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Concept
Black Dog (Led Zeppelin song)
Summary
"Black Dog" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, the opening track on the band's untitled fourth album (1971). The song was released as a single and reached the charts in several countries; however, as was their practice, it was not issued in the United Kingdom. The song was included in Rolling Stones (US) "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and ranked No. 1 in Q magazine's (UK) "20 Greatest Guitar Tracks".
"Black Dog" is built around a call and response dynamic between the vocalist and band, with its start and stop a cappella verses inspired by Fleetwood Mac's 1969 song "Oh Well", according to biographer Dave Lewis. The title is a reference to a nameless black Labrador Retriever that wandered around the Headley Grange studios during the recording of the album. The song was recorded with recording engineer Andy Johns at Island Studios on Basing Street in London.
Bassist John Paul Jones, who is credited with writing the main riff, was inspired by Muddy Waters' controversial 1968 album Electric Mud. He added a winding riff and complex rhythm changes, that biographer Keith Shadwick describes as a "clever pattern that turns back on itself more than once, crossing between time signatures as it does." The group had a difficult time with the turnaround, but drummer John Bonham's solution was to play it straight through as if there was no turnaround. In live performances, Bonham eliminated the variation so that Robert Plant could perform his a cappella vocal interludes and then have the instruments return at the proper time. For his guitar parts, Jimmy Page used a Gibson Les Paul to record multiple overdubs.
The song was released as a single in the United States on 2 December 1971, in continental Europe (the United Kingdom did not receive the single release), and in Australia with "Misty Mountain Hop" as the B-side.
Record World said it has "incredible sounds with Robert Plant vocal to match."
"Black Dog" became a staple of Led Zeppelin's live concert performances.
Official source
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