Led Zeppelin - Post Breakup Albums

For the first five albums, the tracks were left in the vault whenever Led Zeppelin had additional songs that didn’t fit. But with the recording of Physical Graffiti, instead of cutting songs that didn’t fit they decided to instead expand to a double album and include unused songs from the past to fill it out.

However, I wondered how things might have turned out if the band had gone its usual route and, after the band's end, continued issuing albums of leftover tracks into the 1980s.

So first, I had to cut Physical Graffiti down to a single disc:

SIDE A

1. Custard Pie
2. Trampled Underfoot
3. In My Time of Dying

SIDE B

1. Kashmir
2. Ten Years Gone
3. Sick Again

To keep both sides around 20 minutes, I was forced to cut “In the Light” and “The Wanton Song.” I like both songs, so it wasn't easy—and that's essentially why Zeppelin chose not to cut them and turned the album into a double.

Then, knowing what we know now from compilations and the remastered albums with bonus tracks, I worked backward and created three new albums that could have been released following Led Zeppelin’s breakup.

TRIANGULUM

SIDE A

1. Ozone Baby
2. Darlene
3. Bonzo’s Montreux
4. Wearing and Tearing

SIDE B

1. In the Light
2. 10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)
3. The Wanton Song

If the first side looks familiar, that's probably because it's the same track list and order as the second side of Coda, including three outtakes from In Through the Out Door and John Bonham's drum track from 1976. The second side here has my two Physical Graffiti outtakes as well as a long instrumental outtake from Presence. I chose Triangulum as the title because the Triangulum Galaxy apparently has a lot of hydrogen, which is the gas that filled the Hindenburg. How's that for random? For a cover, I used a chart by German astronomer Johannes Hevelius from 1687 of the constellations of Pavo, Ara and Triangulm Australe and surrounding constellations, and added titles. 

CLOUD SERENADE

SIDE A

1. Walter’s Walk
2. The Rover
3. Down by the Seaside
4. Friends (Bombay version)

SIDE B

1. Black Country Woman
2. Houses of the Holy
3. Four Hands (Bombay version)
4. Boogie with Stu
5. Night Flight

Here we have an all-“new” album featuring outtakes from the fourth album and Houses of the Holy, as well as Page and Plant's experiment with the Bombay Orchestra where they re-recorded two Zeppelin tracks. For a cover, I used this image of a bunch of zeppelins from Dissolve, cropped it and decided to leave off any titles as the band often did with album covers. Assume that the band name and album title would have been a sticker on the plastic wrap. I chose the title because I thought the zeppelins looked a bit like clouds.

ALBION REVISITED

SIDE A

1. Sugar Mama
2. Jennings Farm Blues
3. Poor Tom
4. St. Tristan’s Sword
5. Key to the Highway/Trouble in Mind

SIDE B

1. Baby Come Home
2. Bron-Yr-Aur
3. Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?
4. La La
5. Medley: I Feel So Bad/Travelling Riverside Blues/32-20 Blues/Diving Duck Blues/Fixin' to Die/That's All Right (Mama)

These tracks include outtakes from the first three albums, but primarily from III, including also "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" which was originally released as a b-side to "The Immigrant Song." The last track has not actually been officially released but is available on various bootlegs and on the web, sometimes titled “Blues Medley.” For cover art, I used a stock photo of the abandoned English village of Tyneham and added titles. Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain and is sometimes used poetically to refer to the island. So I titled the album Albion Revisited yet showing a ruined, abandoned town, which I thought was sort of symbolic.

And there you have it: three albums of outtakes arranged close to reverse chronologically. I think the release of these would have been better than the somewhat haphazard way the tracks popped up over the years. I also think it would have been interesting if these had been released each year beginning in 1982 as it would have continued the band's album releases into the mid-'80s.

 

 

Led Zeppelin - "Archives"

I was thinking about the remastered Led Zeppelin albums and wondering whether there was enough material out there to create something similar to the Beatles’ Anthology series. Anthology 1, 2 and 3 included alternate takes, demos, live tracks and other odds and ends. While Jimmy Page was likely uninterested in duplicating the product of another band, there’s nothing stopping us from putting something together. Like Anthology, I divided up the songs into track lists for three theoretical CD sets. 

The Beatles’ Anthology 1 included tracks by the Quarrymen and pre-Ringo Beatles. In a similar vein, I decided to use non-Zeppelin songs that featured members of the band prior to its forming. Most of the material I ended up using came from the bonus materials on the deluxe versions of Zeppelin's remastered albums. However, I did snag a few tracks from bootlegs, DVDs and other sources to give a more complete picture. When it came to including non-Zeppelin material, I almost always used songs that included at least two members of the band, the exception being a couple of Yardbirds tracks.

I decided to call the theoretical box set Archives.

I kept the track lists in mostly chronological order. But I decided to kick off the first set with a live version of “Train Kept a Rollin’” from 1969 for the simple reason that it acts as a good introduction, literally and figuratively ("Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the [sic] Led Zeppelin!"). "Train Kept a Rollin'" is supposedly the first song Led Zeppelin rehearsed, and the band then used it to open most of their shows for the first tour. So it seems appropriate to use it to open our set as well. I included Donovan's "Sunshine Superman," and while I'm not positive, it may be the earliest session that both Page and John Paul Jones participated in together.

We then have “Beck’s Bolero,” a Jeff Beck song “written” by Page, and featuring both Page and Jones. It’s been said that during this session the name Led Zeppelin was conjured up by Keith Moon (he said the group would go over like a lead balloon) who also played on the session. I also included the Yardbirds' tracks "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" and “No Excess Baggage” because besides Page, they also feature Jones on bass. And both Page and Jones also played on the track "Burn Up" from an album that was supposed to be the debut of singer Keith DeGroot, but ended up showcasing the more famous session players instead. 

“Hey Joe” is a demo by the Band of Joy that included both Robert Plant and John Bonham. I also added “Dazed and Confused” by the Yardbirds since it would become such a major song for Zeppelin. The eighth track is "Jim's Blues" by P.J. Proby, featuring all four members of Zeppelin backing him, and the first released recording with all four members together. After that, I included various outtakes, backing tracks and alternate mixes that were bonus tracks on the remastered Zeppelin albums, as well as a selection of early live tracks. Also included is the Screaming Lord Sutch song “‘Cause I Love You,” which features Bonham and Page.

Archives 1

1.       Train Kept a Rollin’ [live at Texas International Pop Festival, 31 Aug. 1969] - bootleg

2.       Sunshine Superman [Donovan with Jones and Page, December 1965] - Donovan's Sunshine Superman

3.    Beck’s Bolero [Jeff Beck with Jones and Page, 16 May 1966] - Beck's Truth

4.    Happenings Ten Years Time Ago [The Yardbirds including Page with Jones, October 1966] - Yardbirds' single

5.       No Excess Baggage [The Yardbirds including Page with Jones, Spring 1967] - Yardbirds' Little Games

6.    Burn Up [Keith DeGroot with Jones and Page, late 1967] - No Introductions Necessary

7.       Hey Joe [demo, Band of Joy including Bonham and Plant, early 1968] - Plant's Sixty Six to Timbuktu

8.       Dazed and Confused [The Yardbirds including Page, live on French TV "Boutan Rouge" show, 9 March 1968] - Yardbirds' Cumular Limit

9.      Jim's Blues [P.J. Proby with Bonham, Jones, Page and Plant, September 1968] - Proby's Three Week Hero

10.     You Shook Me [alternate version, Fall 1968] - bootleg

11.   Baby, Come on Home [outtake, Fall 1968] - Coda bonus

12.   Sugar Mama [outtake, Fall 1968] - Coda bonus

13.   Killing Floor [live at Whiskey a Go Go, Los Angeles, 5 Jan. 1969] - bootleg

14.   For Your Love [live at Whiskey a Go Go, Los Angeles, 5 Jan. 1969] - bootleg

15.   What Is and What Should Never Be [rough mix with vocal, January 1969] - Led Zeppelin II bonus

16.   Moby Dick [intro/outro rough mix, January 1969] - Led Zeppelin II bonus

17.   How Many More Times [live at Gadsaxe Teen Club (TV BYEN – Danmarks Radio), Gladsaxe, Denmark, 17 March 1969] - Led Zeppelin DVD

18.   Sunshine Woman [live at Maida Vale Studios, London, 19 March 1969] - BBC Sessions

19.   Dazed and Confused [live on Supershow, Staines Studio, London, 25 March 1969] - BBC Sessions

20.   As Long As I Have You (edit) [live at Fillmore West, San Francisco, 27 April 1969] - bootleg

21.   Whole Lotta Love [rough mix with vocal, May 1969] - Led Zeppelin II bonus

22.   Thank You [backing track, Spring 1969] - Led Zeppelin II bonus

23.   Heartbreaker [rough mix with vocal, Spring 1969] - Led Zeppelin II bonus

24.   Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) [backing track, Spring 1969] - Led Zeppelin II bonus

25.   Ramble On [rough mix with vocal, Spring 1969] - Led Zeppelin II bonus

26.   Bring It On Home [rough mix, Spring 1969] - Coda bonus

27.   La La [outtake (backing track), Spring 1969] - Led Zeppelin II bonus

28.   The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair [live at Aeolian Hall (BBC), London, 16 June 1969] - BBC Sessions

29.   Somethin’ Else [live at Aeolian Hall (BBC), London, 16 June 1969] - BBC Sessions

30.   Travelling Riverside Blues [live at Maida Vale Studios (BBC), London, 24 June 1969] - BBC Sessions

31.   White Summer/Black Mountain Side [live at Playhouse Theatre (BBC), London, 27 June 1969] - BBC Sessions

32.   ‘Cause I Love You [Screaming Lord Sutch with Bonham and Page, Summer 1969] - Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends

33.   Good Times, Bad Times (intro) / Communication Breakdown [live at L'Olympia Bruno Coquatrix, Paris, 10 Oct. 1969] - Led Zeppelin bonus

34.   Whole Lotta Love [single edit, November 1969] - single

35.   I Can't Quit You Baby [live rehearsal (edit) at the Royal Albert Hall, London, England, 9 Jan. 1970] - BBC Sessions

36.   We’re Gonna Groove [live (edit) at Royal Albert Hall, London, 9 Jan. 1970 (audience removed)] - Coda

 

For the second set, I included various alternate mixes, outtakes and a b-side from the sessions for Led Zeppelin III, the fourth album and Houses of the Holy, plus a couple of live recordings from 1971. 

Archives 2

1.       The Immigrant Song [alternative mix, Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

2.       Friends [backing track – no vocal, Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

3.       Celebration Day [alternative mix, Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

4.       Since I've Been Loving You [rough mix of first recording, Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

5.       Bathroom Sound (Out on the Tiles) [backing track – no vocal, Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

6.       Gallows Pole [rough mix, Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

7.       That's the Way [rough mix with dulcimer and backwards echo, Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

8.       Jennings Farm Blues (Bron-Y-Aur Stomp) [rough mix, Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

9.       Hey, Hey What Can I Do? [b-side of “Immigrant Song” single, Spring 1970]  - Coda

10.   Poor Tom [outtake, Spring 1970]  - Coda

11.   St. Tristan's Sword [outtake, Spring 1970] - Coda bonus

12.   Key to the Highway / Trouble in Mind [outtake (rough mix), Spring 1970] - Led Zeppelin III bonus

13.   Black Dog [basic track with guitar overdubs, early 1971] - Led Zeppelin IV bonus

14.   Rock and Roll [alternate mix, early 1971]- Led Zeppelin IV bonus

15.   The Battle of Evermore [mandolin/guitar mix, early 1971] - Led Zeppelin IV bonus

16.   Stairway to Heaven [Sunset Sound mix, early 1971] - Led Zeppelin IV bonus

17.   Misty Mountain Hop [alternate mix, early 1971] - Led Zeppelin IV bonus

18.   Four Sticks [alternate mix, early 1971] - Led Zeppelin IV bonus

19.   Going to California [mandolin/guitar mix, early 1971] - Led Zeppelin IV bonus

20.   If It Keeps On Raining (When the Levee Breaks) [rough mix, early 1971]  - Coda bonus

21.   Boogie with Stu [Sunset Sound mix, early 1971] - Physical Graffiti bonus

22.   Whole Lotta Love / Boogie Chillun' / Fixin' to Die / That's Alright Mama / A Mess of Blues [live at Paris Theatre, London, 1 April 1971] - BBC Sessions

23.   Rock and Roll [live at Festival Hall, Osaka, 29 Sept. 1971] - bootleg

24.   The Song Remains the Same [guitar overdub reference mix, Spring 1972] - Houses of the Holy bonus

25.   The Rain Song [mix minus piano, Spring 1972] - Houses of the Holy bonus

26.   Over the Hills and Far Away [guitar mix backing track, Spring 1972] - Houses of the Holy bonus

27.   The Crunge [rough mix – keys up, Spring 1972] - Houses of the Holy bonus

28.   Dancing Days [rough mix with vocal, Spring 1972] - Houses of the Holy bonus

29.   No Quarter [rough mix with keyboard overdubs – no vocal, Spring 1972] - Houses of the Holy bonus

30.   The Ocean [working mix, Spring 1972] - Houses of the Holy bonus

31.   Houses of the Holy [rough mix with overdubs, Spring 1972] - Physical Graffiti bonus

32.   Walter’s Walk [outtake, Spring 1972] - Coda

 

The third set includes the remakes of “Four Sticks” and “Friends” that Page and Plant recorded with the Bombay Orchestra, plus more selected live cuts, and rarities from the sessions of Physical Graffiti, Presence and In Through the Out Door. I also included “Rockestra Theme,” which was recorded live for the Concert for Kampuchea by an all-star group of musicians that featured Bonham, Jones, and Plant. A live version of “Train Kept a Rollin’” from the band’s last tour brings the set full circle.

Archives 3

1.       L.A. Drone / Immigrant Song [live at Long Beach Arena and Los Angeles Forum, June 1972] - How the West was Won

2.       Four Hands (Four Sticks) [Page and Plant remake with Bombay Orchestra, October 1972] - Coda bonus

3.       Friends [Page and Plant remake with Bombay Orchestra, October 1972] - Coda bonus

4.       Bring It On Home (intro) / Black Dog [live at Madison Square Garden, New York, July 1973] - The Song Remains the Same

5.       The Ocean [live at Madison Square Garden, New York, July 1973] - The Song Remains the Same

6.       In My Time of Dying [initial/rough mix, early 1974] - Physical Graffiti bonus

7.       Brandy & Coke (Trampled Under Foot) [initial/rough mix, early 1974] - Physical Graffiti bonus

8.       Kashmir [rough orchestra mix, early 1974] - Physical Graffiti bonus

9.       Everybody Makes It Through (In the Light) [early version/in transit, early 1974] - Coda bonus

10.   Desire (The Wanton Song) [rough mix, early 1974] - Coda bonus

11.   Sick Again [early version, early 1974] - Physical Graffiti bonus

12.   Swan Song [demo, 1974] - bootleg

13.   In My Time of Dying [live at Earl’s Court, London, 25 May 1975] - Led Zeppelin DVD

14.   Two Ones Are Won (Achilles Last Stand) [reference mix, Fall 1975] - Presence bonus

15.   For Your Life [reference mix, Fall 1975] - Presence bonus

16.   Royal Orleans [reference mix, Fall 1975] - Presence bonus

17.   Hots On for Nowhere [reference mix, Fall 1975] - Presence bonus

18.   10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod) [reference mix, Fall 1975] - Presence bonus

19.   Bonzo’s Montreax [demo, September 1976] - Coda

20. Black Country Woman [live at Seattle Kingdome, 17 July 1977] - bootleg

21.   Fire (Say You’re Gonna Leave Me) [rehearsal, Fall 1978] - bootleg

22.   In the Evening [rough mix, Fall 1978] - In Through the Out Door bonus

23.   Southbound Piano (South Bound Saurez) [rough mix, Fall 1978] - In Through the Out Door bonus

24.   Fool in the Rain [short version, Fall 1978] - radio promo

25.   Hot Dog [rough mix, Fall 1978] - In Through the Out Door bonus

26.   The Epic (Carouselambra) [rough mix, Fall 1978] - In Through the Out Door bonus

27.   The Hook (All My Love) [rough mix, Fall 1978] - In Through the Out Door bonus

28.   Blot (I'm Gonna Crawl) [rough mix, Fall 1978] - In Through the Out Door bonus

29.   Wearing and Tearing [outtake, Fall 1978] - Coda

30.   Darlene [outtake, Fall 1978] - Coda

31.   Ozone Baby [outtake, Fall 1978] - Coda

32.   In the Evening [live at Knebworth Festival, 4 Aug. 1979] - Led Zeppelin DVD

33.   Rockestra Theme [Rockestra including Bonham, Jones and Plant, live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 29 Dec. 1979] - Rock for Kampuchea

34.   Hot Dog [live at Sporthalle, Cologne, 18 June 1980] - bootleg

35.   Money (That’s What I Want) [live at Festhalle, Frankfurt, 30 June 1980] - bootleg

36.   Train Kept a Rollin’ [live at Festhalle, Frankfurt, 30 June 1980] - bootleg

As one can imagine, a number of these tracks are very long, and if you wanted to fit all these songs on CDs, each set would likely be a three-CD set. The Beatles' Anthology sets were each two CDs, but they didn't perform really long live versions of their songs like Zeppelin did. 

The sources of the songs are listed after each title. I put together the album covers using old photos of Zeppelins, texture backgrounds and a free Led Zeppelin-esque font.

"Another Age of Atlantic" compilation

Beginning in 1969, Atlantic Records released a trio of rock music compilation albums to promote its roster of artists. The first record, Atco Blockbusters, featured then-up-and-coming acts such as Iron Butterfly, Dr. John and Buffalo Springfield. The next compilation, The Age of Atlantic, continued the format in 1970 and featured Led Zeppelin, Yes and MC5. The final album, released in 1972, was New Age of Atlantic. It again featured Led Zeppelin and Yes, as well as Cactus and John Prine.

These compilations were sold at a bargain price -- less than it would have cost to buy all the singles.

I don't know why other compilations in the same vein didn't follow, but it's possible that they didn't sell well or many of Atlantic's acts by this time didn't need additional promotion. But I wondered what a fourth compilation might have included, and this is what I came up with.

SIDE A
1. D'yer Mak'er - Led Zeppelin
2. Give It to Me - J. Geils Band
3. In the Midnight Hour - Cross Country
4. Jerusalem - Emerson, Lake and Palmer
5. Easy Money - King Crimson
6. Right Place, Wrong Time - Dr. John

SIDE B
1. Angie - The Rolling Stones
2. Isn't It About Time - Stephen Stills and Manassas
3. Jack of All Trades - Heads, Hands and Feet
4. Everything that Touches You - Michael Kamen
5. Prison Song - Graham Nash
6. Jim Dandy - Black Oak Arkansas

To determine the track list, I decided to look at the albums and singles released and distributed by Atlantic and its subsidiaries in 1973. The record company's roster was really varied. But the three compilations released focused on rock acts. So, keeping with that concept, I didn't include pop, R&B, soul or country music.

The resulting tracklist is a really mixed bag of hard rock, country rock and prog rock, with a ballad thrown in here and there. Some groups (Stones and Zep) have stood the test of time, while others (Cross Country and Heads, Hands and Feet) seem more like curiosities now. If you don't already have all the albums these songs came from (and I can't imagine anyone would), you can download most of them individually. The exceptions appear to be "Jack of All Trades" by Head, Hands and Feet and "Everything That Touches You" by Michael Kamen. For those two, you'll have to do a deep dive.

For a cover, I wanted to get inspiration from the covers of the compilation series. But none of those covers showed any relation to the others, so I figured I had free rein. In the end, I decided on a rather simple design that, quite frankly, is nicer than the covers of the actual series.

Robert Plant and Friends - "Long Time Coming"

It would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall at Decca Records after The Beatles hit it big on Parlophone. Decca famously turned down the opportunity to sign the band, and the rest is history. Was there yelling and screaming? A lot of finger-pointing? Did anyone lose their job over that?

I also wonder what the word was around CBS Records after Led Zeppelin’s 1969 debut splash. CBS had had Robert Plant under contract just two years earlier and had turned down his Band of Joy after receiving demos in 1967. Plus, The Yardbirds (with Jimmy Page) had been on Epic Records, a CBS subsidiary. It must have seemed like a missed opportunity by some of the company execs.

And while there have been a number of releases of Page's pre-Zeppelin recordings to capitalize on his later fame, less has been done with Plant’s early work.

I wondered what could have happened if CBS panicked a bit after Zeppelin's debut and re-packaged its Robert Plant singles along with the Band of Joy demos into an album around 1969/1970 in a bid to cash in on his success. The result I came up with is an album I’ve titled Long Time Coming by “Robert Plant and Friends.”

SIDE A
1. Long Time Coming

2. Everybody's Gonna Say (Listen)
3. Laughin', Cryin', Laughin'
4. You'd Better Run (Listen)
5. I've Got a Secret

SIDE B
1. Our Song
2. Adriatic Sea View (Band of Joy)
3. For What it's Worth (Band of Joy)
4. Hey Joe (Band of Joy)
5. Memory Lane (Band of Joy)

"You Better Run" and "Everybody's Gonna Say" were originally released as a single by Columbia in 1966 and they're credited to the band Listen. The A-side is a cover of the Young Rascals hit and, with over-the-top blasts of a horn section, it sounds like they were trying to make Plant into the next Tom Jones. It's available on Plant's compilation CD Sixty Six to Timbuktu. 

"Our Song" b/w "Laughin', Cryin', Laughin'" as well as "Long Time Coming" b/w "I've Got a Secret" were both Robert Plant solo singles released by CBS in 1967. "Our Song" is also available on Sixty Six to Timbuktu. 

As for the Band of Joy tracks, Plant also released both "For What It's Worth" and "Hey Joe" on Sixty Six to Timbuktu. "Adriatic Sea View" was released as a rare (possibly bootlegged) single. And "Memory Lane" is floating around on bootlegs.

For a cover, I found this promo photo of Plant (circa '67) and added titles.

Led Zeppelin -- "Four by Four" EP

Led Zeppelin’s last true studio album was In Through the Out Door, released in August 1979. Nearly a year later, the band launched a short promotional tour of Europe. The initial leg of a U.S. tour was scheduled for October and November to cover several cities on the East Coast.

Guitarist Jimmy Page realized that by the time the band initiated the tour’s second leg on the West Coast, it would be a year and a half since In Through the Out Door had been released. While there would be no time to write, record and release a new album, the band did have three outtakes from In Through the Out Door. Singer Robert Plant was so happy with the song “Wearing and Tearing” that he wanted to release it as a single in time for the band's 1979 performance at Knebworth. Reportedly, there wasn't time as In Through the Out Door had been delayed.

Page wanted to include the three tracks on an EP that could provide new material for radio stations to play and fans to buy in 1981. EPs had reemerged as a popular medium with punk and new wave groups in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and Page looked to capitalize on that. I don’t know how far the idea got before drummer John Bonham died on Sept. 25, 1980.

All three songs were eventually released in 1982 on the album Coda, along with other outtakes. The EPs released in 1980-81 range from three to nine songs, but four tracks are the average number. So it seems likely to me that if the EP had been released as planned, there would have been one other track – but what? Something else that ended up on Coda? An all-new song? A live track recorded on the European tour? One of the tracks from In Through the Out Door?

There’s no way of knowing, so we speculate.

SIDE A

1.       Ozone Baby

2.       Darlene

SIDE B

1.       Wearing and Tearing

2.       Fire (Say You’re Gonna Leave Me)

In the end, I went with an all-new song for the fourth track as the emphasis here would have been new songs for a new decade. "Fire (Say You're Gonna Leave Me)" was rehearsed by Zeppelin, but the only known recording is a rather poor-sounding version from a rehearsal (you can find it on YouTube). I don't know when the West Coast leg of the tour was to begin, but I suspect it would have been in spring 1981. That would have given the group plenty of time to go into a studio and bang out a new tune.

I designed the cover as a joke. Punks were calling groups like Led Zeppelin dinosaurs, so why not feature the greatest dinosaur of them all? OK, maybe he's not an actual dinosaur, but let's not split hairs. I took a black-and-white photo, tinted it, and added the words. I called it "Four by Four"—four songs, four members.

The Yardbirds' "Dazed and Confused"

Reduced to a quartet, The Yardbirds were a shell of their former selves by 1968. The hits had disappeared, their record company and producer were pushing them to do trite pop songs when the band was more of a blues-rock outfit, and the band's future just didn't appear to have a road to success.

After recording several new songs, half the band (singer Keth Relf and drummer Jim McCarty) quit, leaving only bassist Chris Dreja and guitarist Jimmy Page. Once Dreja decided to hang up his bass and pursue photography, Page would form the New Yardbirds, soon to be rechristened Led Zeppelin.

Using songs from The Yardbirds' last recording session and a recent single, I added a couple of tracks from the band's live set and a long experimental track leftover from the sessions of the group's previous album. The result is what could have been The Yardbirds' swan song.

SIDE A
1. Think About It
2. Taking a Hold of Me
3. Avron Knows
4. Spanish Blood
5. Dazed and Confused

SIDE B
1. Goodnight Sweet Josephine
2. Most Likely You'll Go Your Way, and I'll Go Mine
3. Knowing That I'm Losing You
4. My Baby
5. De Lane Lea Lee

I start the album with "Think About It" and its proto-Zeppelin guitar riff, and close out the first side with "Dazed and Confused." I used the phased version of "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" as it makes a lame song slightly more interesting, and chose it to open the second side since it was the most recent single. I think of "De Lane Lea Lee" as The Yardbirds' version of "Revolution 9." Most of these tracks are available on the compilation "Cumular Limit" and/or the recently released "Yardbirds '68." The Bob Dylan cover "Most Likely..." is from the band's BBC sessions.

It's interesting to think about what Zeppelin albums would have been like had this come out. "Dazed and Confused" probably wouldn't have been on the first album, and "Tangerine" (the remake of "Knowing That I'm Losing You") likely wouldn't have been on Led Zeppelin III.

I created the simple cover using a photo I found on the web and added the band logo and album title. And here's a YouTube Playlist of the album.

Led Zeppelin III - Double Album Version

When recording the album Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin faced a dilemma. The assembled eight songs were too long for one LP. The solution was to make a double album and add a number of tracks left off previous albums.

After the recent release of remastered albums with extra tracks, I realized there were enough leftovers and outtakes from albums I-III to make III a double album also. I considered taking all the tracks and rearranging them. But in the end, I left the first two sides the same as released, and simply built sides C and D.

SIDE A

1. Immigrant Song

2. Friends

3. Celebration Day

4. Since I've Been Loving You

5. Out on the Tiles

SIDE B

1. Gallows Pole

2. Tangerine

3. That's the Way

4. Bron Yr Aur Stomp

5. Hats off to (Roy) Harper

SIDE C

1. We're Gonna Groove

2. Poor Tom

3. Jennings Farm Blues

4. Sugar Mama

5. Key to the Highway/Trouble in Mind

SIDE D

1. Baby Come on Home

2. Bron Yr Aur

3. Hey Hey What Can I Do?

4. Medley: I Feel So Bad/Travelling Riverside Blues/32-20 Blues/Diving Duck Blues/Fixin' to Die/That's All Right (Mama)

It's kind of a head-scratcher that most of these songs remained unreleased for so long. Side C kicks off with "We're Gonna Groove," followed by an outtake from III, "Poor Tom." I think having the similar "Bron Yr Aur Stomp," "Jennings Farm Blues" and "Bron Yr Aur" on three of the four sides kind of ties the album together. "Sugar Mama" picks up the pace before the side ends with the slow acoustic blues of the "Key to the Highway/Trouble in Mind" medley.

Side D kicks off with the amazing "Baby Come on Home" (an outtake from the first album). "Hey Hey What Can I Do" was a non-album B-side of the "Immigrant Song" single. Since Zeppelin ended most of their shows with a medley of old rock and blues songs, ending this album that way seems natural. Brought together, I think Sides C and D are nearly as strong as the original A and B.

All these tracks, except one, are available as either bonus tracks to the remastered albums, or on the compilation album Coda. 

The exception is "Bron Yr Aur" which is on Physical Graffiti. In iTunes, I replaced it on that album with "Walter's Walk." I also put "Houses of the Holy" back on the album it's named for, and replaced it on Physical Graffiti with "D'yer Mak'er."