Moby Dick (instrumental)
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"Moby Dick" is an
instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
drum solo by English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, featured on the band's 1969 album ''
Led Zeppelin II ''Led Zeppelin II'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place ...
''. Named after the novel of the same name by
Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...
, it was also known by the alternate 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. "Moby Dick" is often regarded as one of the greatest drum solos of all time.


Composition and recording

"Moby Dick" emerged after Led Zeppelin guitarist and producer Jimmy Page found drummer
John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove,J ...
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. The guitar riff can be traced back to the
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unused session track " The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair" which was recorded in the summer of 1969. The riff is also similar to that of Bobby Parker's 1961 single, " Watch Your Step", although the progression is in a different key and tempo.


Live performances

Bonham's drum solo was often played at
Led Zeppelin concerts From September 1968 until the summer of 1980, English rock band Led Zeppelin were the world's most popular live music attraction, performing hundreds of sold-out concerts around the world. History Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Led Zeppeli ...
from the first North American tour in November 1968, being his
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performance showcase on
concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
s 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 ''Led Zeppelin III'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 5 October 1970. It was recorded in three locations. Much of the work was done at Headley Grange, a country house, using the Rolling Stones Mobil ...
" before
segue A segue (; ) is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next. The term is derived from Italian ''segue'', which literally means "follows". In music In music, ''segue'' is a direction to the performer. It means ''continue (the next ...
ing into a lengthy drum solo (in the same time ending with a "Moby Dick" riff). The last time "Moby Dick" was played by Led Zeppelin was on 17 July 1977 at the
Seattle Kingdome The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District (later SoDo) neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Owned and operated by King County, it was best known as the home ...
and can be found on various audio and video
bootleg recordings A bootleg recording is an sound recording, audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as ''bootlegging''. Recordings may be ...
. 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. Live versions of "Moby Dick" are included on the live album '' How the West Was Won'' (lasting 19:20, performed at
L.A. Forum Kia Forum (formerly The Forum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located between West Manchester Boulevard, across Pincay Drive and Kareem Court, it is north of SoFi Stadium and ...
25 June 1972) and on Led Zeppelin's 1976
concert film A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...
, '' The Song Remains the Same'' as part of Bonham's fantasy sequence. It was also included on the film's accompanying soundtrack. Both of them were cut to a shorter version. '' The Led Zeppelin DVD'' also has a 15-minute-long version that was performed and recorded at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in 1970.


In popular culture

In the 2008 comedy film '' Step Brothers'', when Brennan touches Dale's drum set using his testicles, he shouts "John Bonham's playing Moby Dick for real!" as he does so.https://www.moviequotedb.com/movies/step-brothers/character_10590.html


See also

*
List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs Led Zeppelin was an English rock band whose career spanned twelve years from 1968 to 1980. They are considered one of the most successful, innovative, and influential rock groups in history. During the band's tenure and in the years since the ...
*
List of Led Zeppelin songs written or inspired by others In their career, the British rock band Led Zeppelin recorded many songs that consisted, in whole or part, of pre-existing songs, melodies, or lyrics. They sometimes credited those sources; sometimes not. The band has been sued a number of times ove ...
*
Led Zeppelin discography The discography of the English rock band Led Zeppelin consists of eight studio albums, four live albums, nine compilation albums, sixteen singles and eight music downloads. The band is estimated to have sold over 300 million records worldwide ...


References

{{Authority control 1969 songs Atlantic Records singles Led Zeppelin songs Rock instrumentals Songs written by Jimmy Page Songs written by John Paul Jones (musician) Songs written by John Bonham Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page Music television series theme songs 1960s instrumentals he:Moby Dick