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"Moby Dick"
"Moby Dick"
	Italian single label
Instrumental by Led Zeppelin
from the album Led Zeppelin II
Released	22 October 1969
Recorded	4–5 May 1969; 6 May 1969; 3 June 1969;
Studio	Mystic Sound Studios, Hollywood, California; Mirror Sound, Los Angeles; Mayfair Recording Studios, New York;
Genre	Blues rock; hard rock;
Length	4:25
Label	Atlantic
Composer(s)	John Bonham; John Paul Jones; Jimmy Page;
Producer(s)	Jimmy Page
Audio
	"Moby Dick" on YouTube

"Moby Dick" is an instrumental drum solo by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on the band's 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. Named after the 1851 novel of the same name by Herman Melville, it was also known by the alternative titles "Pat's Delight" (early 1968–1969 version with completely different guitar riff) and "Over the Top" (with "Out on the Tiles" intro section and original closing reprise) during various points of the band's career. The track is often regarded as one of the greatest drum solos of all time.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Composition and recording

Music journalist Steve Pilkington described "Moby Dick" as "essentially, a drum solo bookended by a token blues-rock riff."^[8]

The track emerged after Led Zeppelin guitarist and producer Jimmy Page found drummer John Bonham jamming or improvising in the studio, recorded parts of his solos and pieced it all together. Studio outtakes from the Led Zeppelin II sessions reveal that the drum solo recorded was edited down from a much longer version.^[9]

The guitar riff can be traced back to the BBC unused session track "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair", which was recorded in the summer of 1969.^[9] The riff is also similar to that of Bobby Parker's 1961 hit single, "Watch Your Step", although the progression is in a different key and tempo.^[10]

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:^[11]

Jimmy Page – guitars
John Paul Jones – bass
John Bonham – drums, cowbell, tambourine

Live performances

Bonham's Moby Dick drum solo was often played at Led Zeppelin concerts from the first North American tour in November 1968, his iconic rendition at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 January during Zeppelin's United Kingdom Tour 1970,^[12] and remained his solo performance showcase on concert tours through 1977. Over this period it went through three different name changes. During their early 1968–1969 tours it was known as "Pat's Delight" (a reference to Bonham's wife), from 1969–1975 it was "Moby Dick" and during Led Zeppelin's 1977 North American Tour it was "Over the Top" as the solo began with the opening riff to "Out on the Tiles" before segueing into a lengthy drum solo (in the same time ending with a "Moby Dick" riff).^[9] The last time "Moby Dick" was played by Led Zeppelin was on 17 July 1977 at the Seattle Kingdome and can be found on various audio and video bootleg recordings.

When played live, Bonham's drum solo would last as little as 6 minutes or, more frequently, as long as 30 minutes, while the rest of the band would leave the stage after having played the introduction.^[9]

There are several live versions of "Moby Dick" that have been officially released. The earliest recorded official release was played at the Olympia in Paris, France on 10 October, 1969.^[13] It was subsequently included on disc two of the deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin, along with the rest of the show. The first official release of a live version was included in the film The Song Remains the Same and the soundtrack of the same name. The original album and film versions include different performances from the 3 nights performed at Madison Square Garden from 27-29 July, 1973.^[14] Other versions officially released include a filmed performance from the Royal Albert Hall from 9 January, 1970 (featured on Led Zeppelin DVD)^[15] and a performance from the LA Forum on 25 June, 1972 (featured on the live album How the West Was Won).^[16]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 138.
^ Eiding, Joachim (2012). Der Ochse in der Roggensemmel und andere Musikanekdoten (in German). Miller E-Books. ISBN 978-3-9560-0998-3.
^ Popoff, Martin (2014). The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade. Voyageur Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-76034-546-7. ...plus other influential hard rock tracks "Heartbreaker," "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)," "Moby Dick," and "Ramble On."
^ Tucker, Dan (28 February 2014). "13 Classic Hard Rock Songs That Will Make You Scream "More Cowbell!"". VH1. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
^ Cesarz, Nick (9 November 2020). "14 Songs with Incredible Drum Solos". Drumming Review. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
^ Kalnitz, Max (14 November 2020). "The 20 best drum solos of all time, ranked". Insider.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
^ Stamos, Liam (1 July 2022). "Top 12 greatest drum solos in music". Higher Hz. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^ Pilkington, Steve. On Track: Led Zeppelin. SonicBond Publishing. pp. 31–32.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
^ Newman, Martin (November 2010). "One Step from the Blues". Record Collector. No. 381. ISSN 0261-250X.
^ *Guesdon, Jean-Michael; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin, All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. p. 138.
^ O'Brien, Lauren (6 January 2022). "No ordinary rock concert - Led Zeppelin's 1970 Hall debut". www.royalalberthall.com. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
^ "Led Zeppelin | Official Website Olympia - October 10, 1969". Led Zeppelin | Official Website - Official Website. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
^ "The Garden Tapes - The Song Remains The Same". www.thegardentapes.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
^ "Led Zeppelin Royal Albert Hall - January 9, 1970". Led Zeppelin | Official Website - Official Website. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
^ "Led Zeppelin | Official Website The Forum - June 25, 1972". Led Zeppelin | Official Website - Official Website. 22 September 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2024.