
, featured on the band's 1969 début album Led Zeppelin
. It was recorded at Olympic Studios
, London
during October 1968.
". The guitar arrangement closely follows Bert Jansch
's version of that song, recorded on his 1966 album Jack Orion
. This arrangement was learnt by Al Stewart
, who followed Jansch's gigs closely, and who, in turn, taught it to Jimmy Page, who was a session musician for Stewart's debut album.
The beginning of the song is cross-faded over the end of the previous track on Led Zeppelin, "Your Time Is Gonna Come
". An overdubbed rapid guitar
lick can be heard with the tempo then steadying to 114 beats per minute throughout the song. Page did this to simulate the sound of a sitar
, for which the song's dropped-down DADGAD
tuning leads into. Page played a borrowed Gibson J-200
acoustic guitar
for this recording. To enhance the Indian
character of the song, drummer and sitarist Viram Jasani
played tabla
on the track.
The overall Eastern-flavour of the structure was to lead writer William S. Burroughs
into a suggestion to Jimmy Page about Led Zeppelin's music:
When the song was played at Led Zeppelin concerts
, it was usually featured as part of Jimmy Page's instrumental "White Summer
", with the combined arrangement "White Summer-Black Mountain Side" typically running at 11 minutes. Page would sit on a stool for the duration of the two songs and usually played them on a 1959 Danelectro
DC "Double Cutaway" guitar, tuned differently than his favored Gibson
Les Paul
. These songs were used by the band to showcase Page's skills as a guitarist, as he plays almost entirely by himself, with drummer
John Bonham
adding some fills later in the song. The "White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side" combination was first performed as part of their first-ever concert at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, on 10 January 1969, and the Spokane show from 30 December 1968, features the arrangement without "Black Mountain Side".
This song was a component of Led Zeppelin's live set list until their fifth US Tour
in 1970. Years later it was restored to their set for the 1977 US Tour
, the 1979 concerts
and 1980 European tour
. "Black Mountain Side" was also used to lead into "Kashmir" on this latter tour.
A live version of this song can be seen on the Led Zeppelin DVD
, during Led Zeppelin's 1970 Royal Albert Hall
appearance. A similar version can be heard, most likely from the Playhouse Theatre sessions from 27 June 1969, on the expanded version of Coda
, an album of outtakes released in 1982. This arrangement has the "White Summer" segment being played for around eight minutes, and "Black Mountain Side" is heard somewhere in the middle.
Page later played versions of this song when he was with The Firm
, the group he founded with Paul Rodgers
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, featured on the band's 1969 début album Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin (album)
Led Zeppelin is the debut album of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded in October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London and released on Atlantic Records on 12 January 1969 in the United States and 31 March 1969 in the United Kingdom. The album featured integral contributions from each...
. It was recorded at Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during October 1968.
Song structure
"Black Mountain Side" was inspired by a traditional Irish folk song called "Down by BlackwatersideDown by Blackwaterside
Down by Blackwaterside is a traditional folk song, provenance and author unknown, although it is likely to have originated near the River Blackwater, Northern Ireland...
". The guitar arrangement closely follows Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
's version of that song, recorded on his 1966 album Jack Orion
Jack Orion
Jack Orion is the third album by Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch, released in 1966. It contains a number of traditional songs, including the epic "Jack Orion": a ten-minute adaptation of the Child ballad "Glasgerion" which tells of a court fiddler’s attempt to seduce a countess and his servant's...
. This arrangement was learnt by Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
, who followed Jansch's gigs closely, and who, in turn, taught it to Jimmy Page, who was a session musician for Stewart's debut album.
The beginning of the song is cross-faded over the end of the previous track on Led Zeppelin, "Your Time Is Gonna Come
Your Time Is Gonna Come
"Your Time Is Gonna Come" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on their 1969 début album Led Zeppelin.Guitarist Jimmy Page played an out-of-tune Fender 10-string steel guitar on this track. In an interview he gave in 1977, Page stated that he only learned how to play the steel...
". An overdubbed rapid guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
lick can be heard with the tempo then steadying to 114 beats per minute throughout the song. Page did this to simulate the sound of a sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, for which the song's dropped-down DADGAD
DADGAD
DADGAD, D modal tuning or Celtic tuning is an alternative guitar tuning most associated with Celtic music, though it has also found use in rock and other genres. Instead of the standard EADGBE tuning, the six guitar strings are tuned, from low to high, DADGAD...
tuning leads into. Page played a borrowed Gibson J-200
Gibson J-200
Gibson J-200 is an acoustic guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.Gibson entered into production of this model in 1938 as its top-of-the-line flat top guitar, initially called the Super Jumbo, changing the name in 1939 to the Super Jumbo 200. It was made at the Gibson Factory in...
acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
for this recording. To enhance the Indian
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
character of the song, drummer and sitarist Viram Jasani
Viram Jasani
Viram Jasani is a Kenyan-born Indian sitar and tabla composer and musician. He is known notably as having played tabla drums on the song "Black Mountain Side" from Led Zeppelin's 1969 début album...
played tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
on the track.
The overall Eastern-flavour of the structure was to lead writer William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
into a suggestion to Jimmy Page about Led Zeppelin's music:
When the song was played at Led Zeppelin concerts
Led Zeppelin concerts
From September 1968 through the summer of 1980, English rock group Led Zeppelin were one of the world's most popular live music attractions, performing hundreds of sold-out concerts around the world.-History:...
, it was usually featured as part of Jimmy Page's instrumental "White Summer
White Summer
"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page, recorded with both The Yardbirds and, later, with Led Zeppelin.-The Yardbirds version:...
", with the combined arrangement "White Summer-Black Mountain Side" typically running at 11 minutes. Page would sit on a stool for the duration of the two songs and usually played them on a 1959 Danelectro
Danelectro
Danelectro is an American manufacturer of musical instruments and accessories, specializing in rock instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers and effects units.-History:...
DC "Double Cutaway" guitar, tuned differently than his favored Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
. These songs were used by the band to showcase Page's skills as a guitarist, as he plays almost entirely by himself, with drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
adding some fills later in the song. The "White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side" combination was first performed as part of their first-ever concert at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, on 10 January 1969, and the Spokane show from 30 December 1968, features the arrangement without "Black Mountain Side".
This song was a component of Led Zeppelin's live set list until their fifth US Tour
Led Zeppelin North American Tour Spring 1970
Led Zeppelin's Spring 1970 North American Tour was the fifth concert tour of North America by the English rock band. The tour commenced on March 21 and concluded on April 18, 1970...
in 1970. Years later it was restored to their set for the 1977 US Tour
Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1977
Led Zeppelin's 1977 North American Tour was the eleventh and final concert tour of North America by the English rock band. The tour was divided into three legs, with performances commencing on 1 April and concluding on 24 July 1977...
, the 1979 concerts
Knebworth Festival 1979
The Knebworth Festival 1979 consisted of two concerts performed by the English rock band Led Zeppelin and other artists at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England, in August 1979.-History:...
and 1980 European tour
Tour Over Europe 1980
Tour Over Europe 1980 was the last concert tour by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The tour commenced on June 17 and concluded on July 7, 1980...
. "Black Mountain Side" was also used to lead into "Kashmir" on this latter tour.
A live version of this song can be seen on the Led Zeppelin DVD
Led Zeppelin (DVD)
Led Zeppelin is a double DVD set by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2003 and the United States on May 27, 2003. It contains live concert footage of the band spanning the years 1969 to 1979...
, during Led Zeppelin's 1970 Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
appearance. A similar version can be heard, most likely from the Playhouse Theatre sessions from 27 June 1969, on the expanded version of Coda
Coda (album)
-Sales chart performance:AlbumSinglesNo commercial or promotional singles were issued, although three tracks received independent radio airplay...
, an album of outtakes released in 1982. This arrangement has the "White Summer" segment being played for around eight minutes, and "Black Mountain Side" is heard somewhere in the middle.
Page later played versions of this song when he was with The Firm
The Firm (rock band)
The Firm were a British rock supergroup comprising former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers, ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, ex-Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann's Earth Band drummer Chris Slade and bass player Tony Franklin...
, the group he founded with Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
.
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