Moby Dick (song)
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"Moby Dick" is a Led Zeppelin instrumental song from their second album. The title has no relation to the book by Herman Melville. (According to Bonham's wife Pat, the song is named "Moby Dick" because his son Jason asked him to play "the long song". When John asked why, the boy replied, "It's big like Moby.") This was drummer John Bonham's solo performance showcase on Led Zeppelin's tours through 1977.
Musically, only guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones play the song's blues-based riff with Bonham's drums—as a power trio—at the very beginning and the very end of the song, leaving the remainder open for Bonham alone. Singer Robert Plant did not play at all, and in concert would introduce Bonham to the audience before the song started. When played live, his drum solos would last as little as 12 minutes or as long as 30 minutes, while the rest of the band would leave the stage.
The song features strong influences from drummers Joe Morello and Ginger Baker and the tracks "Castilian Drums" and "Toad" respectively, utilizing bare hand drumming, triplets between hand and foot, bass drum double strokes among other techniques. The elements mentioned are heard in the aforementioned tracks, both of which feature lengthy drum solos. As well, we can see influences from Ed Cassidy in the song "It's All the Same", which he recorded with Spirit.
During the performance John Bonham would often set aside or throw his drumsticks into the audience, and then continue the solo with his hands (sometimes drawing blood as a result). On occasion he would play with his hands after he broke his drumsticks due to his ferocious playing.
The guitar riff is bears a resemblence to a Yardbirds song, "I'm Not Talking". It is also very similar to "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair" from ''Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions.
Some fans cite Bonham's live performance of this song as a favorite highlight of the film The Song Remains the Same.
Bonham's drumming solo also went through 3 different name changes. During their early 1968-1969 tours it was known as "Pat's Delight", from 1969-1975 it was "Moby Dick", and during their 1977 US Tour it was "Over the Top".
| Led Zeppelin |
|---|
| Jimmy Page · Robert Plant · John Paul Jones · John Bonham |
| Discography |
| Studio Albums: Led Zeppelin · II · III ·
(IV) · Houses of the Holy · Physical Graffiti · Presence · In Through the Out Door · Coda
Live Albums: The Song Remains the Same · BBC Sessions · How the West Was Won Compilations: Box Set · Profiled · Remasters · Box Set 2 · Complete Studio Recordings · ' · ' |
| 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 Categories: ∙ |
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