Led Zeppelin Rock and Roll in Tribute to Their Heroes
Led Zeppelin IV was a turning point for the band. The year was 1971, plus the group realized that they were enthusiastic about penning far more than straight ahead rock and roll songs and extended, extended blues jams. For some bands, this would have posed a problem, as there are often songwriting elements in a group which are locked into a particular style and are unwilling to move in new directions. Because of these 'creative differences', it was not and is still not uncommon for band members to leave and pursue their own artistic direction. Label pressure to keep on churning out the identical old tried and accurate hits can also be a heavy element when a crossroads like this is reached.
Luckily, Led Zeppelin was far from a regular band. In truth, the group discovered that they had been 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 way of keeping in touch with their roots whilst in the same time stretching their branches to reach for the stars.
The genesis with the song lies within the simplicity of its title. While jamming inside the studio, drummer John Bonham kept subjecting the band to the introductory cymbal and snare parts of the Little Richard song 'Good Golly Miss Molly'. This prompted guitarist Jimmy Page to retaliate by composing an accompaniment on the spot, along with the riff for 'Rock and Roll' was born. The band liked the song so a great deal that they quickly decided to record it and incorporate it on the album.
The spontaneity of the song can certainly be felt even though listening to it. The track breathes with a life of its personal, and will be the perfect second half of the one-two punch that opens the album, soon after the down and dirty blues workout of 'Black Dog'. The fundamental arrangement with the track belies the energy of early rock and roll, and for Led Zeppelin Rock and Roll was a way for them to give new power towards the past creations in the musical pioneers that had brought them to their existing profession stage.
Recorded in 15 minutes, 'Rock and Roll' proves that occasionally the best music is that which will not suffer from agonizing second guessing and endless overdubs. Its position on the identical album side as ' Stairway to Heaven ' in no way diminishes the song's stature as a single of classic rock's shining moments.
